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The Battle Is The Lord’s

Posted on 17 May 2020, Pastor: Tolu Makinde

Title: The Battle Is The Lord’s

Text: 2 Chro. 20:14-17

[2Ch 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;

[2Ch 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.

[2Ch 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.

[2Ch 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.

Introduction

Background:

Jehosphat, the king of Judah, was told that a multitude was coming against Judah to invade the land.
The invaders consisted of the Moabites and the Ammonites
The Moabites & Ammonites:
- [Gen 19:37] And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
- [Gen 19:38] And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
- These are the children born out of the incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters.
- [Deu 23:2] A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
- [Deu 23:3] An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:
- The enemy you do not deal with today may become a giant in one’s life tomorrow.
When Jehosaphat heard,
- He set himself to seek the Lord,
- He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah
- He cried out to the Lord, and reported the Moabites and the Ammonites to God – 2 Chro. 20:6-13
- [2Ch 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?
- [2Ch 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?
- [2Ch 20:8] And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
- [2Ch 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.
- [2Ch 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;
- [2Ch 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.
- [2Ch 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.
- [2Ch 20:13] And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, who was a Levite, and he gave them the message of comfort, a message of hope in 2 Chro. 20:14-17
- Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude;
- For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
- 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 Lord fought the battle for them, they did not have to fight the battle – 2 Chro. 20:20-23
- [2Ch 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.
- [2Ch 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.
- [2Ch 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.
- [2Ch 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.

Main Topic

Seven Keys for winning the battles of life:

1. The Key of knowing the Lord

Jehosaphat was the son of Asa. Asa knew the Lord and Jehosaphat followed in his footsteps.
[2Ch 17:3] And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; [2Ch 17:4] But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
Not knowing the Lord causes His presence to be far away
[Jas 4:8] Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
[Joh 10:27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

2. The key of seeking the Lord

[2Ch 20:3] And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
[Isa 55:6] Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
[Pro 8:17] I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
[Mat 7:7] Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [Mat 7:8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

3. The key of fasting

[2Ch 20:3] And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
Children of Israel – Jdg 20:18-35
- [Jdg 20:18] Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, “Judah first!”
- [Jdg 20:19] So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.
- [Jdg 20:20] And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah.
- [Jdg 20:21] Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites.
- [Jdg 20:22] And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day.
- [Jdg 20:23] Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Go up against him.”
- [Jdg 20:24] So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day.
- [Jdg 20:25] And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.
- [Jdg 20:26] Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
- [Jdg 20:27] So the children of Israel inquired of the LORD (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
- [Jdg 20:28] and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
- [Jdg 20:29] Then Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah.
- [Jdg 20:30] And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in battle array against Gibeah as at the other times.
- [Jdg 20:31] So the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other times, in the highways (one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah) and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
- [Jdg 20:32] And the children of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, as at first.” But the children of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”
- [Jdg 20:33] So all the men of Israel rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then Israel’s men in ambush burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba.
- [Jdg 20:34] And ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them.
- [Jdg 20:35] The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed that day twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the sword.
Fasting has a way of causing prayers to be answered quickly

4. The key of prayer

2 Chro. 20:6-13 – Jehosaphat prayed.
[Psa 141:2] Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
[Jer 33:3] Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
[Mat 7:7] Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [Mat 7:8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
[Php 4:6] Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. [Php 4:7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
[2Ch 7:14] If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

5. The key of the Holy Spirit

[2Ch 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;
The provider of the battle strategy
The giver of direction

6. The key of praise and worship

[2Ch 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.
[2Ch 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.

7. The key of appreciating God

[2Ch 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.

Conclusion

If you can put these 7 keys to action, you will always win the battles of life.