The Gravity of the Battle

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar" (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord , and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. "O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. And the Spirit of the Lord came 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. And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You 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.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you."

Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord , worshiping the Lord . And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord , the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed." And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, "Give thanks to the Lord , for his steadfast love endures forever." And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 

2 Chronicles 20:1-4,12-24

We need to understand the gravity of the battle and intent of the enemy. The enemy of our souls and of the Kingdom of Heaven seeks to utterly destroy our joy and peace, decimate our witness, and remove our love for each other. We also need to understand that even when the enemy is physical it is still a spiritual battle and true victory is found only in trusting God.  King Jehoshaphat and Judah were facing an army of unimaginable size seeking to destroy them.  Jehoshaphat ran to the only One who could defend them, just as we should.

Jehoshaphat called the entire country to respond to this threat. Everyone, from the oldest man to the youngest girl was involved in the battle.  The battle was in the spiritual realm.  They faced a physical enemy that they were powerless against and would murder them all, but the Jehoshaphat understood that their help came from the Lord.

It was a battle for freedom and lives for all of them. Then men of Judah would have been executed.  The women would have become slave wives.  The children would have been sold as slaves or kept as slaves.  A defeat in this battle was unimaginable to Judah and Jehoshaphat.  The battle affected everyone in its consequences and therefore involved all in its fight.  All also reaped the spoils of the victory.

The Lord defeated Judah's enemies.  Judah gives us an example to follow when facing the enemy.  They were completely engaged with all that they were. When we yield to God not only are we saved we gain the spoils of God’s victory.