Bible Lesson: Answered Prayer:
Jehoshaphat Prays For His Life To Be Spared.
Subject Of Prayer: Jehoshaphat
Prays For Victory Over The Syrians.
Bible Text: (The
Story.)
II Chronicles 18:1-34 NLT (King
Jehoshaphat of Judah, and King Ahab, of Israel.)
1 Jehoshaphat enjoyed great riches
and high esteem, and he made an alliance with Ahab of Israel by
having his son marry Ahab’s daughter.
2 A few years later he went to
Samaria to visit Ahab, who prepared a great banquet for him and his
officials. They butchered great numbers of sheep, goats, and cattle
for the feast. Then Ahab enticed Jehoshaphat to join forces
with him to recover Ramoth-gilead.
3 “Will you go with me to
Ramoth-gilead?” King Ahab of Israel asked King Jehoshaphat of
Judah.
Jehoshaphat replied, “Why, of
course! You and I are as one, and my troops are your troops. We will
certainly join you in battle.”
4 Then Jehoshaphat added, “But
first let’s find out what The Lord says.”
5 So the king of Israel summoned the
prophets, 400 of them, and asked them, “Should we go to war against
Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold back?” They all replied, “Yes, go
right ahead! God will give the king victory.”
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is
there not also a prophet of The Lord here? We should ask him the same
question.”
7 The king of Israel replied to
Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man who could consult The Lord for
us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me!
His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat replied, “That’s
not the way a king should talk! Let’s hear what he has to say.”
8 So the king of Israel called one
of his officials and said, “Quick! Bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
(Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab)
9 King Ahab of Israel and King
Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on
thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of
Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them.
10 One of them, Zedekiah son of
Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, “This is what
The Lord says: With these horns you
will gore the Arameans to death!”
11 All the other prophets agreed.
“Yes,” they said, “go up to Ramoth-gilead and be victorious,
for
The Lord will give the king
victory!”
12 Meanwhile, the messenger who went
to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising
victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise
success.”
13 But Micaiah replied, “As surely
as The Lord lives, I will say only what my God says.”
14 When Micaiah arrived before the
king, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against
Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold back?” Micaiah replied
sarcastically, “Yes, go up and be victorious, for you will have
victory over them!”
15 But the king replied sharply,
“How many times must I demand that you speak only The Truth to me
when you speak for The Lord?”
16 Then Micaiah told him, “In a
vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep
without a shepherd. And The Lord said, ‘Their master has been
killed. Send them home in peace.’”
17 “Didn’t I tell you?” the
king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. “He never prophesies
anything but trouble for me.”
18 Then Micaiah continued, “Listen
to what The Lord says! I saw The Lord sitting on His Throne with all
the armies of heaven around Him, on His right and on His left.
19 And The Lord said, ‘Who can
entice King Ahab of Israel to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so
he can be killed?’ “There were many suggestions,
20 and finally a spirit approached
The Lord and said, ‘I can do it!’ “‘How will you do this?’
The Lord asked.
21 “And the spirit replied, ‘I
will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’
“‘You will succeed,’ said The Lord. ‘Go ahead and do it.’
22 “So you see, The Lord has put a
lying spirit in the mouths of your prophets. For The Lord has
pronounced your doom.”
23 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah
walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. “Since when
did The Spirit Of The Lord leave me to speak to you?” he demanded.
24 And Micaiah replied, “You will
find out soon enough when you are trying to hide in some secret
room!”
25 “Arrest him!” the king of
Israel ordered. “Take him back to Amon, the governor of the city,
and to my son Joash.
26 Give them this order from the
king: ‘Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and
water until I return safely from the battle!’”
27 But Micaiah replied, “If you
return safely, it will mean that The Lord has not spoken through me!”
Then he added to those standing around, “Everyone mark my words!”
(The Death of Ahab)
28 So King Ahab of Israel and King
Jehoshaphat of Judah led their armies against Ramoth-gilead.
29 The king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, “As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no
one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king
of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30 Meanwhile, the (Syrian) king of
Aram had issued these orders to his chariot commanders: “Attack
only the king of Israel! Don’t bother with anyone else.”
31 So when the Aramean chariot
commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him.
“There is the king of Israel!” they shouted. But Jehoshaphat
called out, and The Lord saved him. God helped him by turning the
attackers away from him.
32 As soon as the chariot commanders
realized he was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.
33 An Aramean soldier, however,
randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of
Israel between the joints of his armor. “Turn the horses and get me
out of here!” Ahab groaned to the driver of the chariot. “I’m
badly wounded!”
34 The battle raged all that day,
and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the
Arameans. In the evening, just as the sun was setting, he died.
Godly King Jehoshaphat of Judah, had
made an alliance with the evil king of Israel, king Ahab.
1 Jehoshaphat enjoyed great riches
and high esteem, and he made an alliance with Ahab of Israel by
having his son marry Ahab’s daughter.
3 “Will you go with me to
Ramoth-gilead?” King Ahab of Israel asked King Jehoshaphat of
Judah.
Jehoshaphat replied, “Why, of
course! You and I are as one, and my troops are your troops. We
will certainly join you in battle.”
Question: What right did King
Jehoshaphat have in making this alliance?
Answer: None.
Leviticus 20:26 KJV
And ye shall be holy unto Me: for I
The Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye
should be Mine.
Isaiah 52:11 KJV
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from
thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye
clean, that bear the vessels of The Lord.
II Corinthians 6:14-18 KJV
14 Be ye not unequally
yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath Light
with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with
Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the
temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of The Living God; as
God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be
their God, and they shall be My people.
17 Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith The Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be A Father unto you,
and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith The Lord Almighty.
I Corinthians
10:21 KJV
Ye cannot drink the cup of The Lord,
and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of The Lord's table,
and of the table of devils.
I John 1:6 KJV
If we say that we have fellowship
with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not The Truth:
No you should
“not,” marry someone that is “not,” a Christian, as
you are!
No you should
“not,” go into a business partnership with someone who
is”not,” a Christian as you are.!
No you should
“not,” go to any so called church that does not teach,
Christ The Eternal God, Savior!
No you should
“not,' belong to any secret society or lodge, that does not
hold Christ as Lord & Savior!
King Jehoshaphat
entered into an alliance that was not called for by God, nor blessed
by God.
Soon King
Jehoshaphat on the battle field, had to cry out to God for help!
31 So when the
Aramean chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they
went after him. “There is the king of Israel!” they shouted.
But Jehoshaphat called out...”
King Jehoshaphat facing certain death...cried out to The Lord.
“and The Lord saved him. God helped him by turning the
attackers away from him.
God heard King Jehoshaphat in his time of distress.
Will God hear you when you pray?
He will if you are His child, take the time to settle that now!
The God Who Hears And Answers
Prayer!
Joshua 10:14 KJV
And there was
no day like that before it or after it, that The Lord hearkened unto
the voice of a man: for The Lord fought for Israel.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
I Chronicles
16:11 KJV
Seek The Lord
and His strength, seek His face continually.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
Job 22:27 KJV
Thou shalt make
thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee..."
Psalm 6:9 KJV
The Lord hath
heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.
Psalm 55:17 KJV
Evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear
my voice.
Psalm 65:2 KJV
O thou that
hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Psalm 66:19 KJV
But verily God
hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalm 88:1,2 KJV
1 O lord God of
my Salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2 Let my prayer
come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Psalm 91:15 KJV
He shall call
upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him, and honor him.
Psalm 99:6,8 KJV
6 "...they
called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
8 Thou
answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest
them..."
Psalm 102:17 KJV
He will regard
the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
Psalm 122:6 KJV
Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Proverbs 15:8,29
KJV
8 The sacrifice
of the wicked is an abomination to The Lord: but the prayer of the
upright is His delight.
29 The Lord is
far from the wicked: but He heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Isaiah 38:5 KJV
“...I have
heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears...”
Isaiah 56:7 KJV
"... for
Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 58:9 KJV
Then shalt thou
call, and The Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say,
Here I am...:"
Isaiah 65;24 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they
are yet speaking, I will hear.
Jeremiah 29:13
KJV
And ye shall
seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your
heart.
Jeremiah 33:3
KJV
Call unto Me,
and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which
thou knowest not.
Zechariah 13:9
KJV
And I will
bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver
is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My
name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they
shall say, The Lord is my God.
Joel 2:32 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of The Lord shall
be delivered..."
Matthew 5:44 KJV
But I say unto
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you;
Matthew 6:6 KJV
But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 7:7,8
KJV
7 Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
8 For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 18:19,20
KJV
19 Again I say
unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any
thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father
which is in heaven.
20 For where
two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the
midst of them.
Matthew 21:22
KJV
And all things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 26:41
KJV
Watch and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak.
Mark 11:24,25
KJV
24 Therefore I
say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye
stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your
Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 11:9,10 KJV
9 And I say
unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every
one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 18:1,7,8
KJV
1 And He spake
a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint;
7 "...don’t
you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry
out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?
8 I tell you,
He will grant justice to them quickly! But when The Son Of Man
returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 21:36 KJV
Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before The Son
Of Man.
John 14:13,14
KJV
13 And
whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that The Father
may be glorified in The Son.
14 If ye shall
ask any thing in My name, I will do it.
John 15:7,16 KJV
7 If ye abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you.
16 Ye have not
chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that
whatsoever ye shall ask of The Father in My name, He may give it you.
John 16:23,24
KJV
23 And in that
day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask
The Father in
My name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto
have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that
your joy may be full.
Romans 10:12
KJV
For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all
is rich unto all that call upon Him.
Ephesians 2:18
KJV
For through Him
we both have access by one Spirit unto The Father.
Ephesians 6:18
KJV
Praying always
with all prayer and supplication in The Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Philippians 4:6
NLT
Don’t worry
about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you
need, and thank Him for all He has done.
Colossians 4:2
NLT
Devote
yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
I Thessalonians
5:17 KJV
Pray without
ceasing.
I Timothy 2:8
KJV
I will
therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting.
Hebrews 4:16 KJV
Let us
therefore come boldly unto The Throne Of Grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 10:19
KJV
Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by The Blood
Of Jesus,
James 1:6 KJV
But let him ask
in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
James 4:8 KJV
Draw nigh to
God, and he will draw nigh to you
James
5:13-16 KJV
13 Is any among
you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick
among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of The Lord:
15 And the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and The Lord shall raise him up;
and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.
I Peter 4:7 KJV
But the end of
all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
I John 3:22 KJV
And whatsoever
we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in His sight.
I John 5:14,15
KJV
14 And this is
the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing
according to His will, He heareth us:
15 And if we
know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of Him.
Revelation 8:3-5 NLT (Prayers heard and kept)
3 Then another
angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a
great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of
God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.
4 The smoke of
the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended
up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.
5 Then the
angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar..."
