Jehoshaphat was king over the nation of Judah. He walked in the footsteps of David, seeking the Lord and being his commands. But his association with Ahab, the king of Israel, has caused him to compromise. His faithfulness to the Lord was negatively impacted because he wanted to be connected to Ahab. Jehoshaphat was condemned for loving the wicked and listening to them rather than loving the Lord and listening to him (cf. 2 Chronicles 19:1-3).
Faithfully and Wholeheartedly (2 Chronicles 19:4-11)
After his condemnation, the Chronicler records that Jehoshaphat returns to the important work of bringing people closer to the Lord. In 2 Chronicles 19:4 we read that Jehoshaphat went out among the people and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. The king was not content with his own faithfulness. The king was concerned about bringing the people back to the Lord. We saw in our last lesson in 2 Chronicles 17 that Jehoshaphat sent officials and Levites with the book of the Law to go through the land and teach the people. Now in 2 Chronicles 19 we see that Jehoshaphat appoints judges in the land of Judah with the charge that you are judging and settling disputes for the Lord (cf. 2 Chronicles 19:6). Jehoshaphat charges his judges to act from the fear of the Lord. Do not be unjust. Do not be partial. Do not take bribes. Further, Jehoshaphat appoints Levites, priests, and heads of families to give judgments. He tells them to act in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with their whole heart (cf. 2 Chronicles 19:9). Notice the instruction they were to give to the people in verse 10. They were to warn the people to not sin against the Lord or else God’s wrath will come on them. In short, the king’s message to the people and to those who were given authority was that they need to remain faithful to the Lord. Serve the Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord.
Tested (2 Chronicles 20:1-12)
Notice 2 Chronicles 20. After this, the Moabites and Ammonites along with some Meunites came up against Jehoshaphat for battle. I want us to see something right here. Your faith is going to be tested. Your wholehearted devotion is going to be put to the test. Please notice that Jehoshaphat’s faithful devotion to the Lord did not mean that all obstacles and all resistance would be removed from his rule. Rather than believing that we should be immune from difficulties, what we need to see is when we devote ourselves to the Lord, then that devotion is going to be challenged. Jehoshaphat is a good king who is seeking the Lord. But now that faithfulness is going to be put to the test. Three peoples have come together to attack Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah. The message about the impending war is delivered to Jehoshaphat in verse 2. When the king receives this news, he is afraid (2 Chronicles 19:3).
What will Jehoshaphat do when he is afraid from the impending war? King Asa in 2 Chronicles 16 failed at the end of his reign when he was threatened by the king of Israel. But Jehoshaphat resolved to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:3). He proclaims a fast for the people throughout the nation to seek help from the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:4). What will the king and the people do now in the face of this new threat? You will notice in verse 6 that the king leads the people in prayer to the Lord. They begin by acknowledging the most important thing when we are fearful or tempted. The Lord our God is in heaven and rules over the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might so that no one is able to withstand you (2 Chronicles 20:6). Please think about how Jesus taught his disciples to start their prayer in the same way. Jesus said to pray, “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). What are we acknowledging? By saying that the Lord our God is in heaven we are acknowledging that power and might are in his hand. We are acknowledging that the Lord rules over all people, rulers, and nations. The second part of the prayer is to remember how God delivered his people in the past (2 Chronicles 20:7). The third part of the prayer is that you said you would hear our cry and save us (2 Chronicles 20:9). You said that you would not let these nations invade us. Now listen to how the prayer ends in verse 12.
“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12 ESV)
We do not know what to do but our eyes are on you. This is faith. We are not going to rely on ourselves or assume what we need to do. Our eyes are on you. You show us the way we should go.
The Battle Is Not Yours, But God’s (2 Chronicles 20:13-30)
The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Jahaziel to deliver an answer to this prayer. The message is simple. Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed at this vast army. The battle is not yours, but God’s (cf. 2 Chronicles 20:15). Tomorrow you will march down against them. But you will not fight in this battle. You are going to take up your battle positions and then see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf. The Lord will be with you. At this news the king and the people fell down and worshiped the Lord. The Levites stood up to praise the Lord with loud voices.
The next day, early in the morning, they went out and took their positions. Jehoshaphat delivers a key message to the people in verse 20. He tells them to believe in the Lord your God and you will be established. Believe in the message of the prophets and you will succeed. What a key teaching! You must believe what God told you to succeed. What would it mean to believe the Lord and believe his prophets? Belief in God and his message through the prophets means doing exactly what God told them to do. So rather than fighting, singers were appointed who went before the army saying, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” So I want us to visualize this. As the battle lines are being drawn, rather than taking up weapons, the Lord’s people take up singers. The singers lead the way proclaiming the steadfast love of the Lord. In verse 22 we read that when they began to sing and offer praise, the Lord set an ambush and defeated the oncoming armies. Verse 23 reveals that the Lord had them turn and fight each other until they were destroyed while the people of Judah watched. Then the people plunder the spoils of God’s victory (2 Chronicles 20:25) and return to their homes with joy because the Lord had given them joy over they enemies (2 Chronicles 20:27).
The Battle Is the Lord’s… Remember? (2 Chronicles 20:31-37)
So everything seems great, right? We need to read how the Chronicler tells the end of Jehoshaphat’s reign. In verse 32 we read that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But the hearts of the people did not change. The high places remained because, in spite of all that the Lord did for the people, they did not set their hearts on the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:33). But let’s focus on the final word regarding Jehoshaphat. Look at verse 35. Later, Jehoshaphat made an alliance with the king of Israel, Ahaziah, who was a wicked king. Remember that Jehoshaphat was condemned when he did this with Ahab, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 18. Jehoshaphat was nearly killed in battle because he supported Ahab. The Lord sent a messenger to Jehoshaphat telling him that you are not to support those who act wickedly against the Lord. What are you doing helping a person to disobey the Lord? We do not assist people’s disobedience.
But Jehoshaphat did not learn from this prior failure. He does it again. We read that he agreed to help the king of Israel build ships. In verse 37 we read God’s prophetic message to Jehoshaphat. God destroyed the work that they had done.
Here is the conclusion I want to draw. For all of Jehoshaphat’s faithfulness, he could not get the people’s hearts to seek the Lord. For all of Jehoshaphat’s faithfulness, he could not keep himself from joining himself to those who were acting wickedly against the Lord. God’s salvation could not pull their hearts to cause them to be 100% devoted to him. God’s blessings could not pull them away so that they would be completely faithful to the Lord. We can read these events in 2 Chronicles 17-20 and be surprised that all that God had done for them could not convince their hearts to be completely devoted to the Lord. But this is the warning. This is the problem that God shows his people. Turn to 2 Corinthians 5 and I want us to see that this is the same warning that Paul gives to Christians.
In 2 Corinthians 5:14 the apostle Paul proclaims that the love of Christ controls us. I am hoping to do a sermon series from this text later this year. The love of Christ controls us because he has died for us. So we are to be a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have been reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18). He became the sacrifice for sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). So the appeal is that we would not receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). We do not want to put any obstacle in the way of another person (2 Corinthians 6:3). So we sacrifice ourselves in every way (2 Corinthians 6:4-13). Now what is the big conclusion to all of this? Since the love of Christ controls us, and we are a new creation, and have been reconciled to God, and have become the righteousness of God, and do not want to receive the grace of God in vain, and do not want to block others from enjoying reconciliation, what must happen?
Look at 2 Corinthians 6:14. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. What partnership does righteousness have with lawlessness? What fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ and Belial have? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? Friends, Jehoshaphat’s problem was that he was unequally yoked to the kings of Israel. He followed Ahab and he followed Ahaziah. He could not resist them. He could not tell them no. He caved into their ways and wishes and he should not have had any fellowship with them. Keep going to verse 16. We are the temple of the living God. We are God’s temple so we cannot be connected to darkness. We cannot participate in unrighteousness. We cannot support those who are in darkness. We represent God and we belong to God. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17) for only then will we be children of God (2 Corinthians 6:18). Friends, when Jesus went out to save sinners, he did not support their evil works. He did not accept them wicked ways. Jesus never helped a person disobey God or do the wrong thing. Paul concludes in 2 Corinthians 7:1 that we are cleanse ourselves from every defilement.
We are not to sin. We are to stop sinning. We are to purge impurity from our lives. We are to not support those who are sinning. We do not encourage darkness. We do not have fellowship with those who reject God’s ways. We do not allow ourselves to be pulled away by evil influences. We do not allow ourselves to be weakened by other influences. The victory that God has accomplished for us is to control us so that we separate ourselves from the darkness and walk in the light. The battle is the Lord’s, remember? So live like it. Believe the word of the Lord and do what he says because he has won the battle over Satan and sin. Do not walk in darkness. Do not have fellowship with darkness. Do not approve what is evil. Do not accept sin. Bring holiness to completion in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1).