Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20070408.htm
1 AND 2 CHRONICLES: GAINING DIRECTION OUT OF THE AIMLESSNESS OF APOSTASY
Part V: Gaining Direction From God's Work In The Rest Of Judah's Davidic Dynasty, 2 Chronicles 13-36
D. Learning To KEEP STAYING Reliant On God ALONE To Escape Resulting Troubles
(2 Chronicles 19:5-20:37)
- Introduction
- Proverbs 20:6 NIV states: "Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?" The point is that real faithfulness is exceptionally rare, and real faithfulness to the Lord is equally rare!
- The latter part of Jehoshaphat's life shows he never learned to KEEP staying reliant on or obeying God, failing to learn what his father Asa had also failed to learn, and that resulted in a record of partial blessing:
- Learning To KEEP STAYING Reliant On God ALONE To Escape Resulting Troubles.
- We previously learned from 2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14 that to the degree Jehoshaphat's father, king Asa of Judah, had learned to rely upon the Lord alone, God had blessed him (cf. Part V, B in this lesson series).
- We then learned from 2 Chronicles 17:1-19:4 that since Jehoshaphat himself had failed to heed the Lord and to rely entirely upon Him, he opened the door to multiple consequent problems for himself:
- Jehoshaphat had built up his military, relying on it in violation of the spirit of Deut. 17:16 to trust God (as had Asa his father), and that had attracted evil Ahab and led to an errant union with him, 17:1-18:3.
- That in turn had led Jehoshapat into being deceived, to being nearly killed and being defeated in battle to his humiliation and judgment from the Lord for his alliance with evil Ahab, 2 Chronicles 18:4-34.
- So, God's prophet, Jehu had thus announced judgment on Jehoshapat for this godless alliance, 19:1-4.
- Well, Jehoshaphat tried to learn this lesson, and did so with real success and divine blessing, 19:5-20:30:
- After Jehu's warning that God's wrath was determined against Jehoshaphat for his alliance with Ahab, the enemy of God and His people, Jehoshaphat tried to reform Judah in God's ways, 2 Chron. 19:5-11.
- This did not stop the fulfillment of Jehu's prediction of God's wrath on Jehoshaphat for his union with Ahab, for God let Jehoshaphat face an invasion force of Ammonites, Moabites and Edomite s, 20:1-2.
- Jehoshaphat responded in faith, gathering all Judah at the temple to call upon the Lord for help, 20:3-4.
- While Jehoshaphat prayed before the people, beseeching the Lord for His intervention, God rewarded his faith and obedience by giving the Levite, Jahaziel a welcoming prophetic message: Jehoshaphat and the Judah were to stand still and see the Lord fight for them, 2 Chronicles 20:5-13, 14-15!
- Indeed, they were to go out against the oncoming invasion force, but not to fight, 2 Chron. 20:16-17.
- In faith in God and apart from any effort by Judah's army, the entity he had once errantly made his security, Jehoshaphat directed Judah to trust God and the prophet's word, and led them by procession to follow the Lord's priests to the battle site with the appropriate worship of God, 2 Chron. 20:18-21.
- As the singers began to praise the Lord, God arranged for another group to ambush the enemy, creating fear and confusion in their midst, 2 Chron. 20:22; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to 2 Chronicles 20:22.
- This fear and confusion resulted in the forces of Ammon and Moab killing their confederate Edomite warriors, and then in turn killing each other until they had fully destroyed one another, 2 Chron. 20:23.
- Jehoshaphat's people arrived on the scene to see there were no living foes, and stripped them of such a large amount of booty that it took them three days to collect it all, 2 Chronicles 20:24-25.
- Thus, they blessed the Lord in the Valley of Berachah, the "Valley of Blessing," and God caused all the other nations to cease wanting to fight Judah, 2 Chronicles 20:26-28, 29-30; Ibid., ftn. to 20:26.
- Yet, though blessed with success and peace, Jehoshphat again fell into unbelief and sin, 20:31-37:
- Near the end of his life, Jehoshaphat generally followed the Lord as had Asa before him, 20:31-34.
- However, regardless of God's great deliverance of him from the invasion due to Jehoshaphat's faith in God, Jehoshaphat made a second godless alliance with Ahab's evil son, Ahaziah, and that led to a second prophet's condemnation and the ruin of Jehoshaphat's ships, 2 Chron. 20:35-37; 1 Kings 22:48.
- After the ships were destroyed, Jehoshaphat properly ceased his alliance with Ahaziah, 1 Kings 22:49.
Lesson: Though Jehoshaphat was GENERALLY a GOOD king, his life record was one of PARTIAL BLESSINGS since he failed to KEEP STAYING reliant on God and thus to KEEP heeding His Word!
Application: We can NEVER afford NOT to trust and obey the Lord, for failing to trust and to obey Him ALWAYS brings discipline where trusting and obeying Him ALWAYS brings His blessing!