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November 6, 2024
When Jehoshaphat, an accomplished king by any standard, faced a great horde of invaders from Edom, he didn’t rally Judah with cries of self-confidence. Instead, in the face of his fear, he sought the Lord. Alistair Begg explains that the king’s prayer, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you,” is fit for every pastor’s lips as he shepherds his congregation. If God’s purpose is that we should depend entirely on Him, then weakness, when it is rightly acknowledged, is not a liability but an advantage.
1After this ithe Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,1 came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,2 from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in jHazazon-tamar” (that is, kEngedi). 3Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face lto seek the Lord, and mproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
5And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not nGod in heaven? You orule over all the kingdoms of the nations. pIn your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7Did you not, our God, qdrive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of rAbraham your friend? 8And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9s‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,3 or pestilence, or famine, twe will stand before this house and before you—ufor your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10And now behold, the men of vAmmon and Moab and wMount Seir, whom xyou would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, yand whom they avoided and did not destroy— 11behold, they reward us zby coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12O our God, will you not aexecute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but bour eyes are on you.”
13Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14And cthe Spirit of the Lord came4 upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, d‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, efor the battle is not yours but God's. 16Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of fthe valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17gYou 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.’ dDo not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, hand the Lord will be with you.”
18Then Jehoshaphat ibowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19And the Levites, of the jKohathites and the kKorahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
Copyright © 2024, Alistair Begg. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
