2002-11-18
Good Morning Cherished Readers,
That description I’ve used for you this morning is very accurate. Not only do I cherish you for the faithfulness you are having in being willing to read my daily messages, but God cherishes each and every one of us for enduring in our faith in His Son. He loved us even before we came to faith, but even more now. RO 5: 10-11, “We were God’s enemies, but He made us His friends through the death of His Son. Now that we are God’s friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ’s life! But that is not all; we rejoice because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has now made us God’s friends.”
Once again, the Holy Spirit leads me to return to 2 CH 20:1-26, the story of King Jehoshaphat’s efforts to lead the Jewish army against the combined forces of the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites. We’ve looked at this situation from a number of different contexts in several messages, because it reveals such tremendously important principles of spiritual warfare. Today, we will see a battle plan that God wants us to know about that works. We must begin by sizing up the situation, one not unlike the situation modern Israel faces. King Jehoshaphat faced enemies from without, as we see in (2), and enemies from within, seen in (3). “Some messengers came and announced to King Jehoshaphat: ‘A large army from Edom has come from the other side of the Dead Sea to attack you. They have already captured Hazazon Tamar.’ (This is another name for Engedi). Jehoshaphat was frightened and prayed to the Lord for guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country.” So, let’s see the battle plan so far: 1) He sized up the situation; 2) turned to God first in prayer for guidance; and 3) followed God’s directions to prepare for battle. We mustn’t miss that the king was looking to God for direction first and then acting on it as commanded. The enemy from without is obvious, the Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites. The enemy from within is sometimes less obvious, in this case the fear that initially arose from his fleshly self. We all know that behind all of this is the real enemy, Satan. Those with real faith know the antidotes to our fleshly fears are faith and trust in the Lord.
Verses (5b-6) have the next step in God’s battle plan. “King Jehoshaphat went and stood before them [the people of Jerusalem gathered in the courtyard of the temple] and prayed aloud, ‘O Lord God of our ancestors, You rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. Your are powerful and mighty, no one can oppose You.” So, the next step in the battle plan was: 4) for the Jews to acknowledge Who God is to us and His supreme power over all. The next step was: 5) rehearsing God’s promises and greatness, which we see in (7-8). “You are our God. When Your people Israel moved into this land, You drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, Your friend to be theirs forever. They have lived here and have built a temple to honor You…” Looking back over the people’s history with God not only lets God know they haven’t forgotten His kindness and faithfulness to them, but it puts what is to come in the consistent context that is our reality with our Creator. The next step in the battle plan is seen in (12) with 6) a God-focused prayer in which the Jews acknowledge their helplessness without God’s intervention and their need for His direction. This is followed by 7) listening intently for God’s response. In (14-16), God reveals a strategy by means of the Levite, Jahaziel, upon whom the Holy Spirit came. In (17), God’s instructions regarding the attitude they should take is made clear. They were not to be afraid, take up their positions, and wait. Yes, wait! Here is a beautiful example where the Lord’s directions don’t conform to normal human expectations. God makes it clear this is His battle and they won’t have to fight. It’s going to require faithful, trusting obedience to make this battle plan work. Nothing else will do.
So, then the next step 8) is obeying God’s command. That’s exactly what the Jews did in (18-19); they bowed to God, and the priests, with a loud shout, praised the Lord. Then, the Lord delivered them. “When they began to sing, the Lord threw the invading armies into a panic.” The invaders attacked each other; not one was left alive [22-24]. In (25), Jehoshaphat and his army gathered the spoils. And, the last step in the battle plan was carried out in (26), 9) they blessed the Lord, praising Him for all He had done.
Now, lets recap the steps, all the while asking ourselves how we might apply them to the spiritual battles in our own lives. 1) Size up the situation. 2) Turn first to God for guidance. 3) Follow His directions in preparing for battle. 4) Acknowledge God for Who He is and for His sovereign supremacy. 5) Rehearse our history with God, His promises and greatness. 6) Pray, acknowledging our need for His help, and ask for it. 7) Listen intently for God’s response. 8) Obey God’s commands. 9) Bless God, praising Him for all He does. That’s not a bad plan for all of us to follow when faced with the devil’s fiery incoming arrows! Note that the first word of each step is an action verb.
PRAYER: O Lord, we begin by thanking and praising You for giving us a battle plan that is a sure winner. You reveal to us through our study of Your word and keeping the open, active channel of prayer, Your will for us and directions for how to remain safe, while following Your guidance when under attack. While today, we are not fighting with chariots, horses, or spears, we are indeed still fighting against the forces of evil led by Satan [EPH 6:12]. The words of PS 141: 9-10, part of an evening prayer offered long ago by the Psalmist, acknowledge Your compassionate and righteous power. “Protect me from the traps they have set for me, from the snares of those evildoers. May the wicked fall into their own traps while I go by unharmed.” That is exactly what You did for the Jews fighting under King Jehoshaphat, and we believe that is what You will do for us. Without our faith in You, Satan will win against us. With it, You make us eternally invincible. Our eyes and ears are open, listening for You to speak to us. We present ourselves to You emptied of human agendas and eager to be filled with Your Spirit. It is possible we may lose our physical lives, but by enduring in our faith in Your Son, we will live forever spiritually, cherished and treasured by You. We pledge not to refuse to obey Your commands, even if they don’t conform to human expectations or come at a time or in a way which proves difficult for us. We know, because Christ has told us in JN 14: 21, “Whoever accepts My commandments and obeys them is the one who loves Me. My Father will love whoever loves Me; I too will love him and reveal Myself to him.” We stand ready to acknowledge Your love and compassion shown throughout mankind’s history and accept that Your wisdom is higher and better than any other source [IS 55: 8-9]. Today we come to Your altar in humility to confess our sin and to offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, honor, glory, trust, obedience, thanks, and heartfelt praise. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
I am led to share citations in tomorrow’s message that reveal how sin doesn’t originate from actions, but instead from one’s mind. This proves to be essential “combat intelligence” that will help us to avoid the pitfalls Satan places in our paths, pitfalls that if not dealt with, could lead to defeat at his evil hand. How can we miss the all-encompassing love that our Lord has for us? If we are willing to look, we can see it at every turn. He not only calls us to the battle and equips us with His full armor, but He also gives us a winning battle plan. God has never asked us to do anything for Him that He didn’t also prepare us to do successfully. Sometimes those successes don’t come the way we think we would like them. The disciples surely didn’t want to be imprisoned, suffer illness, and lose their physical lives the way they did for their faith, but we who have faith know that they are surely honored for eternity in heaven. The same can be said for anyone who lives the life God desires during his time on earth. Our God is just, fair, loving, and compassionate. He is also always-wise and always-righteous. How could we ask for more than that? We need to look for His love all around us, and if we do, we will surely find it. Peter and I send each of you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn