I think Jehoshaphat has a kind of eye-opening experience in 2 Chronicles 19. Prior to this chapter, he initiated a few reforms—tearing down the high places and Asherah poles (v.3)—but since then, he had witnessed the death of Israel’s king, who mocked and disobeyed God (2Chronicles 18) and heard God’s voice through Jehu, the seer’s son (2 Chronicles 19:2–3). Jehoshaphat had seen God’s mighty hand at work among those who were against Him, and he had received a personal wake-up call from this same God. For Jehoshaphat, God and His greatness were no longer nice ideas he could toy around with but realities he had experienced and must surrender to. It was not enough to make concessions to God; Jehoshaphat and Judah had to put Him at the center. His path had to be their only way forward. Jehoshaphat’s word to all of Judah was essentially, “Stop! Open your eyes and hearts to the reality of our God!”
Jehoshaphat appointed judges and leaders who discerned the Lord’s will and settled disputes according to it. He reinstated the high priest’s role as the ultimate spiritual leader. He warned all the leaders that God had a right path and that guilt and wrath were incurred for not following it (vv.5–11).
Second Chronicles 20 shows us that seeking the Lord in life’s ordinary matters prepares us for seeking Him amidst our greatest fears. When Jehoshaphat learned of a multi-enemy army coming for Judah, his firsthand experience of God’s greatness and power led him to fight his fear on his knees and to lead his people to do the same (2Chronicles 20:1–5). In his public prayer, Jehoshaphat brought to mind God’s greatness and power over all the world and His history of faithfulness to Israel—God provided this land and brought them to it, after all (vv.6–7). Jehoshaphat also remembered God’s promise to be faithful, and pleaded for this to continue, ending with a confession we all can appreciate: “We do not know what to do but we look to you” (v.12). Through Jahaziel, the Lord told Judah that it was indeed His battle and their task was to “stand still” and watch Him rescue them (v.17).
Seeking the Lord always and ultimately ends in praise! In this section of reading, nothing else is said about fear, only worship. Judah sang and praised its way to battle the next day, where singers on the front lines sang, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his faithful love endures forever” (v.21). And the Lord rescued His people as He promised.
We know the best part of God’s rescue: The One Judah could only imagine, the One who would bring ultimate salvation and rest. He won the final battle for our lives! Our change comes as we recognize how deeply loved and forgiven we are in Him. Only by His power can we stop living half-heartedly and turn wholly to Him, praising and watching as He changes our hearts and wins our battles.
@Traci- Praying you will release your guilt that is felt but not deserved. Your love for Tanner is what matters and I’m sure he’d want you to know that.
@Mia Faith- sending love and prayers for continued daily strength and comfort on the loss of your dear son. May joy rise up in looking forward to the time you will be with him again!
@Rhonda- continued prayers for complete healing ❤️ of your foot! So glad you were able to go to church over the weekend!
1. Do not be afraid-the battle is the Lord’s
2. Fall down in prayer and worship
3. Have faith in the Lord, He will be with you (trust)
4. Give thanks and sing praise!
Pretty clear instructions, all there in a nutshell in 2Chronicles 20! But oh so hard to do sometimes! But we keep trying and as we do we draw closer in our walk with Jesus. ❤️
The thing that sticks out most to me is how amazing it would be to have a government that follows the law and leading of God! How beautiful. They weren’t perfect but they kept going back and God kept forgiving. His faithful love endures forever
@Rebecca W- thank you for your kind words. I remember you mentioning this about your daughter and the boundaries you had to set. I pray God continues to help you and give you guidance as you follow Him.
I’m in agreement with all of you speaking encouragement to Taylor. I’m glad you have set that standard for yourself with the Lord, girl! God will bless your obedience!!! <3
@Molly R- thinking of you and your family. God be there to comfort and strengthen you in this stage. May He release any extra burden you might carry.
@Rhonda J – in agreement with you and your encouragement to @Traci G. God would not want us to retain guilt, especially for situations that were so difficult and confusing to navigate. I pray the enemy's lies against you @Traci would end regarding Tanner! Seriously, the Lord strengthen you and remind you to look ahead. In your remembering of Tanner, may you see grace- & love, not guilt or shame. I can't say I know the depth of your loss, but God loves you and He is proud of the mother you were for Tanner. God, please help Traci feel and understand the depth of your great love to her as she still processes this loss.
Thank you, Lord. "The mercy of the Lord endures forever. "
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you. What a great reminder! God has a way of working is such miraculous ways. I didn’t attend church in my town I moved too for several years because I was afraid of going alone. I’d go with my parents when I was home for the weekend but never in my town. Until august of 21 when I finally decided to rip the bandaid off. Jump to May of 22 when my dad had a terrible accident and I can’t help but feel like he was creating a strong faith in me because he knew I was going to need that faith to get me through one of the hardest times in my life.
I had not looked at it that way but wow!’ That’s beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
I have so much affection for king Jehosaphat! Wow what a great leader. I love his connection to the people. His commitment to realigning to God’s word in every area. I love the public fasting image in the temple courtyard with all ages present to hear God’s promise of deliverance. I love that they believed God wholeheartedly, enough to go into battle with singers leading the way! Their blessing was massive, and the nation had peace. What an inspiration!! Oh, and PS – don’t align yourself with evil. Psalm 1 callback! “Do not walk in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers”
So thankful for God’s word today.
So much in this chapter! Can’t imagine being the worship leaders for Jehoshaphat when he tells them that they will lead the army into battle! They would be the first to lay eyes on this huge army! So Jehoshaphat prepared them by telling them to sing for the Lord and praise the splendor of His holiness. Their praise created a place before them for the Lord to inhabit and all enemies were destroyed in that place from “the moment they began their shouts and praises” vs 22. So good!
Reading about Jehoshaphat calling for pray and fasting for himself and the nation in the face of the enemy coming against their nation, made me think bringing that to the level of family. There is so much coming against families in these days and fear is trying to take over. What if I stood with my husband as the leaders of our home to fast and seek the Lord. What if we invited others in the family to do the same. When we gather this Easter, what if we praised the splendor of our God even as we prayed over one another in the battle. What if we not only celebrated the salvation of the Lord on Easter, but actually experienced it!