You need not fight this battle, station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you. 2Chron 20:17
Let’s be honest, it seems that 2020 is rolling out bad news week after week. No sooner do we catch our breath or find some glimpse of hope that things may be getting a little better, we plummet. Trying to maintain positivity seems to be our biggest challenge. I cannot tell you how often I have had to guard against going down the bottomless pit of discouragement. Every morning and throughout the day I take my thoughts and emotions captive and tether myself to the foundations of my faith. God in His infinite goodness, brought 2 Chron 20 to my attention this week.
Although we may be familiar with verse 17 and perhaps have heard it a hundred times, do we know the back story? This is why understanding what comes before and after a verse, is vital to developing a robust biblical faith. Here is the chapter in a nutshell.
The Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites invade Judah, 2 Chronicles 20:1, 2 Chronicles 20:2. Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast and gathers the people together to seek the Lord, 2 Chronicles 20:3, 2 Chronicles 20:4. His prayer to God, 2 Chronicles 20:5-12. Great and small, male and female, seek the Lord.
2 Chronicles 20:13. Jahaziel predicts the downfall of their enemies, 2 Chronicles 20:14-17. The king, the Levites, and the people take courage; praise and magnify God; and go forth to meet their enemies, 2 Chronicles 20:18-21. The enemies are confounded, and destroy each other, 2 Chronicles 20:22-24. The men of Judah take the spoil, praise the Lord, and return with joy to Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 20:25-28. The fear of the Lord falls upon all their enemies round about; and the land has rest, 2 Chronicles 20:29, 2 Chronicles 20:30.
Let’s return to Jehoshaphat’s prayer in vv.5-12 and take note of the key ingredients.
- He committed the situation to God (v.5)
- He acknowledged God’s sovereignty in heaven and earth (v.6)
- He remembered God’s faithfulness (v.7)
- He sought God’s favor because his people were God’s people (v.8-11)
- He stood confident that God would judge the enemy (v.12)
- He praised God’s glory and took comfort in His promises
- He professed complete dependence on God and not the arm of flesh for deliverance (v.12)
As the enemy bore down on Judah God spoke through Jahaziel: “Don’t be afraid. The battle is not yours, but God’s. Here is another translation for those who may be thinking that God is telling us to just sit on our hands while we wait for victory. No indeed!
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.” ESV
Ladies we may not be fighting with a military enemy, but God’s word commands us to boldly hold our position as His people, stand firm and we will see His saving acts again and again.
Remember that though this season may be especially stretching us to the brink, every day we must do battle with wicked spirits in the seen and unseen realm. Eph 6:12 tells us, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
These wicked forces tempt us to abandon our faith, believe the propaganda of the spirit of this world, and ultimately to mistrust against God.
But here’s the great news! When we place ourselves in the realm of faith in His faithfulness and trust in His Sovereignty, the shout of gratitude and rejoicing is sure to follow.
Let’s be clear. If we are struggling or battling because of unrepented sin, or walking in compromise in our walk with God, we can expect that the enemy is going to get the best of us. But when we are doing our best to walk in humble obedience to God, He will bring triumph in our trials.
Let these truths soak into your soul!
Who would dare to accuse us, whom God has chosen? The judge himself has declared us free from sin. Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us!
Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, pain, or persecution? Can lack of clothes and food, danger to life and limb, the threat of force of arms?
Indeed, some of us know the truth of the ancient text: ‘For your sake, we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter’.
No, in all these things we win an overwhelming victory through him who has proved his love for us.
I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life, neither messenger of Heaven nor monarch of earth, neither what happens today nor what may happen tomorrow, neither a power from on high nor a power from below, nor anything else in God’s whole world has any power to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord! Rom 8:34-39 Phillips
These words were written to a church that would soon undergo terrible persecution. In just a few years, Paul’s hypothetical scenarios would turn into painful realities.
These things can cause us to fear and think that we have been abandoned by God and left to ourselves. But God’s word and the witness of believers throughout scripture confirm the contrary.
This life will only make sense when our eyes are fixed upward in the heavenly realm where Christ is seated as our victorious Lord.
Station- Stand and See!