Louise Gevers

“Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD … After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendour of his holiness as they went out ahead of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.’”  2 Chronicles 20:18,21

What a poignant picture: a ruler with his people face-down in complete submission to God on the eve of battle; what an astounding battle plan they had. Unquestionably their approach was understandable when facing such a dangerous army, but only utmost faith in a magnificent God could entice a king to embark on such an astounding battle plan. Imagine any army going into combat with nothing but a choir leading them out singing the Hallelujah Chorus! The Bible says of Jehoshaphat that, “His heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 17:6)so he believed and obeyed all His instructions.

Jehoshaphat followed God unflinchingly, and from the time he ascended the throne, he worked decisively to reform the land. He established a national religious education programme to reacquaint the people with God’s laws and took steps to remove the high places of idol worship; he developed an extensive legal system and appointed judges whom he trained, exhorting them with, “Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.” (2 Chronicles 19:7)

Jesus warned His disciples that in this world they would have trouble but that they did not need to worry because He had overcome the world. (John 16:33) Jehoshaphat also experienced that being a devout follower of God did not mean a trouble-free life, but he trusted Him implicitly. So when he had received the news that a massive army was advancing on them from Edom, his immediate response was to call a fast for all Judah to pray to the LORD for deliverance from their enemies.

This honoured God.

As a nation they humbled themselves before Him and confessed their complete dependence on Him. They focused on the supremacy of God and not on their human weakness. Then they showed their faith in Him by obediently following all His instructions. That was all they needed to do.

As they praised Him “for the splendour of His holiness”, God fought the battle for them. He threw the enemy ranks into such confusion that they ended up killing each other. When the army of Judah arrived, they were greeted only with dead bodies and the plunder was theirs for the taking. God worked so mightily that Jehoshaphat had peace in his kingdom for the rest of his life as the “fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 20:29)

Prayer: Holy Father, we long for peace in our land, and in our world. Raise up humble leaders who honour and obey You; leaders who know that You fight the battle justly for Your people. Thank You that there is nothing too difficult for You.  Amen