Ki Le’olem Chasedo His Mercy Endures Forever Series

Today, in our Hebrew Word Study series, we consider events surrounding the life of King Jehoshaphat. He was king of Judah, during the time when Israel was split between Judah and the northern kingdom.

There was a great army marching on Judah, from the other side of the dead sea. The historical account is listed in 2nd Chronicles chapter 20:2-4, “2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom,[b] from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.”

King Jehoshaphat began his reign as king at the age of 35. We don’t know exactly how old he was here. But we see him responding to a crippling crisis just the way he ought to. He gathers the people together, to seek God’s help.

That is always what we should do in our own lives when we face challenges of many kinds. Be careful how you respond to a crisis in your life. As much as we’d like to think that we would seek God, sometimes we end up angry, upset, miserable, fretting and complaining, and we forget to pray, or even ask for God’s help to deal with the situation. We try to face it in our own strength, and this fails, or it doesn’t bring the result that was meant to be, by God’s will.

So Jehoshaphat gathers the people together in front of the temple that Solomon built, where they always meet with God.

It says in verse 5 through 9: “Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’

Then it verse 12 he says, “Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

I imagine there was a long silence as all the people of Judah simply focused their attention on God, their hope on God, their everything on God.

I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you Lord. Have you been there in your life? Many, many times in my ministry I’m confounded, perplexed, confused, and I honestly don’t know what to do. This happens for all of us, not just pastors. The wise response is to take it to God, and wait on Him, with our eyes on Him.

I truly don’t understand many things that God does. I don’t understand His ways. It is terribly frustrating. So I wrestle with God, and try to understand His ways. But I can’t understand his ways, not fully. So it is wise to wrestle with God, which is what Israel means, they who wrestle with God. So I stop. And I wait, and I say God I don’t understand, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you. And in the future again I will wrestle with God on ideas, theology, emotions, world events, the events of my life, the waiting, as we should wrestle with God, which is wise to do as we seek Him, yet then again at the right time I again will be still, and wait on Him.

It says in verse 13, “All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.” They waited, standing in God’s presence.

14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel, a prophet of the Lord, 15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”