Napoleon Bonaparte the French statesman and military leader went into exile on the Island of Elba after he had step down from his throne in April 1814. Louis XVIII then took over the crown. Nine months later Napoleon returned to his country with an intent to reclaim his former position. This quest was not going to be an easy one as the army was given orders to intercept him. However, when he met various soldiers who had been sent to capture him, Napoleon used his charisma to convince them to join his cause. Instead of using the gun he used his tongue to ‘sweet talk’ the soldiers to side with him.
On the 7th of March he was confronted by the 5th Infantry Regiment at Grenoble. Napoleon dismounted from his horse, stood before the regiment, shouted to the soldiers, "Here I am. Kill your Emperor, if you wish". He was within gunshot range but no soldier dared to shoot him, instead the soldiers responded with, "Vive L'Empereur!" (meaning Long live the emperor). These soldiers subsequently joined him as he went on to reclaim his throne
Napoleon won this battle without firing a single shot, all he did was ‘mere talk’ and he came out a victor. In a war, the one who wins is usually not the talkative side but the one who is active on the battlefield. Too much talk without corresponding action doesn’t make one a victor. However, we have a very unique case in the Bible, where some people won a war simply because they talked, by just talking and without anyone engaging the enemy physically they came out victors and the enemy forces all died because of that. It sounds unbelievable but it did happen, but the talk wasn’t just an ordinary chat, it was a conversation with The Lord in heaven, it was prayer. In this chapter we will consider how exactly this happened and we also draw lessons from it which we can apply in our lives today. (The chapter is based on 2 Chronicles 20:1-24)
The people of Moab and of Ammon together with others came to fight against Jehoshaphat the king of Judah. Sometimes troubles just come our way while we are in our comfort zones. Jehoshaphat was not the one who went on to incite war but the Moabites and Ammonites are the ones who came up against him. Whether you like it or not, even when you are just minding your own business in your own place, Satan will just come and want to attack you or use other people to do his dirty work without you provoking him.
Jehoshaphat received intelligence that there was a GREAT MULTITUDE of these people coming against him. Information about the enemy came first before the enemy attacked. Thank God who reveals things before they happen. A lot is revealed to us by God with regards to what will happen in the future before it actually occurs so that we are not caught by surprise, but most of the times we choose to ignore the signs or we are unable to discern them and we suffer the consequences. God is still speaking through His Word (The Bible) and many other ways, to warn us about what is coming but do we have time to listen to Him? After we have heard Him speak, what are we doing with what He has revealed to us?
Set yourself to seek the Lord
Having received this information Jehoshaphat became afraid. In his fear you would have expected him to flee from the city and seek refuge somewhere, he could have committed suicide as some do when faced with life challenges, he could have just sat there and wait for the enemy to come and kill him or do whatever they wanted to do, but he didn’t do all that. The king of Judah set himself to seek the LORD in PRAYER and FASTING. Scripture says ‘he set himself’, meaning it was a personal decision he made to seek the Lord, no one made that decision on his behalf. With regards to prayer and seeking the Lord, you need to come to a point where you make a conscious and personal decision on your own. Some are forced by others to pray but deep inside they don’t want to and such a prayer life will not bring the desired results because the person is not sincere. When you pray, do it not because someone has asked you to do it, but because you have made a personal choice to do so.
I can define prayer simply as communicating with God & fasting as abstinence from foods and other fleshly desires for a time so as to focus on communicating with God. Pardon my definition if it seems to be too simple, the idea is not for you to memorize meanings but it’s for you to understand the principles and apply them in your life.
Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast. There he is faced by physical opposition but he decides to seek the Lord who is invisible. It seems to be an unwise move to those who don’t understand this God whom we worship. How can Someone invisible be able to help against a physical and visible problem? Though we cannot physically see God, His existence is very real and He exercises great power in both the visible and invisible realms. King Jehoshaphat could have sought for help from other nations but he did not do so. Some time back he had helped the other ten tribes of Israel in a battle to recover Ramoth-Gilead (2 Chronicles 18), therefore he could have gone to them and ask for a return favour for them to help him. However, he decided to seek the Lord instead of human help
“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” Psalms 118:9
From who do you seek help when faced with life battles? Do you rush to post it on social media so that all your friends can see it and get many ‘likes’ or ‘retweets’? do you get on the phone and call your mother or father? Hezekiah when he was told by Prophet Isaiah that he was going to die, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord and was given fifteen more years of life (2 Kings 20:1-11). Let’s take a lesson from these two men who sought the Lord when they were faced with trouble. Humans can fail us but not the Lord.
Not against flesh and blood
The King proclaimed a fast throughout all the land of Judah. Seriously who does that? How can you ask people to deny themselves food when the enemy is coming to attack them? From where are they supposed to get the energy to either fight the enemy or to flee when they have not eaten enough? These are some questions which someone might ask? But take note, Ephesians 6:12 says “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”
This war we are in is a spiritual battle therefore even our tactics and weaponry are not physical. Filling your stomach with food will not help much in the fight against the devil. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and lost to Satan in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Jesus fasted for forty days and He defeated Satan in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-14). We need to take some time to fast and deny our flesh its desires and strengthen our spiritual lives. Sometimes it’s not enough just to pray but there are times when we need a combination of both prayer and fasting because they are some demons which can only defeated by this combination as taught by Jesus on Matthew 17:21.
Uniting in prayer
The fast having been proclaimed, the people of Judah gathered together to ask for help from the Lord. We need to come together as believers in Christ to join hands in seeking the Lord. In as much as we offer our private prayers in our closets, there is also need to gather together with those of our faith and in engage in public prayer. The people of Judah didn’t have the attitude of “i-can-pray-at-home-alone”, yes you can pray at home alone but God also requires us to gather together as believers.
“not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25
People came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord because they knew the source of their help, as Psalms 121:1-2 says “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth”
After the people had gathered, Jehoshaphat stood before this assembly in the house of the Lord and started to pray. In his prayer he speaks about the sovereignty of God and recounts how The Lord gave them the land in which they presently reside. He then goes on to tell God about the tribes which have come to fight against them and confesses that they (the people of Judah) have no power against that great multitude that has come and they have nothing to do but have fixed their eyes upon the Lord. Whenever you feel without power and overwhelmed by events, get into prayer and talk to God, fix your eyes upon Him.
Oh, yes He answers – in His time
Having concluded the prayer, God’s answer came immediately afterwards. The Lord always answers when the time is right, never late, never too early but when the time is right. Our problem is that we have our own expectations with regards to what time God should answer our prayers and that expected time might not be what the Lord has planned. For His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). Whenever God does not answer our prayers at the time we expected Him to answer, we are quick to conclude that there is a delay, yet in fact there is no delay but the time is not yet come for Him to answer. There are times when God answers us immediately but because we are expecting a different answer than what He has given us, we think He has not answered and we wait on and on for His answer yet He has already answered.
To the fasting and prayers of these people, the response was immediate. The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel who was among those assembled, he was the one used by God to deliver the answer to the people. He gives a prophecy from God by saying: "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: "Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:15-17)
Fear not
The people were instructed not to be afraid, we also need not to be afraid when the enemy is attacking us if we have already prayed seeking the Lord’s help. After having prayed, we need to be still and believe that God will fight for us. If we keep on having fear in our hearts after prayer, it might be a sign that we are doubting God’s power to deliver us from the challenges we are facing. We need to come to a level of faith where we have peace in our hearts after prayer even though we have not seen any visible manifestation of God’s answers. The fact that we have prayed to The Almighty God is reason enough not to be afraid anymore. But if you haven’t submitted your issue to God in prayer, surely you have every reason to be scared.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
The multitude of the enemy was indeed great but the people were told not to be afraid. There are things which are against us which appear so great in our eyes but let us remember, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). In 2 Kings 6:8-23 we read of Elisha’s servant who was afraid when he saw themselves surrounded by enemy. Elisha told his servant "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." If we are on The Lord’s side, we need not fear because we have greater forces behind us than what the devil commands.
The battle is not yours
God’s response to the people of Judah included the statement “for the battle is not yours, but God's”. This battle was not for the people of Judah but for God. Imagine if they had just gone to war as soon as they had heard that the enemy is coming without first seeking the Lord? They would have been fighting in a battle which was never theirs in the first place. So many times we fight battles which are not ours simply because we skip prayer and jump right into action. At the end of the day we spend our precious time and resources on battles which are not ours but God’s because we neglected to pray. Those who neglect to pray will fight in battles which were never theirs and in the end they lose because they thought they would be able to fight in God’s place and win. The Lord could have empowered His people to fight against the coming enemy and win, but He did not do so, instead He says the battle is not yours but Mine. There are times when God gives us power to fight in certain battles and there are times when He says don’t fight, I will fight on your behalf. It is only through prayer that we are able to know when to fight and when to let God fight for us.
The people of Moab and Ammon came with the intention of attacking the people of Judah, but little did they knew that they were not going to be fighting with Judah but with the Lord Himself, for the battle was not for the people of Judah but God’s. When Saul (later named Paul) went on a mission to persecute the church, it would seem like he was fighting against people of the church up until you read his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was asked the question, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4). For the record Saul never directly persecuted Jesus but the fact that he persecuted Jesus’ followers was bad as persecuting Jesus Himself. Let this be a warning to those who seek to fight against those who believe in Christ, you might think you are fighting against people yet you are fighting against the God of the people and this is one battle you don’t want to get into. Even the devil himself will not help you.
Another perspective to this statement – the battle is not yours but God’s – could mean that in the first place the battle was for the people of Judah, but the fact that they sought the Lord in prayer and fasting, that battle was transferred from being theirs to being the Lord’s. Prayer has that ability to transfer matters into God’s hands, prayer is giving authority to The Lord to fight on your behalf. Are you troubled with battles of life which you are failing to deal with? Why don’t you surrender them to Jesus so that He takes over and makes them His battles?
Play your part
In as much as the battle was not for the people of Judah but the Lord’s, these people were not to be idle but had a role to play. They were instructed that on the following day they should go towards the enemy as the enemy was also going to come up towards them. After prayer we have a role to play in order to receive what we have been praying for. However, our actions need not to be contrary to what the word of God teaches but we are to be guided by the Word itself. Having prayed for a child, Hannah went back home and was intimate with his husband Elkanah (1 Samuel 1:19). Yes indeed God was going to give her a child but she had her part to play with her husband in their bedroom.
Prayer is not a substitute for duty, after prayer do your part. You prayed for a job but now you need to send out applications rather than just sit, you prayed to pass, now you need to study and get ready for the exams, you prayed for a sermon to preach now you need to open your Bible and look for what you will preach about. There is need for action after prayer, action which shows that you indeed believe that God answers prayer, rather than action which shows that you doubt God.
Abram was promised a child by God (Genesis 15:1-5), but the action he took together with his wife expressed doubt in God’s ability to fulfil His promise. Instead of the two waiting upon the Lord, Sarai gave Abram her maid Hagar so that they could have a child through her and this was not God’s plan (Genesis 16:1-4). Our actions after prayer can reveal whether we believe that God does answer prayers or not. You prayed that God helps you get something but after prayer you went on to pay a bribe, that’s a sure sign that you doubt God’s ability to intervene without you cutting corners.
Victory is guaranteed (to those who pray)
Though the people of Judah were told that tomorrow they must go and face the enemy, they were also instructed that there was no need to fight in this battle. They were to stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who was going to be with them. It takes a lot of faith to follow this instruction of God, take note they are going to face people who are armed and ready to attack yet God is saying you don’t need to fight them. It takes faith to stand still in the face of trials. The people of Judah had already fought in prayer and fasting and obtained victory, hence the charge to stand still and not to fight physically. Yes we can obtain victory in prayer, way before the enemy comes to attack us. When the Moabites and Ammonites were busy sharpening their spears and training for war, the people of Judah were seeking the Lord. When the enemy called Satan is getting ready to attack you, what steps are you taking to be the victor? Are you seeking the Lord or you are tied up with other worldly things, searching for money, entertainment, social media etc.?
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Jahaziel being led by the Holy Spirit concludes the prophecy from God which was a response to the people’s prayer by the words “.Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you." Another charge again for the people not to be afraid. In God’s answer, He never mentioned how exactly He was going to fight this battle on behalf of the people of Judah. Is He going to send Angels? Will He rain fire like He did to Sodom, will He send a flood of water to sweep the enemy away? How exactly will He fight for them? That much they were not told, the people needed to believe that indeed God was to fight for them but the how part, they knew not and this takes faith to stand still not knowing how exactly will God accomplish His word. God has various ways of fulfilling His word of which we know a little about those ways.
When the prophecy was concluded, Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. I expected the people to start questioning the reasoning behind what the Lord had said but instead they worshiped the Lord. Naaman when he was told to go and wash seven times in river Jordan so that he could be cleansed from his leprosy, he started questioning that instruction saying, "Indeed, I said to myself, "He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.' Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" (2 Kings 5:11-12). The man couldn’t just take instructions as they were, he wanted to dispute them as if he knew any better. He however was persuaded by his servants and followed the given instructions and was healed. Many times we try to argue with what the word of God instructs us to do but this was not the case with the people of Judah, they didn’t argue but bowed to the Lord and worshipped Him.
Praising the Lord
Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high. The battle has not yet been won (at least physically) but these people are already praising the Lord simply because they believed that what the Lord has said, He will fulfil. There comes a time we need to praise the Lord not because He has already fought our battles but because He promised to fight them even if He has not yet done so. Even when you are still sick and not feeling well, there is no better time to praise the Lord than on that hospital bed. Though you are yet to see any positive outcome to whatever it is which is troubling you, praise the Lord. Let your prayers be concluded with praise and an attitude of knowing that God is dealing with your situation.
The following day the people of Judah went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper." (2 Chronicles 20:20). He then consulted with the people and appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever."
Singers were appointed to sing to the Lord, not to sing for entertainment or to sing that they themselves might be praised but for the Lord. Music can be used to worship God that is if we sing to the glory of the Lord. But sometimes even in churches, music is used just for entertainment to please our fleshly desires and what follows are dance routines which are very suggestive.
In their music they sang saying “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever”. This statement is mentioned over forty times in scripture. This shows that the people where singing Biblical songs and not secular songs. When we sing whatever we sing do we ever consider whether it’s Biblically correct or we just sing as long as it has a good tune and sounds good? Let our music be guided by scripture. The musicians were positioned in front and the army followed after them.
As the people of Judah sang, the LORD set ambushes against the enemies who had come against them. The Lord caused the enemy to fight against each other until all of them were destroyed. So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped. God had fulfilled His word which He spoke through Jahaziel that He was going to fight for them. This was done all because the people had prayed and fasted. The talk with God made them win this battle without lifting any physical weapon.
Much can be achieved through prayer and fasting, we are able to win strong battles just by going down on our knees and asking God to fight on our behalf. Satan is experienced in bringing people down, that’s has been his business since our first parents in the Garden of Eden. On our own we cannot defeat him, we need an external power to assist us and that power can only be found in Jesus and it is through prayer that we can receive that power. In prayer we are able to obtain victories against bad addictions, against temptations and sin, against demons, against all that Satan can try to use to harm us.
What is it that is troubling you? Tell it to God in prayer and that conversation can give you victory.
