“Worship on the Front Lines” is this week’s series, and I’m so excited about it! You and I were made to worship, and aren’t we so blessed because our God is so worthy of our worship. You can praise Him anywhere, especially when you’re in a battle in your life. Today, you and I are going to hang out with a king. Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel, who was about to face a crazy battle. So what did he do? He asked the people of Israel to pray, and he sought guidance and advice from the Lord. I love this guy!
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Transcription:
Think of the word “worship.” What pictures come to your mind? Stained glass windows… People in a choir swaying in their colorful robes…. Maybe you standing in the pew raising your hands like I do, because just like back in school when you knew the answer, you’d raise your hand, right? And we know the answer. His name is Jesus. So glad you could hang out today on the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, your host, and you and I were made to worship, and aren’t we so blessed because our God is so worthy of our worship. And it’s cool that we can worship him in church and maybe you’re like me, you worship him in your car, in your shower. You can praise Him anywhere, especially when you’re in a battle in your life. Today, you and I are going to hang out with a king. Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel, who was about to face a crazy battle. He got some terrifying news. Yes, the Bible actually says that he was in fact terrified when he found out that there were several armies ready to attack Israel from every side. So what did he do? He asked the people of Israel to pray and he sought the advice of the Lord. He went to the Lord for guidance and advice. I love this guy. So, join me now in two Chronicles chapter 20 beginning in verse five.
Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. 9 They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’ 10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
Maybe that’s you today. You’re going, you’re pointing to something or someone, and you’re going, God, do you see what they’re doing? Won’t you stop them? We dunno what to do, but I’m looking at you, Lord, help! You’re throwing up an SOS like Jehoshaphat was Verse 13 now.
As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel…
We’re going to skip down to verse 15 now, for the sake of time,
He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
Okay. Let me say that again for the back row:
Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” 18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground.
Talk about taking your position. That’s the way to do it.
And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout. 20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!” 22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
I hope you caught that. “At the very moment, they began to sing and give praise.” God started give them the victory. Verse 23 now.
The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. 25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing,[b] and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today. 27 Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord. 29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. 30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
Wow. Worship is an act of faith. When you and I worship before the battle and in the battle, this is what we’re saying to God, We know where our help comes from and it comes from you. It’s an act of faith. So take your position and start worshiping. God wants to give you the victory as well. Until tomorrow you are loved.
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