S I D E S W I P E D O R
S E T U P
2 Chronicles 20 - Story of Jehosaphat and the Moabite Army
1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.
2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).
3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard
6 and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?
8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,
9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’
10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.
11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.
12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.
17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.
19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”
21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.”
22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.
25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.
26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah to this day.
27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies.
28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets.
1. Don’t Take it Personal.
2. Beware of the “Some People” Voices
3. Turn your Fear into Fervour
4. Magnify to Nullify
5. STAND in HIS Presence
6. Give action to your Eyes not your Hands
7. Don’t Separate…Congregate…
8. Faith the Promise
9. PRAISE goes first
1. Don’t Take it Personal.
2 Chron 20
1. After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom
The Enemy loves to isolate and make it about the individual.
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Our posture is to be ALERT and of a Sober mind..
Satan loves to attack our fragile humanity.
IT”S NOT YOUR FIGHT….
Vs 15 : ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2. Beware of the “Some People” Voices
vs 2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord,
“Some People” – They have NO NAME.
Unlike the men found in Verse 14
Jahaziel, a levite, a singer is named, because brings the Word of the Lord.
Jahaziel ‘s name means: “Beheld of God”
3. Turn your Fear into Fervour
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.
Jehoshaphat had a spiritual response instead of an emotional reaction.
Spiritual Says…what Psalm 18 declares..
1 I love you, Lord;
you are my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
3 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies.
4. Magnify to Nullify
vs 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard
6 and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
Psalm 34:3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Magnifying: Discoveries are unearthed, which give you a totally different perspective from what you have experienced with the naked eye.
The Microscope has to be focused on the ONE THING and all else is not in sight.
You cant see anything else accept the thing you are Magnifying
When you Magnify the Lord, you cant see anything else But Him
5. STAND in HIS Presence
vs 9 NLT 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.’
His presence can be found in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.
His promises are characterised by His presence
Gen 28:15…For I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised
6. Give Action to your Eyes not Your Hands
12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Our wounded soul tries to “TAKE CONTROL” of the situation and we get our grubby hands all over it.
Our Natural response is to do something about fixing the situation
We try in our own strength to turns the odds back around somehow.
Some people…run and retreat, some become angry, some throw a self pity party. Some blame others….
What did JEHOSHAPHAT do?
He didn’t get angry, he just stated the truth and LIFTED his EYES
Psalm 121
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
GOD himself stands beside you, protecting you, watching over you.
This situation was No surprise. Your situation is NO surprise…
DON’T FIGHT WITH YOUR HANDS, FIGHT WITH YOUR EYES..
GIVE ACTION TO YOUR EYES NOT YOUR HANDS..
7. Don’t SEPARATE…CONGREGATE..
13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.
· When you are feeling overwhelmed, side swiped in life…DON’T RUN..
· Sometime we have an inner feeling that we can run away from situations and it will go away.
· All you do is position yourself to face the circumstance alone.
ALL the MEN… ALL the WIVES….ALL the CHILDREN…and BABIES.. stood before GOD.
There is POWER in UNITY. There is POWER when we lift up ONE voice.
8. FAITH the PROMISE
Vs16 Tomorrow march down against them.
Up until this point, they had not activated anything BUT prayer and standing in HIS Presence. NO aggressive actions till now.
The prophetic word / promise was given…
GOD was now requiring a spiritual faith filled response.
God has done His part by giving His Word, our Part is activating it in Faith..
March out:
· Marching is deliberate
· Organised
· Under authority
· You are positioned – You know who you are marching with.
There is an activation of faith that facilities the promise…
1 Sam 17 …..David runs at Goliath
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
It’s not your fight, HOWEVER God in His divine process invites us to join in on the miracle.
Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
The miracle of salvation is Grace (God’s part) and Faith (our part).
1. Don’t Take it Personal.
2. Beware of the “Some People” Voices
3. Turn your Fear into Fervor
4. Magnify to Nullify
5. STAND in HIS Presence
6. Give action to your Eyes not your Hands
7. Don’t Separate…Congregate…
8. Faith the Promise
9. PRAISE goes FIRST
21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
Praise is a decision; it is an act of the will.
Praise is not an earthly language, therefore it is not subject to the restrictions of earthly bias.
Praise, however is not demanded it is something that flows out of love relationship with Jesus.
Praise is something you put on.
ISAIAH 61:3
“Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness”.