Bible Lesson: Answered Prayer: Jehoshaphat Prays For Deliverance From His Enemies.
Subject Of Prayer: Jehoshaphat
Prays Deliverance From The Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites.
Bible Text:
II Chronicles 20:1-30 NLT (War
with Surrounding Nations.)
1 After this, the armies of the
Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on
Jehoshaphat.
2 Messengers came and told
Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from
beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was
another name for En-gedi.)
3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by
this news and begged The Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone
in Judah to begin fasting.
4 So people from all the towns of
Judah came to Jerusalem to seek The Lord’s help.
5 Jehoshaphat stood before
the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at
the Temple of The Lord.
6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of
our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler
of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one
can stand against you!
7 O our God, did you not drive
out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And
did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend
Abraham?
8 Your people settled here and
built this Temple to honor your name.
9 They said, ‘Whenever we are
faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come
to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is
honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and
rescue us.’
10 “And now see what the armies
of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our
ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went
around them and did not destroy them.
11 Now see how they reward us!
For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as
an inheritance.
12 O our God, won’t You stop
them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to
attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to You for
help.”
13 As all the men of Judah stood
before The Lord with their little ones, wives, and children,
14 The Spirit Of The Lord came upon
one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of
Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite
who was a descendant of Asaph.
15 He said, “Listen, all you
people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what
the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this
mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow, march out against
them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the
end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 But you will not even need to
fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch The Lord’s
victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be
afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for The Lord is
with you!”
18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low
with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and
Jerusalem did the same, worshiping The Lord.
19 Then the Levites from the clans
of Kohath and Korah stood to praise The Lord, The God Of Israel, with
a very loud shout.
20 Early the next morning the army
of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way
Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of
Judah and Jerusalem!
Believe in The Lord your God,
and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in His prophets,
and you will succeed.”
21 After consulting the people, the
king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to
The Lord and praising Him for His
holy splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to The Lord; His
faithful love endures forever!”
22 At the very moment they began to
sing and give praise, The Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and
Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
23 The armies of Moab and Ammon
turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of
them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking
each other.
24 So when the army of Judah arrived
at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies
lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the
enemy had escaped.
25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went
out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment,
clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was
so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all!
26 On the fourth day they gathered
in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because
the people praised and thanked
The Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
27 Then all the men returned to
Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that
The Lord had given them victory
over their enemies.
28 They marched into Jerusalem to
the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to
the Temple of The Lord.
29 When all the surrounding kingdoms
heard that The Lord Himself had fought against the enemies of Israel,
the fear of God came over them.
30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at
peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
Alright, lets be
honest now, would you rather fight all your enemies, or have The
Lord, fight them for you?
There is victory as
we have just read, when we realize, as did King Jehoshaphat “We
are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We
do not know what to do”
(II Chronicles
20:12 NLT), “but we are looking to You for help.”
Because the people
realized their help must be The Lord, The Faithful Lord heard them,
and did just that, He helped them.
What
Did The People Do To Have Victory?
Vs 3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by
this news and begged The Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone
in Judah to begin fasting.
Vs 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of
our ancestors
Vs 17 Take your positions; then
stand still and watch The Lord’s victory. He is with you,...Do not
be afraid or discouraged... for The Lord is with you!”
Vs 18 (The
people) worshiping The Lord.
Vs 20 Believe in The Lord your
God, and you will be able to stand firm.
Vs 21 singing to The Lord and
praising Him for His holy splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to The Lord; His
faithful love endures forever!”
Vs 22 At the very moment they began
to sing and give praise, The Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab,
and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
Vs 27 The Lord had given them
victory over their enemies.
Vs 28 They marched into Jerusalem to
the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to
the Temple of The Lord.
Vs 30 God had given...rest on every
side.
We Have An
Enemy!
I Peter 5:8 KJV
Be sober (Be alert), be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour:
Ephesians
6:10-12 NLT
10 A final word: Be strong in The
Lord and in His mighty power.
11 Put on all of God’s armor so
that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the
devil.
12 For we are not fighting against
flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and
authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers
in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly
places.
Victorious
Soldiers Of The Lord's Army:
II Corinthians
10:3-5 KJV
3 For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Ephesians
6:13-18 NLT (Seven Elements Of God's Armor.)
13 “...Put on every piece of God’s
armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.
Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
14 Stand your ground, putting on the
belt of truth and the body armor of God’s
righteousness.
15 For shoes, put on the peace
that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully
prepared.
16 In addition to all of these, hold
up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the
devil.
17 Put on salvation as your
helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at
all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your
prayers for all believers everywhere.
I Timothy
6:11,12 NLT
11 "...run from all...evil
things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith,
love, perseverance, and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight for the true
faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called
you..."
II Timothy
2:3-7,15 NLT
3 Endure suffering along with me
(Apostle Paul), as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in
the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer
who enlisted them.
5 And athletes cannot win the prize
unless they follow the rules.
6 And hardworking farmers should be
the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.
7 Think about what I am saying. The
Lord will help you understand all these things.
15 Work hard so you can present
yourself to God and receive His approval..."
Revelation 12:11
KJV
And they overcame him by The
Blood Of The Lamb, and by The Word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.
