Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord, acknowledged he didn’t know what to do against the vast army coming against him, and resolved to seek the Lord with all Judah. The Lord heard their cry and spoke. In times past he had given instructions to leaders on how to wage the battle. This time he does something completely different.
“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. He is with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow; go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you” (2 Chr 20:15-17).
Very early in the morning Jehoshaphat went out with his troops. They prepared to see the LORD battle for them. So Jehoshaphat unleashed the singers (2 Chr 20:21):
“Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the LORD and some to praise the splendor of His holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forced, they kept singing:
Give thanks to the LORD,
for His faithful love endures forever.”
As they worshiped the Lord, the LORD fought for them. The Ammonites and Moabites turned on one another and completely destroyed each other. The Lord worked His ways. And when the Israelites went to inspect the aftermath, they found so much booty that it took three days for them to carry it all back. It was a victory for the ages.
The key point here is that Jehoshaphat humbled himself and led the nation to humble themselves in seeking the Lord. Because they sought the Lord with all their hearts, the Lord met them in powerful ways.
It doesn’t mean in every battle that the LORD fights this way. That we are to do nothing and just see the Lord give the victory. We know this is true because sometimes the Lord gave other ways of battling (e.g. Josh 8:2). The Lord uses different methods almost every time. That is why it is so important to humble ourselves and seek the Lord for whatever we’re facing.
But there are other things we glean from this:
- People often follow leaders. Have a good leader that humbles himself before the Lord and calls the nation to do the same, people will often follow. Have a bad leader that leads the nation into wickedness and people will often follow.
- No king is above God. Every king, prime minister or leader would do well to humble themselves before the Lord (Ps 2)
- In our own battles, we too need to humble ourselves and seek the Lord rather than rely on our own understanding.
- Never underestimate the place of worship in our individual and corporate lives.
