It came to pass. 2 Chronicles 20:1 It came to pass R. Baldwin Brindley. "It came to pass." The phrase occurs again and again in the Old Testament. "It came to pass after four hundred and thirty years that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt," and, "It came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp and played with his hand," and so on. But has it ever occurred to you that the phrase is a very suitable one as describing the different events of earthly history and the varied phases of earthly experience? It hints not only that they happen, but that they are so soon over; they come, but they "come to pass." We do not always realise that, but it is always true. We are not conscious that the earth is moving round the sun, or that it is revolving daily on its axis, yet it is true. Summer and winter, day and night, do not cease, there is perpetual movement. I. All that comes to us here "comes to pass," NOTHING LASTS VERY LONG, "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." It is true a Christian has an abiding joy, it is joy that springs from an inward life, but joys that are ours through happy circumstances, through successes, recoveries, attainments, meetings, of these it is as true as of their opposites that give us trouble, they "come to pass." Each period of life comes to pass. Childhood, how swiftly gone! Soon the soft limbs grow robust, the hair loses its flaxen tint; and youth, with its gaiety, novelty, and romance, it comes so quickly, but it "comes to pass." And, of course, this is equally true of all that we mean by the word "opportunity." Thomas a Kempis says, "The wealth of both Indies cannot redeem one single opportunity which you have once let slip." Every day as it passes takes with it in its hand the opportunities that we have slighted and refused to take. The feeling of irritation that you have under trying circumstances. Things have not gone as you wish. Things do go strangely sometimes. So much disappointment and trouble are caused by one screw being loose somewhere. Well, the thing has come, but remember, like everything else, it has "come to pass." Or it may be something much more serious than that. A reversal of fortune, the failure or death of one who, if not the sharer in your heart's affections was one whose presence and favour were of great value to you. That great crisis of yours came, but it "came to pass." God guided you into the wilderness that He might speak comfortably to you. The stormy night full of terrors brought the vision and the morning. But some may be reminding the speaker in the silence of their own thought, there are sorrows in life that come to stay. Yes, you may say, it is the greater griefs, the darker dispensations, that come but do not "come to pass." In proportion to the depth of the wound is its permanency. And yet, even in regard to the greater sorrows that come to us in life there is an example of that which the text expresses. Wounds heal, though the marks of them abide, and though in some cases, like Jacob after the night of wrestling, we halt upon our thigh, there is an assuaging influence in time; the intense grief, the sense of despair, the feeling that all has gone, that life has no recuperative power, and that there is nothing worth living for — of these feelings it is true they come, but they "come to pass." Is not this equally true of very opposite experiences? Though successes and the honours of the world may remain, yet the first feeling of elation and pride of attainment, these "come to pass." We get accustomed to success, it ceases to exhilarate, it no longer gives us satisfaction. II. Now having given, I trust, sufficient illustrations of this phase of life, of the constant flux of transitory things — they come, but they "come to pass" — let us consider ITS RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE. What does it teach us, how should it affect us? 1. What an emphasis it lends to the fact of our own continuance, the continuity of the personal life through all the changes of time! How much has come to pass! Youth, marriage, parentage, maturity, the successive seasons and steps in life, have come to pass. Friends, and even the nearest and dearest of all, have come to pass. We ourselves have changed. There is not a physical atom of our bodies that belonged to us ten years ago; the gait, the expression, all have changed. But all that makes the continuity of the I, the fundamental elements of our humanity, the more striking. I am the same being that long years ago first spoke God's name at my mother's knee; the same being as when health gave vigour to the limbs and youth fresh beauty to the cheek; the same being who, once a prodigal son far from God, rioting in pleasure, then miserable in the consciousness of spiritual pauperism, came back unto the Father. The essence, the very constitution of man, is within, it is hidden, it is that which abides. Surely then there is nothing unreasonable in the faith that I may survive the last change of all? "The world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." 2. Then should not the fact that most, if not all, things only "come to pass" have a moderating influence on passion? The things in life which we most regret are moments when we lose control of ourselves. Said Johnson to Boswell, when something had intensely irritated that inimitable biographer, "Consider, sir, how insignificant this will appear six months hence." Boswell's comment on relating it is, "Were this consideration applied to most of the little vexations of life by which one's quiet is too often disturbed, it would prevent many painful sensations." Exactly. There is a great argument for temperance in this text. "It came to pass." 3. Surely, too, this should affect our judgment as well as our feelings. Permanency must be a factor in judgment. Should it not guide us to choose and cherish the good that abides, the better part that cannot be taken away from us? Character is an abiding thing; the evil effects as well as the good effects are lasting, but the pleasure only comes to pass; no one can enjoy the pleasures of sin more than for a season, but "he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Surely, too, this should affect our judgment of movements of thought and taste, schemes that men devise for benefiting the race, will they last? Are they only a passing phase, a fashionable craze, a novelty, attractive because it is new? Here they are, they have come; wait a little, and you will see that they have only "come to pass." The Word of God abides, the Christ the Sun of Righteousness is still the sun of the moral world. The Bible has been attacked ever since there was a Bible. ( R. Baldwin Brindley. ) And proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:3 Objections to fasting answered J. Venn, M. A. (on the occasion of a public fast): — A fast may be defined to be a voluntary abstinence from food, as a token of our humiliation before God. Objections — 1. There may be this outward mark of repentance without any real sorrow for sin. Answer — The outward expression then becomes a mockery. 2. A public fast has the appearance of ostentation. Answer — If you alone were to keep the fast, it might aver the appearance of ostentation, but in the case of public fasting, it becomes a duty not only really to fast, but to show openly your compliance with a prescribed service, and gladly to embrace the opportunity of humbling yourselves before God. 3. If we feel repentance in our hearts, God, who sees our hearts, does not require to be informed of it by any external expression. Answer — The same may be said of prayer and also of all the means of grace which God has appointed. 4. Why should fasting in particular be selected as an external mark of humiliation. Answer —(1) Fasting has always been the public token of humility, and this in heathen nations as well as amongst Jews and Christians.(2) It was enjoined of God upon the Jews.(3) It was practised by our Saviour and His disciples; and recommended by them to the world.(4) It has all the qualities that might reasonably be expected in an external act of humiliation. (a) It is a duty easily practised. (b) Requiring no apparatus. (c) Connected with no expense. (d) Simple in its own nature. (e) Equally adapted to all ranks, climates, and places. (f) It involves an act of self-denial. (g) It is an act connected with the mortification of those very appetites whence many of the sins for which we thus humble ourselves proceed. 5. Fasting may disorder a person of weak health, and thus indispose him even for the service of the day. Answer — The spirit of the Christian system, insists only on the principle, and leaves the application of it to the case and conscience of the worshipper. 6. A public command to fast is a species of compulsion, and therefore inconsistent with the notion of a voluntary act of humiliation. Answer — All that is done by the command of the Government is, to render that convenient which might otherwise be very inconvenient, and that practicable which might be otherwise impracticable. 7. It is unreasonable to expect the poor to give up a day's labour, and to abridge their diet who scarcely ever enjoy a full meal. Answer — It is a voluntary sacrifice: God enjoins no man to make it who is unwilling. No man will really be a loser by serving God. ( J. Venn, M. A. ) And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:5-13 Man's extremity is God's opportunity J. Wolfendale. I. THAT IN THE DISCIPLINE OF LIFE WE SHOULD EXPECT DANGERS AND EXTREMITIES. To know other resources we must learn the weakness of our own. II. THAT IN THESE DANGERS AND EXTREMITIES GOD HAS MANY WAYS OF DELIVERANCE. Human agency but a small part of holy ministry. Birds and beasts, insects, elements of Nature, and hosts of angels under His command. Hence the folly of proscribing, measuring, or limiting in God's work. III. THAT IN ALL DANGERS AND EXTREMITIES OF LIFE WE SHOULD LOOK TO GOD FOR HELP. ( J. Wolfendale. ) If, when evil cometh upon us The cause of famine and our duty Charles A. Maguire, M.A. I. WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF FAMINE? 1. Dishonour of God ( Ezekiel 14:13 ). 2. Blasphemy ( Jeremiah 23:10 ). 3. Sabbath-breaking ( Isaiah 58:13, 14 ). 4. Contempt of God's Word ( Revelation 22:18, 19 ). II. WHAT SHOULD BE OUR DUTY WHEN GOD SENDS A FAMINE UPON THE LAND? 1. Humbling ourselves before Him in prayer. 2. Showing kindness to our neighbours ( Psalm 41:1, 2 ). ( Charles A. Maguire, M.A. ) For we have no might against this great company. 2 Chronicles 20:12 Embarrassment W. Birch. I. There are embarrassments concerning our COUNTRY. II. Many good men and women are often greatly embarrassed about the DIVINE INSPIRATION of every sentence in the Bible. III. Some of us are at times much embarrassed by THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE. Like a man who looks out of a railway carriage at night and sees nothing, so some of us often look towards to-morrow and see no light. This fear of to-morrow is the wet-blanket of the Christian's life. Act rightly now; do your duty to-day, and never mind to-morrow. ( W. Birch. ) Moral courage Homilist. I. There are often TERRIBLE CRISES in men's lives when moral courage is required. Most men are brought at times to a crisis when they are ready to exclaim, "We know not what to do." 1. In the course of secular work. A great company of worldly anxieties. 2. In the course of personal moral culture. Old habits, lusts, propensities. 3. In the process of philanthropic labour. II. THE ONLY SOURCE OF TRUE MORAL COURAGE IS TRUST IN GOD. To trust Him is to trust — 1. Love. 2. Wisdom equal to every emergency. 3. Power that can make the weakest mighty. ( Homilist. ) The helpless Church and the mighty God J. J. West, M.A. I want to take this as a text to preach the experience of the people of God. I. AN APPROPRIATION OF GOD. "O our God." II. THE ENEMY TO BE JUDGED. "Wilt Thou not judge them?" The Christian has many enemies, internal, external, and infernal, but self is the greatest enemy the people of God have. Self must be brought under judgment. III. THE SINNER'S POWERLESSNESS. "We have no might." We are spiritual insolvents. Perfect poverty: all true disciples of Christ must be brought into this state. Like Mary, we have nothing to pay, according to Christ's parable, and yet we are pardoned. That is the gospel. IV. THE CHURCH'S PERPLEXITY. "Neither know we what to do." This is often the condition of the Church. V. FAITH'S INVIGORATING LOOK. "But our eyes are upon Thee." ( J. J. West, M.A. ) Jehoshaphat W. T. Sabine, D.D. Say we not well, that prayer is a model for presidents, princes, kings, and rulers for all time? But it has wider applications. The King of Judah is confronted by a great and startling peril; — what does he do? I. Let us rather mark WHAT HE DOES NOT DO. 1. He does not underestimate his danger. There are some men who think it wisdom to pooh-pooh a difficulty. Jehoshaphat is not one of them. He is at the farthest remove from foolhardiness or a rash contempt of the impending peril. The men who under-estimate risks are not the wise men or the safe men, morally, politically, or spiritually. There are many of this easy-going — if you please, buoyant — disposition who decline to look probable defeat or disaster in the face. They deprecate your fears, advise you to trust to luck, to go on and take the chances with a stout heart. They are willing to do it in politics, suffering the Ship of State to take her chances among the unknown shoals and rocks! They do it in religion. They discount heavily the Divine requirements, the Divine warnings, the Divine hatred of sin, the tremendous Divine penalties pronounced upon it; for them these all mean nothing or very little. 2. So neither did Jehoshaphat over-estimate them. His was no panic fright. Seen through the atmosphere of our fears, a man may become a monster. The King of Judah certainly discerned the danger and appreciated it to the full, but his brave and trustful spirit was as far as possible removed from panic, desperation, or despair. Jehoshaphat, confronted by a danger which seemed certainly to insure the ruin of his throne and kingdom, declines to regard the case as by any means hopeless, refuses to believe that the Lord's arm is shortened that it cannot save, or His ear heavy that it cannot hear. Who says Moab and Ammon are stronger than God? Any peril is over-estimated of which men cry: "There is no help for him in his God!" 3. Again, if Jehoshaphat does not underestimate or over-estimate his dangers, so neither does he place any false reliance upon human power — his resources, his aids, or himself. Some men trust God when they are bereft of every other ground of confidence, but not till then. They brave it out till ruin stares them in the face, and then run to cover. Not so Jehoshaphat. The nation had scarcely known a more prosperous and potent reign than his. He had a great army at his command, and, it would appear from the record ( 2 Chronicles 17:12-19 ), could bring upward of a million of men into the field, a drilled and organised militia capable of effective service in emergency. Many a man in his position, and with such military and national resources behind him, would have given God altogether the go-by, and chosen, like Napoleon Bonaparte, to trust in the heaviest battalions. II. Turning from this negative to a positive view, we ask, then WHAT DID HE DO? Where was his real confidence? If ever there was a man who offered effective and ample illustration of the Psalmist's words — "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" — that man was Jehoshaphat of Judah. What then did he do? He turned to God! And observe how he did this. 1. It was publicly done. The King of Judah made no secret of his dependence on the King of kings. "He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah" — "And out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord" — "And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, and their wives, and their children." — "And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, and said." What announcement of national and personal need and reliance upon Jehovah could be more distinctly open and unreserved than this? 2. And it was as humble and self-renouncing as it was public in its character. National grief is an affecting spectacle. You have it here: "All Judah, their little ones, their wives, their children, stood before the Lord." While speaking in their name, Jehoshaphat exclaimed: "O our God we have no might against this great company, neither know we what to do." Lowly-mindedness and self-abasement in a whole people, as certainly as in a man, goes far to secure — as truly as it solicits — the Divine favour. 3. Jehoshaphat's plea for Judah was further marked by an unreserving trust in God. With Jehoshaphat Jehovah is all and enough. "Art not Thou God in heaven, and rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in Thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee?" Never a thought here of limitation, or weakness in Him; never a suspicion that He is unable or unwilling to rescue those that trust in Him to the uttermost. No association of His name with any other. He is not to be a helper, a partner, a contributor. He is to be all, to do all! The royal, the national reliance on Jehovah is entire. 4. This brings us to note finally that Jehoshaphat's plea is marked by the fullest recognition of the Divine Sovereignty and Providence. A writer, quoted in one of our leading weeklies, says that, "No secular history would be read in our schools to-day or in the schools of any enlightened community in which the fortunes of nations were represented as controlled by special Divine intervention." The man who wrote that sentence would, we fancy, have been treated with rather scant courtesy if he had chanced in the court of Jehoshaphat. 5. More than this, the King of Judah appeals to the Covenant. Now God loves to be plied with His own promises and reminded of the gracious relations He occupies to us. The Psalmist founded a claim to Divine help and mercy upon the ground of a godly parentage: "O Lord, I am the son of Thine handmaid." Our best resource, our true "help," is not in alliances, in circumstances, in capacities, in luck, in others, in ourselves, but ever and only "in the name of the Lord." ( W. T. Sabine, D.D. ) Leaving the vote with God Sir Fowell Buxton, who shared with Wilberforce the labours which secured the emancipation of the slaves in the West Indies, ascribed their triumph directly to the power of prayer. Writing to his daughter when all was over, he said, "I firmly believe that prayer was the cause of that division" (vote in the House of Commons}. "You know how we waited upon God for guidance, with these words in our hearts, 'O our God, we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee'; and the answer, 'Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.' You will find the whole story in 2 Chronicles 20 . Turn to my Bible; it will open of itself to the place. We had no preconceived plan; the course we took appeared to be the right one, and we followed it blindly." For the battle is not your's, but God's. 2 Chronicles 20:15 Victory the gift of God J. Bainbridge Smith, M.A. I. LET US REMEMBER THE GREAT TRUTH ENUNCIATED HERE, AND LET US IN ALL THANKFULNESS ADDRESS OUR TRIBUTE OF PRAISE TO GOD FOR THE SUCCESS WHEREWITH HE HAS CROWNED OUR EXERTIONS. II. LET US NEVER FORGET THAT WAR MUST ALWAYS BE CONSIDERED AS A JUDGMENT, HOWEVER IT MAY, IN ANSWER TO A NATION'S PRAYERS, BE ACCOMPANIED WITH VICTORY. ( J. Bainbridge Smith, M.A. ) God in battle P. B. Power, M. A. This battle was — I. A COMMITTED THING TO GOD. The course of events was committed by a specific act to God; and Jehoshaphat and Judah stood in expectation of what He would do. Solemn acts of committal are of great importance in our spiritual life. If we have a bad habit to fight with, or a temper or special temptation to overcome; or if we have to deal with some wayward spirit; or if we want to attain to some grace, or even to do something that is too hard for our own strength, but which lies before us in the path of duty, let each of these be "committed things." II. AN ACCEPTED THING BY HIM. God espoused Jehoshaphat's cause: "The battle is not yours." When we commit matters to God and He accepts them, we may see them in new lights altogether. We often do so, and wonder that we were so blind before. But we need not wonder. The light came in with God. When matters seem very dark to us, let us be fully assured that they are capable of being lit up. 1. "Not yours!" Why not? Because another interest had come in. In one respect the battle is always ours, inasmuch as we are the persons to reap all the substantial benefits, but in another it is God's; He has interests as well as we. In our trial time, we must view Him as an interested God. 2. How was it not to be theirs? Just by God acting in the matter in His own way. We seem at times more as though we wished God to follow our leadings than that we should follow His. God will lead us by ways which we know not. We have to learn the double lesson of the insufficiency of known ways and the all-sufficiency of unknown. God has continually to teach us the last through the first. By taking the battle out of their hands, God severed Jehoshaphat and Judah from the depressing thoughts of the results being affected by their weakness. Conclusion: Consider Christ, who "committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously," and Paul, who said, "I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." ( P. B. Power, M. A. ) The Divine victory Llewelyn D. Bevan, D.D. I. These words imply THAT THE CAUSE IS THE CAUSE OF GOD. While the Christian life is undoubtedly a personal matter, it is well to look away from our interest and remember that God's cause is chiefly concerned in the conflict of life. 1. Individually. The Divine ideal for each man is the perfection of each man's character, and therefore he makes the successful prosecution of the warfare for this end his own. 2. What is true of the individual is also true of the race. A redeemed and regenerated world is the idea of God. Our .conflict, therefore, for these ends against the evil of sin and the corruption of the world is a battle of God. II. These words imply THAT THE METHOD OF VICTORY IS DIVINE. If the cause is God's, the forces we employ and the mode of our warfare must also be His. The Koran might be accompanied with the sword, but not the gospel. Its weapon was a Cross, and in that sign it triumphed. So in all the battle of life he who would win the victory for God must use the Divine armour. Eloquence, learning, wealth, and even physical force, have contributed at times to the success of the Church, but quite as often they have been hindrances. The method of Jesus is meekness and truth, the Word ever spoken, the life quietly lived, and the testimony borne and the faith kept clear and strong in the darkest and most distressful hour. How often in the conflict of life we try to fight the battle in our own way! We seek to conquer indwelling sin, to overcome the attack of the enemy who would destroy us, by some methods of our own. We always fail. III. IF THE BATTLE BE GOD'S, THEN WE MAY BE CONFIDENT THAT THE END WILL BE THE DIVINE END. 1. How many good people are greatly distressed about their final salvation. But salvation is a condition of mind and heart — a present trust and submission to God, each moment assured, and therefore assurance for the next moment. Leave the end with God. It will be God's triumph. 2. In respect of the final outcome of the conflict between good and evil, in the Church and the world, let us believe that God will take care of the issues, and that all will be well. Let us leave our doubts, and our forebodings, and our mistrustings with Him. ( Llewelyn D. Bevan, D.D. ) Jehoshaphat helped of God Monday Club Sermons. I. JEHOSHAPHAT'S PRAYER TEACHES US WHEN WE MAY EXPECT HELP OF GOD. 1. In matters which we know God has at heart. 2. In matters for which Christ's atonement stands pledged. 3. In matters for which we have not ourselves to blame. 4. In matters wherein we are powerless to help ourselves. II. HOW WE MAY SECURE GOD'S HELP. 1. We must come into communion with Him. 2. We must pray for God's help. 3. We must implicitly follow God's guidance. 4. Faith is an especial prerequisite to God's aid. III. HOW GOD'S HELP IS GIVEN. 1. Not always or necessarily in the shape we desire it. God makes spiritual growth His first aim in all His dealings with His people. 2. But when compatible with higher advantages, God aids us in temporal things. 3. God gives us blessings beyond His promise or our asking.Conclusion: 1. In God's people the Divine help awakens gratitude. 2. Those who are not Christians are never unaffected when they see God help His children: "the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel." ( Monday Club Sermons. ) The battle is not yours, but God's J. Parker, D.D. The text addresses a word — 1. To all who are bearing Christian protest against evil. 2. To all who are undergoing severe temptation. 3. To all who are labouring for the good of the world. 4. To all who are engaged in controversy on behalf of Christian doctrine. ( J. Parker, D.D. ) The Lord's battle Luther's strength lay in the way in which he laid the burden of the Reformation upon the Lord. Continually in prayer he pleaded, "Lord, this is Thy cause, not mine. Therefore do Thine own work; for if this gospel do not prosper, it will not be Luther alone who will be a loser, but Thine own name will be dishonoured." ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) Ye shall not need to fight in this battle. 2 Chronicles 20:17 The conditions and certainty of obtaining God's deliverance Thomas Lynford, A.M. I. That since our enemies' designs are known to us, WE OUGHT TO SET OURSELVES, THAT IS, MAKE WHAT PROVISION WE CAN AGAINST THEM. II. That having thus set ourselves, we must then STAND STILL, THAT IS, DO NOTHING WHICH IS UNLAWFUL, ALTHOUGH IT BE FOR, OUR OWN PRESERVATION. 1. By doing any unlawful action we deprive ourselves of God's care and protection. 2. By doing anything unlawful we bring a scandal upon our religion. 3. To do evil, although for our own preservation, would be most likely to unsettle and ruin us. When once we break down the fences of duty, who can tell where we shall stop? If we allow ourselves the liberty of doing one sinful act, we may easily be prompted on to commit a thousand. III. REPENTANCE AND AMENDMENT OF LIFE BEING SUPPOSED, WE HASTE ALL REASON TO HOPE THAT WE SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD. 1. Whatever our danger, God hath sufficient power to save and deliver us. 2. This is to be inferred from the design of God's sending judgments upon any nation. ( Jeremiah 18:7 ). ( Thomas Lynford, A.M. ) For the Lord is with you The power behind us F. B. Meyer. In my firewood factory we use a circular saw for cutting timber. Until recently this saw was worked by a crank turned by men. It was slow work, and we bought a gas engine. The saw, driven by this engine, does more work and at less cost. It is the same saw, but the difference lies in the power that drives it. It was driven by hand-power, now by an equivalent for steam, we only need to keep the connecting band tight. It is not a question of our abilities, but of the power behind us. ( F. B. Meyer. ) Believe in the Lord your God. 2 Chronicles 20:20 Salvation by faith W. H. Bennett, M.A. Judah is to be "saved by faith" from Moab and Ammon, as the Christian is delivered by faith from sin and its penalty. The incident might almost seem to have been recorded in order to illustrate the truth that Paul was to teach. It is strange that there is no reference to this chapter in the Epistles of St. Paul and St. James, and that the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews does not remind us how "by faith Jehoshaphat was delivered from Moab and Ammon." ( W. H. Bennett, M.A. ) God-fearing makes grand soldiers J. Bagehot. Carlyle has taught the present generation many lessons, and one of these is that "God-fearing" armies are the best armies. Before his time people laughed at Cromwell's saying, "Trust in God and keep your powder dry." But we now know that the trust was of as much use as the powder, if not of more. That high concentration of steady feeling makes men dare everything and do anything. Those kinds of morals and that kind of religion which tend to make the firmest and most effectual character are sure to prevail, all else being the same; and creeds or systems that conduce to a soft limp mind tend to perish, except some hard extrinsic force keep them alive. Strong beliefs win strong men, and then make them stronger. ( J. Bagehot. ) And when he had consulted with the people . 2 Chronicles 20:21 Shouting before the victory Hugh Price Hughes, M.A. Anybody can sing the Te Deum after the battle is over. The German soldiers shouted when they had conquered their foe in the first battle in the war with France. It did not want much of a spirit to do that. The difference between an ordinary man of war and a Christian is this: a Christian shouts before the victory, because he knows it is sure to come. You remember how the people gave a shout of triumph before the wall of Jericho before it fell down. I. We are here taught THE GREAT DUTY OF PATRIOTISM. In a leading newspaper it was stated that if we were not so good we might do a great many things which would be to our worldly advantage, that we are cursed with a great amount of scrupulousness with respect to our conduct in Ireland, Egypt, and Burmah; that if we were a little more unscrupulous, and did not trouble ourselves about the rights and wrongs of men, we might seize Egypt and settle all our differences in India. Yet all history proves to us that this kind of foreign policy in the long run is an utter fallacy. Why is it that the great Empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Rome have fallen? Why has Spain lost her position and France been humbled in our own day? Because they yielded to the foul ungodly spirit of national self-assertion and aggression; because they did not praise the beauty of holiness. II. Our special object is to ILLUSTRATE THE HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. We are engaged in a holy war. The Bishop of Durham said the Churches of this country were indebted to the Salvation Army, because they had revived the consciousness of the. fact that the Church of God was an army, and that our great business as a country is war — not with one another, but with all human misery. What must we do? Praise the beauty of holiness. If we go forth to war, we must do as Jehoshaphat — we must needs be clothed with the Spirit of holiness. The apostle John was not ready for the great work he was called to until he had put on the power from on high, which was the Spirit of holiness. What was the practical result of the Pentecostal blessing? They were filled with the Holy Ghost. What followed? They were delivered from — 1. Cowardice. 2. Selfishness. 3. Ignorance.John Wesley and those with him at Oxford saw, after reading the Bible, that holiness comes by faith. Our great mission is to spread Scriptural holiness. If we march forth to war with confidence in the Spirit of holiness, we shall triumph even without fighting. ( Hugh Price Hughes, M.A. ) Enthusiastic soldiers When the Spartans marched into battle, they advanced with cheerful songs, willing to fight; but when the Persians entered the conflict, you could hear, as the regiments came on, the crack of the whip, by which the officers drove the cowards to the fray. What wonder that the Spartans were like lions in the midst of Sheep! Were we enthusiastic soldiers of the Cross, through God's help, nothing would be able to stand against us. ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) Praise The biographer of Bishop Hannington says, "How often had he encouraged his companions in times of doubt or difficulty with the words, 'Never be disappointed, only praise.'" Every one helped to destroy another. 2 Chronicles 20:28 Mutual destruction David Laing, M.A. As we look upon the world at large, how do we see men occupied but as destroying one another! This is a marked character of the lower and worse forms of vice, that each degraded one has a wretched pleasure in bringing down other souls to the same level of deg

Benson Commentary 2 Chronicles 20:1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2 Chronicles 20:1 . It came to pass after this also, &c. — After Jehoshaphat had been so very well and zealously employed in reforming his kingdom, and providing for the due administration of justice, and the support of religion in it, and when one would have expected to hear of nothing but the peace and prosperity of his reign, he is interrupted in his good work, and brought into great perplexity, through a formidable invasion of his kingdom by several neighbouring nations: this, however, was permitted in order to such a glorious deliverance as was an abundant recompense for the distress he suffered. If we meet with trouble in the way of duty, we may believe it is in order that God may have an occasion of showing us so much the more of his marvellous loving-kindness. 2 Chronicles 20:2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. 2 Chronicles 20:2 . Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat — That brought him the surprising intelligence of this invasion, when his enemies had already entered his kingdom. Saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea — The Dead sea, beyond which mount Seir lay; and from this side Syria — Largely so called, and so it includes the Moabites and Ammonites. And it may be thus expressed, to intimate that they came by the instigation of the Syrians, to revenge themselves of Jehoshaphat for joining with Ahab against them. 2 Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:3 . Jehoshaphat feared — Partly from human frailty, and partly from the remembrance of his own guilt, and the wrath of God denounced against him for it, 2 Chronicles 19:2 . And set himself to seek the Lord — The phrase denotes his settled resolution, seriousness, and earnestness in it, and the preparing and fixing of his heart for it. And proclaimed a fast — Partly in token of his humiliation and penitence for his sins, and partly to render himself and his people more fervent in their prayers. 2 Chronicles 20:4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. 2 Chronicles 20:4-5 . Judah gathered themselves together — The people readily assembled, out of all the cities of Judah, in the court of the temple, to join in fasting and prayer to the Lord for help in this time of great danger and distress. And Jehoshaphat stood in the house of the Lord — Largely so called, that is, in the court of the people, upon that brazen scaffold which Solomon had erected. Before the new court — Before the priest’s court; which is called the new court, because it had lately been renewed when the altar was renewed. 2 Chronicles 20:5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, 2 Chronicles 20:6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? 2 Chronicles 20:6-7 . And said, O Lord God, &c. — Jehoshaphat himself was the mouth of the congregation to God, and did not devolve the work upon his chaplains. For though the kings were forbidden to burn incense, they were allowed to pray and preach. Art thou not God in heaven, &c. — Which none of the gods of the heathen are. Is not thy dominion supreme, over kingdoms themselves, and universal, over all kingdoms, even those of the heathen, that know thee not ? Art thou not our God? — In covenant with us? To whom should we seek, to whom should we trust for relief, but to him whom we have chosen for our God, and who has chosen us for his people? Who gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend — To whom thou didst engage thyself to be his friend, and the friend of his seed for ever, and therefore we trust thou wilt not forsake us, his posterity. 2 Chronicles 20:7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? 2 Chronicles 20:8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 2 Chronicles 20:8-9 . Have built thee a sanctuary — He does not mention this under an idea that they had merited any thing at God’s hand by building it, for only of his own they had given him; but considers it as such a token of God’s favourable presence with them, as had encouraged them to hope he would hear and help them, when in their distress they cried to him before that house. If when evil cometh upon us, the sword, judgment — Or rather, the sword of judgment, or of vengeance, that is, war, whereby thou judgest and punishest thy people for their sins. 2 Chronicles 20:9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. 2 Chronicles 20:10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 2 Chronicles 20:10-11 . Whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, &c. — Or give them any disturbance. He pleads the ingratitude and injustice of his enemies, and intimates that it would be for God’s glory to appear against them, and for the people whom they had so ill requited for the kindness shown them. We may comfortably appeal to God against those who render us evil for good. Behold how they reward us, to come and cast us out of thy possession — And seize our land for themselves, which indeed is thy land. Their crime was aggravated in this, that they made an attempt, not only upon the rights of the Israelites, but of God himself; whose land this was, which his people held of him as their Lord. 2 Chronicles 20:11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 2 Chronicles 20:12 . O our God, wilt thou not judge them? — He appeals to the justice of God, the righteous Judge, who rights those that suffer wrong, especially when they have no helper. Wilt thou not give sentence against them, and execute it upon them? For to judge, in this place, signifies to punish, as it also does in many other passages. The justice of God is the refuge of those that are wronged. We have no might against this great company — It may seem strange that he should say they had no might, when he had so many hundred thousand men at command as are mentioned 2 Chronicles 17:14-16 , &c. But it may be observed, that this was probably such a sudden invasion, that he had not time to gather any considerable body to oppose them; or rather, he distrusted the greatest army, and acknowledged it to be of no force if God were not with him, on whom he entirely relied, and not on the number and valour of his soldiers, though both were very great. 2 Chronicles 20:13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 2 Chronicles 20:13 . All Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones — Whom they used to present before the Lord in times of great distress, to stir up themselves to more fervent prayers, their eyes being upon their harmless and tender children; and to move God to compassion, because God hath declared that he will be prevailed with by such methods as these. 2 Chronicles 20:14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; 2 Chronicles 20:14 . Upon Jahaziel came the Spirit of the Lord — It seems he was not a prophet before this time, but was now suddenly inspired by God with the following message, to comfort this great assembly with an assured hope of deliverance, before they stirred from the place where they had prayed. For it is never in vain to seek God; while they were yet speaking, God heard. 2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 . Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid — You have admitted fear enough to induce you to have recourse to God: now do not give way to that fear which would drive you from him. The battle is not yours — It is not in your own cause, nor in your own strength, that you engage; the battle is God’s — And he doth and will interest himself in your favour, as you have desired, and will fight for you. To-morrow go ye down — From Jerusalem, where he and his army now were, which stood upon high ground. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle — The work shall be done to your hands, and you will not need to strike a stroke, nor shall you be the instruments, but only the spectators of the defeat of the enemy. O Judah and Jerusalem, fear not — Thus does he encourage them to trust in God, though the danger was very threatening, and to expect certain victory and deliverance. 2 Chronicles 20:16 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. 2 Chronicles 20:17 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. 2 Chronicles 20:18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. 2 Chronicles 20:18-19 . Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground — In token of his reverence for God and his message, his belief of the promise, and his thankfulness for so great a favour. The Levites stood up to praise the Lord — By Jehoshaphat’s appointment. With a loud voice on high — With heart and voice lifted up, whereby they showed their confidence in God, and assurance of the accomplishment of the prophet’s prediction. 2 Chronicles 20:19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high. 2 Chronicles 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 Chronicles 20:20 . Believe in the Lord your God — Believe God’s promise delivered to us by this prophet, and consequently all other predictions of the prophets. So shall ye prosper — Take heed lest by your unbelief you frustrate God’s promise. 2 Chronicles 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Chronicles 20:21 . When he had consulted with the people — That is, with the elders and heads of the tribes, who represented the rest. He called a council of war, and it was resolved to appoint singers to go out before the army, who had nothing to do but to praise God, to praise his holiness, which is his beauty, to praise him as they did in the temple, that beauty of holiness, “with that good old doxology, which eternity itself,” as Henry says, “will not wear threadbare, Praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever.” By this strange advance to the field of battle, Jehoshaphat showed his firm reliance on the word of God, which enabled him to triumph before the battle, to animate his own men, and confound the enemy. 2 Chronicles 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 2 Chronicles 20:22 . When they began to sing and to praise — So acceptable are the fervent prayers and praises of God’s people to him, and so terrible to their enemies! The Lord set ambushments — Hebrew, ?????? , mearebim, insidiantes, persons lying in wait, or plotting, and laying snares. The meaning seems to be, as appears from the next verse, that God raised jealousies and animosities among their enemies themselves, which by degrees broke forth, first into secret plots, snares, and ambushments, which one party contrived and laid for another, against which they had conceived some grudge; and then into a general confusion, and open hostilities and outrages, to the destruction of one another throughout the whole army. So vain are all men’s attempts against God, who needs none to destroy his enemies but themselves, and their own mistakes and passions, which he can, when he pleases, arm against them. 2 Chronicles 20:23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them : and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 2 Chronicles 20:23-24 . The children of Ammon and of Moab, &c. — These fell foul upon the Edomites, and cut them off; and then fell out with one another, and cut one another off. Thus God often makes wicked people instruments of destruction to one another. When Judah came toward the watch-tower — Which stood upon the cliff of Ziz, mentioned 2 Chronicles 20:16 , and looked toward the wilderness, where their enemies lay encamped, whose numbers, and order, and condition, they could descry from thence. They looked unto the multitude, and behold they were dead bodies — When they came to the view of this vast army, instead of finding living men to fight with, they found them all dead men, and their carcasses spread as dung upon the face of the earth. And none escaped — Or rather, none remained, because those who were not killed, made the best of their way home; for it cannot be supposed that they were absolutely all killed. 2 Chronicles 20:24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. 2 Chronicles 20:25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much. 2 Chronicles 20:25 . They found among them in abundance both riches and jewels, &c. — Which they had brought with them to corrupt any of Jehoshaphat’s officers as they saw occasion: to procure necessaries for their vast army from time to time: and because they came as to triumph rather than to fight, being confident of the victory on account of their numbers, and especially because they thought to surprise Jehoshaphat ere he could make any considerable preparations against them; God also permitting them to be puffed up to their own destruction. See how rich in mercy God is to them that call upon him in truth, and how often he out-does the prayers and expectations of his people. Jehoshaphat prayed to be delivered from being spoiled by the enemy, and God not only did that, but enriched them with the spoils of the enemy. Now it appeared what was God’s end in bringing this great army against Judah; it was to humble them, and prove them, that he might do them good in their latter end. It seemed, at first, to be a disturbance to their reformation, but it proves to be a recompense of it. 2 Chronicles 20:26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. 2 Chronicles 20:26 . On the fourth day, &c. — Undoubtedly many thanksgivings were offered to God immediately, and perhaps even a day of praise was kept in the camp, before they drew their forces out of the field: but in the fourth day they assembled in a valley, and blessed God with so much zeal and fervency, that a name was thereby given to the place, and the remembrance of that work of wonder perpetuated for the encouragement of succeeding generations to trust in God. Of Berachah — Hebrew, of blessing, so called, from the solemn blessings and praises given to God on that occasion. 2 Chronicles 20:27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. 2 Chronicles 20:27-28 . Jehoshaphat in the fore-front of them — They marched all in a body, in solemn procession, and Jehoshaphat at their head, that the country, as they passed along, might join with them in their praises. To go again to Jerusalem with joy — That they might give thanks for the mercy there, where by prayer they had obtained it. Unto the house of the Lord — To renew their praises in the court of the temple, the proper and usual place for it. Praising God must not be the work of a day only; but our praises, when we have received mercy, must be often repeated, as our prayers were, when we were in pursuit of it. Every day we must bless God; as long as we live, and while we have any being, we must praise him, spending our time in that work, in which we hope to spend our eternity. 2 Chronicles 20:28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 20:29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. 2 Chronicles 20:29-30 . The fear of God was on all the kingdoms, &c. — Which were near, or which heard these things. They were afraid to attack or molest the worshippers of a God who was able to help his people in so wonderful a manner. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet — Those that were displeased at the destroying of the images and groves, were now satisfied, and obliged to own, that since the God of Israel could deliver after this sort, he only ought to be worshipped, and in that way which himself had appointed. So that they were quiet among themselves; and they were also quiet from the fear of insults or injuries from their neighbours, God having given them rest round about. 2 Chronicles 20:30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about. 2 Chronicles 20:31 And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 2 Chronicles 20:32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 20:33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles 20:33 . Howbeit, the high places were not taken away — Not universally; the fault was not in Jehoshaphat, but in the people, who, though they did worship the true God, yet would not be confined to the temple; but, for their own convenience, or from their affection to their ancient customs, chose to worship him in the high places. 2 Chronicles 20:34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel. 2 Chronicles 20:35 And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: 2 Chronicles 20:35 . After this did Jehoshaphat join him with Ahaziah — This is mentioned as an aggravation of his sin, after so great an obligation laid upon him by God, and after he had been so sharply reproved by a prophet, yet he relapsed into the same sin; which proceeded partly from that near relation which was contracted between the two families, and partly from the easiness of Jehoshaphat’s temper, which could not resist the solicitations of others, in such things as might seem indifferent. For he did not join with him in war, as he did with Ahab, but in a peaceable way only, in a matter of trade and commerce. And yet God reproves and punishes him for it, ( 2 Chronicles 20:37 ,) to show his great dislike of all familiar conversation of his servants and people with professed enemies of God and of religion, as Ahaziah was. Who did very wickedly — Or, who did industriously, and maliciously, and constantly, work wickedness, as the Hebrew phrase implies, giving himself up to idolatry, and all wickedness. 2 Chronicles 20:36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber. 2 Chronicles 20:37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish. Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Expositor's Bible Commentary 2 Chronicles 20:1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. JEHOSHAPHAT-THE DOCTRINE OF NONRESISTANCE 2 Chronicles 17:1-19 ; 2 Chronicles 18:1-34 ; 2 Chronicles 19:1-11 ; 2 Chronicles 20:1-37 ASA was succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat, and his reign began even more auspiciously than that of Asa. The new king had apparently taken warning from the misfortunes of Asa’s closing years; and as he was thirty-five years old when he came to the throne, he had been trained before Asa fell under the Divine displeasure. He walked in the first ways of his father David, before David was led away by Satan to number Israel. Jehoshaphat’s heart was lifted up, not with foolish pride, like Hezekiah’s, but "in the ways of Jehovah." He sought the God of his father, and walked in God’s commandments, and was not led astray by the evil example and influence of the kings of Israel, neither did he seek the Baals. While Asa had been enfeebled by illness and alienated from Jehovah, the high places and the Asherim had sprung up again like a crop of evil weeds; but Jehoshaphat once more removed them. According to the chronicler, this removing of high places was a very labor of Sisyphus: the stone was no sooner rolled up to the top of the hill than it rolled down again. Jehoshaphat seems to have had an inkling of this; he felt that the destruction of idolatrous sanctuaries and symbols was like mowing down weeds and leaving the roots in the soil. Accordingly he made an attempt to deal more radically with the evil: he would take away the inclination as well as the opportunity for corrupt rites. A commission of princes, priests, and Levites was sent throughout all the cities of Judah to instruct the people in the law of Jehovah. Vice will always find opportunities; it is little use to suppress evil institutions unless the people are educated out of evil propensities. If, for instance, every public-house in England were closed tomorrow, and there were still millions of throats craving for drink, drunkenness would still prevail, and a new administration would promptly reopen gin-shops. Because the new king thus earnestly and consistently sought the God of his fathers, Jehovah was with him, and established the kingdom in his hand. Jehoshaphat received all the marks of Divine favorer usually bestowed upon good kings. He waxed great exceedingly; he had many fortresses, an immense army, and much wealth; he built castles and cities of store; he had arsenals for the supply of war material in the cities of Judah. And these cities, together with other defensible positions and the border cities of Ephraim occupied by Judah, were held by strong garrisons. While David had contented himself with two hundred and eighty-eight thousand men from all Israel, and Abijah had led forth four hundred thousand, and Asa five hundred and eighty thousand, there waited on Jehoshaphat, in addition to his numerous garrisons, eleven hundred and sixty thousand men. Of these seven hundred and eighty thousand were men of Judah in three divisions, and three hundred and eighty thousand were Benjamites in two divisions. Probably the steady increase of the armies of Abijah, Asa, and Jehoshaphat symbolizes a proportionate increase of Divine favor. The chronicler records the names of the captains of the five divisions. Two of them are singled out for special commendation: Eliada the Benjamite is styled "a mighty man of valor," and of the Jewish captain Amaziah the son of Zichri it is said that he offered either himself or his possessions willingly to Jehovah, as David and his princes had offered, for the building of the Temple. The devout king had devout officers. He had also devoted subjects. All Judah brought him presents, so that he had great riches and ample means to sustain his royal power and splendor. Moreover, as in the case of Solomon and Asa, his piety was rewarded with freedom from war: "The fear of Jehovah fell upon all the kingdoms round about, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat." Some of his weaker neighbors were overawed by the spectacle of his great power; the Philistines brought him presents and tribute money, and the Arabians immense flocks of rams and he-goats, seven thousand seven hundred of each. Great prosperity had the usual fatal effect upon Jehoshaphat’s character. In the beginning of his reign he had strengthened himself against Israel and had refused to walk in their ways; now power had developed ambition, and he sought and obtained the honor of marrying his son Jehoram to Athaliah the daughter of Ahab, the mighty and magnificent king of Israel, possibly also the daughter of the Phoenician princess Jezebel, the devotee of Baal. This family connection of course implied political alliance. After a time Jehoshaphat went down to visit his new ally, and was hospitably received. { 2 Chronicles 18:1-3 } Then follows the familiar story of Micaiah the son of Imlah, the disastrous expedition of the two kings, and the death of Ahab, almost exactly as in the book of Kings. There is one significant alteration: both narratives tell us how the Syrian captains attacked Jehoshaphat because they took him for the king of Israel and gave up their pursuit when he cried out, and they discovered their mistake; but the chronicler adds the explanation that Jehovah helped him and God moved them to depart from him. And so the master of more than a million soldiers was happy in being allowed to escape on account of his insignificance, and returned in peace to Jerusalem. Oded and Hanani had met his predecessors on their return from victory; now Jehu the son of Hanani met Jehoshaphat when he came home defeated. Like his father, the prophet was charged with a message of rebuke. An alliance with the Northern Kingdom was scarcely less reprehensible than one with Syria: "Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate Jehovah? Jehovah is wroth with thee." Asa’s previous reforms were not allowed to mitigate the severity of his condemnation, but Jehovah was more merciful to Jehoshaphat. The prophet makes mention of his piety and his destruction of idolatrous symbols, and no further punishment is inflicted upon him. The chronicler’s addition to the account of the king’s escape from the Syrian captains reminds us that God still watches over and protects His children even when they are in the very act of sinning against Him. Jehovah knew that Jehoshaphat’s sinful alliance with Ahab did not imply complete revolt and apostasy. Hence doubtless the comparative mildness of the prophet’s reproof. When Jehu’s father Hanani rebuked Asa, the king flew into a passion, and cast the prophet into prison; Jehoshaphat received Jehu’s reproof in a very different spirit: he repented himself, and found a new zeal in his penitence. Learning from his own experience the proneness of the human’ heart to go astray, he went out himself amongst his people to bring them back to Jehovah; and just as Asa in his apostasy oppressed his people, Jehoshaphat in his renewed loyalty to Jehovah showed himself anxious for good government. He provided judges in all the walled towns of Judah, with a court of appeal at Jerusalem; he solemnly charged them to remember their responsibility to Jehovah, to avoid bribery, and not to truckle to the rich and powerful. Being themselves faithful to Jehovah, they were to inculcate a like obedience and warn the people not to sin against the God of their fathers. Jehoshaphat’s exhortation to his new judges concludes with a sentence whose martial resonance suggests trial by combat rather than the peaceful proceedings of a law-court: "Deal courageously, and Jehovah defend the right!" The principle that good government must be a necessary consequence of piety in the rulers has not been so uniformly observed in later times as in the pages of Chronicles. The testimony of history on this point is not altogether consistent. In spite of all the faults of the orthodox and devout Greek emperors Theodosius the Great and Marcian, their administration rendered important services to the empire. Alfred the Great was a distinguished statesman and warrior as well as zealous for true religion. St. Louis of France exercised a wise control over Church and state. It is true that when a woman reproached him in open court with being a king of friars, of priests, and of clerks, and not a true king of France, he replied with saintly meekness, "You say true! It has pleased the Lord to make me king; it had been well if it had pleased Him to make some one king who had better ruled the realm." But something must be allowed for the modesty of the saint; apart from his unfortunate crusades, it would have been difficult for France or even Europe to have furnished a more beneficent sovereign. On the other hand, Charlemagne’s successor, the Emperor Louis the Pious, and our own kings Edward the Confessor and the saintly Henry VI, were alike feeble and inefficient; the zeal of the Spanish kings and their kinswoman Mary Tudor is chiefly remembered for its ghastly cruelty; and in comparatively recent times the misgovernment of the States of the Church was a byword throughout Europe. Many causes combined to produce this mingled record. The one most clearly contrary to the chronicler’s teaching was an immoral opinion that the Christian should cease to be a citizen, and that the saint has no duties to society. This view is often considered to be the special vice of monasticism, but it reappears in one form or another in every generation. The failure of the administration of Louis the Pious is partly explained when we read that he was with difficulty prevented from entering a monastery. In our own day there are those who think that a newspaper should have no interest for a really earnest Christian. According to their ideas, Jehoshaphat should have divided his time between a private oratory in his palace and the public services of the Temple, and have left his kingdom to the mercy of unjust judges at home and heathen enemies abroad, or else have abdicated in favor of some kinsman whose heart was not so perfect with Jehovah. The chronicler had a clearer insight into Divine methods, and this doctrine of his is not one that has been superseded together with the Mosaic ritual. Possibly the martial tone of the sentence that concludes the account of Jehoshaphat as the Jewish Justinian is due to the influence upon the chronicler’s mind of die incident which he now describes. Jehoshaphat’s next experience was parallel to that of Asa with Zerah. When his new reforms were completed, he was menaced with a formidable invasion. His new enemies were almost as distant and strange as the Ethiopians and Lubim who had followed Zerah. We hear nothing about any king of Israel or Damascus, the usual leaders of assaults upon Judah; we hear instead of a triple alliance against Judah. Two of the allies are Moab and Ammon; but the Jewish kings were not wont to regard these as irresistible foes, so that the extreme dismay which takes possession of king and people must be due to the third ally: the Meunim we have already met with in connection with the exploits of the children of Simeon in the reign of Hezekiah; they are also mentioned in the reign of Uzziah, and nowhere else, unless indeed they are identical with the Maonites, who are named with the Amalekites in Jdg 10:12 . They are thus a people peculiar to Chronicles, and appear from this narrative to have inhabited Mount Seir, by which term "Meunim" is replaced as the story proceeds. Since the chronicler wrote so long after the events he describes, we cannot attribute to him any very exact knowledge of political geography. Probably the term "Meunim" impressed his contemporaries very much as it does a modern reader, and suggested countless hordes of Bedouin plunderers; Josephus calls them a great army of Arabians. This host of invaders came from Edom, and having marched round the southern end of the Dead Sea, were now at Engedi, on its western shore. The Moabites and Ammonites might have crossed the Jordan by the fords near Jericho; but this route would not have been convenient for their allies the Meunim, and would have brought them into collision with the forces of the Northern Kingdom. On this occasion Jehoshaphat does not seek any foreign alliance. He does not appeal to Syria, like Asa, nor does he ask Ahab’s successor to repay in kind the assistance given to Ahab at Ramoth-gilead, partly perhaps because there was no time, but chiefly because he had learnt the truth which Hanani had sought to teach his father, and which Hanani’s son had taught him. He does not even trust in his own hundreds of thousands of soldiers, all of whom cannot have perished at Ramoth-gilead; his confidence is placed solely and absolutely in Jehovah. Jehoshaphat and his people made no military preparations; subsequent events justified their apparent neglect: none were necessary. Jehoshaphat sought Divine help instead, and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah; and all Judah gathered themselves to Jerusalem to ask help of Jehovah. This great national assembly met "before the new court" of the Temple. The chronicler, who is supremely interested in the Temple buildings, has told us nothing about any new court, nor is it mentioned elsewhere; our author is probably giving the title of a corresponding portion of the second Temple: the place where the people assembled to meet Jehoshaphat would be the great court built by Solomon. { 2 Chronicles 4:9 } Here Jehoshaphat stood up as the spokesman of the nation, and prayed to Jehovah on their behalf and on his own. He recalls the Divine omnipotence; Jehovah is God of earth and heaven, God of Israel and Ruler of the heathen, and therefore able to help even in this great emergency:- "O Jehovah, God of our fathers, art Thou not God in heaven? Dost Thou not rule all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in Thy hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee." The land of Israel had been the special gift of Jehovah to His people, in fulfillment of His ancient promise to Abraham:- "Didst not Thou, O our God, dispossess the inhabitants of this land in favor of Thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham Thy friend forever?" And now long possession had given Israel a prescriptive right to the Land of Promise; and they had, so to speak, claimed their rights in the most formal and solemn fashion by erecting a temple to the God of Israel. Moreover, the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the Temple had been accepted by Jehovah as the basis of His covenant with Israel, and Jehoshaphat quotes a clause from that prayer or covenant which had expressly provided for such emergencies as the present:- "And they" (Israel) "dwelt in the land, and built Thee therein a sanctuary for Thy name, saying, If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before Thee (for Thy name is in this house), and cry unto Thee in our affliction; and Thou wilt hear and save." Moreover, the present invasion was not only an attempt to set aside Jehovah’s disposition of Palestine and the long-established rights of Israel: it was also gross ingratitude, a base return for the ancient forbearance of Israel towards her present enemies:- "And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom Thou wouldest not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them and destroyed them not-behold how they reward us by coming to dispossess us of Thy possession which Thou hast caused us to possess." For this nefarious purpose the enemies of Israel had come up in overwhelming numbers, but Judah was confident in the justice of its cause and the favor of Jehovah:- "O our God, wilt Thou not execute judgment against them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee." Meanwhile the great assemblage stood in the attitude of supplication before Jehovah, not a gathering of mighty men of valor praying for blessing upon their strength and courage, but a mixed multitude, men and women, children and infants, seeking sanctuary, as it were, at the Temple, and casting themselves in their extremity upon the protecting care of Jehovah. Possibly when the king finished his prayer the assembly broke out into loud, wailing cries of dismay and agonized entreaty; but the silence of the narrative rather suggests that Jehoshaphat’s strong, calm faith communicated itself to the people, and they waited quietly for Jehovah’s answer, for some token or promise of deliverance. Instead of the confused cries of an excited crowd, there was a hush of expectancy, such as sometimes falls upon an assembly when a great statesman has risen to utter words which will be big with the fate of empires. And the answer came, not by fire from heaven or any visible sign, not by voice of thunder accompanied by angelic trumpets, nor by angel or archangel, but by a familiar voice hitherto unsuspected of any supernatural gifts, by a prophetic utterance whose only credentials were given by the influence of the Spirit upon the speaker and his audience. The chronicler relates with evident satisfaction how, in the midst of that great congregation, the Spirit of Jehovah came, not upon king, or priest, or acknowledged prophet, but upon a subordinate minister of the Temple, a Levite and member of the Temple choir like himself. He is careful to fix the identity of this newly called prophet and to gratify the family pride of existing Levitical families by giving the prophet’s genealogy for several generations. He was Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, of the sons of Asaph. The very names were encouraging. What more suitable names could be found for a messenger of Divine mercy than Jahaziel-"God gives prophetic vision" - the son of Zechariah-"Jehovah remembers?" Jahaziel’s message showed that Jehoshaphat’s prayer had been accepted; Jehovah responded without reserve to the confidence reposed in Him: He would vindicate His own authority by delivering Judah; Jehoshaphat should have blessed proof of the immense superiority of simple trust in Jehovah over an alliance with Ahab or the king of Damascus. Twice the prophet exhorts the king and people in the very words that Jehovah had used to encourage Joshua when the death of Moses had thrown upon him all the heavy responsibilities of leadership: "Fear not, nor be dismayed." They need no longer cling like frightened suppliants to the sanctuary, but are to go forth at once, the very next day, against the enemy. That they may lose no time in looking for them, Jehovah announces the exact spot where the enemy are to be found: "Behold, they are coming by the ascent of Hazziz, and ye shall find them at the end of the ravine before the wilderness of Jeruel." This topographical description was doubtless perfectly intelligible to the chronicler’s contemporaries, but it is no longer possible to fix exactly the locality of Hazziz or Jeruel. The ascent of Hazziz has been identified with the Wady Husasa, which leads up from the coast of the Dead Sea north of Engedi, in the direction of Tekoa; but the identification is by no means certain. The general situation, however, is fairly clear: the allied invaders would come up from the coast into the highlands of Judah by one of the wadies leading inland; they were to be met by Jehoshaphat and his people on one of the "wildernesses," or plateaus of pasture-land, in the neighborhood of Tekoa. But the Jews went forth, not as an army, but in order to be the passive spectators of a great manifestation of the power of Jehovah. They had no concern with the numbers and prowess of their enemies; Jehovah Hiresell would lay bare His mighty arm, and Judah should see that no foreign ally, no millions of native warriors, were necessary for their salvation: "Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; take up your position, stand still and see the deliverance of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem." Thus had Moses addressed Israel on the eve of the passage of the Red Sea. Jehoshaphat and his people owned and honored the Divine message as if Jahaziel were another Moses; they prostrated themselves on the ground before Jehovah. The sons of Asaph had already been privileged to provide Jehovah with His prophet; these Asaphites represented the Levitical clan of Gershom: but now the Kohathites, with their guild of singers, the sons of Korah, "stood up to praise Jehovah, the God of Israel, with as exceeding loud voice," as the Levites sang when the foundations of the second Temple were laid, and when Ezra and Nehemiah made the people enter into a new covenant with their God. Accordingly on the morrow the people rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa, ten or twelve miles south of Jerusalem. In ancient times generals were wont to make a set speech to their armies before they led them into battle, so Jehoshaphat addresses his subjects as they pass out before him. He does not seek to make them confident in their own strength and prowess; he does not inflame their passions against Moab and Ammon, nor exhort them to be brave and remind them that they fight this day for the ashes of their fathers and the temple of their God. Such an address would have been entirely out of place, because the Jews were not going to fight at all. Jehoshaphat only bids them have faith in Jehovah and His prophets. It is a curious anticipation of Pauline teaching. Judah is to be "saved by faith" from Moab and Ammon, as the Christian is delivered by faith from sin and its penalty. The incident might almost seem to have been recorded in order to illustrate the truth that St. Paul was to teach. It is strange that there is no reference to this chapter in the epistles of St. Paul and St. James, and that the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews does not remind us how "by faith Jehoshaphat was delivered from Moab and Ammon." There is no question of military order, no reference to the five great divisions into which the armies of Judah and Benjamin are divided in chapter 17. Here, as at Jericho, the captain of Israel is chiefly concerned to provide musicians to lead his army. When David was arranging for the musical services before the Ark, he took counsel with his captains. In this unique military expedition there is no mention of captains; they were not necessary, and if they were present there was no opportunity for them to show their skill and prowess in battle. In an even more democratic spirit Jehoshaphat takes counsel with the people-that is, probably makes some proposition, which is accepted with universal acclamation. The Levitical singers, dressed in the splendid robes in which they officiated at the Temple, were appointed to go before the people, and offer praises unto Jehovah, and sing the anthem, "Give thanks unto Jehovah, for His mercy endureth forever." These words or their equivalent are the opening words, and the second clause the refrain, of the post-Exilic Psalm 106:1-48 ; Psalm 107:1-43 ; Psalm 118:1-29 ; Psalm 136:1-26 . As the chronicler has already ascribed Psalm 106:1-48 to David, he possibly ascribes all four to David, and intends us to understand that one or all of them were sung by the Levites on this occasion. Later Judaism was in the habit of denoting a book or section of a book by its opening words. And so Judah, a pilgrim caravan rather than an army, went on to its Divinely appointed tryst with its enemies, and at its head the Levitical choir sang the Temple hymns. It was not a campaign, but a sacred function, on a much larger scale a procession such as may be seen winding its way, with chants and incense, banners, images, and crucifixes, through the streets of Catholic cities. Meanwhile Jehovah was preparing a spectacle to gladden the eyes of His people and reward their implicit faith and exact obedience; He was working for those who were waiting for Him. Though Judah was still far from its enemies, yet like the trumpet at Jericho, the strain of praise and thanksgiving was the signal for the Divine intervention: "When they began to sing and praise, Jehovah set liars in wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Self." Who were these liars in wait? They could not be men of Judah: they were not to fight, but to be passive spectators of their own deliverance. Did the allies set an ambush for Judah, and was it thus that they were afterwards led to mistake their own people for enemies? Or does the chronicler intend us to understand that these "liars in wait" were spirits; that the allied invaders were tricked and bewildered like the shipwrecked sailors in the Tempest; or that when they came to the wilderness of Jeruel there fell upon them a spirit of mutual distrust, jealousy, and hatred, that had, as it were, been waiting for them there? But, from whatever cause, a quarrel broke out amongst them; and they were smitten. When Ammonite, Moabite, and Edomite met, there were many private and public feuds waiting their opportunity; and such confederates were as ready to quarrel among themselves as a group of Highland clans engaged in a Lowland foray. "Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir utterly to slay and destroy them." But even Ammon and Moab soon dissolved their alliance; and at last, partly maddened by panic, partly intoxicated by a wild thirst for blood, a very Berserker frenzy, all ties of friendship and kindred were forgotten, and every man’s hand was against his brother. "When they had made an end of the inhabitants of Self, every one helped to destroy another." While this tragedy was enacting, and the air was rent with the cruel yells of that death struggle, Jehoshaphat and his people moved on in tranquil pilgrimage to the cheerful sound of the songs of Zion. At last they reached an eminence, perhaps the long, low summit of some ridge overlooking the plateau of Jeruel. When they had gained this watchtower of the wilderness, the ghastly scene burst upon their gaze. Jehovah had kept His word: they had found their enemy. They "looked upon the multitude," all those hordes of heathen tribes that had filled them with terror and dismay. They were harmless enough now: the Jews saw nothing but "dead bodies fallen to the earth"; and in that Aceldama lay all the multitude of profane invaders who had dared to violate the sanctity of the Promised Land: "There were none that escaped." So had Israel looked back after crossing the Red Sea and seen the corpses of the Egyptians washed up on the shore. { Exodus 14:30 } Set when the angel of Jehovah smote Sennacherib, - "Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown, That host on the morrow lay withered and strown." There is no touch of pity for the wretched victims of their own sins. Greeks of every city and tribe could feel the pathos of the tragic end of the Athenian expedition against Syracuse; but the Jews had no ruth for the kindred tribes that dwelt along their frontier, and the age of the chronicler had not yet learnt that Jehovah had either tenderness or compassion for the enemies of Israel. The spectators of this carnage-we cannot call them victors-did not neglect to profit to the utmost by their great opportunity. They spent three days in stripping the dead bodies; and as Orientals delight in jewelled weapons and costly garments, and their chiefs take the field with barbaric ostentation of wealth, the spoil was both valuable and abundant: "riches, and raiment, and precious jewels more than they could carry away." In collecting the spoil, the Jews had become dispersed through all the wide area over which the fighting between the confederates must have extended; but on the fourth day they gathered together again in a neighboring valley and gave solemn thanks for their deliverance: "There they blessed Jehovah; therefore the name of that place was called the valley of Berachah unto this day." West of Tekoa. not too far from the scene of carnage, a ruin and a wady still bear the name "Bereikut"; and doubtless in the chronicler’s time the valley was called Berachah, and local tradition furnished our author with this explanation of the origin of the name. When the spoil was all collected, they returned to Jerusalem as they came, in solemn procession, headed, no doubt, by the Levites, with psalteries, and harps, and trumpets. They came back to the scene of their anxious supplications: to the house of Jehovah. But yesterday, as it were, they had assembled before Jehovah, terror-stricken at the report of an irresistible host of invaders; and today their enemies were utterly destroyed. They had experienced a deliverance that might rank with the Exodus; and as at that former deliverance they had spoiled the Egyptians, so now they had returned laden with the plunder of Moab, Ammon, and Edom. And all their neighbors were smitten with fear when they heard of the awful ruin which Jehovah had brought upon these enemies of Israel. No one would dare to invade a country where Jehovah laid a ghostly ambush of liars in wait for the enemies of His people. The realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, not because he was protected by powerful allies or by the swords of his numerous and valiant soldiers, but because Judah had become another Eden, and cherubim with flaming swords guarded the frontier on every hand, and "his God gave him rest round about." Then follow the regular summary and conclusion of the history of the reign taken from the book of Kings, with the usual alterations in the reference to further sources of information. We are told here, in direct contradiction to 1 Chronicles 17:6 and to the whole tenor of the previous chapters, that the high places were not taken away, another illustration of the slight importance the chronicler attached to accuracy in details. He either overlooks the contradiction between passages borrowed from different sources, or else does not think it worth while to harmonize his inconsistent materials. But after the narrative of the reign is thus formally closed the chronicler inserts a postscript, perhaps by a kind of after-thought. The book of Kings narrates { 1 Kings 22:48-49 } how Jehoshaphat made ships to go to Ophir for gold, but they were broken at Ezion-geber; then Ahaziah the son of Ahab proposed to enter into partnership with Jehoshaphat, and the latter rejected his proposal. As we have seen, the chronicler’s theory of retribution required some reason why so pious a king experienced misfortune. What sin had Jehoshaphat committed to deserve to have his ships broken? The chronicler has a new version of the story, which provides an answer to this question. Jehoshaphat did not build any ships by himself; his unfortunate navy was constructed in partnership with Ahaziah; and accordingly the prophet Eliezer rebuked him for allying himself a second time with a wicked king of Israel, and announced the coming wreck of the ships. And so it came about that the ships were broken, and the shadow of Divine displeasure rested on the last days of Jehoshaphat. We have next to notice the chronicler’s most important omissions. The book of Kings narrates another alliance of Jehoshaphat with Jehoram, king of Israel, like his alliances with Ahab and Ahaziah. The narrative of this incident closely resembles that of the earlier joint expedition to Ramoth-Gilead. As then Jehoshaphat marched out with Ahab, so now he accompanies Ahab’s son Jehoram, taking with him his subject ally the king of Edom. Here also a prophet appears upon the scene; but on this occasion Elisha addresses no rebuke to Jehoshaphat for his alliance with Israel, but treats him with marked respect: and the allied army wins a great victory. If this narrative had been included in Chronicles, the reign of Jehoshaphat would not have afforded an altogether satisfactory illustration of the main lesson which the chronicler intended it to teach. This main lesson was that the chosen people should not look for protection against their enemies either to foreign alliances or to their own military strength, but solely to the grace and omnipotence of Jehovah. One negative aspect of this principle has been enforced by the condemnation of Asa’s alliance with Syria and Jehoshaphat’s with Ahab and Ahaziah. Later on the uselessness of an army apart from Jehovah is shown in the defeat of "the great host" of Joash by "a small company" of Syrians. The positive aspect has been partially illustrated by the signal victo