2Ch 20:19-21 | KingComments | STEP | The answer of the LORD comes. He sends His Spirit in the midst of the church. He does not send His Spirit on Jehoshaphat, which we might expect, but on Jahaziel, a Levite from the sons of Asaph ( ). The Spirit is free in choosing His instrument to reveal the will of God. Jahaziel will not have been “overwhelmed” by the fact that the Spirit comes upon him. That he is one of Asaph’s sons indicates that he is a singer. His task is to praise the LORD. This activity is a good preparation to be used by the Spirit for the benefit of God’s people in the midst of which he is. The message that Jahaziel has for people and king is an encouragement ( ). He asks for special attention for it with the word “listen”. It is a word from the LORD Himself. The encouragement is that they do not have to be impressed by the enemy’s great multitude, because they do not have to fight against them themselves. God will fight for them. So they should not compare the power of the enemy with their own power, but with the power of God. Then the enemy pales into insignificance. That the battle is not of the people, but of God, goes like a chorus through the Old Testament. We hear it from the mouth of Moses when the people are at the Red Sea ( ) and then we hear it from the mouth of David when he is opposite Goliath ( ). Now we hear it here when Jehoshaphat is facing a great hostile army. For us it is also the case. We can only fight the good fight if we realize that it is actually the Lord’s fight. Therefore the armor of God is also given to us for our battle ( ). Jahaziel says what has to be done ( ). God can defeat the enemy in many ways. However, he chooses a way that makes it clear to His people that the victory is His work. Jahaziel tells the people what they should do. They have to go down to the enemy tomorrow. He informs the people where the enemy is now and where the enemy will be tomorrow. God knows every movement of the enemy and also the way he goes. This a great encouragement for His people to entrust themselves to Him for the battle. So God tells His people today through people whom He makes capable of doing so, where the enemy is, where they should be careful not to fall into a spiritual trap. The place where Jehoshaphat and the people will find the enemies is “at the end of the valley”. It points out that humiliation and acknowledgment of one’s own incapacity, of which the valley is a picture, will end in a victory for the people. The meeting with the enemies is not meant to wage a battle with them ( ). Once again Jahaziel points out that the people should not fight in this war. They just have to station, stand, and watch. In this way they can learn how God intervenes for His people. He will make them see His salvation. His salvation is with them, with Judah and Jerusalem. There is no reason for fear and dismay, which may be imposed on them when they think that they will come face to face with the enemy. They can go up against the enemy without fear, “for the LORD is with you”. And what is there to fear or be dismayed about when He is with us? The word of the prophet has a wonderful effect on Jehoshaphat and the people. They are deeply impressed by the word of the LORD. They all fall down before the LORD and worship Him ( ). Here is nothing to be found of an unconsciously ‘falling in the Spirit’. Such a thing cannot be found anywhere in Scripture. What happens here is done consciously by every person present. While Jehoshaphat and the people are in worship before the LORD, “the Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice” ( ). The Kohathites are Levites whose task is to take care of the most holy things ( ). The Korahites are descendants of the Kohathites ( ; ). Korah rebelled against the LORD and is judged ( ), but grace spared some children of Korah ( ). Those who know the holy of holies (descendants of Kohath) and those who know what grace is (descendants of Korah) realize in this situation that it is appropriate to praise the LORD “with a very loud voice”. The prayer meeting has been changed into a praise, and this without any enemy being defeated. What a just and wonderful tribute to Him Who is worthy of all honor and Who is most honored when we honor Him for what is yet to come.

‏ 2 Chronicles 20:19-21

Answer of the LORD

The answer of the LORD comes. He sends His Spirit in the midst of the church. He does not send His Spirit on Jehoshaphat, which we might expect, but on Jahaziel, a Levite from the sons of Asaph (2Chr 20:14). The Spirit is free in choosing His instrument to reveal the will of God.

Jahaziel will not have been “overwhelmed” by the fact that the Spirit comes upon him. That he is one of Asaph’s sons indicates that he is a singer. His task is to praise the LORD. This activity is a good preparation to be used by the Spirit for the benefit of God’s people in the midst of which he is.

The message that Jahaziel has for people and king is an encouragement (2Chr 20:15). He asks for special attention for it with the word “listen”. It is a word from the LORD Himself. The encouragement is that they do not have to be impressed by the enemy’s great multitude, because they do not have to fight against them themselves. God will fight for them. So they should not compare the power of the enemy with their own power, but with the power of God. Then the enemy pales into insignificance.

That the battle is not of the people, but of God, goes like a chorus through the Old Testament. We hear it from the mouth of Moses when the people are at the Red Sea (Exo 14:14) and then we hear it from the mouth of David when he is opposite Goliath (1Sam 17:47). Now we hear it here when Jehoshaphat is facing a great hostile army. For us it is also the case. We can only fight the good fight if we realize that it is actually the Lord’s fight. Therefore the armor of God is also given to us for our battle (Eph 6:10-18).

Jahaziel says what has to be done (2Chr 20:16). God can defeat the enemy in many ways. However, he chooses a way that makes it clear to His people that the victory is His work. Jahaziel tells the people what they should do. They have to go down to the enemy tomorrow. He informs the people where the enemy is now and where the enemy will be tomorrow. God knows every movement of the enemy and also the way he goes.

This a great encouragement for His people to entrust themselves to Him for the battle. So God tells His people today through people whom He makes capable of doing so, where the enemy is, where they should be careful not to fall into a spiritual trap. The place where Jehoshaphat and the people will find the enemies is “at the end of the valley”. It points out that humiliation and acknowledgment of one’s own incapacity, of which the valley is a picture, will end in a victory for the people.

The meeting with the enemies is not meant to wage a battle with them (2Chr 20:17). Once again Jahaziel points out that the people should not fight in this war. They just have to station, stand, and watch. In this way they can learn how God intervenes for His people. He will make them see His salvation. His salvation is with them, with Judah and Jerusalem. There is no reason for fear and dismay, which may be imposed on them when they think that they will come face to face with the enemy. They can go up against the enemy without fear, “for the LORD is with you”. And what is there to fear or be dismayed about when He is with us?

The word of the prophet has a wonderful effect on Jehoshaphat and the people. They are deeply impressed by the word of the LORD. They all fall down before the LORD and worship Him (2Chr 20:18). Here is nothing to be found of an unconsciously ‘falling in the Spirit’. Such a thing cannot be found anywhere in Scripture. What happens here is done consciously by every person present.

While Jehoshaphat and the people are in worship before the LORD, “the Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice” (2Chr 20:19). The Kohathites are Levites whose task is to take care of the most holy things (Num 4:4). The Korahites are descendants of the Kohathites (Num 16:1; 1Chr 6:38). Korah rebelled against the LORD and is judged (Num 16:1-2 ; 31-33), but grace spared some children of Korah (Num 26:11). Those who know the holy of holies (descendants of Kohath) and those who know what grace is (descendants of Korah) realize in this situation that it is appropriate to praise the LORD “with a very loud voice”.

The prayer meeting has been changed into a praise, and this without any enemy being defeated. What a just and wonderful tribute to Him Who is worthy of all honor and Who is most honored when we honor Him for what is yet to come.

The LORD Defeats the Enemy

The next day, the day after all the encouraging promises, they get up early and go out to the wilderness of Tekoa (2Chr 20:20). Possibly because yesterday’s overwhelming impressions have weakened somewhat, Jehoshaphat stands and addresses the people just before departure. He calls them to listen to him, for he has two more powerful encouragements for them.

His first encouragement is to trust in the LORD, Whom they know as their God. If they do, and only then, they will stand before the enemy and not shudder. The second encouragement is to trust the prophets of the LORD, for they have spoken His words to them. And has any word that the LORD has spoken ever remained unfulfilled? Well, if they trust His prophets, that is, if they trust His Word, they will prosper and win.

After his encouraging speech Jehoshaphat consults with the people (2Chr 20:21). The result of the consultation is that they appoint singers for the LORD to praise Him “in holy attire”. It is as if the hymn of the previous day still resounds in their ears and hearts and they want to continue with it. The praise of the LORD gives strength.

The singers go out before the army. The weapons will not be used, for the LORD has said that he will fight. That the men are armed, is not to fight, but to confirm victory. Praise goes out before victory. Victory follows praise. The content of the hymn of praise, “give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting”, is the great chorus of the kingdom of peace (Psa 136:1-26).

At the same time that cheers and praises sound, the LORD defeats the enemies through ambushes (2Chr 20:22). The following verse shows how victory is achieved (2Chr 20:23). The LORD lets the enemies fight against each other. Without any intervention of a human being victory is achieved.

Thus the Lord Jesus also achieved the victory on the cross and we may reap the fruits of it. It is not necessary for Christians to eradicate an outward, false religion. Such a religion eradicates itself because it carries in itself the seed of its own destruction.

What Israel only has to do is look at the result and reap the fruits. They see the result at “the lookout of the wilderness” (2Chr 20:24). From there they only see dead enemies. No one has escaped, just as no one will escape the final judgment of God. That victory is only God’s work is not common, because God usually uses His people to defeat enemies. However, God is not bound by certain methods. His choice is always such that He is glorified in the result.

In this case Jehoshaphat and the people may take for themselves of the spoil (2Chr 20:25). That too is not self-evident (Jos 6:18; 1Chr 18:11). Here God allows it. They take from the spoil as much as they can carry. They can’t carry everything at once, there’s so much there. The spoil is so enormous that they spend three days to take it.

After three days of taking of the spoil, the people gather on the fourth day in “the valley of Beracah”, which means “the valley of praise” (2Chr 20:26). The valley of praise gets its name here. The meeting takes place here and not in Jerusalem near the temple. In an application to us, it reminds us that God wants to receive praise outside the meeting of the church as soon as there is reason to do so. We don’t have to wait for that to happen until we meet as a church, where there is a special place for it, when we meet at the Lord’s Table to proclaim His death in the use of His Supper.

After this spontaneous expression of praise for the victory, the men, with Jehoshaphat at the head, return to Jerusalem full of joy (2Chr 20:27). The reason for their joy is what the LORD has done with their enemies. Arriving in Jerusalem they go to the house of the LORD (2Chr 20:28) under musical accompaniment. From there they left and there they return.

For us, too, the church is the place of departure for everything we may do for the Lord and the place to which we return after we have been allowed to do something for the Lord (cf. Acts 14:26-27). In this way we may share with the ‘home church’ what the Lord has done and glorify Him together for it.

The news of the LORD’s victory over the enemies of Israel has the effect that there is “the dread of God … on all the kingdoms of the lands” that hear of it (2Chr 20:29). This is always the result when God works with and for His people. It does not mean that the peoples start to seek God. It is more so that they will think twice before they go to war against Israel, against a people with such a mighty God. The result is that through this intervention of God the kingdom of Jehoshaphat has rest on all sides (2Chr 20:30).

It is worth noting that this history also has a prophetic meaning. In the same way as the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Jahaziel (2Chr 20:14), so according to Joel 2 the Spirit will come upon all Israel in the end time, that is to say, upon the faithful remnant that is then all Israel (Joel 2:28-29; cf. Rom 11:25-26). In Joel 3 there are two references to this history (Joel 3:2 ; 12). The “valley of Jehoshaphat” mentioned there is probably the same as “the valley of Beracah” (“valley of praise”) in this chapter (2Chr 20:26). In Joel 2 we see the same preparation for meeting the enemy as here (Joel 2:15-17).