Jehoshaphat – Part 12 – The Prophecy –

Jehoshaphat – Part 12

The Prophecy

Although this article was first posted in 2016 it is still relevant for our day. 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

The name Jahaziel means God will cause to see.

The name Zechariah means Remembered of Jehovah.

The name Benaiah means Built of Jehovah.

The name Jeiel means Swept away of God or Committed to God.

The name Mattaniah means Gift of Jehovah.

The name Asaph means A Gatherer.

God Will Cause to See

   In man’s natural world today whenever we see a list of names there is rarely any meaning given to these names. In the dealings of God, however, through His word He not only gives us the Scripture, but actually reveals more to us through the meanings in the very names that He uses. Names and the meaning of names, as numbers in Scripture, is very important to the spiritual understanding of the Scriptures and the divine teaching from the Holy Spirit of God. These names in 2nd Chronicles dovetail perfectly into the very situation that Jehoshaphat and Judah and Jerusalem faced. If God was going to give a man who would comfort the people would it not be a man whose name would be interpreted God Will Cause to See? God will open the eyes of this Levite named Jahaziel. The Holy Spirit of God ended the prayer of Jehoshaphat with, but our eyes are upon thee (2 Chronicles 20:13). Then the Holy Spirit announced Himself working through this Levite with the interpretation of his name, God Will Cause to See, and from this Levite came the sure word of prophecy — He spoke the word of God. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. ( 2 Peter 1:21) To the casual reader this entire list of names found in verse 14 would appear to first be just merely a list of names, however, it is much more than that for these names would prove the authority of Jahaziel. This list of names proves his genealogy all the way back to the sons of Kohath (who had the responsibility of transporting the Ark of the Covenant). Jahaziel, therefore, had the right to minister of the things of Jehovah by being of the sons of Asaph through Kohath.  Jahaziel could have been a reader of the Psalms, or a singer of the Psalms unto the Almighty God.

The Work of the Sons of Asaph – and the Importance of the Genealogy

   The sons of Asaph were chosen when the Ark of the Covenant was moved by David, and their work in the transportation of the Ark continued until the Ark found its final resting place in the house that Solomon had built. The Ark was taken into the Holy of Holies, and the staves were drawn out for Jehovah was in divine possession of His Ark, and it was at rest in His house. Jehovah would now come with His Shekinah glory and fill this room with His glory and His holiness. All the blessings of God to the nation of Israel would begin from this room and in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant; for God would speak to them from off the mercy seat whether it be by a prophet, or by a priest, or by a Levite, or by a king. His word would begin and be sent from the mercy seat and carried by the Spirit of God to the individual who would proclaim, Thus saith the Lord.

And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims. (1 Kings 8:6)

For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. (1 Kings 8:7)

And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day. (1 Kings 8:8)

There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. (1 Kings 8:9)

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, (1 Kings 8:10)

So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. (1 Kings 8:11)

And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest. (1Chronicles 6:31)

And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order. (1Chronicles 6:32)

And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel, (1Chronicles 6:33)

The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, (1Chronicles 6:34)

The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,(1Chronicles 6:35)

The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, (1Chronicles 6:36)

The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,(1Chronicles 6:37)

The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.(1Chronicles 6:38)

And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea, (1Chronicles 6:39)

   David had assigned the sons of Kohath which included the sons of Asaph to minister unto the Ark of the Covenant so that when Solomon brought up the Ark the singers of the sons of Asaph sang before the Ark. They continued their singing of psalms as their work unto the Lord in God’s holy temple. Their work was in praising the Lord.

So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required: (1 Chronicles 16:37)

So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound with cymbals of brass; (1 Chronicles 15:19)

And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel: (1 Chronicles 16:4)

Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals; (1 Chronicles 16:5)

Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God. (1 Chronicles 16:6) (Notice that this Jahaziel was an ancestor to the Jahaziel in 2 Chronicles in the day of Jehoshaphat).

Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. (1 Chronicles 16:7)

Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was: (1 Chronicles 25:1)

Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king. (1 Chronicles 25:2)

All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king’s order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman. (1 Chronicles 25:6)

And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them. (2 Chronicles 35:15)

The Necessity of Genealogy for the true Israelite

   These references prove the genealogy, the reason, and the authority that Jahaziel would have as being descendent of Asaph. He had the privilege of ministering to the Lord in God’s sanctuary. 1st Chronicles begins with a long list of genealogy, many people skip over these names recorded by the Holy Spirit of God. There were many other names in Judah, why this succession of names by the Holy Spirit of God? These names were given so that the Israelites could prove their genealogy to their rights as Israelites.

   Although Nebuchadnezzar was not the first globalist, he understood that a victorious military can conquer a nation, but to destroy that nation it has to be from within; thus,  intermingling peoples from other nations from diverse cultures and religions unwilling and unable to assimilate removed national patriotism, weakened  family ties by mixed marriages, diluted rights based on citizenship of the Israelite and land ownership,  fractured a unified populace, and dissolved the strength of communication in a common language.  

   When (after 70 years of Babylonian captivity) the Israelites returned to their land of Israel they faced a land that had been deliberately saturated by a mixed multitude of people from many nations; therefore, in order for a true Israelite to claim his rightful possessions and his rightful position it was necessary to prove his genealogy. They could go to 1st Chronicles and search and prove their genealogy so that they could attain their birthright in their proper tribe and acquire the land that was given to the twelve tribes; thus, throughout 1^st and 2^nd Chronicles we have names upon names, families upon families. God introduces us to certain men in certain positions with a proven genealogy and a right to their position. It was through God’s recorded genealogy that the true Israelite was able to maintain their rightful possessions and preserve their heritage; thus, genealogy became an essential element in Jewish life. God’s promises to Israel and the fulfillment of God’s prophecies revolved around the 12 tribes of Israel, and the promise of His Messiah to His nation required an unstained genealogy — consider the Book of Matthew, Chapter 1 and the Book of Luke, Chapter 3, verses 23-38, and the Book of Revelation, Chapter, Chapter 7, verses 4 – 8.

   When we come to Jahaziel, his genealogy was proven in this list of names. He was a minister of the sanctuary, and most likely a singer of Psalms, and since Asaph is mentioned, he probably sang the Psalms of Asaph his ancestor as well as the Psalms of David and the Psalms of Moses. This is a list of the Psalms of Asaph: Psalm 50:1; 73:1; 74:1, 75:1, 76:1, 77:1, 78:1, 79:1, 80:1, 81:1, 82:1, 83:1. These are all Psalms of Asaph, and they were sung to the Lord day and night in His sanctuary. This was the life’s work of the sons of Asaph. They would sing and minister unto the Lord and they would also prophecy, and this leads us to our Levite — Jahaziel.

God Will Cause to See Fulfills His Course

   In his prophecy he is also fulfilling his course. God, the Holy Spirit, giving the genealogy to prove Jahaziel’s position before Jehovah. We see the Spirit of the Lord coming upon him. There were many other Levites, but he was chosen of God to speak the word of God. His name, God Will Cause to See, He was in the midst of the congregation, and from this position God caused him to see both the deliverance of Israel and the destruction of Moab and their confederates. He spoke with authority, Thus saith the LORD. This is not a generic statement; this is God moving in the heart of His servant where His servant feels the authority of what God is giving him. The words that Jahaziel will now speak will not be his own, but the word of God. Thus saith the LORD is a proclamation to the people of Judah and Jerusalem that God is speaking, and Jahaziel looked towards the people with this authority. He directs the prophecy to the people and their king. He declared unto you these words are spoken.

Hear The God of Comfort

   The first words of his prophecy are words of comfort from the God of all comfort.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3)

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (2 Corinthians 1:3) Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Corinthians 1:4)

God Is Still The Same

   This great congregation heard the word of Jahaziel as he spoke by the Holy Spirit of God. His voice carried over the entire congregation and the Spirit of God gave power and comfort through his words. God declared to them Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. God, the Holy Spirit, is taking fear out of their hearts, He is asking them to enter into God’s rest, Be not afraid nor dismayed. This is the God of all comfort coming to them in their dire need and to take the burden away from them. It would be GOD who would uphold all things by the word of His power. We fail by not taking God at His word. If God could deliver in this divine way in the days of Jehoshaphat, has the God of faith and grace changed? He is still the same. We should not only take comfort from the word of God, but we should be assured that He will take action on our part according to His word. I often tell people that are spiritually short sighted that they should look above the horizon for we have a Redeemer and a home on high. And our Redeemer has given us a new man in glory, and this man is for us. It is His will that we should be kept by Him in His grace. He alone is the God of all comfort.

   If we were listening to Jahaziel in our day would not the same words in our distress apply to us — Be not afraid nor dismayed. It is the Lord Jesus who has finished the work on Calvary’s cross, He has set you free for If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36) As Christians do we have physical enemies? Yes, we do. Do we have spiritual enemies? Yes, we do. If we knew all that was against us every day, we would be amazed. Take the website that you are now on, it is under attack by the Moabites every day. Hackers trying to destroy it, but God holds out His hand and says, Thus far and no further. Like the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat, as they stood before God all they could do was trust that God would deliver them. So, we put that same trust of our souls and the work that God has given us to do in His hands. Be not afraid nor dismayed, and I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13) God knows those who are against us, He knows where they are and where they live. He does not need an IP address, or Google to find them. You must understand the word Omniscient. The children of God have an all-knowing God; in fact, God knows the heart and what is in the heart of every man. The Lord Jesus would not commit Himself to man for He knew what was in man. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, (John 2:24) And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2:25)

   Men use the word ‘God’ in many different ways, but there is only one interpretation of the word ‘God.’ He is a supernatural Being who has created all things. He is a Being made up of a supernatural Godhead that cannot and will never be explained by mortal man. God relates to us this Godhead by using Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There is no separating these three, there is no breach of equality, there is no chasm of separation. The Godhead is uniquely bonded by divine righteousness. Man cannot abide by such a God. For this God knows the very heart of every man. He knows what you are thinking before your thoughts congeal. He comes to you as a Savior because you bare the sin of Adam. You are brought into this world with the DNA of sin, and there is nothing you can do to remove that DNA. The only hope that you have is in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He has come and died on the cross of Calvary to remove that DNA of Adam and create in you a new man by His divine power. Those who are His are born of God, the Spirit of God gives them new life through Jesus Christ. In this new birth God takes away all the hate, the pride, the pain, the enmity, the fears, the desperation, the war within your heart and soul. The Lord Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life. I plead with you, Come, cast yourself upon Him, for He will abundantly pardon, and He will have mercy on your soul. Be not afraid nor dismayed for Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

The Enemy Gathers

   The people of Judah were in great distress, their hearts had turned to water by reason of this great multitude that had come out against them. In the Book of Romans, Chapter 8, the apostle Paul gives us a contrast between our sufferings and the glory that will be revealed in us. Verse 18 states that For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. With the people of Judah, we see a physical suffering because of the anguish of their soul and the threat from the multitude that was against them. Concerning the Christian today, there is a greater multitude against the children of God today than the Moabites, or the sons of Ammon or the children of mount Seir. In our new birth we have been born into a wilderness of sin. Our home is in heaven with the Lord of glory, but we tread through this wilderness in suffering, and pain of soul for the multitude of sin around us. I truly love the Lord Jesus, and yet, though I praise Him, and though I want to be with Him and out of this place, He has left me here to suffer in soul when I see the dying and sinful world around me. Can I praise Him? I surely can. Can I shout for joy because of my position in Christ? Yes, I can. But deep down inside the Holy Spirit moves and shows me the plight of Adam. They are dead in trespasses and sin; they hate the very Redeemer who laid down His life for them. They are a great multitude, and in their multiplicity, they have forsaken God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) It is difficult to explain the sufferings of heart and soul over a dying world. I have watched friends and family go off into eternity without Christ. One can feel the heart twist within the chest, and yet, one must abide by the will and purpose of God.

God Meant It Unto Good

   Remember the plight of Joseph, his brethren cast him into a pit, then they sold him into Egypt, then he was falsely accused by his master’s wife and thrown into prison. All these things came upon him, and then through the working of the Spirit of God he was exalted before men and given a place of greatness in Egypt second only to Pharaoh on the throne. When his brethren came to him in need because of the great famine, and although they feared, Joseph calmed them by telling them that all that happened before was because God meant it for good. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? (Genesis 50:19) But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. (Genesis 50:20)

    How remarkable is this one standing before his brethren. Exalted in the land of Egypt, and yet, he humbled himself before God and his brethren. What faith is exhibited in Joseph when he declared that all his suffering was the will and purpose of God, but God meant it unto good. This is faith that was not only answered by God but was revealed of God. This was not the thrills and frills of today’s religious experiences that thrills the flesh and deceives the spirit of soul within man. We must be beyond the veil. Modern Christianity does not comprehend that the veil was rent. They do not comprehend a being who belongs to heaven and not to earth. The veil has been rent, and it has parted the heavens that we might approach God through His Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. In all His sufferings He has declared that God meant it unto good. Paul declared it was up to him to fill up the sufferings of Christ. In 1st Peter, Chapter 1, we are shown by the Holy Spirit the sufferings that will come upon us because we are strangers in a suffering world.

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:4)

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5)

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: (1 Peter 1:6)

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 1:7)

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (1 Peter 1:8)

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:9)

   This present world, though evil, is our proving ground as Joseph’s trial, every trial is to purge out the dross. Every suffering is to purify the ore of one’s soul. Listen to what Job had to say as documented in Job 23:10-12.

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)

My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. (Job 23:11)

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. (Job 23:12)

   In comparing Job with Peter, we can understand more of the trial of our faith. In 1st Peter the trial of our faith leads to the glory that awaits us. This glory, if I am say, is in the heavenly bosom of God’s love. This love that He has shed upon us transcends all the fears and sufferings that we may endure. God is not only building His house one soul at a time, but He is building that soul, transforming that soul into the image of His dear Son. There are many antichrists in this world today. They are not complacent in their actions against God and His Christ. They are deceivers, and they are busily working to overthrow the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Paul reassures us in Romans 8, verse 31, What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

He Alone Calms The Storm

   If we return back in time to the people of Judah and Jehoshaphat, we must examine their faith and their peril. It was truly a dire state to be in, but God raised up a Levite by the word of God and he cast the word out of his mouth to still the storm in the heart of His people. Paul, as well, gave us Romans 8:31 to still the storm in our hearts. We can listen to the Lord Jesus, when he said, It is I; be not afraid.

And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. (John 6:18) So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. (John 6:19) But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. (John 6:20)

   The disciples were in the midst of a raging sea, the gales of wind were blowing hard upon them, and there in the raging multitude of the Moabites and the sons of Ammon, and the Ammonites, you see the raging water; the wind is only a lesson for what is against us in this world. The anchor of all hope, of all security of the believer must be in the Lord of glory for He alone can calm the storm.

The Battle is Not Yours, but God’s

   The enemy of Jehoshaphat was waiting at Engedi, or Hazezontamar or (Hazezontamar). This is the same location that we have in Genesis 14:1 when the kings of the East came into the land in the days of Abraham. They made their way and fought by the Salt Sea. (Genesis 14:3) All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. These kings of the East at that time defeated the Amalekites and the Amorites at Hazezontamar. In the days of Jehoshaphat these same enemies with the Moabites came to the same location by the Salt Sea or the Dead Sea. The Levite Jahaziel built on God’s promise to them, Yes there was a great multitude, just as in our day we have a present evil world. Jahaziel told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat that it is not their fight. For God will fight for you, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

   How many times in this age in which we live have we heard the uncertain sound of the trumpet. Man in the flesh with no faith going out to do God’s work, without the word of God in their hearts. Their whole message has an uncertain sound. It is so perverted that it cannot lift a soul from darkness to light, from destruction to salvation. In the days of John the Baptist, the Pharisees were the ones with the uncertain sound, they blew the trumpet of man and not of God. When they were examining the purpose of John, at the river Jordan, John rebuked them as being a generation of vipers. He pointed to the twelve stones that Joshua had placed in the land, (Joshua 4:8), and John said that God was able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham (Matthew 3:9), And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Nothing Is Impossible With God

   For with God nothing is impossible, and the battle against evil is the Lord’s. The flesh would say, How? But the Lord read their minds and the messenger began in verse 16 with their marching orders. He told the people that, To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Jahaziel, the Levite and prophet of God, is in Jerusalem, he was standing among the congregation; and yet, God revealed to him the exact location of this mighty host. We are so accustomed of people who call themselves the servants of God who throw out fragments of Scripture without any continuity or thought of the Holy Spirit of God. All Scripture is given by the Holy Ghost, the Scriptures have a divine root in heaven. Just as Moses was given instruction concerning the tabernacle, and the things therein, for God revealed to Moses those things that were in heaven. We come to the same exactness and integrity of the word of God. The word of God is settled in heaven, and it has been sent down to man as God’s mind concerning man and the purposes of God. The Holy Spirit not only preserves the word of God but was the penman that gave it to God’s servants. You don’t have to worry about copyist’s errors, or man’s interpretation for God the Holy Spirit was looking over their shoulders, and He definitely would have slapped their wrists if they made an error. If we had a Jahaziel in our day somewhere in the crowd, there would be a voice of doubt. For you see, modern Christianity is built on doubt (Yea, hath God said? Genesis 3:1) and not the reality of being saved by an Omnipotent Divine Being who created the heavens and the earth.

   If we consult the word of God concerning this great deliverance of Judah, we would find that God was honoring His pledge to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Not only from the prayer of Solomon, but from the words in Deuteronomy, Chapter 20, verse 1, When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. This is the character of the Almighty God. When the Lord Jesus said (as documented in Matthew 5:18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. We understand that the Lord Jesus was referring to the law, He was referring to the law because the Pharisees and Sadducees had perverted the law. He was revealing to them that no matter how man would pervert the law, God would preserve His word indestructible, undefiled, and upheld by His own righteousness; therefore, they stood in condemnation by the law that they denied. The Lord Jesus was not going to let them get away with their perversion. The very fact of heaven and earth passing away would be an impossibility to the mind of the Pharisees, and this is exactly what the Lord Jesus wanted to convince them of concerning the law of God.

Divine Intervention

   Jahaziel, in his prophecy, gave the exact location of this great multitude that had come out against Judah. This is divine intervention, and by the way the only kind of intervention is divine. This Levite told them where they would find their enemies. They would be in the wilderness of Jeruel; the name Jeruel means, ‘Fear ye God.’ As they listened to the word of the prophet surely in the hearts of the people there must have been doubts. How are we expected to fight such a great enemy? And yet the very location told them not to fear man, but to ‘Fear ye God.’ Truly, the Moabites and their confederates did not fear God. Then in verse 17 we read, Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. The prophet discloses the supernatural to the people, Ye shall not need to fight in this battle. Throw out human reasoning, let the God of creation take control. God considers the wisdom of man foolishness. He declared through the prophet that He, God, will fight for them and would destroy this great host. He leaves the mystery of how He will do this. This will be revealed to them later when they view the complete decimation of their enemies by their enemies’ own hand. God is not limited in anyway concerning the destruction of His enemies. He can use sword against sword, a whirlwind, or great hailstones from above. He can send down fire from heaven to consume whole cities, yet, in the heart of Adam there is no fear of God. God recorded the destruction of this great multitude by His power, but this power goes within His enemies for He will take the sword of the Moabites and their confederates and turn these swords against their own military. It is not by power, nor by might, but the Spirit of God now moved within the hearts of these men to kill one another (Proverbs 21:1). This is recorded so that we might know the full power of the God of creation. Man would think that in his own power he can shut out God completely, yet God witnesses here that He can turn their hearts against each other. As He hardened the heart of Pharaoh, so He hardened their hearts against each other. God told the people of Judah that they would not have to fight, that He would deliver this host into their hands.

The Cloud of Witnesses

   God is doing something else; He is preparing a great cloud of witnesses to watch this supernatural victory over their enemies. Little ones, children of age, wives, husbands, soldiers, Levites, and king Jehoshaphat, all were going to be able to witness this great victory of the Almighty God, and then tell future generations. The Holy Spirit knowing the heart of men that he would either pervert or forget this supernatural event records this in the word of God with all accuracy.

    Turn to Hebrews, Chapter 2, verse 4, God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? We are drawn to the cross of the Lord Jesus, we see the populace standing around the cross, ignorant of the battle that is taking place there that the supernatural is being performed before their very eyes in that God has come down from heaven in the Person of Jesus Christ to die on the cross for their salvation. The battle is not theirs, but His. Stand still and see your salvation. God doesn’t describe the battle of Christ on the cross in depth with Satan and the evil of this world; however, long before the Old Testament ended, the Holy Spirit recorded the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ in Psalm 22. The whole character of this Psalm revolves around the sufferings and the victory of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Hebrews 2:4 reveals to us the witnesses of Christ, not only man moved by the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit Himself performing divine miracles to prove the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s Power Unveiled

   With Judah and Jerusalem, we have an earthly salvation. God said, set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you. God had taken the battle completely out of their hands. They would have nothing to glory about except to glory in the Lord. We have a great example of the power of man being removed, and that power replaced by the Spirit of God. Salvation is of the Lord; man can do nothing to bring about his own salvation. The work of salvation was finished on the cross of Calvary. When the Lord Jesus declared, ‘it is finished,’ it was the past convulsions of man, and his evil; it was the present evil that was crucifying Him; and it was the future evil that would be destroyed by Him. All this was completed in the words, ‘it is finished.’ Remember, these things that were written aforetimes were written for our learning. So, let’s, by faith, enter into this great supernatural victory of God.

   Judah is to go out against this multitude, but they are to leave their swords in their scabbards. Their arrows must remain in their quivers, and their lances by their sides, their chariots are to be parked, and their horses stilled. And they are to stand still in complete quietness as if they were not there. How far would this attitude of heart go today? We have evangelists today who go out in their own strength with a diluted message because their actions and alliances are with the world and of the world. They refuse to stand still. They refuse to believe in the sovereignty of God. Salvation is on God’s timetable. You cannot rush the work of the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit of God knows exactly what He is doing, and when He will do it, but the modern evangelist tries to outsmart God. This evangelist brings a message of membership, and not conversion. There is no divine action in his message to turn the heart of man to Christ. God has been busy in the work of salvation for a long, long time. We need to let Him have His will in the salvation of men. God works with the patience of heaven. His time is His own. The salvation of my soul is in His hands, and only His hands. Man has been interfering with the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for a long time. There is no salvation without Jesus Christ. There is no salvation without God the Father, for He sent His Son to be the Redeemer of the world. There is no salvation without the Holy Spirit for He has been given to convict man of his sin, and his need of salvation. He asks us in light of the finished work of Christ on the cross to repent of our sins and have faith in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

God is All — Man is but Dust

   Stand still by faith, and faith alone. Go down against this great multitude, but only watch — for God will win the victory. When Jahaziel finished his prophecy, we see the proper attitude amongst the people of Judah and Jerusalem. They were humbled before God, and their hearts were given to Jehovah. They were smitten in their hearts to the extent that nothing could come between them and their God. They had given themselves over and could not resist Him. The prophet ended the prophecy with the same assuring words that he began with, fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

   Let’s learn from the immediate result of this prophecy. The king was so moved in his own heart and soul that he bowed himself to the Lord with his face to the earth. Jehoshaphat realized that he was nothing but dust in the presence of Jehovah. This is the only time we see Jehoshaphat in this position before God. If he had realized years before what he now knew he would have escaped from many of his perils. When the people heard the end of the prophecy, and when they saw the king humbled before God they also fell to the ground and worshiped the Lord. This is the only time in the recorded history of Jehoshaphat and his people that we see the word ‘worship,’ in worshipping the LORD. This is a new thing, the people of Judah and Jerusalem and the king and the Holy Spirit, this is not revival, but a new work of the Spirit of God among them. To bring them to this point, the Holy Spirit had to convict them of their sin, they had to acknowledge in themselves that they were sinners before God. Even the king had to acknowledge his trespasses in his attitude of humiliation. The Holy Spirit must convict them of their sins, remember the beginning of Jehoshaphat’s prayer was to reveal to the people and to himself their need of God’s intervention because of their sin. Now, they had completely humbled themselves, they were but dust in the presence of God, there was nothing they could do in their own salvation, they could only trust in the everlasting God who held their future. He would lead them to watch the defeat of the world, the Moabites; the defeat of the flesh, the sons of Ammon; and the defeat of the devil, the Ammonites. What an example for us, God was about to destroy this great host by their own hands, and this would be before all His people. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1) We have such a great cloud of witnesses in our own salvation. We have the witness of the Holy Spirit of God within us revealing to our own heart that we are a child of the living God. We have the witness of the eternal word of God recorded both in the words and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have the witness of the apostle; we have the witness of men sent by the Holy Spirit to both continue and preserve the great cloud of witnesses. We have an innumerable company of angels who we come before.

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)

And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) (Hebrews 12:21)

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22)

To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:23)

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24)

   Does not this give us a great cloud of witnesses both seen and unseen. We have a better hope than just physical deliverance. We have come to a great company of angels, the hidden witnesses of God. We have come to the Church of the first born and reflect on all those who have witnessed for Christ in this dark and evil world. We have come before the new man in heaven, the Lord Jesus at the right hand of God. We have the witness of Stephen, when they were about to stone him, God opened the heaven and Stephen saw our blessed Lord standing at the right hand of God. This is a witness to us that our Savior, the man Christ Jesus, is in heaven’s glory for us. It is He who pours out His own righteousness upon us. It is He, with the joy of His own heart, who sings in the midst of His brethren. Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (Hebrews 2:12)

   When you close this scene, close out the world, close out those around you, close out your own ambitions and desires, and stand still and contemplate the greatness of your salvation in Jesus Christ. We live in a world of darkness, it was both Jew and Gentile who cast out the light of the world; therefore, the whole world lies in darkness. Every day you walk through a world of darkness, but rest assured heaven has been opened for you, and the Lord Jesus is there at the right hand of God. We walk amongst the children of men in a present evil world. In 1 John, Chapter 2, verses 15 – 18, the Holy Spirit gives us this message. . .

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:17)

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. (1 John 2:18)

Amen

© Copyright 2016, Michael Haigh

Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.

All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJB)