Keys To Responding To The Unexpected
(Rev. Rodney Johnson and Rev. Barry Johnson)
NOTE: New Light Faith Ministries and Barry Johnson Ministries, founded by Rodney V. Johnson and Barry O. Johnson, respectively, are partnering to offer Bible studies for Christians who are seeking to grow in their relationship with Jesus. This is a Bible study lesson, not a sermon. The Bible studies teach foundational truth that are designed to challenge, encourage and, most importantly, flame the fire of hunger in the Christian who wants to learn more about who they have become in Christ Jesus. The Bible studies you find on this site contains the written version of the lesson. However, these lessons also include a video and an audio file of the study, a PDF version of the lesson and a sheet for note taking. If you would like any of the additional resources for these studies, please email us at newlightfaithministries@gmail.com or bjteachingltr@gmail.com for more information or contact us at the email provided on both of our Sermon Central pages. Please visit our YouTube Channel (Barry Johnson Ministries; New Light Faith Ministries, Inc.) to watch or listen to these lessons as well as other available sermons. Be blessed.
Introduction
Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Bible Study. Let’s open with a word of prayer. One of the best known fights in professional boxing history occurred in 1965 when Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston for the second time. In their first fight in 1964, Ali (then Cassius Clay) defeated Liston on a technical knockout when he didn’t answer the bell for the seventh round. In the second fight ended with a controversial first round knockout in what many have described as a “phantom punch.” The reason we mention these fights, especially the second one, is because Liston didn’t see, anticipate or expect the punch that knocked him out.
For us, this is an excellent example of how Satan, the enemy of the soul, operates. He is subtle. He is decisive. He works from the shadows. He works to influence and initiate unpleasant situations and circumstances in our lives. He is like Muhammad Ali’s “phantom punch.” We often don’t see it coming. After Ali hit Liston, he laid dazed on the canvas. He had time to get up, but in his stunned state, he simply looked at Ali and the referee. This is what Satan is after when he attacks us. He wants us to be confused. He wants us to struggle to find a response.
In this month’s lesson, “Key to responding to the Unexpected,” we’re going to look at an Old Testament record that involves King Jehoshaphat and Judah’s response when faced with armies marching to invade their country. The primary lesson we are going to see in this passage is this: How we respond to situations will be based on how we’ve prepared ourselves for them beforehand. When we are not prepared, Satan will send trouble our way to devour us. When we are prepared, Satan’s attack will cause us to respond in a way that allows heaven to move on our behalf. The lesson will focus on Second Chronicles chapter 20, but first we want you to see what the Bible says about Jehoshaphat by looking at some key points in chapters 17-19.
King Jehoshaphat
In chapter 17, Jehoshaphat becomes king of Judah after the death of his father, Asa. We read the following in verses 3-6: “(3) Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, (4) but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. (5) Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. (6) And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah. (Second Chronicles 17:3-6) Because of his love for God, Jehoshaphat purposefully sends out his leaders to teach the people the Word of God as we see in verse 9, which says, “So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.”
In chapter 18, some years have passed, and Jehoshaphat decides to visit Ahab, the king of Israel. After having a meal prepared for them, Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to join forces with him in a battle against Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat agreed but asked Ahab to consult with the Lord first (verse 4). So, Ahab called his 400 prophets, and to a man, they all told the king go to war with Ramoth Gilead because “the Lord will deliver it into your hand” (verse 5). But something just didn’t sit right with Jehoshaphat when he heard this, so he asked Ahab if there was another prophet who could confirm what the 400 prophets had said. Ahab calls for Micaiah, a prophet he despised because he never told him what he wanted to hear. And in verse 16, Micaiah did not disappoint. He disagreed with the 400 prophets. “Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, 'These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace” (verse 16). But Judah and Israel still went to war against Ramoth Gilead and Ahab was killed.
In chapter 19, Jehoshaphat returned home from the war but is confronted and rebuked by a prophet of the Lord for aligning himself with Ahab. “(2) And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, ‘Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you. (3) Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God.’" (verses 2-3) Verse 4 tells us how he responds after the prophet’s rebuke. “So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers.” Jehoshaphat brings Judah back to serving God by removing all the idols, personally visiting the people and appointing judges to administer the law and settle disputes.
Second Chronicles chapters 17, 18 and 19 paint a picture of a king who made mistakes but had a humble heart and a relationship with the God he served. And Barry, that’s where our victory begins. It begins with us humbling ourselves and submitting to Jesus, and then developing and nurturing a relationship with Him by spending time in His presence. Barry, why don’t you get us started with Second Chronicles 20?
Second Chronicles 20
In chapter 20, we are going to see two things. First, we are going to see Satan’s response to Jehoshaphat bringing Judah back to “the Lord God of their fathers.” His strategy has not changed. He introduced it in the Garden of Eden when he asked Eve if God’s Word was true. His attacks, first and foremost, will be to see if we truly believe what God has said in His Word. The second thing we are going to see in this record is that this attack is as much a spiritual battle as it is a natural battle. So, let’s begin reading with verse one. “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.” (verses 1-3)
Jehoshaphat receives the news of the invading armies impending attack and immediately fear rises in him. Such a reaction is not uncommon. This news was unexpected, unforeseeable and terrifying. But let’s pause for a moment and look at the Body of Christ. When we are faced with unexpected terrifying news, God tells us how to deal with that news in Proverbs 3. “(25) Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; (26) For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.” (Proverbs 3:25-26) In verse 26 we see something that we should take note of and not forget. It says we should not be afraid of wickedness when it comes. We have an enemy who doesn’t like us. We will never be free from his attacks. But we have a promise from God that if we trust Him, He will keep us from falling into Satan’s snares.
Again, Second Chronicles 20:3 says, “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” Jehoshaphat’s immediate response was fear. But we also see something more important – his first act was to seek the Lord’s counsel. How he responded did not cloud his judgment. The word seek indicates relationship. The first time the word is used in Scripture tells us that Jehoshaphat already knew he could trust the Lord in this situation.
Turn to Deuteronomy chapter four. Moses is letting the children of Israel know what to expect in the Promised Land. He reminds them that the Lord watched over them after delivering them out of Egypt and gives them a promise beginning in verse 29. “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (30) When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (31) (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.” (Deuteronomy 4:29-31) Jehoshaphat knew that if he sought the Lord Judah would not be forsaken.
Placing doubt in our minds about God’s goodness and willingness to help us is one of Satan’s most effective strategies. He knows that doubt attached to prayer means unanswered prayer. Jehoshaphat knew God would answer his prayer. The question for us is, do we approach God knowing that He will answer our prayers? I want to read First John 3:21-22 from the Classic Amplified Bible. “And, beloved, with our consciousness (our hearts) do not accuse us [if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us], we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God, (22) And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [watchfully] obey His orders [observe his suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [habitually] practice what is pleasing to him.”
The first key to responding to the unexpected – Ask your Father for His help and His guidance.
Now let’s continue with verse 4. “So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” Jehoshaphat told the people to join him in seeking God by being like- minded and praying for deliverance. He knew that the entire nation of Judah had to take a public stand of faith with him.
The second key to responding to the unexpected: Stand firmly on your belief that God has a plan of deliverance for you and, if appropriate, invite like-minded Christians to join you in your stand.
“(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.'” (Verses 5-9)
We want to point out a couple of things in this passage. First, Jehoshaphat, in the presence of the people, reminds the Lord of His covenant relationship with Judah, something the Lord encourages us to do, which we see in Isaiah 43:26. “Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted.” When the king was “reminding” God of what He had done in the past, the second thing that we see is this: he was reminding the people of what God had done! He was reminding the people that the God that they served could be trusted again in this situation.
We Must Remind Ourselves of God’s Goodness and Promises
If we believe God can be trusted, we must remind ourselves of His goodness and His promises to us. So, what are some of the things that we need to remind ourselves of from time to time? We need to remind ourselves that we belong to God and we see this in First John 3:2. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” We need to remind ourselves that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing that manifests as natural blessings in our lives. In Ephesians 1:3 we read the following: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
We need to remind ourselves that we have an inheritance given to us by our Father and that we are no longer under the authority of spiritual darkness. Colossians 1:12-13 say, “(12) giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (13) He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” We need to remind ourselves that our Father’s arms are always open to us for whatever we need, and we see this in Hebrews 4:16. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
We need to remind ourselves that our Father wants us to ask Him for what we need, and He has promised to hear our prayer and respond because we believe Him. I’m going to read First John 5:14-15 from the Classic Amplified Bible. “(14) And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with his own plan, he listens to and hears us. (15) And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, We also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have[granted us as our present possessions] the request made of Him.” When we come to God with “child-like” confidence, knowing that He is our Father, knowing that He hears our prayers and then acknowledge Him as the only one who can help us, who can rescue us, who can restore us, we open the door for Him to do what is already in His heart to do for us – answer our prayer. The third key to responding to the unexpected: Remind yourself that the arms of the God that you trust, worship and serve are always open for you.
Let’s go back to Second Chronicles chapter 20. In verses 10 through 13, which we are about to read, Jehoshaphat is still reminding the Lord of His covenant relationship with Judah, and it is here that we see a fourth key for responding to the unexpected. “(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." (13) Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.” (Second Chronicles 20:10-13)
Jehoshaphat did something many leaders are unwilling to do publicly. He admitted that Judah was not capable of winning this battle alone. The word power means “forces or means” which points to the reason the king knew that Judah could not win this battle: they didn’t have enough fighting men to engage the enemy. Jehoshaphat also made another astonishing admission – he didn’t know how to respond to such a threat. What this tells us is that, based on the information that he had, the king couldn’t see how Judah could survive this attack. One translation renders the last part of verse 12 as “and we are at a loss on what to do: but our eyes are upon you.” Another translation renders it “despairing hearts that know not where else to turn, we look to thee.” The fourth key to responding to the unexpected: By faith put the situation and your deliverance in God’s hands.
When we began our look at Second Chronicles 20, we noted that the record will show us at least two things. First, the invading armies’ attack would be Satan’s response to Jehoshaphat returning Judah to God by getting rid of the idols and sending his leaders throughout the land to teach the law. Secondly, and this is probably the most important, that the battle with the invading armies was a spiritual battle. We are going to see this in the remainder of this lesson.
In verses 14 and 15 we read, “(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.” (verses 14-15) The New American Bible renders the last part of verse 15 as “Do not fear or lose heart at the sight of this vast multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” For us, this is the first indicator that the battle is also a spiritual one. As Christians, we must always remember that our battle is with the unseen, Satan and his demonic horde, but manifest itself in the seen – this world. Jehoshaphat was able to deal with his fears, not because they were not real or legitimate, but because he had made a deliberate decision to put his trust in the living God. The first sentence in Be Anxious for Nothing, by Joyce Meyer should be displayed in every room of our homes. It says, “Peace is to be the normal condition for us as believers in Jesus Christ.” We need this reminder!
I’m reminded of what Jesus told His disciples as He prepared them for His death in John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” When we act in faith, we make a conscious and purposeful decision not to fear. When we act in faith, we turn our faces away from the problem and towards the Lord and his promises.
The fifth key to responding to the unexpected: Refuse to allow fear to paralyze you and put your trust in your Heavenly Father.
Jahaziel shares the word he received from the Lord and in verses 16 and 17, we see the Lord’s instructions. “(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." (verses 16-17)
The Lord essentially tells Judah to “stand down” and wait on Him. Waiting is not easy even when things are going well. When you are under attack, you could wonder if you truly believe what God has said in His Word. But we must know and believe God and what He says in scriptures like Isaiah 40:31: “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” When we can trust God to be God and to wait on Him, then we are truly placing our cares (worries and anxieties) on Him.
“(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.” (verses 18-19) When we praise and worship God during the unexpected, the unforeseen, and the unanticipated, he can calm our “internal seas” so we can focus on Him. You see, worship is an invitation to God to fill wherever we are with His presence and His power. When we praise and worship God, we turn our faces toward Him and set our eyes upon Him and His abilities and not our own. The sixth key to responding to the unexpected that we see in this chapter is: Seek God through praise and worship.
(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." (verses 20-21)
The first thing Jehoshaphat says to the people is “Believe in the Lord your God.” He then tells them to "Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever." As God’s sons and daughters, this must be our default response in all situations. In the minds of Jehoshaphat and the people, the victory was assured. And we should believe that victory belongs to us because of what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection as we read in Colossians 2:13-15. (13) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, (14) having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (15) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:13-15) When we face difficulties, we should never be concerned about the outcome. God is our father. Satan has been defeated.
The last verse that we will focus on is verse 22, but we will read verses 23-25 and then verses 29-30. “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.” (verse 22) When did the Lord move on Judah’s behalf? Remember we stated earlier that this battle was also a spiritual one. Notice that the Lord set ambushes after the people began to sing and to praise.” We are convinced that the Church does not understand the role that praise and worship plays in spiritual warfare and how vitally important it is. How can any blood bought believer not want to praise and worship after reading this record? Now let’s read verses 23-25 and verses 29-30.
“(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. (25) When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.” (verses 23-25) Because the people praised and worshiped God, He was able to cause confusion in the camps of the Ammon and Moab so that they destroyed each other which left Judah with all their possessions. “(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.” (verses 29-30) The thing that stands out to us is that after the battle was won “the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet.” This is what victory produces for us when we believe God and praise and worship Him – quietness and rest.
Conclusion and Prayer
Second Chronicles chapter 20 provides a powerful example of how God's people focused on Him and not the problem. When we face situations of uncertainty, stress and fear, we can follow Jehoshaphat’s example. Stop looking on and magnifying the problem and focus on and magnify the One who will provide the answer.
