2 Chronicles 20 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

2 Chronicles 20

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

20:1 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,¹ came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,² from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). 3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

5 And 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? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,³ or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10 And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy—11 behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 And the Spirit of the LORD came⁴ upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”

18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. 19 And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

“Give thanks to the LORD,
for his steadfast love endures forever.”

22 And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

The Lord Delivers Judah

24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there⁵ were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,⁶ for there they blessed the LORD. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. 29 And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

31 Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. 33 The high places, however, were not taken away; the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Jehu the son of Hanani, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

35 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. 36 He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.

Footnotes

[1] 20:1 Compare 26:7; Hebrew Ammonites
[2] 20:2 One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts Aram (Syria)
[3] 20:9 Or the sword of judgment
[4] 20:14 Or was
[5] 20:24 Hebrew they
[6] 20:26 Beracah means blessing

Commentary

v1-4: The threat from Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir, a large army. There was a spiritual response from Jehoshaphat and the people. He proclaimed a fast, and all the people joined in. Whatever the situation, seek the Lord, and ask His help. This is preferable to the more normal human tendency to panic.

v5: Jehoshaphat's prayer reflects a knowledge of the character of God, and an understanding of the history of Israel. Like Jephthah (Judg 11.12-27), Jehoshaphat knew his Bible!

v6: God is in control; He rules over all the kingdoms of the earth; no one is able to withstand Him.

v7: The acknowledgement that God is faithful; the same God who spoke to Abraham, and who brought the people of Israel into the land of Canaan. God gave this land to His people.

v8: The Lord God chose a place to put His Name, the temple (sanctuary).

v9: Jehoshaphat referred back to Solomon's prayer (6.28-30), and asked God to honour that prayer.

v10-11: The vast army was attacking Judah. The people of Israel had been forbidden from taking the territory of these nations, since they were Semitic peoples, not Canaanites. They were repaying that obedience by attacking Judah.

v12: Jehoshaphat claimed no strength of his own, but relied on the all-powerful God. Jehoshaphat trusted God to do whatever He wanted; he had no presumption that God would act in a particular way. Compare Asa's prayer (11.11).

v13: All the people of Judah were present, sharing in this prayer.

v14-17: The Lord sent His prophet Jahaziel to bring His word, a response to the devotion of His people. The people were not to be discouraged, since the Lord would fight for His people. Jehoshaphat and the people had simply to believe God, and obey Him. Jahaziel is not mentioned elsewhere in scripture. His family line suggests he is a leader of singing among the people, as he is descended from Asaph. Whilst he was therefore used to exercising a public ministry, he was not normally involved in prophetic ministry.

In this battle the people would not have to fight; this was not true of every battle. Perhaps it was because Jehoshaphat had such a vast army (17.14-19), and victory may have therefore been attributed to human might. Sometimes the Lord will deal with an issue, and fight a battle without our direct involvement; He thus shows His mercy and declares His glory. Even so, the command is still to obedience.

v18-19: The response of gratitude.

God had spoken, and they believed His word. Their response was the same as that after the battle. When God has spoken, can we doubt Him?

v20: The command was simple; believe in the Lord, and see His salvation.

v21: In response to God's promises the people began to sing praises to God. It seems that the singing did not actually bring about the victory, for that was God's promise anyway. The singing was part of the people's response to God's promises.

v22-23: The Lord God's power was manifested in the heathen armies destroying each other.

v24-26: The scale of the victory; the whole army was completely destroyed. There was plunder that required three days to collect; and the people gathered together to thank God.

v27-30: The people returned joyfully to Jerusalem. News of the victory spread to surrounding countries, and they became fearful that the Lord God had fought for His people.

v31-34: In spite of Jehoshaphat's zeal, there remained some rebellion in the people's hearts; his corporate reforms could not last unless there was real personal repentance and commitment. See 22.9.

v35-37: Jehoshaphat made another unwise alliance, see 1Kings 22.51. He had not learned from the previous incident. This was doubtless towards the end of Jehoshaphat's reign, since Ahaziah became king of Israel in the 17th year of Jehoshaphat's reign.