A Unique Approach to Our Conflict
After being wounded and captured during Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, the Union captors sent Captain Benjamin Farinholt to the Federal prisoner-of-war camp on Johnson’s Island in Ohio. There he and his fellow prisoner John Latane devised a daring escape plan. Latane somehow fashioned an imitation Federal uniform, which Farinholt put on underneath his Confederate uniform. When the men were sent out on a work detail to break the ice, Farinholt slipped off his Confederate clothes and walked away right under the eyes of his guards. He went back through the lines to Virginia and, possibly in recognition of the trials he had already endured, was assigned command of the tiny garrison guarding the Staunton River Bridge. In this place, he likely assumed he would not see action again.
But in June 1864, General Grant dispatched 5,000 cavalrymen with instructions to destroy the bridge. When Farinholt received word that the raiders were coming, he recognized how desperate his situation was. The Captain needed to hold the bridge, for if the Federals destroyed it, they would sever the lifeline to Petersburg and Richmond. He only had 296 men in his garrison—far too few to hold off the Federals. So Farinholt sent an urgent appeal throughout the surrounding Halifax and Charlotte County countryside, calling on any man who could shoulder a weapon to join him at the bridge. In all, 642 citizens and soldiers answered Farinholt’s call—guards from the Danville prisons, invalids, convalescing wounded, and soldiers home on leave, along with about 500 local citizens--boys too young and men too old for regular service, bringing along whatever firearms they had. For this reason, the Battle of Staunton River Bridge is sometimes called “The Battle of Old Men and Young Boys.” The locals long afterward remembered it as “the day everybody went to the bridge to fight.”
The defenders dug in hastily and awaited the Federals' arrival. On the afternoon of June 25, the Federal forces, 5,000 cavalrymen with 16 pieces of artillery, arrived and began shelling the bridge and the Confederate defenses. In the ensuing battle, the Federals charged the Confederate position four times and each time driven back. Finally, with Confederate cavalry rapidly advancing on their rear, the Federals had to give up the attack. The townspeople saved the bridge, and the local men and boys were welcomed home as heroes.
In times of conflict, God’s people typically had to fight their enemies with the help of God. Sometimes we Christians try to solve our problems independently, especially when they don’t seem too complicated and in our power. At other times, we want to wait and watch God defeat our enemies rather than actively participate in our spiritual war. In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat realized that he and his nation were in more trouble than they could handle and immediately prayed to God. As a result, the army of Judah waited on the Lord and watched as He removed their foes.
Let’s walk through most of this chapter beginning with 2 Chronicles 20:1-4 (NKJV) and see God’s exceptional action:
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. 2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
Reaching up to God as our first impulse rather than our last resort in our difficulties is crucial. When Jehoshaphat learned that the nation’s enemies were allying against them, he responded with fear, seeking the LORD, proclaiming a fast, and gathering the people.
Jehoshaphat had made significant reforms in Judah. He destroyed the Asherahs and set his heart to seek the LORD. As a result, he fortified cities in Judah and reestablished an excellent judicial system. He warned the judges to let the fear of the LORD be upon them so they would act appropriately. Then, a "great multitude" of Judah's enemies began their march toward the Land.
Jehoshaphat wisely learned from the mistakes of his father, Asa. In 2 Chronicles 16, King Asa allied with the king of Syria when Israel’s king, Baasha, went up against Judah. Hanani, the seer, explained that he had not relied on the LORD as in the war against the Ethiopians and Libyans. As a result, he lost the Syrian army. Listen to Hanani’s words to Asa in 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV):
9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”
Good comes to us in times of calamity and judgment, and these cause us to turn to the LORD in humility for His aid. When the twin towers fell on the infamous “911,” Americans fearfully turned to God. For six weeks, churches swelled with attendance until nothing further happened, and people returned to “business as usual.”
King Jehoshaphat took a proper first step regarding the potential catastrophe. He sought the LORD and included the nation. Leaders set an example for their citizens. President Thomas Jefferson, for instance, thought he should attend church services in the Capitol every Sunday to model the importance of worshiping God for the country.
The king called for the people of Judah to fast and pray. Times of fasting and prayer are also the natural responses for America’s leaders in times of hardship. One of many examples is March 6, 1799, when President John Adams called for a National Fast Day.
"As no truth is more clearly taught in the Volume of Inspiration, nor any more fully demonstrated by the experience of all ages, than that a deep sense and a due acknowledgement of the growing providence of a Supreme Being and of the accountableness of men to Him as the searcher of hearts and righteous distributer of rewards and punishments are conducive equally to the happiness of individuals and to the well-being of communities....
"I have thought proper to recommend, and I hereby recommend accordingly, that Thursday, the twenty-fifth day of April next, be observed throughout the United States of America as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting and prayer; that the citizens on that day abstain, as far as may be, from their secular occupation, and devote the time to the sacred duties of religion, in public and in private; that they call to mind our numerous offenses against the most high God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, implore his pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer, for our past transgressions, and that through the grace of His Holy Spirit, we may be disposed and enabled to yield a more suitable obedience to his righteous requisitions in time to come; that He would interpose to arrest the progress of that impiety and licentiousness in principle and practice so offensive to Himself and so ruinous to mankind; that He would make us deeply sensible that "righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34)."
When was the last time an American President, Governor, or leading public figure called us to a day of fasting, prayer, and humiliation? People in the Bible and our forefathers did it, but we have neglected it, and it shows. We may think we are too sophisticated or grown-up for such, but we are too proud.
In verses 5-12 (NKJV), King Jehoshaphat leads his people in prayer at the temple. Notice the text:
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, 6 and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? 7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ 10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— 11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
In his prayer, Jehoshaphat reminded God of His power and person and declared that they did not know what else to do but to look to Him. The nation gathered before God as families to seek and hear from the LORD. Verse 13 reads, Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.
Have you ever wondered why the Marxists want to destroy families? It is because God designed the family to be the nation's foundation. The Babylonians and Romans destroyed the Jews’ temple, and Hitler and other anti-Semites burned synagogues. Still, Judaism continues because of the families who have devoted themselves to the Law of Moses and passed on his teachings from generation to generation. Passing on generational faith is why Passover and other events are crucial to Jewish families. It is a shame that Christian families don't develop similar concerns about family.
Judah stood united with Jehoshaphat before the LORD. Husbands, wives, and children stood as families to pray with the king. Crying out to God in wicked times is a family matter.
The Pilgrims knew this reality. They did not shelter their children from their problems and persecution but incorporated them into the congregation’s activities. When they worshiped secretly in Scrooby Manor, they had their children act as lookouts to warn them of the king’s approaching army. When they came to the New World, they came as families to serve the natives and spread the gospel. Their work included the entire family.
The next section, 2 Chronicles 20:14-17 (NKJV), provides the prophet Jahaziel’s inspired instructions from within the assembly. Note the text.
14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “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. 16 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. 17 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.”
He told the people on this occasion not to be afraid but to go against their enemies. In this case, they would not have to fight but stand and watch the LORD deliver them. The battle was the LORD’s, not theirs – this time.
Typically, God required His people to engage their enemies. Throughout the book of Judges, God instructed the Israelites to take up arms and engage the enemy. He went with them, but they had to fight, and they were victorious. This battle would be different.
Jesus fought the enemy for us. He is the victor over death by means of the cross and His resurrection. There is nothing we can do to improve on what He has done or fight for ourselves on this level. However, He requires us to also engage the enemy. Spiritual warfare is full contact, not a spectator sport.
We may use clichés like, “God’s got it,” or, “Trust God for _____,” and try to avoid putting forth the effort to fight in the spiritual warfare, but God tells us we are in the battle. Paul reminds us of this fact in Ephesians 6:10-13 (NKJV):
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
The apostle even spoke of his times of combat when he said in 2 Timothy 4:6-7 (NKJV):
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
The LORD reprimanded Judah for their indifference to Him and their spiritual despondency. They had split their devotions between God and the Baals, lacking a singular loyalty to Him. God rebuked them in Isaiah 1:4 (NKJV):
4 Alas, sinful nation,
A people laden with iniquity,
A brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the LORD,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.
God judges us when we don’t act in harmony with His will. We may prefer indifference to idolatry and tyrants, but God refuses to tolerate such behavior. Perhaps God worked as He did with Jehoshaphat because the king and the people recognized the evil they faced and were ready to do whatever the LORD wanted. He rewarded that submissive spirit by demonstrating His power in defeating the enemies of Judah.
Most Christian Americans do not recognize the evil confronting us because their church leaders prefer to ignore it and prohibit overtly speaking of it. We don’t want to “rock the boat” or inflict anyone with discomfort, so we remain silent.
I have repeatedly used Charles Finney’s quotes to highlight the importance of churches and preachers speaking up in our culture. I don’t want to overdo Finney’s observations, but they bear repeating. On one occasion he said:
It seems sometimes as if the foundations of the nation were becoming rotten, and Christians seem to act as if they thought God did not see what they do in politics. But I tell you, he does see it, and he will bless or curse this nation, according to the course they take.
Finney once addressed his fellow preachers to remind them of their responsibilities to God and the nation. In his speech, he listed numerous sinful conditions such as immorality, decay of conscience, lack of moral discrimination of the press [media], degenerate and worldly churches, loss of interest in religion, and corrupt government. Each time he stated, “The pulpit is responsible for it.”
Christian Americans and their preachers do not have the luxury of silence in the face of evil. Our work is not about our glory or personal recognition, it is about God and His efforts to redeem mankind. Should we not be concerned with evil and the neglect of God’s word? What happens when we do not do our part? God won’t do our work for us and many will be lost as a result. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:9 (NKJV):
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
Jehoshaphat and Judah had an exceptional battle this time. They did not have to physically engage the enemy, God would, and they were still and watched. Notice 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NKJV):
17 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.”
The people, beginning with the king, responded with worship. Judah showed humility and awe before the LORD in tangible ways. They expressed themselves in “spirit and truth” before the LORD. They trusted in the promise of God before the battle. Verses 18-19 read:
18 And 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. 19 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.
One of my favorite authors, A. W. Tozer wrote of worship :
Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven.
The next day, the people of Judah continued their worship as they entered the battlefield, and God delivered them as He had promised. Pay special attention to Verses 20-24 (NKJV):
20 So they rose early in the morning and 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.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he 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.”
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 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.
While God did not require Judah to destroy their enemies with a sword and bow, He did require their participation. God acted when the people prayed and worshiped with His promises in mind. Usually, the army of Judah would have taken up arms to fight, the LORD working with them. This time, God gave them rest from the physical assaults and defeated their enemies for them. They still participated, but on a different level, a spiritual one.
God routed the armies that allied against Judah, and the people picked up an enormous amount of loot from the dead troops. Verse 25 says there was so much that they gathered the spoils for three days. God blesses His people when they obey Him by faith; they had never seen such a victory.
The story doesn’t end there. Let me read verses 26-28:
26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah [blessing], for there they blessed the LORD; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the LORD.
Did you notice the thanksgiving after the battle? They returned to the temple with joy for what the LORD had done for them. They fasted and prayed at first, then they worshiped before and during the rout, picked up the victor’s spoils, and then returned home worshiping the LORD for what He had done for them.
I wish I knew how our current state of affairs would turn out. America has fallen in many ways, and I wonder if we will ever restore our nation. We can ask God to fight for us, but unless He specifically tells us otherwise, the best we can hope for is that He will fight with us against the tyrannical enemies of liberty and our republic.
One thing I know, God has fought for our eternal souls. There is no work we can do to merit the salvation of the cross (Ephesians 2:8-10). When we think of that spiritual battle, we seek the LORD, worship Him, and express our thanks for the gift of His son, as Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 9:15 (KJV):
15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
It doesn’t end there. God rewards the people who act in faith with unimaginable blessings. Among those are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in this world and even more in the next.
There was also a recurring intimidation factor in this story. Verses 29-30 tell us how the surrounding countries left Israel alone after this improbable victory. God’s presence and power struck fear into the neighboring nations as He had in times past. Listen to the text:
29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
Overall, Jehoshaphat was a good king. As verses 32-33 point out, HE did what was right, but the people needed to follow through. The king’s subjects, God’s people, did not love God with all of their hearts even after this incredible event. He did all of the work for them, gave them victory and the spoils of battle, yet they did not fully seek Him. Instead, they kept the high places for worshiping Baal.
32 And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. 33 Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.
Before we get too critical of the Jewish people under Jehoshaphat’s reign, let’s consider ourselves. We know the victory God has given us in Christ and the many blessings He has given to us from time to time in answer to our prayers and faithfulness. However, do we fully commit to Him or do we hold back? How often do we trust in something other than God? We might trust in money, power, prestige, or even in our Constitution above God. All of these are His gifts to us, but we are not to trust in the blessings, but in the God of our fathers.
It is interesting and sad that we can find time to entertain ourselves with fishing, movies, our children’s sports and activities, and countless hobbies, but we cannot find the time to talk to others about God or engage in His work of advancing the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
The last church I served counted “Daily Bible Readers” on their attendance cards, and rarely were there more than 10% of the attendees who acknowledged reading the Bible daily. I wonder what percentage watched TV or ate at least three meals daily. I wonder if we believe, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4, NKJV).
Christian Americans claim a special place with God in heaven but do not give Him a special place in their hearts on earth. We have not taken down the high places even though we acknowledge Him with thanksgiving from time to time for what He has done for us that we cannot do for ourselves. We must not forget that God will not honor compromising alliances with evil.
Let’s remember 1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJV) and follow through with a faithful commitment to God. Paul wrote:
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And, as we close, let’s Keep The Light of God’s Victory in Christ for Us Burning!
GodNAmerica.com GodNAmerica@gmail.com 405.361.3123
