Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Valley of Beracah

 
Wow! This story from 2 Chronicles 20 is so true of the Believer's experience: 
  1. big armies came against Judah;
  2. King Jehoshaphat assembed the people of Judah and led them in a prayer of humility and total reliance on Yahweh;
  3. Yahweh promised to defeat the attacking armies; 
  4. the people of Judah marched out against the armies singing praises to Yahweh;
  5. Yahweh caused the attacking armies to turn on each other and demolish each other
I love these verses:
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, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' "
 18 Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice.
 20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
       "Give thanks to the LORD,
       for his love endures forever."
 22 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I am nothing without you.  You are the source of life.  Jesus Christ is the vine and you are the vinedresser.  Please show your power in my life as I sing your praises.  I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

3 comments:

  1. Praise God this verse has been a life line to me over the years and continues to be today in very testing times. My fithful God The Lord Jesus Christ has always deliveered me and my family when i have cried out to him.Its by his might and His power alone when i have surrendered my all to him and acknoledged my weakness and total dependence to him , then He has delivered us. Praise in the midst of the battle is the greatest weapon we have and always garentes victory.Our God is awsome and always faithful.

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  2. I just read this in my daily devotional... it struck me so hard today. Another thing that I noticed about this passage is that God spoke through Jahaziel, a prophet. God fulfilled the prophecy the next day. What's awesome also is that what if the Israelites didn't follow God's instruction, would the armies have come after them? Not so sure, I think that in fear the Israelites would eventually have disbanded and left that land behind never knowing that God destroyed those armies. I think God didn't want them (Israelites) to listen to Him for His benefit, but for theirs. The got to the battlefield to see their enemies wasted... and a further reward of their obedience was the plunder... HOW AWESOME!!!

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  3. While I agree that the Israelites did benefit in this experience, the primary benefit is the glorification of God. To think that God acts for our good above His own is to elevate humanity to a position of idolatry; God Himself is the infinitely Supreme Being, therefore He deserves all glory and praise, through all circumstances. Also, we must maintain a sober perspective of the tragedy of the judgment of the Ammonites and Moabites, because we all deserve judgment, and it is only by grace that we are saved.

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