And it came to pass after this [that] the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them certain of the Maonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, had been putting his kingdom right. Then word came that an allied army was already inside his borders. Why does trouble arrive when things are going well? And what should a person do about it?
The opening words tie this invasion to what came just before it. One writer points to the hand behind the invasion, and to how close the enemy already stood.
Satan could not stand by and watch this without trying to disturb or destroy it. It was he, no doubt, who moved these neighbouring nations to invade the land of Judah — whatever their motive may have been, whether jealousy, envy, greed, fear, or any other of the causes that stir up war among the nations of the earth. Scouts spotted the movement and reported it to Jehoshaphat: the enemy had already reached Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi. They might well say "Behold," for En-gedi was only twenty-five miles south of Jerusalem.
These were not strangers. The attackers came from Lot and from Esau. They were Israel's own relatives, and that made the crisis harder to weigh than an attack by a foreign power.
The descendants of Lot and of Esau made up this invading army. That fact might raise a thousand conflicting thoughts and troubling questions in Jehoshaphat's mind. They were not Egyptians or Assyrians, about whom there could be no question at all. But both Esau and Lot stood in certain relations to Israel, and a question might arise: how far should he recognise such ties?
Their names carry meaning. One writer draws out what each one pictures.
Moab speaks of self-satisfied religion (Jer. 48:11), and reminds us that a smug, self-complacent attitude is a bad enemy for any of us. Let us not dare to submit to it! Ammon (its name means "peoplish") pictures the falsehood of evil doctrine. In David's time its king bore the name "Nahash," which means "a serpent" (2 Sam. 10:2). So also, we must not for a moment submit to deceptive teaching.
Two chapters earlier Jehoshaphat had been the guest of Ahab, king of Israel. One writer compares the two situations.
In 2 Chronicles 20 we find Jehoshaphat in far more healthy circumstances than in chapter 18. Here the enemy puts him under trial… We fear far less for Jehoshaphat when the enemy attacks him than when he sat as the guest of Ahab's kindness and hospitality. And that is right. In the one case he must lean on the God of Israel alone. In the other he was about to fall into Satan's snare.
The attack settled where Jehoshaphat belonged, as comfort never could.
There is nothing like trial from the hand of the world for driving the believer into a place of separation from it. When the world smiles, it can draw us in. When it frowns, it drives us away into our stronghold. That is both happy and healthy. Jehoshaphat did not say to a Moabite or an Ammonite, "I am as you are." No; he knew well this was not so, for they would not let him think so.
The invasion frightened the king. One writer shows what Jehoshaphat did with that fear, and says you cannot skip a step.
Jehoshaphat feared. He then set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. Ah, you will never get a real praise-meeting until you first fear, and then fast, while seeking the Lord… Do you set yourselves to seek the Lord? I am a very useless piece of goods if I am not setting myself to seek the Lord. How can we get on without His power and grace?
Behind this story stands a rule that runs through the whole Bible.
One great solid fact stands out on every page of the book of God. The history of God's people illustrates it at every stage. It carries immense weight and moral power at all times, and above all in seasons of darkness, difficulty, and discouragement… The fact is this: faith can always count on God, and God will always answer faith.
- After. The attack comes after the good work, not before it. Doing right invites opposition; it does not prevent it.
- Near. En-gedi lay only twenty-five miles from Jerusalem. The news reached the king with the enemy almost at the door.
- Related. Moab and Ammon were Israel's own relatives. That made the crisis a test of judgment as much as of courage.
- Better. The world's hatred is safer than its welcome. A frown drives you back to God; a smile draws you in.
- Order. Fear, then fasting, then seeking the Lord — that is the road to real praise.
And they came and told Jehoshaphat saying, A great multitude is come against thee from beyond the sea, from Syria; and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is Engedi.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek Jehovah, and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.
Judah's king learns that a huge allied army is already inside his borders. His first move is not to call up troops but to turn to God. One line holds three things: fear, a settled resolve to seek the Lord, and a fast called across the whole nation.
The invasion did not fall out of a clear sky. The king had reason to expect judgment rather than help. What he does with his fear is the turning point.
We are also told (v. 3): Jehoshaphat was afraid. But this godly king cannot stop there, although he had indeed deserved God's judgment. He does the only thing possible: he "was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord." In seeking the Lord, will he meet with wrath? In no way; he meets with grace. Meanwhile, while seeking the Lord, he "proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah." This is humiliation and brokenness of spirit. He recognizes that the blow struck at him and his people was just, but he counts on a God who is rich in compassion.
The enemy was close — and yet the news produced no stampede.
The allies were almost upon them: "Then Jehoshaphat was afraid." The news was startling, and it took them nearly by surprise. Even so, it caused no panic among the people. They were in communion with the Lord.
Earlier Jehoshaphat had asked God's counsel about a course he already knew was wrong. Here nothing is pretended.
He is in earnest when he "set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah." This is real work. Nothing separates a believer from the world like trouble at the world's hands. When the world smiles, we are in danger of being drawn to it. When it frowns, it drives us away into our stronghold. This is both happy and healthy.
The phrase is stronger than the usual language of a king consulting God before a battle, and the fast that follows is read as a deliberate refusal to lean on human resources.
There is nothing finer than this. David rightly "inquired of the Lord," but Jehoshaphat "set his face to seek the Lord," and then proclaimed a fast — setting the flesh aside. How delightful to see the people of God realizing their weakness, and gathering together to seek the Lord!
Why should going without food matter? One writer ties it straight to faith.
Fasting speaks of self-denial, and that is the negative side of faith. Faith in the living God gives Him the positive place of first importance. So it puts self in the negative place of no importance.
Some say a fast in the Bible only means an inward attitude. One writer answers with the church at Antioch.
I think when it says a fast in Scripture, it means a fast. Often one hears it said, "That means a moral state." Do you think it was only a moral state at Antioch? The moral state was there, and it showed itself in an actual fast, which was not commanded, as far as we read.
The king does not seek God privately. What begins in him reaches every town in Judah, and that ripple is treated as a pattern.
Show me one good, bright, earnest, fervent brother in a district. He will have a fine effect on those around him. Jehoshaphat set his face to seek the Lord, and then all Judah began to seek the Lord. That was the effect... Here then you have fearing, fasting, and praying, an unbeatable trio.
There is an order in the verse, and one writer turns it into a challenge.
You will never get a right, real praise-meeting until you first fear, and then fast, while seeking the Lord... Do you set yourselves to seek the Lord? How can we get on without His power and grace? Do you ever have a fast-meeting? I recommend you to have one... You will come out a great deal nearer heaven than before.
God answered before anyone drew a sword, and He took the whole weight of the battle off them.
At once the Lord stepped in. He encouraged the hearts of His people through one of His prophets: "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... You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf."
- Fear seeks. Jehoshaphat felt real alarm, but he did not stop there. Fear that runs to God meets grace, not the wrath it deserved.
- Resolve seeks. "Set his face to seek" is more than a quick question to God. It is settled, deliberate work, done in earnest.
- Fasting seeks. Denying self is the other half of faith: God takes first place, and self takes the place of unimportance.
- A nation seeks. One earnest man moved a whole country. Earnestness in one believer touches everyone around him.
- Seeking is answered. Fearing, fasting and praying come first — then the word that the battle is God's, then the song.
And Judah gathered themselves together to ask [help] of Jehovah even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.
A huge allied army is already inside Judah's borders, and the king's answer is not military but a fast. Verse 4 records what followed — not the king alone, but a whole nation coming in from every town for one purpose.
The invasion did not come out of nowhere. One writer traces it to the king's own failure — and finds mercy at the end of that road.
The attack of these allied nations was the result of the king's error — an error he had admitted by his actions, but whose unavoidable result was God's judgment... He does the only thing possible: he fears, and sets himself to seek the Lord. In seeking the Lord, will he meet with wrath? In no way; he meets with grace... Meanwhile, while seeking the Lord, he proclaims a fast throughout Judah. This is humiliation and brokenness of spirit. He admits that the blow dealt to him and his people was just, but he counts on a God who is rich in compassion.
There were obvious things a king could do with an army at the gates. He did none of them.
Instead of turning to human means to escape, Jehoshaphat feared, set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. His prayer is most touching, and shows a broken and dependent spirit... He acknowledges not only his own utter helplessness, but also his lack of wisdom to direct. He is left with nothing but God. A happy state! He is at his wits' end. It was the end of his resources in every sense, but it was God's opportunity to show Himself on his behalf.
The enemy was close, and the king was afraid. Fear and panic are not the same thing, and one writer says where the difference came from.
The allies were almost upon them, and Jehoshaphat was afraid. They were nearly taken by surprise. Yet the startling news did not create panic among the people. They were in communion with the Lord.
The verse says they came from all the cities. That detail traces the whole movement back to one person.
Notice, they came out of all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord. Show me one good, bright, earnest, wholehearted believer in a district. He will have a fine effect on those around him. Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord, and then all Judah began to seek the Lord. That was the effect... Here then you have fearing, fasting, and praying, an invincible trio.
The gathering was an admission. They came to seek help because they had none of their own.
David, rightly, "inquired of the Lord," but Jehoshaphat "set himself to seek the Lord," and then proclaimed a fast — setting aside the flesh. How delightful to see the people of God realising their weakness, and gathering together to seek the Lord! Notice Jehoshaphat's reasoning: he makes it a question of God, to Whom all power belongs. Clearing the ground altogether, he makes it a question of God, and God's ability.
Another writer draws out why having nothing was an advantage rather than a loss:
He was in the very best possible condition to prove what God was. It would have been an enormous loss to him to have had even the smallest scrap of strength or wisdom of his own. It could only have hindered him from leaning fully on the arm and the counsel of Almighty God.
The pattern is offered as a model, not just a record. One commentator applies the attack, and the response to it, to believers now.
There are those, weak in themselves and unnoticed, who seek in the power of the Spirit of God and in faithfulness to His Word to act for the Lord and not to be seen by others. Such conditions will attract the attack of the enemy as surely today as in the time of Jehoshaphat. Worldly and unholy elements, pictured by the Moabites and Ammonites, will intrude to stop the saints enjoying the inheritance — the heavenly portion that is theirs in Christ Jesus... The true and lasting fear of God, bringing Him in by prayer, and the setting aside of fleshly activity by the fasting will certainly bring a fresh experience of the "salvation of the Lord."
- Failure — the king's own error brought the crisis on him. Seeking the Lord after failure meets grace, not wrath.
- Fear — the news frightened the king. It did not panic the people, who were already in communion with God.
- Fasting — the fast is humiliation and brokenness of spirit, with the flesh set aside.
- Gathering — one man set himself to seek the Lord, and every city of Judah followed. Earnestness in one spreads to many.
- Emptiness — they came asking for help because they had none. Having no strength of your own is the best place to prove what God is.
And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new court;
An invading army was closing in on Judah, and the king called the whole nation together at the temple. Verse 5 catches him there: on his feet before the assembly, in God's house, about to pray.
Jehoshaphat had a history of leaning on the wrong allies. Earlier he had joined himself to Ahab, and only God's intervention saved him. One writer traces the change:
Jehoshaphat is very different here. He is no longer in alliance with Ahab. He is depending on God alone, who is his strength and his joy. "Our eyes are on You," he says to the LORD. … In the chapter before, we find Jehoshaphat in the ranks of God's enemies, and only the LORD's intervention saves him. But here we see him depending on God and blessed. He is not afraid, and he knows that the LORD is with him.
He did not come to this gathering lightly. He was afraid, he set himself to seek God, and he called the nation to fast. One writer says real praise never comes any other way:
Ah, you will never get a right, real praise-meeting until you first fear, and then fast, while seeking the Lord. That is it. Do you set yourselves to seek the Lord? I am a very useless piece of goods if I am not setting myself to seek the Lord. How can we get on without His power and grace?
He stands "in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem." The whole nation is there with him, and his prayer is theirs too.
How delightful to see the people of God realising their weakness, and gathering together to seek the Lord as in verse 5! Notice Jehoshaphat's reasoning: he makes it a question of God, to whom all power belongs. Clearing the ground altogether, he makes it a question of God, and God's ability.
The place mattered. One writer explains what God's house meant then, and what answers to it now:
God's house in Jerusalem was then the gathering place of His people, and there they were to pray in days of difficulty. Now the house of the Lord is the assembly, and its gathering centre is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today you and I have a wonderful privilege. In the name of His own blessed Son, we can bring before God everything that concerns Him. And we can be sure that He will hear and help.
An army was on the way. Yet the scene at the temple is calm, and one writer explains why:
Though the enemy was nearing Jerusalem and the danger was great, there was no disorder or confusion. They all looked to the LORD and that gave them calmness. In troubles and trials God's people must always look first to the Lord and seek His face. … It was one of the most remarkable prayer meetings reported in the Bible. The king stood in the midst of the large congregation. And what a prayer it was he uttered!
Standing up to pray makes sense only if God is a real resource. That is where one writer puts the whole weight:
Things looked gloomy, no doubt. But faith was to count on God, and faith could count on Him. God is a never-failing resource — a great reality, at all times, and under all circumstances.
- Feared — the news frightened the king, and fear sent him to God, not to an ally like Ahab.
- Fasted — he called the nation to fast. The order matters: fear first, then fasting while seeking the Lord, and only then praise.
- Gathered — he did not pray alone. The assembly of Judah and Jerusalem stood with him, owning their weakness together.
- Stood — he stood in the house of the Lord, the gathering place of God's people in days of trouble. The same privilege now belongs to those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Spoke — his prayer began with God's ability, not with the crisis. Looking to God first is what kept a threatened people calm.
and he said, Jehovah, God of our fathers, art not thou God in the heavens, and rulest thou not over all the kingdoms of the nations? And in thy hand there is power and might, and none can withstand thee.
Jehoshaphat has just come through a failed alliance with Ahab, and now Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir march on Judah at once. His first move is not to count soldiers but to stand in the temple and pray, and this verse is where that prayer begins.
The man praying here is not the man of the previous chapter. One writer traces the change to what Jehoshaphat's mistakes had taught him.
All these events in Jehoshaphat's life were meant to humble him deeply. They were meant to teach him the fullness of God's mercy, which no one can fully grasp. These experiences should have taught him much about God and about himself... Jehoshaphat is very different here. He is no longer allied with Ahab; he is depending on God alone, in whom is his strength and his joy.
Notice what the king does not mention first. Before he says a word about the invading army, he settles who he is talking to.
Notice Jehoshaphat's reasoning: he makes it a question of God, to whom all power belongs. Clearing the ground altogether, he makes it a question of God, and of God's ability.
The titles he uses are old ones — the God of the fathers, the God of heaven, the God who rules the nations.
He reminds the Lord who He is: the God of their fathers, God in the heavens. No power can withstand Him. He rules over the nations, and He had driven those nations out to give their kingdoms to His people. He returns to God's character as it was at the beginning — and God cannot change. This was Israel's security... If God took their present condition into account, it is Judah He would have to judge. But would He count all His past grace for nothing? Never!
The last line of the verse is not only Judah's belief about God. One writer sets Jehoshaphat's words beside the confession of the most powerful ruler of the ancient world.
Jehoshaphat faced a huge crowd of enemies. He could say, "Are You not God in heaven? Do You not rule over all the kingdoms... so that none is able to withstand You?" Nebuchadnezzar was the mightiest human monarch the world has ever known. He too was moved to declare: "I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured Him who lives forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation... none can stay His hand, or say to Him, What are You doing?"
This prayer is not complicated. One writer turns that simplicity into a challenge.
Jehoshaphat turns to God in the simplest way. Get hold of God; hang on Him simply. We have far too much hanging on men these days. We are not hanging simply and sufficiently on God.
Because the prayer starts with God's rule, it can end by handing the whole matter over to Him.
He makes it entirely a question between the God of Abraham and the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. This is what faith always does, and the outcome will always be the same. "They come," he says, "to cast us out of Your possession, which You have given us to inherit." How simple! They would take what You have given! This was leaving it to God to maintain His own covenant.
God's answer came back on those same terms.
What an answer! "The battle is not yours, but God's." ...Jehoshaphat had put the whole matter into God's hands, and God took it up and made it entirely His own. It is always like this. Faith puts the difficulty, the trial, and the burden into God's hands, and leaves Him to act.
- Humbled first. Jehoshaphat's best prayer came after his worst mistake. Failure taught him God's mercy, and taught him to depend on God alone.
- God first. He clears the ground before mentioning the army: he makes it a question of God, and of God's ability, not of Judah's odds.
- Unchanged. He appeals to God's character as it was at the start. God cannot change, and that was Israel's security.
- Unstoppable. No power can withstand Him. Even the mightiest monarch the world has known had to confess that none can stay His hand.
- Handed over. Faith makes the trouble a matter between God and the enemy. It puts the trouble in His hands and hears back: the battle is not yours but God's.
Hast not thou, our God, dispossessed the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and given it for ever to the seed of Abraham, thy friend?
An invading army is coming, and Jehoshaphat cannot beat it. He does not count his soldiers. He stands in the temple and reminds God of what God did centuries earlier. The plea rests on two things — a land God Himself cleared and handed over, and a man God Himself called His friend.
Jehoshaphat prays in questions, not requests. Each one has only one answer.
As he began his prayer, Jehoshaphat asked four questions that he knew had one answer — a resounding "Yes!" "Are you not God in heaven?" "Do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations?"… "Are you not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of the land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?" Of course these are absolute facts, and Jehoshaphat himself felt he needed reminding of them. Speaking this way would refresh the heart of God.
The whole prayer turns on three things.
There are three special points in Jehoshaphat's address to the Lord (verses 6-12). The greatness of God. The oath to Abraham about the land. The enemy trying to drive the descendants of Abraham out of that land.
One question decides everything here: how long does God's gift last?
God had given the land to Abraham, His friend. For how long? For ever. This was enough. "The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." God will never cancel His call, or take back a gift. This is a fixed foundation principle; and on this faith always takes its stand with firm decision.
Nothing that came later — including the law given at Sinai — reopened the question.
But then what of the law? Did not that make some difference? None whatever, as regards God's gift and promise. Four centuries before God gave the law, He settled and established the great transaction with Abraham His friend — and settled it forever. So nothing at all can touch this. There were no legal conditions proposed to Abraham. All was pure and absolute grace. God gave the land to Abraham by promise, and not by law, in any shape or form.
Faith stands on God's word, not on how things look.
Now, it was on this original ground that Jehoshaphat took his stand; and he was right. It was the only thing for him to do. Apart from these golden words, he had not one hair's breadth of solid ground to stand on: "You gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend." It was either this or nothing. A living faith always lays hold on the living God. It cannot stop short of Him. It does not look at people or their circumstances… It does not lower the standard to match the state of things around it. It takes its stand, bold and firm, on the very highest ground.
Jehoshaphat did not invent the description, and God later put His own signature under it.
Jehoshaphat reminds God of Abraham's devotedness. He says, Lord, you used to have a friend down here. We talk about God being our friend. Hallelujah for that! But Abraham was the friend of God… Nearly two hundred years later, God confirms what Jehoshaphat said. Through His prophet, appealing to His people, He says, "But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, My friend" (Isa. 41:8). Your friend, says Jehoshaphat. Yes, My friend! replies God… No earthly title can eclipse that heavenly honour, "The Friend of God." Let us all aim for it. It is a great thing to be God's man, and God's friend, in a day of decline like this.
The title was earned in a scene where God shared plans that had nothing to do with Abraham personally.
With a friend, we open our minds, we speak of things that have no connection with business, of all that is in our hearts. God was not talking with Abraham of the promises made to himself, when he was called the friend of God; but He was telling him all His intentions as to the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him." It is beautiful to see the intimacy of communion with God, when the walk is in faithfulness before Him.
That same confidence is now offered more widely.
When Abraham was on the mountain with the Lord, the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" Abraham was the friend of God, and God took him into His confidence. And the Lord Jesus says the same thing of us in John 15, "I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."
- Question — Jehoshaphat prays in questions God must answer "Yes" to: You rule, You drove them out, You gave the land. Facts, not requests, are faith's opening move.
- Gift — God handed the land over by promise, not by law. He never takes a gift back.
- Forever — That one word is Jehoshaphat's whole footing; short of it he has not a hair's breadth of solid ground.
- Friend — Abraham's title was not flattery. God repeats it Himself through Isaiah: "My friend."
- Confidence — God does not hide His plans from a friend. He told Abraham, and Jesus says the same of His own in John 15.
And they have dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
An invasion threatens the land, and Jehoshaphat prays. He says nothing about his own record; he points to the land God gave, the house built for His name, and the promise attached to it.
Israel lived in the land because God gave it to Abraham's offspring. One writer pictures that gift as a lease Jehoshaphat can open and read out:
It is a beautiful thing to watch him open the original lease, as it were, and lay his finger on the clause that held Israel as tenants forever under God. Nothing could cancel that clause or break that lease. No flaw there. All was ordered and sure. "You gave it to the offspring of Abraham your friend forever."
The sanctuary in this verse is one building, and the word "saying" points to one prayer:
He reminded God also that Israel had dwelt in the land and had built a sanctuary for God's name (v. 8). This refers to Solomon's building of the temple, and also to Solomon's prayer at its dedication.
Solomon had asked God to answer every prayer offered in that house. God said yes:
The king confessed that the highest heaven could not contain the Lord. Even so, he asked Him to grant every prayer offered to Him in this house. God granted that request (chapter 9:3). So the house stood as the throne of the God of heaven on earth — the place where He revealed Himself, and where He had put His name.
Jehoshaphat's record gave the enemy plenty to say:
True, the enemy might remind Jehoshaphat of sin and folly, failure and unfaithfulness. He might even tell him that the threatened invasion itself proved Israel had fallen. If they had not fallen, there would be no enemy and no evil.
Failure did not leave him without an answer:
But for this, too, grace had provided an answer — an answer which faith knew well how to make its own. Jehoshaphat reminds the Lord of the house which Solomon had built for His name.
The "saying" in verse 8 is Jehoshaphat quoting Solomon's dedication prayer. He asks for nothing God has not already committed Himself to:
These examples show us plainly how confidently we may pray when we base our requests on the Word of God. We may be sure that He will do what He has said He will do. We may also expect Him to show His power and defend His Name as He has in days gone by, for He is an unchanging God. One more thing stands out clearly. Suppose we pray, not for things that suit our own convenience, but for things that concern His interests and glory. Then we may have great assurance that He will hear us and grant what we ask.
Commentators draw the line forward from the temple to where God's people meet today:
God's house in Jerusalem was then the gathering place of His people. In days of difficulty, they were to pray there. Now the house of the Lord is the assembly, and its gathering centre is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I have a wonderful privilege today. We can bring before God all that concerns Him, in the name of His own blessed Son. We can be sure that He will hear and help.
Solomon asked God for His eyes and His ears. The reply added more:
Let us listen to God's answer to Solomon's prayer: "Now My eyes shall be open and My ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place… and My eyes and My heart shall be there always" (2 Chr. 7:15-16). Not only My eyes and My ears, says the Lord, but also My heart is at this place where the saints are gathered to My Name.
- Given — Jehoshaphat's case rests on a gift, not on his record. Nothing can cancel that clause in the original grant.
- Dwelling — God gave the land, so Israel lived in it. That settled possession is the first fact he lays before God.
- Sanctuary — In that land they built one house. Solomon asked God to answer every prayer prayed there, and God agreed.
- Name — The house counted because God's name was in it. He promised His eyes, ears and heart to that place always.
- Help — Failure could have silenced Jehoshaphat, but grace had already provided the answer. Prayer built on what God has said can expect a hearing.
If evil come upon us, sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, and we stand before this house and before thee -- for thy name is in this house -- and cry unto thee in our distress, then thou wilt hear and save.
Three armies are marching on Judah, and the king stands before the temple to pray. He is not inventing a hope. He repeats back to God a promise already tied to that building, and asks God to keep it.
Jehoshaphat's words echo Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple. That is the strength of this prayer. He offers God not Judah's good behaviour but God's own commitment.
Notice how he piles it up in verses 8 and 9. It is very beautiful. There is no boasting. He is telling God how they have rested in Him, and how they are now doing exactly what God would have them do. They are answering to Solomon's prayer and relying on His promise, and He cannot deny Himself.
The reason Jehoshaphat gives is the hinge of the plea: God's name is in this house. Solomon had asked God to answer every prayer made there, and God agreed. That is why this building carried a weight no other place on earth carried.
The king confesses that the heaven of heavens could not contain Jehovah. Even so, he asks Him to grant every prayer offered to Him in this house. God granted that request (1 Kings 9:3). So the house became the throne of the God of heaven upon earth — the place where He revealed Himself, and where He had put His name.
Past failure is the obvious objection to a prayer like this. Judah's record gave the enemy plenty to work with.
True, the enemy might remind Jehoshaphat of sin and folly, failure and unfaithfulness. He might even suggest that the threatened invasion itself proved Israel had fallen. If they had not fallen, there would be neither enemy nor evil.
The sanctuary clause meets that objection. Solomon built the house for days like this one — sword, judgment, pestilence, famine.
But for this, too, grace had provided an answer — an answer which faith knew well how to take up. Jehoshaphat reminds Jehovah of the house which Solomon had built to His name.
The verse assumes a moment of real danger: "If disaster comes upon us." That is where claimed faith and living faith part company.
Here, truly, is a living faith dealing with the living God. It is no mere empty profession — no lifeless creed — no cold theory with no influence. It is not a man "saying he has faith." Such things will never stand in the day of battle. They may do well enough when all is calm, smooth, and bright. But when there are difficulties to wrestle with, when the enemy must be met face to face, all merely nominal faith, all mere lip profession, will prove like autumn leaves in a gale.
The verse ends in confidence, not in a question. Jehoshaphat left the outcome with God.
Jehoshaphat had put the whole matter into God's hands, and God took it up and made it entirely His own. It is always like this. Faith puts the difficulty, the trial, and the burden into God's hands, and leaves Him to act. This is enough. God never refuses to respond to the appeal of faith; rather, it is His delight to answer it.
The temple is gone, so can anyone still pray this verse? The answer here moves the centre from a building to a name.
God's house in Jerusalem was then the gathering place of His people, and there they were to pray in days of difficulty. Now the house of the Lord is the assembly, and its gathering centre is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I have a wonderful privilege today. In the name of His own blessed Son, we can bring before God all that concerns Him, and be sure that He will hear and help.
- Promise first. Jehoshaphat prays back to God what God had already promised at the temple's dedication. "He cannot deny Himself."
- Name second. The house counted because God had put His name there and had promised to hear prayer offered there.
- Grace answers guilt. The enemy could point to Judah's sin and failure. The sanctuary clause was grace's provision for just such a day.
- Tested, not professed. A creed collapses in the day of battle; only living faith dealing with the living God stands.
- Handed over, and heard. He put the whole matter into God's hands, and God made it His own. That is why "You will hear and save" was not wishful thinking.
And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab, and those of mount Seir, amongst whom thou wouldest not let Israel go when they came out of the land of Egypt, (for they turned from them, and destroyed them not,)
An army is closing in on Judah, and in the middle of his prayer Jehoshaphat turns to history. The three peoples marching against him are the very ones God once told Israel to leave alone.
Jehoshaphat is remembering a command God gave in Deuteronomy, while Israel travelled along the borders of Edom, Moab and Ammon. God did more than forbid an attack. He called those nations Israel's own brothers, and He said that if they struck, He would not forget it.
It must have been very hard for Israel to bear the unfriendliness of the Edomites, Ammonites and Moabites in silence. But whatever the provocation, and however much those nations insulted them — and they did — Israel was not to lift a hand against their brothers. Jehovah reminded them of the family tie, and gave those nations the closest name there is: their brothers. The Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites were unfeeling and ready to harm Israel. Even so, God would train His people to remember every natural bond there was. If blows came, God would not forget the offender. In the meantime Israel was not to trouble their relatives, jealous and unkind though they were.
Mount Seir is the hill country of Edom, the land God had given to Esau. Israel marched past it, and past the plains of Moab, wanting land it was not allowed to take.
The command not to trouble Edom, Moab and Ammon is deeply interesting. The great principle that runs through Deuteronomy stands out in it. God guided Israel and gave them His instructions, and they were to depend on Him and obey His will. They might have wanted the plains of Moab, or Mount Seir, or the lands of Ammon. The Lord forbade it, and disobedience would have been a disaster. Edom had harassed Israel and shown an arrogant pride, yet Jehovah still would not give Edom's land to Israel. He remembered His word, "I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession." So they were not to seek what the Lord had not given them. This is obedience, and a lesson of faith. If God's people followed this rule, how contented and happy they would be!
Jehoshaphat reminds God that the ban on attacking came from God Himself. That old restraint is now his ground for asking God to act.
And now a specific case had arisen (v. 10). Israel had spared the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir on the way to Canaan. Now those same people were attacking Judah, aiming to drive them out of the land God had given them. So Jehoshaphat was right to expect God to judge them.
Why were these three such bitter enemies? Rossier traces it to family, and sees a pattern that reaches far past Judah.
At that time the people of Ammon were the sworn enemies of Israel. The worst enemies of God's people are always the natural descendants of believers. Midian, whom Gideon fought, came from Ishmael, Abraham's son by natural birth. Moab and Ammon came from Lot. Edom was Isaac's own son by natural birth. There were other enemies too, such as Jabin in the days of Barak and the Philistines in the days of Samson. But we hold that our most determined enemies are the result of our own failures, or of the flesh in us.
God had said He would not forget those who wronged His people. Jehoshaphat leaves the matter there. His prayer is his plan.
How blessed! He pleads with God all that His grace has given, and asks if God is going to allow the enemy to triumph. He would have us trust in all He has given us. But he makes no preparation — no war loan — no fresh taxes! No — "our eyes are on You."
- Spared. Israel passed Edom, Moab and Ammon without a blow. God called them relatives and had already given them their land. This verse is Jehoshaphat's memory of that restraint.
- Content. Leaving alone what God has not given you is obedience and a lesson of faith. Gaebelein says this one rule would make God's people happily content.
- Repaid. The nations Judah once spared came back to take her land. Grant notes that Jehoshaphat could therefore ask God to judge them.
- Related. Rossier observes that the sharpest enemies of God's people come out of believers' own families. Closeness bred hatred, not loyalty.
- Resting. God had said He would not forget the offender. So Jehoshaphat raised no war loan and no new taxes. He pleaded what grace had given and kept his eyes on God.
behold, they reward us, in coming to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to possess.
An invading army is closing in on Judah, and King Jehoshaphat prays. In this verse he names the attackers as nations Israel once spared, and names the land they want as a gift God Himself gave.
The word "reward" points back to an old kindness.
And now a specific case had arisen (v. 10). Israel had spared the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir on the way to Canaan. Now they were attacking Judah, aiming to drive them out of the land God had given them. Therefore Jehoshaphat rightly expects God to judge them and pleads in this way (v. 12).
Jehoshaphat does not call the land Judah's achievement. He calls it God's possession, given as an inheritance. That points back to the promise God made to Abraham.
These are the words that faith breathes. Faith lets the soul take the very highest ground there is. It did not matter what unsettled questions there might be between Esau and Jacob. There were none between Abraham and the Almighty God. Now, God had given the land to Abraham, His friend. For how long? Forever. This was enough. "The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." God will never cancel His call, or take back a gift. This is a fixed foundation principle; and on this faith always takes its stand with firm decision.
The same writer pictures the king opening that promise like a legal document:
It is a beautiful thing to see him opening the original lease, as it were. He lays his finger on the clause under which Israel held the land as tenants forever under God. Nothing could cancel that clause or break that lease. No flaw there. All was ordered and sure.
By naming the land as God's, the king moves the quarrel off himself and onto God.
He makes it altogether a question between the God of Abraham and the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. This is what faith always does, and the outcome will always be the same. "They come," says he, "to drive us out of Your possession, which You have given us to inherit." How simple! They would take what You have given! This was putting it, as it were, on God to maintain His own covenant.
Judah had no record of its own to plead. The prayer rests instead on God's past grace.
In times past, obeying God, they had spared Edom, that is, Mount Seir. But in a time of decline Seir took advantage of Judah's low condition. They took revenge on Judah and repaid good with evil. Would God stand for this? Would He not judge them? No doubt, if He took their present condition into account, Judah themselves would be the ones He ought to judge. But would He count all His past grace for nothing? Never!
The prayer also replaced every other measure the king could have taken:
How blessed! He pleads with God all that His grace has given, and asks if God is going to allow the enemy to triumph. He would have us trust in all He has given us. But he makes no preparation — no war loan — no fresh taxes! No; "our eyes are upon You."
God's answer to such a prayer is never in doubt.
Jehoshaphat had put the whole matter into God's hands, and God took it up and made it entirely His own. It is always so. Faith puts the difficulty, the trial, and the burden into God's hands, and leaves Him to act. This is enough. God never refuses to respond to the appeal of faith; no, it is His delight to answer it.
- Gift — The land was God's possession, given to Abraham's descendants forever. God never cancels a call or takes back a gift.
- Grace — Israel once spared these very nations. Now they repay that kindness with invasion.
- Ground — Jehoshaphat pleads the old promise, not Judah's record. Their present condition would only condemn them.
- Given over — Calling the land God's makes the quarrel God's own. Faith puts the burden in His hands and leaves it there.
- God's battle — God takes up the whole matter and makes the fight His own. He never refuses the appeal of faith.
Our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might in presence of this great company which cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.
Three armies are marching on Judah. King Jehoshaphat ends his public prayer by admitting the truth: he has no strength to fight and no idea what to do. What he says next turns an admission of helplessness into the strongest position a man can occupy.
Shortly before this, Jehoshaphat had joined himself to Ahab and to God's enemies. One writer sets that alliance beside the prayer here.
Here Jehoshaphat is very different. He is no longer in alliance with Ahab; he is depending on God alone, in whom is his strength and his joy. "Our eyes are on You," he says to the Lord. In the previous chapter Jehoshaphat stands in the ranks of God's enemies, and only the Lord stepping in saves him. But here we see him dependent upon God and blessed, not afraid, and knowing that the Lord is with him.
The king admits two kinds of poverty: no power, and no plan. One writer says both were gain, not loss.
He was wholly cast upon God. It was either God or nothing. "We are powerless." But what then? "Our eyes are on You." This was enough. It was well for Jehoshaphat not to have so much as a single atom of might — a single ray of knowledge. He was in the very best possible position to prove what God was. Owning even the smallest particle of human strength or human wisdom would have been a huge loss to him. It could only have been a hindrance in leaning wholly on the arm and the counsel of Almighty God.
Who were these armies marching on Judah?
Look at Jehoshaphat's many enemies. Remember that they were his blood relatives. Very often our greatest difficulty comes from our own family. The children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir were Judah's relatives by blood. They were descendants of Lot and Esau. The difficulty was knowing how to deal with them.
Notice what the prayer never does: it never asks God to strengthen Judah. It asks God to judge the invaders, because they are stealing what God Himself handed over.
He makes it entirely a question between the God of Abraham and the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir. This is what faith always does, and the outcome will always be the same. "They come," he says, "to cast us out of Your possession, which You have given us to inherit." How simple! They would take what You have given! This was putting it, as it were, upon God to maintain His own covenant.
A nation facing invasion would normally raise money and troops. Watch what this king leaves undone.
He pleads with God everything His grace has given, and asks whether God is going to let the enemy win. He would have us trust in all He has given us. But he makes no preparation — no war loan, no fresh taxes! No; "our eyes are on You."
The "our" in this verse is not the king speaking for himself. The next verse lists who was standing with him, and one commentator presses the point hard on parents.
"Our eyes are on You!" May the Lord help you and me to turn our eyes more upon Him. Whose eyes were turned Godward that day? "And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children." Do you bring your children to the prayer meeting? "Oh no," you say, "we leave them at home." They were wiser in Jehoshaphat's day.
God could have opened His answer by reminding Judah of the alliance with Ahab. He did not.
Isn't it remarkable that we find no reproach here? There is not even a distant hint at the unfaithfulness of the people and their king. It is all grace. Sin has been swallowed up, as it were, by grace. This reassuring word, repeated twice — "Fear not, nor be dismayed" — is breathed by the Spirit of Jesus.
So what did those upturned eyes end up looking at?
Israel never shot an arrow. This war never cost them a penny. No one got a scratch. God said He would fight for them, and this is how He did it. The enemies all killed one another. Judah had said, "Our eyes are on You." Now they get another sight — all dead bodies.
- Eyes emptied. The failure with Ahab left Jehoshaphat no confidence in himself. This prayer is what a humbled man sounds like.
- Eyes honest. No strength and no plan did not disqualify him. One writer calls it the best position there is for proving what God is.
- Eyes off self. The prayer never asks for reinforcements. It hands God His own covenant and makes the threat His to answer.
- Eyes single. No war loan, no new taxes, no second plan beside the prayer. The whole nation, children included, looked one way.
- Eyes answered. God's reply carried no reproach at all, only "Fear not, nor be dismayed." The next sight those eyes got was a battlefield God had cleared without them.