2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
God has tried over and over again to make us understand the importance of placing our trust in Him. Christ taught us to not store our riches on earth, but to store them in heaven in MT 6: 19-21. Faith, itself, is a form of trust, as it is taking God at His word. Repeatedly, God has told us to seek Him out when we are troubled or need direction. An example of this is MT 7: 7-8. “As, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to him who knocks.” This message didn’t begin in the NT; it’s been around since the very beginning of the OT. It is at the very heart of why Abraham was called to the father of the Jewish nation, set apart because it was to put …God at the center of its existence, to obediently become “ nation of priests” [EX 19: 5-6 & 1 PET 2:9] charged with the responsibility to be “a light to the nations” [IS 49: 6].
The Lord gave us the accounts of a number of people whose lives demonstrate the truth of His teachings and our need to learn to trust and obey Him. One such person is the Judean king, Jehoshaphat, who you can read about in 2 CH 17: 1-21:1. 2 CH 17: 3, “The Lord blessed Jehoshaphat because he follow the example of his father’s [Asa’s] early life and did not worship Baal.” In verse 6, we find out that Jehoshaphat went one step further, thus pleasing God. “He took pride in serving the Lord and destroyed all the pagan places of worship and the symbols of the goddess Asherah in Judah.” As Jehoshaphat’s reign proceeded, he became more and more powerful (12). Throughout Judea, he built fortifications and cities. Jehoshaphat wasn’t perfect. He entered into a war with Syria, siding with King Ahab of Isreal. This was a classic case of being “uequally yoked” [2 COR 6: 14]. King Ahab was killed by a Syrian arrow in the battle, and King Jehoshaphat was rescued by God. God was angry enough to inspire His prophet, Jehu son of Hannai to deliver this message in 2 CH 19: 2-3. “Do you think it is right to help those who are wicked and to take the side of those who hate the Lord? What you have done has brought the Lord’s anger on you. But even so, there is some good in you. You have removed all the symbols of the goddess Asherah which the people worshipped, and you have tried to follow God’s will.”
Afterward, King Jehosphaphat instituted some reforms such as appointing judges in each of the fortified cities and instructed them to “be careful in pronouncing judgment; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the Lord, and He is with you when you are passing sentence. Have reverence for the Lord and act carefully, because the Lord our God does not tolerate fraud or partiality or the taking of bribes” (JG 19: 5-7). Some of the judges appointed were Levites, priests, and leading citizens. In (9), he gave them these instructions, “You must perform your duties in reverence for the Lord, faithfully obeying Him in everything you do.”
The story in 2 CH 20 of Judah’s war against Edom, Moab, and the Meunites (Ammonites) is one of trust and obedience-a wonderful example to us. Judah was badly outnumbered in this confrontation. The enemies had already attacked and captured Hazazon Tammar (another name for Engedi) in the south. Jehoshphat was frightened and prayed to the Lord for guidance (2 CH 20: 1-3). Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country. From all over Judah, people came to the courtyard of the Temple to pray to God for guidance. These prayers were humble requests with acknowledgments of man’s weakness and God’s supremacy. In 2 CH 20: 14, we learn that the Spirit of the Lord came upon a Levite who was in the crowd, a man named Jahaziel son of Zechariah. He told King Jehoshaphat in (15-17), “The Lord says that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you. Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. You will meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait; you will see the Lord give you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid. God out to battle, and the Lord will be with you!” (19) The members of the Levite clans of Kohath and Korah stood up and with a loud shout praised the Lord, the God of Israel.
2 CH 20: 20-21, “Early the next morning, Jehoshaphat addressed the them with the words, ‘Men of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will stand your ground. Believe what His prophets tell you, and you will succeed. After consulting with the people, the king ordered some musicians to put on the robes they wore on sacred occasions and to march ahead of the army, singing: ‘Praise the Lord! His love is eternal!’ “ If faced with a battle where we were outnumbered, would we follow a course of action such as King Jehoshaphat did? How much trust would we put in the Lord, especially if his commands didn’t make sense to us at the time? The story carries on to its conclusion with the Lord throwing Judah’s enemies into confusion and with them attacking each other (22-23). On the fourth day they [the Judeans] assembled in Beracah Valley and praised the Lord for what He had done (26). The word, “beracah” means “praise” in Hebrew. After that Jehoshaphat ruled in peace, and God gave him security on every side.
PRAYER: O Lord, we humbly approach You to confess that we don’t always seek You out first and put our trust in You when we are faced with a need for guidance. You have given us a chance to know about people like Jehoshaphat, who like us were not perfect, to demonstrate to us the power You have to lead us through our troubles and teach us Your way to cope with the challenges, temptations, and trials of our lives. Help us to learn to obey You when You give us commands, even if we don’t understand the actions You ask us to take. You teach us that there is strength in submission to Your will, because You are always righteous, omnipotent, and omniscient. We open our hearts to You, Dear Lord, and pledge our willingness to listen for your commands and to take action on them when You tell us to do so. We acknowledge Your superior wisdom and the perfection of Your timing. We offer You thanks, praise, glory, adoration, and worship, because You are so faithful and such a loving presence in our lives. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at the example that Joshua sets for us in his trust of and obedience to God. One common thread that is coming out of these messages is God’s enduring, patient, and compassionate love for His children. We have good reason to feel the warmth of His presence in our lives and can take comfort in knowing that He grants us both peace and rest when we act according to His will. It’s His way of granting us a foretaste of what we as believers who endure in faith will experience in His Kingdom. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn