This is a lengthy passage, but I feel that it shows us some patterns to follow in the church and the body of Christ. I believe this passage is a reflection of how we are to operate. Because of the length, I have broken the passage up - the following is taken from 1 Chronicles 20:1-30:
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
A vast army was coming against Judah. Looking back to Genesis, Ammon and Moab represent some perverted sin:
So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. (Genesis 19:36-37)
The men of Mount Seir (Horites, Esauites, and Edomites) made their homes by chipping away at rocks (Deut 2:12) in the mountainside, then the Ammonites and Moabites would come in and inhabit those openings. The same thing is happening to us today - the enemy is coming against us, trying to chip away at the rock of our salvation (bitterness, unforgiveness, pride), then trying to inhabit those areas with perversion, lust, envy, and whatever other sin that can come in.
Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them—here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
Here Jehoshaphat acknowledges who he is, and who God is. Truth is reality - their reality was they were doomed. So are we. Without Him, we can do nothing. We must come to Him as a child - it is His good pleasure to be our salvation! Just as Judah humbled themselves, we must humble ourselves and pray. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (1 Chron 7:14)
Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”
They all met together and sought the Lord. I find it interesting the author noted "the little ones" - this is an aside, but there is a place for togetherness with family before the Lord. As they sought the Lord, the prophet spoke, giving a word of faith for victory. We have overcome - by faith we believe and hope for that which is unseen.
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.
After receiving the word of the Lord, the Levites lead the people in worship. They praised Him as if victory was already at hand! What overcoming faith!!! They didn't get bogged down or overwhelmed, they blessed Him and worshipped Him in the midst of their trial.
So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”
They believed in what the prophet spoke. We need the prophetic ministry in our churches. I believe a time is coming when our very lives will be at stake - we must believe in the prophetic, we must desire to move in it, and we must trust in it. We are to "test all things." That doesn't mean discount all things. We need the prophetic ministry in these last days. The Lord is shaking us now to prepare us and perfect our gifts.
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
“Praise the LORD,
For His mercy endures forever.”
Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
Jehoshaphat selected a worship team. They entered the people into intercessory worship, and the enemy fell. Worship is a strategy for warfare. The Lord went before them and turned the enemies on one another.
So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the LORD; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
As with seemingly all of the victories of His people, there was a great spoil. I don't believe we're going to go around killing people, but I do believe we are going to see spoils coming into the church as we begin to overcome in our spiritual warfare. The wealth of the gentiles is coming. They had watched until no one was left from the enemies camp - that is where we need to be - no toleration for anything not of the Lord. And as they enjoyed their victory, God gave them rest all around. That is His desire for us - let Him go before us, and as long as we are walking with Him, we will enjoy His rest and peace upon us.
No comments:
Post a Comment