Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“Then Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. And Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. And he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you be a help to the wicked and love those who hate Yahweh? On account of this, wrath has come against you from Yahweh. Nevertheless some good things have been found in regard to you, for you burned the Asherahs out of the land and set your heart to seek God.”” (2 Chronicles 19:1-3)

Chapter eighteen starts with terrible news. The good king Jehoshaphat married into the family of Ahab, the evilest king Israel ever had (although Manasseh gave him a run for his money). Jehoshaphat ended up in a battle he had no business being a part of, giving his support to this evil king who stood for everything God did not. He didn’t die, but it was close and only the intervention of the Lord saved him. Ahab was not saved.

Chapter nineteen shows some of the reforms that Jehoshaphat instituted in Judah. He revamped the justice system, making them godly men for judges and charging them to be honest before God.

Chapter twenty finds Judah under attack from a large force of Moabites, Ammonites, and some Meunites. Jehoshaphat called for a fast throughout Judah and as a nation they assembled to seek the Lord. He humbled himself and prayed before the Lord and all the people of Jerusalem. God answered him. God told them not to fear. He told them EXACTLY where to find the enemy, EXACTLY how to approach them, and that they would NOT have to fight in the conflict, just observe their deliverance. Jehoshaphat did everything the Lord said. He also consulted the people and the people decided that they should have worshippers leading their forces. So they marched off being led by praises to the Lord. They go to the spot God told them to go to, they looked down on the valley where the enemy was, and there were only dead bodies. No one had been spared and not a man of Judah had fought. So they went down and stripped the camp. It took them three days to collect it all. And they returned to Jerusalem praising the Lord for their deliverance. Jehoshaphat reigned for twenty-five years. The last thing that is recorded as a deed of his was joining with a different wicked king of Israel (Ahaziah) to send out treasure ships to get wealth from Tarshish, but the fleet was wrecked. He had done pretty good, but: “The people still had not yet set their heart on the God of their ancestors” (2 Chronicles 20:33b).

Summary

Key Players: God, Jehoshaphat, the Jews.

Key Verse(s): 2 Chronicles 18:1-4, 31-32; 19:8-10; 20:5-12, 24-30