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.
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