After this, the children of Moab, the children of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then some came who told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea from Syria. Behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). Jehoshaphat was alarmed, and set himself to seek to Yahweh. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. Judah gathered themselves together to seek help from Yahweh. They came out of all the cities of Judah to seek Yahweh.
Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in Yahweh’s house, before the new court; and he said, “Yahweh, the God of our fathers, aren’t you God in heaven? Aren’t you ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand, so that no one is able to withstand you. Didn’t you, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it to the offspring of Abraham your friend forever? They lived in it, and have built you a sanctuary in it for your name, saying, ‘If evil comes on us—the sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this house, and before you (for your name is in this house), and cry to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ Now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned away from them, and didn’t destroy them; behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
All Judah stood before Yahweh, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
Then Yahweh’s Spirit came on Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, in the middle of the assembly; and he said, “Listen, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, king Jehoshaphat. Yahweh says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, and don’t be dismayed because of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight this battle. Set yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed. Go out against them tomorrow, for Yahweh is with you.’ ”
Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Yahweh, worshiping Yahweh. The Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with an exceedingly loud voice.
They rose early in the morning, and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in Yahweh your God, so you will be established! Believe his prophets, so you will prosper.”
When he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to Yahweh, and give praise in holy array, as they go out before the army, and say, “Give thanks to Yahweh; for his loving kindness endures forever.” When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set ambushers against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were struck. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. When they had finished the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy each other.
When Judah came to the place overlooking the wilderness, they looked at the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none who escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their plunder, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away. They took plunder for three days, it was so much. On the fourth day, they assembled themselves in Beracah Valley, for there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore the name of that place was called “Beracah Valley” to this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Yahweh had made them to rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with stringed instruments, harps, and trumpets to Yahweh’s house. The fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Yahweh fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. He walked in the way of Asa his father, and didn’t turn away from it, doing that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes. However the high places were not taken away, and the people had still not set their hearts on the God of their fathers. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is included in the book of the kings of Israel. After this, Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. The same did very wickedly. He joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish. They made the ships in Ezion Geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works.” The ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 29, 32, 33, 37 That is, which counterfeited the Ammonites in language and…
That is, which counterfeited the Ammonites in language and apparel. The Hebrews think that they were the Amalekites, but as may appear by the tenth verse they were the Idumeans of mount Seir.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 2Ch 20:1 It came to pass after this also,…
2Ch 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.
Ver. 1. It came to pass after this also.] After Jehoshaphat’s great care to reform and set all to right throughout his kingdom, {2Ch 19:4-11} for his further trial, and exercise of his faith, these enemies - moved with envy, doubtless, at his growing greatness, and stirred up by the Syrians, against whom he had taken part with Ahab lately - were turned loose upon him. The best are not to account it strange when they "fall into divers temptations"; but to consider of this golden chapter, wherein ( res multae et magnae continentur, saith Lavater) are contained many great matters; neither is there any chapter in this whole book whereout we may learn more.
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And with them other beside the Ammonites,] viz., The Syrians, {2Ch 20:2} and the Edomites. {2Ch 20:10} The Amalekites, say some of the Hebrews; as others the Hamenins.
Came against Jehoshaphat to battle.] Not once giving him warning by their heralds or otherwise, {a} but thinking to surprise him, though he was never unprovided. See 2Ch 17:17-18.
{a} Id fuit contra ius gentium. It was be done against the law of the nations.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 33, 35, 36 Other beside the Ammonites, to wit, the people that…
Other beside the Ammonites, to wit, the people that dwelt in Mount Seir, who were now confederate with them, as appears from 2Ch 20:10,22,23. Or this is the name of a peculiar people, called either Mehumin, of whom you read 2Ch 26:7 (and so there is only a transposition of two letters in the Hebrew word, which is not unusual in that language); or Minoceans, as the LXX. interpreters render this word; or Ammonium, or Mehaammonim, as it is in the Hebrew, (the two first letters being not prefixes, as they are commonly made, but part of the word or proper name of that people,) who, as it may seem, now dwelt in Mount Seir, being either of the old stock of the Edomites, or another nation since come in their stead or mixed with them. Others render the place thus, for (as the Hebrew vau is oft taken) with them (i.e. with the Moabites) were the Ammonites, or children of Ammon; which may be distinctly noted, either to show the largeness of the confederacy, in which not only the Moabites were engaged, who dwelt near Jehoshaphat’s kingdom, but the Ammonites also, who lived at a greater distance from him; or to intimate that the Ammonites being possibly instigated by the Syrians, their next neighbours, were the first beginners and chief promoters of the war, and engaged both the Moabites and the inhabitants of Mount Seir in their quarrel.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv1, 14, 20, 31 We left Jehoshaphat, in the foregoing chapter, well employed…
We left Jehoshaphat, in the foregoing chapter, well employed in reforming his kingdom and providing for the due administration of justice and support of religion in it, and expected nothing but to hear of the peace and prosperity of his reign; but here we have him in distress, which distress, however, was followed by such a glorious deliverance as was an abundant recompence for his piety. If we meet with trouble in the way of duty, we may believe it is that God may have an opportunity of showing us so much the more of his marvellous loving-kindness. We have here,
I. A formidable invasion of Jehoshaphat's kingdom by the Moabites, and Ammonites, and their auxiliaries, Ch2 20:1. Jehoshaphat was surprised with the intelligence of it when the enemy had already entered his country, Ch2 20:2. What pretence they had to quarrel with Jehoshaphat does not appear; they are said to come from beyond the sea, meaning the Dead Sea, where Sodom had stood. It should seem, they marched through those of the ten tribes that lay beyond Jordan, and they gave them passage through their borders; so ungrateful were they to Jehoshaphat, who had lately put his hand to help them in recovering Ramoth-Gilead. Several nations joined in this confederacy, but especially the children of Lot, whom the rest helped, Psa 83:6-8. The neighbouring nations had feared Jehoshaphat (Ch2 17:10), but perhaps his affinity with Ahab had lessened him in their esteem, and they had some intimation that his God was displeased with him for it, which they fancied would give them an opportunity to make a prey of his kingdom.
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II. The preparation Jehoshaphat made against the invaders. No mention is made of his mustering his forces, which yet it is most probable he did, for God must be trusted in the use of means. But his great care was to obtain the favour of God, and secure him on his side, which perhaps he was the more solicitous about because he had been lately told that there was wrath upon him from before the Lord, Ch2 19:2. But he is of the mind of his father David. If we must be corrected, yet let us not fall into the hands of man. 1. He feared. Consciousness of guilt made him fear. Those that have least sin are the most sensible of it. The surprise added to the fright. Holy fear is a spur to prayer and preparation, Heb 11:7. 2. He set himself to seek the Lord, and, in the first place, to make him his friend. Those that would seek the Lord so as to find him, and to find favour with him, must set themselves to seek him, must do it with fixedness of thought, with sincerity of intention, and with the utmost vigour and resolution to continue seeking him. 3. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah, appointed a day of humiliation and prayer, that they might join together in confessing their sins and asking help of the Lord. Fasting from bodily refreshments, upon such extraordinary occasions, is a token of self-judging for the sins we have committed (we own ourselves unworthy of the bread we eat, and that God might justly withhold it from us), and of self-denial for the future; fasting for sin implies a resolution to fast from it, though it has been to us as a sweet morsel. Magistrates are to call their people to the duty of fasting and prayer upon such occasions, that it may be a national act, and so may obtain national mercies. 4. The people readily assembled out of all the cities of Judah in the court of the temple to join in prayer (Ch2 20:4), and they stood before the Lord, as beggars at his door, with their wives and children; they and their families were in danger, and therefore they bring their families with them to seek the Lord. "Lord, we are indeed a provoking people, that deserve to be abandoned to ruin; but here are little ones that are innocent, let not them perish in the storm." Nineveh was spared for the sake of the little ones, Jon 4:11. The place they met in was the house of the Lord, before the new court, which was perhaps lately added to the former courts (that, as some think, which was called the court of the women); thus they came within reach of that gracious promise which God had made, in answer to Solomon's prayer, Ch2 7:15. My ears shall be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 5. Jehoshaphat himself was the mouth of the congregation to God, and did not devolve the work upon his chaplains. Though the kings were forbidden to burn incense, they were allowed to pray and preach; as Solomon and Jehoshaphat here. The prayer Jehoshaphat prayed, upon this occasion, is here recorded, or part of it; and an excellent prayer it is. (1.) He acknowledges the sovereign dominion of the divine Providence, gives to God the glory of it and takes to himself the comfort of it (Ch2 20:6): "Art not thou God in heaven? No doubt thou art, which none of the gods of the heathen are; make it to appear then. Is not thy dominion, supreme over kingdoms themselves, and universal, over all kingdoms, even those of the heathen that know thee not? Control these heathen then; set bounds to their daring threatening insults. Is there not in thy hand the power and might which none is able to withstand? Lord, exert it on our behalf. Glorify thy own omnipotence." (2.) He lays hold on their covenant-relation to God and interest in him. "Thou that art God in heaven art the God of our fathers (Ch2 20:6) and our God, Ch2 20:7. Whom should we seek to, whom should we trust to, for relief, but to the God we have chosen and served?" (3.) He shows the title they had to this good land they were now in possession of; an indisputable title it was: "Thou gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend. He was thy friend (this is referred to, Jam 2:23, to show the honour of Abraham, that he was called the friend of God); we are his seed, and hope to be beloved for the father's sake," Rom 11:28; Deu 7:8, Deu 7:9. "We hold this land by grant from thee. Lord, maintain thy own grant, and warrant it against all unjust claims. Suffer us not to be cast out of they possession. We are tenants; thou art our landlord; wilt thou not hold thy own?" Ch2 20:11. Those that use what they have for God may comfortably hope that he will secure it to them. (4.) He makes mention of the sanctuary, the temple they had built for God's name (Ch2 20:8), not as if that merited any thing at God's hand, for of his own they gave him, but it was such a token of God's favourable presence with them that they had promised themselves he would hear and help them when, in their distress, they cried to him before that house, Ch2 20:8, Ch2 20:9. "Lord, when it was built it was intended for the encouragement of our faith at such a time as this. Here thy name is; here we are. Lord, help us, for the glory of thy name." (5.) He pleads the ingratitude and injustice of his enemies: "We are such as it will be thy glory to appear for; they are such as it will be thy glory to appear against; for, [1.] They ill requite our ancient kindnesses. Thou wouldst not let Israel invade them, nor give them any disturbance." Deu 2:5, Deu 2:9, Deu 2:19, Meddle not with the Edomites, distress not the Moabites, come not nigh the children of Ammon, no not though they provoke you. "Yet now see how they invade us." We may comfortably appear to God against those that render us evil for good. [2.] "They break in upon our ancient rights. They come to cast us out of our possessions, and seize our land for themselves. O! our God, wilt thou not judge them? Ch2 20:12. Wilt thou not give sentence against them, and execute it upon them?" The justice of God is the refuge of those that are wronged. (6.) He professes his entire dependence upon God for deliverance. Though he had a great army on foot, and well disciplined; yet he said, "We have no might against this great company, none without thee, none that we can expect any thing from without thy special presence and blessing, none to boast of, none to trust to; but our eyes are upon thee. We rely upon thee, and from thee is all our expectation. The disease seems desperate: we know not what to do, are quite at a loss, in a great strait. But this is a sovereign remedy, our eyes are upon thee, an eye of acknowledgment and humble submission, an eye of faith and entire dependence, an eye of desire and hearty prayer, an eye of hope and patient expectation. In thee, O God! do we put our trust; our souls wait on thee."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36 It came to pass after this also,.... After Jehoshaphat's…
It came to pass after this also,.... After Jehoshaphat's return from Ramothgilead, and putting the civil and religious affairs of his people on a better footing, when he might have expected much peace and prosperity:
that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon; both the descendants of Lot, see Psa 83:8,
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and with them other besides the Ammonites; a great company of Arabians, according to Josephus (r); or "with the Meamonites", which the Targum understands of the Idumaeans or Edomites; and so do other interpreters, and which they conclude from Ch2 20:10. Jarchi thinks the Amalekites are meant, who were of the race of Edom; but the notion of Kimchi seems best, that these are the people that are so called from the name of a place, Meon, and, by an inversion of letters, the same with the Meunim or Maonites, mentioned along with the Zidonians and Amalekites, Jdg 10:12 and whom the Septuagint version here calls Minaeans; some (s) take them to be such who counterfeited the Ammonites in their apparel and gestures:
these came against Jehoshaphat in battle; being instigated perhaps by the Syrians, who owed him ill will for assisting Ahab against them at Ramothgilead; for from that quarter they came, as the following verse shows.
(r) Antiqu. l. 9. c. 1. sect. 2. (s) Weemse of the Moral Law, l. 2. c. 6. p. 161.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 5, 7, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 33, 35 The land being invaded, Jehoshaphat and all the people…
The land being invaded, Jehoshaphat and all the people seek God by fasting and prayer, ver. 1-13. They thankfully receive the promise of victory given by a prophet, ver. 14-19. Their enemies are overthrown, ver. 20-25. Their thanksgiving, ver. 25-30. The conclusion of his reign, ver. 31-37.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 17, 20, 22, 25, 26, 27, 29, 33, 34, 36, 37 The Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, invade Judah, 1, 2.
CHAPTER XX
The Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, invade Judah, 1, 2.
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Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast, and gathers the people together
to seek the Lord, 3, 4.
His prayer to God, 5-12.
Great and small, male and female, seek the Lord, 13.
Jahaziel predicts the downfall of their enemies, 14-17.
The king, the Levites, and the people take courage; praise and
magnify God; and go forth to meet their enemies, 18-21.
The enemies are confounded, and destroy each other, 22-24.
The men of Judah take the spoil, praise the Lord, and return
with joy to Jerusalem, 25-28.
The fear of the Lord falls upon all their enemies round about;
and the land has rest, 29, 30.
Transactions and character of Jehoshaphat, 31-34.
He joins with Ahaziah, king of Israel, in building a fleet of
ships to go to Tarshish, but they are wrecked at Ezion-geber,
35-37.
NOTES ON CHAP. XX
Verse 1. Children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites] Here there must be a mistake; surely the Ammonites are the same as the children of Ammon. Our translators have falsified the text by inserting the words "other beside," which have nothing properly to represent them in the Hebrew. Literally translated, the words are: "And it happened after this, the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them of the Ammonites:" and thus the Vulgate. The Syriac, which the Arabic follows, has felt the difficulty, and translated, Came together with warlike men to fight, c. The Septuagint have given it another turn: Και μετ' αυτων εκ των Μιναιων, And with them people of the Minaites which were a people of Arabia Felix near the Red Sea. The Targum has ועמהון מן אדומאי Ve-immehon min Edomaey, "And with them some of the Edomites." This is very likely to be the true reading, as we find from 2Ch 20:10; 2Ch 20:22-23, that they procured men from Mount Seir; and these were the Idumeans or Edomites. We should, in my opinion, read the text thus: The children of Moab, and the children of common, and with them some of the Edomites.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 33, 35 2Ch 20:1. It came to pass after this also,…
2Ch 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.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 35 The present Hebrew (and English) text mentions the Ammonites…
The present Hebrew (and English) text mentions the Ammonites twice over. Hence, some adopt a different reading and translate “the children of Ammon, and with them certain of the Maonites,” etc. Compare 2Ch 20:10, note; Jdg 10:12, note; 1Ch 4:41, note.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 29, 33, 34, 35, 36 Of the Ammonites; people sprung from them. Those who…
Of the Ammonites; people sprung from them. Those who explain the Psalm lxxxii. of this war, find many nations mentioned. Some of these, not daring to appear openly, assumed the name of Ammonites. Perhaps we should read (C.) Mannim. H. --- Sept. "the Mineans," who dwelt in Arabia Felix, upon the Red Sea, (Pliny, vi. 28.) or rather the Maonians, in the environs of Gaza. C. --- Some MSS. and Latin editions have "Idumeans," which is conformable to v. 11, 23, and S. Jerom Trad. Lyranus, &c. M.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 5, 6, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 31, 32, 33, 35 from beyond the sea on this side Syria--Instead of…
from beyond the sea on this side Syria--Instead of "Syria," some versions read "Edom," and many able critics prefer this reading, both because the nomad tribes here mentioned were far from Syria, and because express mention is made of Mount Seir, that is, Edom. The meaning then is: this confederate horde was composed of the different tribes that inhabited the far distant regions bordering on the northern and eastern coasts of the Red Sea. Their progress was apparently by the southern point of the Dead Sea, as far as En-gedi, which, more anciently, was called Hazezon-tamar (Gen 14:7). This is the uniform route taken by the Arabs in their marauding expeditions at the present day; and in coming round the southern end of the Dead Sea, they can penetrate along the low-lying Ghor far north, without letting their movements be known to the tribes and villages west of the mountain chain [ROBINSON]. Thus, anciently, the invading horde in Jehoshaphat's time had marched as far north as En-gedi, before intelligence of their advance was conveyed to the court. En-gedi is recognized in the modern Ainjidy and is situated at a point of the western shore, nearly equidistant from both extremities of the lake [ROBINSON].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 5, 6, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 28, 31, 34, 37 VICTORY OVER MOAB AND AMMON, 2Ch_19:1-11.
VICTORY OVER MOAB AND AMMON, 2Ch_19:1-11.
1. Moab, and… Ammon — These nations on the east of the Dead Sea seem to have made no attempt against the kingdom of Judah since the time of their disastrous defeat by David. Comp. 2Sa_8:2; 2Sa_12:26-30.
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Besides the Ammonites — This is doubtless a corrupt reading, and by a simple transposition of letters in the Hebrew text we have Mennim, or Maonites, instead of Ammonites. The Maonites, or Mehunims, seem to have been a nomadic tribe in the vicinity of Mount Seir. Comp. 2Ch_26:7; 1Ch_4:41; and Jdg_10:12. Instead of besides the Ammonites, we should read, then, and with them some of the Maonites.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 1. other beside the Ammonites] Render, some of the…
1. other beside the Ammonites] Render, some of the Meunim (2Ch_26:7; 1Ch_4:41, R.V.). In all three places LXX. has Μειναῖοι (Μιναῖοι). They were an Arabian people whose name seems to be preserved in that of Ma‘în, a village (south-east of Petra) on the pilgrim route between Damascus and Mecca. Bädeker, p. 144. The Minaeans have been supposed to be a very ancient people, but the only dated inscription coming from them with which we are acquainted belongs to the reign of one of the Ptolemies and cannot be earlier than circ. 300 b.c.
Ch. 2Ch_20:1-4 (no parallel in Kings). The Invasion of the Moabites and their Allies
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For a discussion of the historical probabilities of the following account see Introduction, § 8, and G. A. Smith, Hist. Geography, pp. 272, 3.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1–37 (1) It came to pass after this also.—Rather, And…
(1) It came to pass after this also.—Rather, And it came to pass afterwards, i.e., after the battle of Ramoth-Gilead, and Jehoshaphat’s reformation of law and religion.
And the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites.—This is an attempt to get a reasonable sense out of a corrupted text. What the Heb. says is: And the sons of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites. So the Vulg., “et filii Ammon et cum eis de Ammonitis.” Transpose a single Hebrew letter, and there results the intelligible reading: And the sons of Ammon, and with them the Maonites (Heb., Me’ûnîm. See on 1Ch_4:41-42.) The Maonites are mentioned again (2Ch_26:7) in company with Arabs. They appear to have been a tribe, whose chief seat was Maon, on the eastern slopes of the chain of Mount Seir, after which they are called “sons,” or “inhabitants of Mount Seir” in 2Ch_20:10; 2Ch_20:22-23. Accordingly Josephus (Ant. ix. 1, § 2) calls them a multitude of Arabs. [The LXX. reads: “And with them some of the Minaioi,” a name which possibly represents the me’înîm of the Heb. text of 1Ch_4:41. Syriac, “and with them men of war;” Arabic, “brave men.” Perhaps the expression rendered and with them—we’immahèm—is a relic of an original reading, and the Maonites; and the some of the Ammonites (mçhâ’ammônîm) which follows, is merely a gloss on an obscure name by some transcriber].
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 Of this chapter, with its thirty-seven verses, only the…
Of this chapter, with its thirty-seven verses, only the six verses (31-36) find any duplicate or parallel in Kings. (1Ki_22:41-49) The chapter is occupied with a statement of the invasion of Judah by Moabites and Ammonites and certain problematical others (vers. 1, 2); with an account of the way in which the king and people prepared to meet the crisis (vers. 3-13); with the prophecy of Jahaziel the Levite as to how, under certain conditions, things would go (vers. 14-19); and with the narration of the victory, and the manner of it (vers. 20-30); while the remaining verses partly summarize and then conclude the account of the life, character, and reign of Jehoshaphat.
The children of Moab. In 2Ki_3:5-27 we read of a rebellion on the part of Moab, and of the victory of Israel"s king Joram, together with Jehoshaphat and the King of Edom, over Moab, now probably in quest of revenge. Beside the Ammonites. The reading of our Authorized Version here cannot stand. The Septuagint gives us some guidance in the name "the Minoei." By the mere transposing of one Hebrew character in the name Ammonites, we obtain the name Maonites (read for i.e. the people of Maon, a town near Petra, no doubt Edomitish (see vers. 10, 22, 23), and possibly the same with the Septuagint Minoei. (see also 2Ch_26:7)
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HOMILETICS.
Vers. 1-37.
The last chapter in Jehoshaphat"s career.
The aspects in which the character of Jehoshaphat offers itself to our view, in the last seen of him, are now to be considered. Few men there are who bear themselves well in prosperity, especially if the prosperity be great; and many there are who fail to submit well to the discipline of adversity. Of this latter weakness of human nature it can scarcely be said that Jehoshaphat was an illustration. The punishment that had been foretold, that solemn consequence, at any rate, of "helping the ungodly, and loving them that hate the Lord; therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord", (2Ch_19:2) now impended; and almost the entirety of what remains to be recorded respecting Jehoshaphat is occupied with the subject in this chapter, of the manner in which Jehoshaphat met his evil days. He did not defy them, he did not aggravate them, he did not make them a case of hopeless repining; he met them in a calm, brave, religious spirit. The indications and the proofs of this are noticeable as follows.
I THE ALARM OF WHAT WAS COMING IS ATTENDED TO AT ONCE, AND IS AT ONCE PREPARED FOR. (Vers. 1-4.)
II THE IMMEDIATE FIRST PREPARATION IS THE RESORT TO PRAYER. In the presence of all "the congregation of Judah and Benjamin, in the house of the Lord," when "all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children" (vers. 5, 13), prayer is made to God prayer that recounts his great attributes; that claims his Fatherhood as vouchsafed by promise and covenant of old; that rehearses his mighty works; that lays faith"s clinging hold upon the comparatively recently built and consecrated and dedicated temple, with all that it involved; that finds an argument, even, in the specially ungrateful turpitude of the foe, who now is the attacking party; and that closes with an unreserved and a beautiful expression of confidence in God and utter self-distrust (vers. 5-12).
III THE PROMISE, BY WHICH THAT PRAYER IS ANSWERED, IS TAKEN HOLD OF, IS GRATEFULLY GRASPED, IS UNFALTERINGLY BELIEVED. The promise is a very gracious one, a most liberal one, conveyed in a very inspiriting and encouraging manner, and Jehoshaphat is overwhelmed with the impression of it (ver. 18).
IV JEHOSHAPHAT AND THE PEOPLE AND THE LEVITES, ALL WITH ONE ACCORD ACCEPT IT WITH SUCH FAITH, THAT JOY AND PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING ARE ALL RENDERED BY ANTICIPATION. (Vers. 14-19.) The inspired Levite had communicated the promise, and had added to it all encouragement and exhortation, in the first place; but we read that Jehoshaphat himself took up after him both these ministries in the presence of the people, and in his great desire to keep them thoroughly up to the mark (vers. 20, 21).
V WHEN THE PROMISE IS FULFILLED TO THE MOST SIGNAL EXTENT, THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF IT, AND DUE THANKSGIVING FOR IT, ARE NOT FORGOTTEN, AND ARE NOT STINTED; BUT TO THE MEASURE OF HUMAN ABILITY CORRESPOND WITH IT. The testimony of this is explicit and repeated, while the description of it is exceedingly graphic (vers. 26-28).
VI THE FINAL TESTIMONY TO THE CONSISTENT, HONEST ENDEAVOUR OF THE LIFE OF JEHOSHAPHAT, THE SOLIDITY OF HIS WORK, AND THE BLESSING THAT RESTED UPON IT FROM ABOVE. It is most true that the work of Jehoshaphat had not been absolutely perfect, inasmuch as he had not absolutely succeeded (ver. 33) in what nevertheless he had earnestly and conscientiously endeavoured. (2Ch_17:6) And it is most true that his character and life and work had not been absolutely perfect, inasmuch as his defection in regard of his intimacy with Ahab now strangely repeated in the lesser instance of Ahaziah and "the ships of Tarshish" (vers. 35-37) stands against him. This latter also met with its punishment (ver. 37); but we may judge that it was acknowledged and repented of in the best way, by being forsaken. (1Ki_22:49) Yet we cannot be wrong to follow, with the tenor of the testimony of the mingled faithfulness and graciousness of Scripture biography, and say that, like its ultimate Inspirer and Author, it loves to "forgive transgression," and to "cover sin," and that the last note of Jehoshaphat is that his heart was right, that he "did that which was right," and that he and his work were graciously accepted of God.
HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON
Vers. 1-13.
The source of safety in the hour of peril.
Very suddenly does the scene change in these chronicles of the kingdom of Judah. From the peaceful and pleasant duty of completing the arrangements for securing justice throughout the land, Jehoshaphat was driven to consider the alarming intelligence that a powerful combination of enemies was threatening the independence of his kingdom. We learn from these facts
I THAT WE MAY SUDDENLY FIND OURSELVES IN MOST SERIOUS PERIL. Judah does not seem to have done anything to provoke this attack, or to have had any reason to expect it. It came upon them like a clap of thunder in a clear sky. Such things do occur to nations, to Churches, to families, to individual men. In some wholly unexpected quarter a grave difficulty arises. That power which should have been an ally suddenly becomes an enemy; that very institution which had been the source of sustenance threatens to drag us down with itself into financial ruin; the very men who promised to be, and who were, our best friends on whom we could rely, turn into our opponents and thwart our purposes; the bright, the brilliant morning has become a clouded noon, and a severe storm impends. Unhappily all history, observation, and experience will furnish abundant proof that this is not a remarkably exceptional, but an occasional or even a frequent occurrence in human life. It is a possibility that has so much of probability about it that we do well to be prepared for it lest we should be called to face it.
II THAT OUR TRUE REFUGE IS IN GOD.
1. But if that is to be so, we must be in a right relation to him. We must be able to say, with a deep significance, not only "O Lord God of our fathers," but also "Art not thou our God?" (vers. 6, 7). We must be true children of Abraham, who was himself the "friend of God" (ver. 7). We must be distinctly and definitely on the Lord"s side; we must be with Christ and not against him. (Mat_12:30) We cannot look for the delivering grace of God if we have not been reconciled unto him through Jesus Christ, if we have remained amongst those whose "sin has separated between them and their God.
2. Then there must be a consciousness of rectitude under the special circumstances. Jehoshaphat could plead that he and his people were in the land as rightful possessors of the soil; they inherited from God himself (ver. 11), and these invaders were wholly in the wrong; their attack was utterly indefensible (ver. 10). The king could plead that the cause of Judah was just and right. This consciousness of integrity we also must have, if we would fall back on God. "If our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God"; (1Jn_3:21) but otherwise we cannot raise our hopes. We cannot ask him to intervene on behalf of a cause which is one of unrighteousness, or one in which we have been acting quite unworthily of our Lord and Leader.
3. We must bring to God the attitude of conscious dependence. "Our eyes are upon thee," we must be able to say, sincerely. (Psa_27:1 Psa_46:1 Psa_62:5, Psa_62:6)
4. We should be united in our attitude and action. "All Judah stood before the Lord, with their wives and little ones" (ver. 13). It is not only the leaders or the representatives that should make their appeal to God. Let all the people, let the "little ones," whose presence and whose prayer might not seem to be so essential, appear before God and join in seeking his help.
III THAT WE MUST MAKE DIRECT AND EARNEST APPEAL TO HIM. Jehoshaphat took active measures to enlist the intervention of Jehovah; he "set himself to seek the Lord" etc. (vers. 3-6). It behoves us, in the day of our trial and our peril, to take active measures to secure the merciful and mighty succour of our God. We must make our earnest and our persevering appeal to him, and be waiting upon while we wait for him. And our appeal will, at any rate, be threefold. We shall plead:
1. Our utter helplessness apart from his effectuating power. "We have no might," etc. (ver. 12). We shall, of course, be alert, diligent, energetic; we shall put forth all our skill and strength; but we shall feel that all will be wholly unavailing except our God works with us and through us.
2. His almighty power. (Vers. 6, 7.)
3. His Divine faithfulness. (Vers. 6-9.) We also, like the King of Judah, can plead the inviolable word of our Lord. He has promised to be with us, to provide for us, to guide us through all our journey, to give us the victory over our enemies, to reward our faithful labour with a blessed increase; "And none shall find his promise vain. C.
HOMILIES BY T. WHITELAW Vers. 1-4.
An alarm of war an invasion from the East.
I A STARTLING REPORT. The safety of Jehoshaphat"s empire was threatened by a formidable foe.
1. The composition of the enemy. (Ver. 1.)
(1) The children of Moab. Descendants of Lot and his elder daughter. (Gen_19:37) Their territory lay east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, and had for its northern boundary first the Jabbok, (Deu_2:20) and afterwards the Amen, (Num_21:13-26) the modem Wddy Mojeb, opposite Engedi. After the conquest a large portion of this region was occupied by the tribe of Reuben, which caused the Moabites to put forth long-continued efforts to recover their lost possessions. This they did soon after Joshua"s death, and even acquired ascendancy over Israel until their yoke was broken by Ehud. (Jud_1:3:12, etc.) In Saul"s time troublesome, they were by David completely subdued (1Sa_14:47; 2Sa_8:2) Under Solomon or the first kings of Israel they must have again broken loose, for they were once more reduced by Omri, who, according to the Moabite inscription, "took the land of Medeba, and occupied it in his days and his son"s days forty years" ("Records," etc., 11:166). On the accession of Jehoram, Ahab"s son, to the Israelitish throne, Mesha, the son of Chemoshgad, rebelled and successfully asserted his independence. (2Ki_3:5)
1. The children of Ammon. Likewise descendants of Lot. (Gen_19:38) These originally occupied the same region as their kinsmen, the Moabites, but were eventually "obliged to retreat eastwards to the water-, (Deu_2:37) where they remained in the mountains, in a district not annexed by Israel, in which their name is still preserved at Amman, the ancient Rabbath-Ammon" (Num_21:24) (Conder, "Handbook to the Bible," p. 237). The Ammonites worshipped the supreme Being, under the name of Moloch or Milcom. (1Ki_11:7)
2. The Ammonites. Probably the Mennites, or Maonites (2Ch_26:7) tribe whose head-quarters were the city of Maan, in the neighbourhood of Petra, to the east of the Wady Musa" (Keil); they are afterwards described as "inhabitants of Mount Seir" (vers. 22, 23).
1. The number of their army. "A great multitude" (ver. 2) had often before assailed Israel (2Ch_14:11; Jud_1:6:5; Jos_11:4) and afterwards did assail Judah. (2Ch_32:7) When Solomon spoke of Israel as a people like the dust for multitude, (2Ch_1:9) it was rhetoric.
2. The place of their entrapment. Hazazon-tamar, or "the pruning of the palm tree" (Gen_14:7) name probably preserved in that of the tract called Hasasah, "pebbles" near "Ain-Jidy" (Condor, p. 414) otherwise Engedi, or "fountain of the kid," the modern Ain-Jidy was situated on the west coast of the Dead Sea, about the middle and directly opposite the mountains of Moab. "Few landscapes are more impressive than the sudden unfolding of the Dead Sea basin and its eastern wall from the top of the pass of Engedi" (Tristram, in "Picturesque Palestine," 3:191). The allied forces had probably not crossed the lake (Josephus), but rounded its southern extremity.
II AN UNEASY APPREHENSION. The fear felt by Jehoshaphat was justified by a variety of circumstances.
1. The character of the invasion. It was the first time Jehoshaphat"s kingdom had been exposed to the horrors of war within its own borders. Heretofore Judah"s campaigns had been beyond the limits of her own territory, as at Ramoth-Gilead. (2Ch_18:28) Foreign wars are apt to be invested with a spurious glory; war at home discovers its repulsive features to all. When a land becomes a battle-field, then
All her husbandry doth lie on heaps, Corrupting in its own fertility. Her vine, the merry cheerer of the heart, Unpruned dies, etc. ("King Henry V," act 5. sc. 2.)
1. The combination of powers. It was three against one; yet Jehoshaphat had no scruples in combining formerly with Ahab against Benhadad, or afterwards with Israel and Edom against Moab. (2Ki_3:7) "With what measure ye mete," etc., (Mat_7:7) applies to kingdoms and kings no less than to private individuals.
2. The pre diction of Jehu. Hanani"s son had spoken of wrath upon Jehoshaphat for helping Ahab: was this invasion a fulfilment of that threatening? Jehoshaphat might well tremble as he turned his thoughts southward to Engedi.
III A PRUDENT RESOLVE. In the sudden and dangerous emergency Jehoshaphat concluded to do three things.
1. To set himself to seek the Lord. So David had commanded Israel: (1Ch_16:10; Psa_105:3) and Solomon, (1Ch_22:19) if they would prosper as people and sovereign. So had Oded"s son, Azariah, directed Asa and his subjects if they would protect themselves against all future assailants. (2Ch_15:2) So Asa and his subjects did; and the Lord gave them rest round about. Jehoshaphat, perhaps recalling these details of national history, possibly also remembering how disastrously he had fared by going up against Benhadad without Jehovah"s help, decided that the first thing to do was to draw more closely together the alliance between himself and Jehovah, by a more diligent observance of worship and a more faithful performance of duty. Like all sincere reformers, whether in Church or state, Jehoshaphat began with himself (Luk_4:23; Rom_2:21-23) and began in earnest, setting his heart in it as a work he delighted in and intended to carry through.
2. To proclaim a fast throughout all Judah. Fasting a usual accompaniment of religious exercises in Israel, especially in times of anxiety and distress, whether individual or national. Witness the cases of, (2Sa_12:16, 2Sa_12:21) Esther, (Est_4:16) Nehemiah, (Neh_1:4) Daniel, (Dan_9:3) Darius, (Dan_6:18) and of the Jews at Mizpeh ( (Jud_1:20:26; 1Sa_7:6) the returning exiles at Ahava, (Ezr_8:21) and the Ninevites. (Jon_3:5) It was intended as a sign of self-humiliation, an expression of sorrow, and a confession of guilt.
3. To hold a national convention at Jerusalem. Whether he actually summoned the heads and representatives of the people, as Asa previously, (2Ch_15:9) is not stated; but the princes, chiefs of the fathers" houses, and principal men out of all the cities of Judah hastened to the capital to ask help of Jehovah in the crisis that had arisen.
LESSONS.
1. The hostility of the world-powers to the Church of God, exemplified inthis combination against Judah.
2. The distinction between fear and cowardice in front of danger,illustrated by the behaviour of Jehoshaphat.
3. The place and value of fasting in religion.
4. The best defence for a nation in the time of peril prayer and piety.
5. The duty and advantage of kings and peoples standing shoulder toshoulder when their safety is threatened. W.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 5, 12, 15, 17, 20, 21, 26, 28, 30, 35, 37 It came to pass.
2Ch_20:1
It came to pass.
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It came to pass
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 hearts 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 Gods name at my mothers 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. Boswells comment on relating it is, Were this consideration applied to most of the little vexations of life by which ones 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.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 CRITICAL NOTES.] Narrative to 2Ch_20:30 entirely additional to Kings.…
CRITICAL NOTES.] Narrative to 2Ch_20:30 entirely additional to Kings. Invasion of Moabites (2Ch_20:1-3); fast and supplication of king and people (2Ch_20:3-13); the message of Jahaziel (2Ch_20:14-19); exhortation and victory of Jehoshaphat (2Ch_20:20-30); close of his reign (2Ch_20:31-37), which runs parallel with 1Ki_22:41-49.
2Ch_20:1-2.—Invasion of Moabites. Ammonites, Sept., some of the Minœi, inhabitants of Maon (Mehunins), a town near Petra. 2Ch_20:2. Sea, Dead Sea. Syria, probably Edom. Has.-tam, having come round southern extremity of Dead Sea and entered Judæa from Edom.
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2Ch_20:3-13.—Fast and supplication. Set himself, his face (resolved, cf. 2Ki_12:18; Jer_42:15). Seek, i.e., to turn to Jehovah to implore help (2Ch_15:12-13). Fast, national, the first “proclaimed” by authority. New, one of the two courts in Solomon’s temple, renovated by Jehoshaphat or by Asa (2Ch_15:8), known now as “the new court.” 2Ch_20:6-12. The supplication. 2Ch_20:6. An appeal to God, omnipotent, supreme, and irresistible. 2Ch_20:7. To God’s covenant, who gave them possession of land. Friend, first historic use of this title, though repeated Isa_41:8; Jas_2:23. 2Ch_20:8. To God as owner of temple. 2Ch_20:9. A brief summary of cases described in Solomon’s prayer (ch. 2Ch_6:22-39). 2Ch_20:10-11. Invaders whom Israel were not permitted to touch (Edom, Deu_2:5; Moab, Deu_2:9; Ammon, Deu_2:19), have now entered the land to cast us out. 2Ch_20:12. In despair God sought. Eyes, i.e., we look to thee for succour (cf. Psa_25:15; Psa_141:8).
2Ch_20:14-19.—The Message of Jahaziel. A prophet not elsewhere mentioned, but his claim verified by message and results. 2Ch_20:15. Words familiar to people and connected with great deliverances (Deu_1:21; Jos_1:9, &c.) [Speak. Com.]. 2Ch_20:16 : Cliff, ascent of Ziz (Hazziz) at end of brook, gully, or dry torrent course. 2Ch_20:17. Stand still, directed to do nothing, watch the Lord’s course (Exo_14:13-14; Num_14:9). 2Ch_20:18. Reverent obedience in confidence and gratitude. 2Ch_20:19. Praise from Kohathites in general, from Korhites, a branch of them, in particular.
2Ch_20:20-21.—The March and Exhortation. Went forth early. Tekoa, ten or eleven miles from Jerusalem, southerly direction. Stood, exhorted them to be firm and confident. Singers, line of procession arranged, signal to move forward; Levites led van with musical instruments and song (Psalms 136). 2Ch_20:22-30. Overthrow of the enemy. Ambush, liers in wait. Edomites intending to attack Jews, but through panic fell upon Moabites, and rest of enemy or angels employed by God to confuse the host and destroy it. 2Ch_20:24. Work completed before Israel on the field, which was strewed with dead bodies. They had not to fight, but to collect and carry away spoil. 2Ch_20:26. Set out on fourth day to return in same joyful mood as they came. 2Ch_20:29. Fear salutary fell on surrounding kingdoms and brought blessings at home.
2Ch_20:30-33.—Close of Jehoshaphat’s reign (1Ki_22:41-50). Steadfast and consistently religions (2Ch_15:18), yet people not wholly diverted from idolatry. In deference to popular prejudice all high places not taken away. Words of Jehoshaphat not elsewhere noticed, entered into the book of Kings of Judah, same apparently as the Chronicles of Kings of Judah, mentioned in Kings [Murphy].
2Ch_20:35-37.—Alliance with Ahaziah, closely on death of Ahab, whom A. survived little more than a year (1Ki_22:51; 2Ki_3:1). Ships, combined fleet destined for Tartessus, but wrecked. Eliezer denounced the unholy alliance. Ahaziah attributed the disaster to unskilfulness of Jehoshaphat’s sailors; proposed to fit out another joint fleet with his own subjects. Jehoshaphat accepted the wreck as a judgment and declined the offer (cf. 1 Kings 22).
HOMILETICS
JEHOSHAPHAT’S WAR WITH MOABITES AND THEIR ALLIES.—2Ch_20:1-30
Defeated in a great battle by Joram and Jehoshaphat, the Moabites sought to retaliate (2 Kings 3). Combined with their kinsmen, they entered Judah and defied its king.
I. The invading enemy. Formidable, near, and brought surprise.
1. In a spirit of boldness. Great in number of auxiliaries, far advanced, and most eager for the fight.
2. In a spirit of ingratitude. “Behold how they reward us” (2Ch_20:11). Israel not permitted to touch them nor disturb them in the least in the march through wilderness (Deu_2:5; Deu_9:19). Jehoshaphat had lately helped them, now they seek to get the land for themselves. Cast Israel out, and thus to requite them evil for good! “O our God, wilt thou not judge them?” (2Ch_20:12).
II. Jehoshaphat’s preparations to meet this army. Alarmed at the intelligence, the danger brings out his religious feeling. He is equal to the occasion, does not call his forces, but determines to seek God.
1. He proclaims a national fast. The people of Judah hasten to Jerusalem. The nation bowed before God and confessed their sins as one man. The scene touching and solemn, emergency great.
2. He implores God’s help. Prayer embraces every argument which king and people could urge; concluding with earnest appeal for God to protect them, (a) They are helpless. No power, “we have no might;” no plan, “neither know we what to do;” no allies, their wives and little ones only increased their anxiety (2Ch_20:13). (b) God could help them. “In thine hand is there not power and might?” (2Ch_20:6). God supreme and omnipotent, checks the enemy and defends his people, (c) They rely upon God. “Our eyes are up unto thee” in hope and earnest expectation.
III. The encouragement given. Help is promised. Words familiar and inspiriting fell from the mouth of the prophet, given by inspiration.
1. Fears are calmed. “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude” (2Ch_20:15). Cowardice shall flee, and courage shall keep the field.
2. Assurance is renewed. “The Lord will be with you” (2Ch_20:17). That should be sufficient for any contest!
3. Implicit trust is required. “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established” (2Ch_20:20).
4. Specific directions are given. “To-morrow go ye down against them, ye shall find them at the end of the brook” (2Ch_20:16).
IV. The method of attack. Great joy and relief at the prophet’s message. With humble confidence they prepared for assault.
1. They engaged in reverent worship. The king bowed to the ground, the people “fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord” (2Ch_20:18).
2. They united in joyful praise. Singers were appointed to praise the Lord for his mercy (2Ch_20:21).
3. They formed orderly procession. Officials and people united in ranks, and preceded by “singers,” marched till they came “to the watch-tower in the wilderness” (2Ch_20:24).
4. They fought in confidence of victory. God had helped them in past (2Ch_20:7); promised at dedication of temple that he would help them again (2Ch_20:9). None trust him in vain.
V. The victory achieved. Easy, most signal, and wrought for them, not by them.
1. By divine agency. Whether by hosts of angels or ambushments of their own, we cannot eliminate divine agency.
2. By self-extermination. In confusion they fell upon their friends, whom they mistook for enemies. God turned them against themselves, and the army that came to fight Jehoshaphat destroyed itself. God can touch the reason of the king, rob the general of command, and blind the soldiers. A thousand ways at his disposal of which we know nothing. But victory sure to those who have him as leader. “The battle is not yours, but God’s.”
VI. The impression of the event on Jews and neighbours. Report spread in surrounding people; influence remarkable.
1. In giving security and peace to Judah. Nations feared to molest a people who worshipped a God who did such wonders. Idolators felt that he had justified claims to their homage. They were still satisfied among themselves. “So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet” (2Ch_20:30).
2. In exercising salutary influence upon others. God’s victory ended wars; the fear of God fell on all kingdoms, restrained them from invading Judah. Probably now tribute was brought to Jehoshaphat from Philistines and Arabians (cf. ch. 2Ch_17:11). “For his God gave him rest round about.”
MAN’S EXTREMITY IS GOD’S OPPORTUNITY.—2Ch_20:5-13
Learn—
I. That in the discipline of life we should expect dangers and extremities. These needful to touch and develop our powers. History in Old and New Testament full of instances. To know other resources we must learn the weakness of our own. “We have no might against this.”
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. Depend not upon numbers, generalship, and human might; but spiritual force, prayer, and presence of God. Then war easy, loses character of conflict, and becomes a matter of spoil.
THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD’S.—2Ch_20:15
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. If we had to defend everything and fight everything in our own strength, and for our own ends, the case would be perfectly different; but when God says to us, “Ye have this treasure in earthen vessels; the excellency of the power is of God, and not of man,” when he teaches us that we are servants and not masters, creatures and not creators, with no grasp of eternity, it becomes us patiently to wait, to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord [Dr. Parker, City Temple].
HOMILETIC HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
2Ch_20:5-9. Invocation of God as—I. The Ruler of the universe.
1. Seated in heaven. “God in heaven.”
2. Governing all nations. “Rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?”
3. Secure in his dominions. “None is able to withstand thee.” II. The covenant God of Judah.
1. The friend of Abraham, the nation’s founder. “Ahab thy friend for ever” (2Ch_20:7).
2. The guardian of the nation’s interests. “Thou didst drive out the inhabitants, &c.”
3. The centre of the nation’s worship. “A sanctuary therein for thy name.” “Jehoshaphat’s appeal is threefold—
1. ‘Art thou not the God omnipotent, and so able to help us?’
2. ‘Art thou not our God, who hast given us this land, and so art bound to help us against invaders?’ And
3. ‘Art thou not the God of this place, the temple, and so bound to help those who pray to thee here?’ ” [Speak. Com.].
2Ch_20:7. Ab. thy friend.
1. By familiarity in devotion (cf. Gen_18:23-33).
2. By promptitude in obedience.
3. By uprightness of life (cf. Gen_17:1-22; Gen_22:1-18).
2Ch_20:17. Salvation of the Lord.
1. The deliverance, salvation. Reference always to evil, i.e., dangers in Old Testament, sins under the gospel.
2. Its greatness. “Of the Lord,” not by human power. So great “salvation” that every other is nothing; not only from evils, but to privileges.
3. Method of securing it. Stand still. Picture Israel at Red Sea. “Set yourselves” in hope and firm alliance; “stand still,” not in your power to do anything; “see,” wait in faith, watch God’s work for you. Wholly from him, not from you. “In thee, O God, do we put our trust; our souls wait on thee.”
2Ch_20:20. Believe and be established. Faith in God’s presence, and God’s promise, confirms experience in God’s mercy, gives courage in conflict, and establishes peace and prosperity. Unbelief brings fear, frustrates God’s promise, and turns victory into defeat. Faith in God alone will overcome conflicts in heart and convulsions in the world.
2Ch_20:21. Beauty of Holiness. Rich apparel and ornaments of old, typical of moral character and holy life. “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
HOMILETICS
SONGS BEFORE VICTORY.—2Ch_20:21
Anybody can sing the “Te Deum” when the battle is over. 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.
I. We learn here, first, a lesson of patriotism. The foreign policy of Ammon and Moab seemed very brilliant for a time. They carried everything before them, but in due time were overthrown. We must not trust in the numbers of our soldiers, in the boundless resources of our country, but in the beauty of holiness, in the justice of our cause, in the purity of our motive; in one word, in the blessing of our God. II. The special object of the lesson is to illustrate the history of the Christian Church, for the Christian Church is engaged in holy war. If we go forth to war we must do as Jehoshaphat; we must be clothed with the spirit of holiness. God came down to fill the hearts of his children; then they were ready for the great work. The Pentecostal blessing delivered the early Christians from the three hindrances to the progress of the Gospel—cowardice, selfishness, and ignorance. Catch the spirit of the Apostles, and you will save the whole world [H. P. Hughes].
JEHOSHAPHAT’S CHARACTER AND REIGN.—2Ch_20:31-34
I. His general uprightness of character. “He walked in the way of Asa, his father,” earnestly and constantly. Regarded God’s approval and will, “doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord”. A prosperous and successful ruler, his kingdom flourished, and he died in peace.
II. His besetting sins. Leaned to his own understanding in momentous concerns; put policy before principle, and sowed seeds of evil which lived and fructified long after death.
1. In his son’s marriage with Ahab’s daughter.
2. In his guilty alliances with kings of Israel. Alliances in war, in commerce. The subtlety of worldly wisdom, and the spurious kindness of worldly liberality interfered with the simplicity of faith in God and love toward man. “As the dead fly, though only a little creature, gives ill-savour to most costly ointment; so even a small degree of folly mars a fair reputation for wisdom and honour” (Ecc_10:1).
THE WRECKED FLEET.—2Ch_20:35-37
I. Notice first the disaster to Jehoshaphat’s shipping. The eastern arm of Red Sea, Gulf of Akabah, is much deeper than the western; a narrow, deep ravine, with steep and rocky sides, the valley of which it forms part stretching far away to the north, till where it holds in its trough the waters of the Dead Sea. Down through the mountain gorge swept the mad hurricane with resistless might, shattering the ships of Jehoshaphat to pieces, and leaving the grey morning to look upon only pitiful wreckage all along the shore.
II. Notice the cause of this disaster. A judgment from Heaven. The grand mistake and sin of Jehoshaphat lay in associating himself with the enemies of God. This the signal error of his life. If he had been an openly wicked man, a mere man of the world, probably this disaster would not have occurred, but God would not allow one of his own servants to prosper in such an undertaking.
III. The lesson which the disaster teaches is this—Do not choose your associates amongst those who do not fear the Lord. Always safest to keep under Christian influences. A man is rarely better than the company he keeps. Jehoshaphat may hope to bring Ahaziah up to his own level; but Ahaziah is much more likely to bring Jehoshaphat down. The lesson of the text bears also, and with peculiar point, upon all business alliances. You will do well even to sacrifice a measure of financial interest and worldly prospect rather than be associated in business with a man who is out of all sympathy with you in religion [J. Thain Davidson].
HOMILETIC HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
2Ch_20:20-21. I. The march to battle. With musical strains. In confidence of victory. Under divine command (2Ch_20:26-27). II. The joyous return. In solemn order. In grateful spirit. In triumphant victory.
2Ch_20:26-30. The valley of blessing. Wady Bereikut, two miles west of Tekoa. Jews assembled here after three days’ plunder, to arrange themselves, and return to worship in temple.
1. The place of terrible conflict.
2. Of awful defeat.
3. Of enthusiastic joy. Jehoshaphat means Jehovah judges, hence this valley the type of final conflict and final judgment, in which Jehovah will judge and overthrow (cf. Joe_3:2-12).
2Ch_20:35-37. The wrecked fleet.
1. The cause from God, who reigns over elements of nature and minds of men (Spanish Armada).
2. The design to instruct. Jehoshaphat had formed worldly alliances; could not be weaned from them, nor see their folly. Disaster predicted (see history), yet refused good advice. Hence must teach that his blessing rests not upon men and ways which are contrary to his will.
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 20
2Ch_20:4. Seek. Seek God upon thy way, and he will come to thee [Schiller].
2Ch_20:17-18. Stand ye. Prayer without watching is hypocrisy, and watching without prayer is presumption [Jay].
“Teach us in watchfulness and prayer
To wait for the appointed hour;
And fit us by thy grace to share
The triumphs of thy conquering power”.
2Ch_20:35-37. Gold. Midas longed for gold, and insulted the Olympians. He got gold, so that whatever he touched became gold, and he with his long ears was little the better for it. Midas had insulted Apollo and the gods; the gods gave him his wish, and a pair of long ears, which also were a good appendage to it. What a truth in these old fables! [Carlyle].
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain On v1 2Ch 20:15
2Ch 20:15
From this incident we learn:
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I. That God has many ways at His disposal of which we know nothing. God can touch the reason of men, God can touch the eyes of men, so that a man shall mistake his brother for an enemy.
II. In the training of our highest life we want principles as well as detailed laws. The principle here referred to is, "The battle is not ours, but God’s." God is far more concerned about us than we can be about ourselves. We make all the noise, but He does all the work.
III. In the culture of our highest life we must regard extremity as one phase of Divine discipline. Jehoshaphat was driven into a corner. He said openly in the hearing of his people, "We have no might against this great host." The text addresses all who are trying to live in the fear and love of God under discouraging circumstances. "The battle is not yours, but God’s."
IV. The text also 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. If we had to defend everything and to fight everything in our own strength, and for our own ends, the case would be perfectly different; but when God says to us, "Ye have this treasure in earthen vessels; the excellency of the power is of God, and not of man," when He teaches us that we are servants and not masters, creatures and not creators, with no grasp of eternity, it becomes us patiently to wait, to stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.
Parker, City Temple, 1871, p. 15.
2Ch 20:15, 2Ch 20:17
I. The history of the Church is full of instances of this law of Divine procedure. An old saying of the German Reformers was this: "One with God on His side is a majority." Every cause which God originates starts with only Gideon’s three hundred.
II. From this law of God’s working it is clear that in spiritual affairs the balance of power does not depend on numbers. Votes have very little to do with it. It depends on spiritual forces. It depends on insight into the spiritual wants of the world, on consecration to God’s service, on the power of prayer, on spiritual discovery of the side on which God is, and specially on intensity of Christian character.
III. It is a great thought on this subject that the human race furnishes but a small part of the holy ministries of this world. The ministry of angels probably swells what we call minorities to secret majorities.
IV. Success in spiritual affairs often loses the character of a conflict, so overwhelming and so easy is the working of Divine auxiliaries.
V. Minorities of honest and earnest men, devoted to a great cause, should never be opposed heedlessly. Let us be on the look-out for such men. Let us greet them with a "Godspeed" when they make their Divine credentials clear.
VI. Within the Church of Christ itself is to be found a minority of believers whom God regards with peculiar complacency. As a spiritual power, they are the vanguard of the Church. They are the spiritual aristocracy of Christ’s kingdom.
A. Phelps, The Old Testament a Living Book, p. 21.
2Ch 20:21
Anybody can sing the Te Deum when the battle is over. 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.
I. We learn here, first, a lesson of patriotism. The foreign policy of Ammon and Moab seemed very brilliant for a time. They carried everything before them, but in due time they were overthrown. We must not trust in the number of our soldiers, in the boundless resources of our country, but in the beauty of holiness, in the justice of our cause, in the purity of our motive, in one word in the blessing of our God.
II. The special object of the lesson is to illustrate the history of the Christian Church, for the Christian Church is engaged in a holy war. If we go forth to war, we must do as Jehoshaphat—we must be clothed with the spirit of holiness. God came down to fill the hearts of His children; then they were ready for the great work. The pentecostal blessing delivered the early Christians from the three hindrances to the progress of the Gospel—cowardice, selfishness, and ignorance. Catch the spirit of the Apostles, and you will save the whole world.
H. P. Hughes, Contemporary Pulpit, vol. vi., p. 152.
References: 2Ch 20:20.—Sermons for Boys and Girls, p. 185. 2Ch 20:26.—Homiletic Magazine, vol. xi., p. 140. 2Ch 20:30.—E. Monro, Practical Sermons, vol. iii., p. 97.
2Ch 20:37
I. The example of Jehoshaphat is a warning to us. There is something of infinitely greater consequence in the world than making a fortune. What you have to settle first and foremost is the moral basis on which you are proceeding; you must get the full consent of your judgment, and heart, and conscience before you give yourself up to any commercial course. Have God for your Partner if you would make your business, in the highest sense of the term, honourable and successful.
II. The principle of the text is expansive enough to include other subjects of equal importance. For example, the subject of marriage is fairly within the scope of its application. "How can two walk together except they be agreed?" "What communion hath Christ with Belial?"
III. The principle of the text bears upon evil companionship generally. "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." Men cannot confederate themselves against God and succeed. Better stand alone than be found in the association of evil men. Better never hear a friendly voice than be allured by the deceit of evil men. Better be found in unpitied loneliness, yet with a conscience void of offence, than lift up our heads amongst the most influential and illustrious servants of the devil.
Parker, City Temple, 1870, p. 301
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On vv12, 20 2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
A STRANGE BATTLE
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2Ch 20:12.
A formidable combination of neighbouring nations, of which Moab and Ammon, the ancestral enemies of Judah, were the chief, was threatening Judah. Jehoshaphat, the king, was panic-stricken when he heard of the heavy war-cloud that was rolling on, ready to burst in thunder on his little kingdom. His first act was to muster the nation, not as a military levy but as suppliants, ‘to seek help of the Lord.’ The enemy was camping down by the banks of the Dead Sea, almost within striking distance of Jerusalem. It seemed a time for fighting, not for praying, but even at that critical moment, the king and the men, whom it might have appeared that plain duty called to arms, were gathered in the Temple, and, hampered by their wives and children, were praying. Would they not have done better if they had been sturdily marching through the wilderness of Judah to front their foes? Our text is the close and the climax of Jehoshaphat’s prayer, and, as the event proved, it was the most powerful weapon that could have been employed, for the rest of the chapter tells the strangest story of a campaign that was ever written. No sword was drawn. The army was marshalled, but Levites with their instruments of music, not fighters with their spears, led the van, and as ‘they began to sing and to praise,’ sudden panic laid hold on the invading force, who turned their arms against each other. So when Judah came to some rising ground, on which stood a watch-tower commanding a view over the savage grimness of ‘the wilderness,’ it saw a field of corpses, stark and stiff and silent. Three days were spent in securing the booty, and on the fourth, Jehoshaphat and his men ‘assembled themselves in the Valley of Blessing,’ and thence returned a joyous multitude praising God for the victory which had been won for them without their having struck a blow. The whole story may yield large lessons, seasonable at all times. We deal with it, rather than with the fragment of the narrative which we have taken as our text.
I. We see here the confidence of despair.
Jehoshaphat’s prayer had stayed itself on God’s self-revelation in history, and on His gift of the land to their fathers. It had pleaded that the enemy’s hostility was a poor ‘reward’ for Israel’s ancient forbearance, and now, with a burst of agony, it casts down before God, as it were, Judah’s desperate plight as outnumbered by the swarm of invaders and brought to their last shifts-’we have no might against this great company . . . neither know we what to do.’ But the very depth of despair sets them to climb to the height of trust. That is a mighty ‘But,’ which buckles into one sentence two such antitheses as confront us here. ‘We know not what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee’-blessed is the desperation which catches at God’s hand; firm is the trust which leaps from despair!
The helplessness is always a fact, though most of us manage to get along for the most part without discovering it. We are all outnumbered and overborne by the claims, duties, hindrances, sorrows, and entanglements of life. He is not the wisest of men who, facing all that life may bring and take away, all that it must bring and take away, knows no quiver of nameless fear, but jauntily professes himself ready for all that life can inflict. But there come moments in every life when the false security in which shallow souls wrap themselves ignobly is broken up, and then often a paroxysm of terror or misery grips a man, for which he has no anodyne, and his despair is as unreasonable as his security. The meaning of all circumstances that force our helplessness on us is to open to us Jehoshaphat’s refuge in his-’our eyes are upon Thee.’ We need to be driven by the crowds of foes and dangers around to look upwards. Our props are struck away that we may cling to God. The tree has its lateral branches hewed off that it may shoot up heavenward. When the valley is filled with mist and swathed in evening gloom, it is the time to lift our gaze to the peaks that glow in perpetual sunshine. Wise and happy shall we be if the sense of helplessness begets in us the energy of a desperate faith. For these two, distrust of self and glad confidence in God, are not opposites, as naked distrust and trust are, but are complementary. He does not turn his eyes to God who has not turned them on himself, and seen there nothing to which to cling, nothing on which to lean. Astronomers tell us that there are double stars revolving round one axis and forming a unity, of which the one is black and the other brilliant. Self-distrust and trust in God are thus knit together and are really one.
II. We see here the peaceful assurance of victory that attends on faith.
A flash of inspiration came to one of the Levitical singers who had, no doubt, been deeply moved and had unconsciously fitted himself for receiving it. Divinely breathed confidence illuminated his waiting spirit, and a great message of encouragement poured from his lips. His words heartened the host more than a hundred trumpets braying in their ears. How much one man who has drunk in God’s assurance of victory can do to send a thrill of his own courage through more timorous hearts! Courage is no less contagious than panic. This Levite becomes the commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat and his captains ‘bow their heads’ and accept his plan for to-morrow, hearing in his ringing accents a message from Jehovah. The instructions given and at once accepted are as unlike those of ordinary warfare as is the whole incident; for there is to be no sword drawn nor blow struck, but they are to ‘stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.’ They are told where to find the enemy and are bid to go forth in order of battle against them, and they are assured ‘that the battle is not theirs, but God’ s.’ No wonder that the message was hailed as from heaven, and put new heart into the host, or that, when the messenger’s voice ceased, his brother Levites broke into shrill praise as for a victory already won. With what calm, triumphant hearts the camp would sleep that night!
May we not take that inspired Levite’s message as one to ourselves in the midst of our many conflicts both in the outward life and in the inward? If we have truly grasped God’s hands, and are fighting for what is accordant with His will, we have a right to feel that ‘the battle is not ours but God’ s,’ and to be sure that therefore we shall conquer. Of course we are not to say to ourselves, ‘God will fight for us, and we need not strike a blow,’ Jehoshaphat’s example does not fit our case in that respect, and we may thank God that it does not. We have a better lot than to ‘stand still and see the salvation of God,’ for we are honoured by being allowed to share the stress of conflict and the glow of battle as well as in the shout of victory. But even in the struggles of outward life, and much more in those of our spiritual nature, every man who watches his own career will many a time have to recognise God’s hand, unaided by any act of his own, striking for him and giving him victory; and in the spiritual life every Christian man knows that his best moments have come from the initiation of the Spirit who ‘bloweth where He listeth.’ How often we have been surprised by God’s help; how often we have been quickened by God’s inbreathed Spirit, and have been taught that the passivity of faith draws to us greater blessings than the activity of effort! ‘They also serve who only stand and wait,’ and they also conquer who in quietness and confidence keep themselves still and let God work for them and in them. The first great blessing of trust in God is that we may be at peace on the eve of battle, and the second is that in every battle it is, in truth, not we that fight, but God who fights for and in us.
III. We learn here the best preparation for the conflict.
When the morning dawned, the array was set in order and the march begun, and a strange array it was. In the van marched the Temple singers singing words that are music to us still: ‘Give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy endureth for ever,’ and behind them came the ranks of Judah, no doubt swelling the volume of melody, that startled the wild creatures of the wilderness, and perhaps travelled through the still morning as far as the camp of the enemy. The singers had no armour nor weapons. They were clad in ‘the beauty of holiness,’ the priestly dress, and for sword and spear they carried harps and timbrels. Our best weapons are like their equipment.
We are most likely to conquer if we lift up the voice of thanks for victory in advance, and go into the battle expecting to triumph, because we trust in God. The world’s expectation of success is too often a dream, a will-o’-the-wisp that tempts to bogs where the beguiled victim is choked, though even in the world it is often true; ‘screw your courage to the sticking point, and we’ll not fail.’ But faith, that is the expectation of success based on God’s help and inspiring to struggles for things dear to His heart, is wont to fulfil itself, and by bringing God into the fray, to secure the victory. A thankful heart not seldom brings into existence that for which it is thankful.
IV. We see here the victory and the praise for it.
The panic that laid hold on the enemy, and turned their swords against each other, was more natural in an undisciplined horde such as these irregular levies of ancient times, than it would be in a modern army. Once started, the infection would spread, so we need not wonder that by the time that Judah arrived on the field all was over. How often a like experience attends us! We quiver with apprehension of troubles that never attack us. We dread some impending battlefield, and when we reach it, Jehoshaphat’s surprise is repeated, ‘and, behold they were dead bodies, fallen to the earth.’ Delivered from foes and fears, Judah’s first impulse was to secure the booty, for they were keen after wealth, and their ‘faith’ was not very pure or elevating. But their last act was worthier, and fitly ended the strange campaign. They gathered in some wady among the grim cliffs of the wilderness of Judah, which broke the dreariness of that savage stretch of country with perhaps verdure and a brook, and there they ‘blessed the Lord.’ The chronicler gives a piece of popular etymology, in deriving the name, ‘the valley of blessing,’ from that morning’s worship. Perhaps the name was older than that, and was given from a feeling of the contrast between the waste wilderness, which in its gaunt sterility seemed an accursed land, and the glen which with its trees and stream was indeed a ‘valley of blessing.’ If so, the name would be doubly appropriate after that day’s experience. Be that as it may, here we have in vivid form the truth that all our struggles and fightings may end in a valley of blessing, which will ring with the praise of the God who fights for us. If we begin our warfare with an appeal to God, and with prayerful acknowledgment of our own impotence, we shall end it with thankful acknowledgment that we are ‘more than conquerors through Him that loved us’ and fought for us, and our choral song of praise will echo through the true Valley of Blessing, where no sound of enemies shall ever break the settled stillness, and the host of the redeemed, like that army of Judah, shall bear ‘psalteries and harps and trumpets,’ and shall need spear and sword no more at all for ever.
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 Reign of Jehoshaphat (concluded)
Reign of Jehoshaphat (concluded)
An account of how a host of Moabites and others invaded Judah; how Jehoshaphat prayed to the Lord, and was directed by Jahaziel not to fear; and how the enemy was overthrown by God.
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The early part of this chapter is additional to the narrative in 1 K: the latter part reproduces 1Ki_22:41-49.
1. Other beside the Ammonites] better (with LXX), 'some of the Meunim' (or Maonites): cp. 2Ch_26:7 and Jdg_10:12. They seem to have been the people from Mt. Seir mentioned in 2Ch_20:10, 2Ch_20:23.
2. Beyond the sea] i.e. from the eastern side of the Dead Sea. On this side Syria] lit. 'from Syria,' but Syria is probably a mistake for 'Edom.'. The Moabites and Ammonites had marched round the S. end of the Dead Sea, and passing through Edom (the 'Mount Seir' of 2Ch_20:10) had been joined by some of the inhabitants. Engedi] on the W. shore of the Dead Sea, the modern Ain-jidy.
5. Before the new court] probably 'the court of the priests' of 2Ch_4:9, which was distinct from the one in which Solomon prayed: 2Ch_6:13.
10. Wouldest not let, etc.] The Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites were all spared on the ground of their kinship with Israel through Lot and Esau: Deu_2:4, Deu_2:9, Deu_2:19.
16. Ziz] The word perhaps survives in the name El Husasah which attaches to a district near Tekoa: 2Ch_20:20.
21. The beauty of holiness] Perhaps better, 'in holy apparel': cp. 1Ch_16:29.
22. Ambushments] RV 'liers in wait.' Apparently the enemy fell out among themselves.
25. Riches with the dead bodies] LXX points to another reading, 'riches and garments.'
26. Berachah] i.e. 'Blessing.' The place has been identified with the Wâdy Bereikût near Tekoa.
34. Who is mentioned] RV '(the book) which is inserted in.'
36. To go to Tarsbish] 1Ki_22:48 has 'ships of Tarshish' (i.e. large merchantmen) 'to go to Ophir' (in Arabia, or E. Africa), for which Ezion-geber was the natural port of departure.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v33 high places
high places
(See Scofield "1Ki 3:2").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 CHAPTER 20 Judah Invaded, Jehoshaphat’s Prayer and Deliverance
CHAPTER 20 Judah Invaded, Jehoshaphat’s Prayer and Deliverance
1. The invasion (2Ch 20:1-2)
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2. Jehoshaphat’s great prayer (2Ch 20:3-13)
3. Jehovah’s answer through Jahaziel (2Ch 20:14-17)
4. Prostrated before the LORD (2Ch 20:18-19)
5. The great deliverance (2Ch 20:20-25)
6. In the valley of Berachah (2Ch 20:26-30)
7. The record of Jehoshaphat (2Ch 20:31-34)
8. Alliance with Ahaziah (2Ch 20:35-37)
An invasion of Judah by Moab, Ammon and others followed. Then Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. Though the enemy was nearing Jerusalem and the danger was great, there was no disorder or confusion. They all looked to Jehovah and that gave them calmness. In troubles and trials God’s people must always look first to the Lord and seek His face. A great company gathered together, even from the cities in Judah, to seek the LORD. It was one of the most remarkable prayer meetings reported in the Bible. The king stood in the midst of the large congregation. And what a prayer it was he uttered! What earnestness and faith breathes in every word! He addressed God as in heaven and as the ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations. In His hand there is power and might; none is able to withstand Him. It is a good way in approaching God to remember what a wonderful and almighty God and Lord He is. Then Jehoshaphat speaks of His dealing with His people Israel and speaks of Abraham--”thy friend forever.” The prayer of Solomon in dedicating the house is mentioned (verse 9). Then he tells the Lord of the invasion, and the object of Ammon and Moab “to cast us out of thy possession which thou hast given us to inherit.” Most beautiful is the ending of his prayer. “O, our God, wilt Thou not judge them?” They were His enemies, for they came against His land and His people. “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.” Here is the spirit and soul-attitude which pleases God. Whenever and wherever it is manifested God’s answer and gracious help is not far away. But it is just this spirit of dependence and expectation from the Lord which is so little known among God’s people.
In the midst of the congregation was a Levite by name of Jahaziel (he will be seen of God), of the sons of Asaph. Upon him came the Spirit of the LORD and through him there came the answer, “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; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD will be with you.” And the heavenly answer was believed. The king took the lead in bowing his head with his face to the ground. The people did likewise. In anticipation of the coming victory the Levites praised the Lord with a loud voice.
The next morning the divine direction was obeyed. The king addressed the people to have faith in God. Then he appointed singers arrayed in their official garments to go before the army and sing as if it were a triumphal procession: “Praise the LORD; for His mercy endureth forever.” (The expression, “beauty of holiness” is literally, “holy array.”) We read nothing of swords or spears. They needed no weapons. Probably they left them at home, for the Lord had said, “Ye shall not need to fight in this battle.” And when they began to sing and praise, trusting in the promise, the Lord began His work in overthrowing and destroying their enemies. The invading armies were annihilated and none escaped.
A great praise-service in the valley of Berachah (blessing) followed. Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, with the people returned to Jerusalem with joy. They came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD. And the kingdoms feared God when they heard what the Lord had done.
The prophetic application of all this is not difficult to make. Jehoshaphat and the people with him are typical of the remnant of God’s earthly people, that God-fearing remnant which dwells in the land and in Jerusalem during the great tribulation. The prayer of Jehoshaphat, the divine answer and the great deliverance, foreshadows the cry for help and deliverance of that remnant, while the overthrow of their enemies, with the coming of the Lord, is foreshadowed in the deliverance of Jehoshaphat and the people. The praise will be great in Jerusalem, when the Lord acts in behalf of His believing remnant, at the close of the times of the Gentiles. Then the kingdoms of the earth will fear God.
It would be well if Jehoshaphat’s life had ended with this beautiful scene. But it does not. He entered another unholy alliance, for commercial reasons, with wicked Ahaziah, King of Israel. The ships to go to Tarshish never reached their destination; they were broken. “Again had Jehoshaphat to learn in the destruction of his fleet at Ezion-Gaber that undertakings, however well planned and apparently unattended by outward danger, can only end in disappointment and failure, when they who are the children of God combine with those who walk in the ways of sin.”
And how many Christians have made the same experience! God cannot bless the believer when he is in fellowship with an unbeliever.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv1, 14, 26 The Threatened Invasion
The Threatened Invasion
v. 1. It came to pass after this also, some six or seven years before the death of Jehoshaphat, that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, namely, the Meunites of Arabia Petraea, all heathen nations east, southeast, and south of the Dead Sea, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
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v. 2. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria, rather, from Edom beyond the Dead Sea, for their attack would naturally be made from that side; and, behold, they be in Hazazoa-tamar, which is En-gedi, at the middle of the western shore of the Dead Sea, some twenty-five miles from Jerusalem.
v. 3. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, he sought no other avenues of help, but steadfastly looked to the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah, as a sign of deep mourning and penitence over any misdeeds, in order to gain the good will of the Lord in their favor.
v. 4. And Judah gathered themselves together, all the people of the country assembled at Jerusalem for a solemn, universal fast at the Sanctuary of Jehovah, to ask help of the Lord; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord, for afflictions of every kind tend to drive men to the mercy of Jehovah.
v. 5. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, the great or outer court, which had apparently recently been repaired or enlarged, his position being at the entrance of the inner or priests’ court,
v. 6. and said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not Thou God in heaven, the almighty Creator and Preserver, to whom the children of Israel owed all the rich benefits which they then enjoyed? And rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen, making it impossible for them to carry out any evil designs without His permission? And in Thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee?
v. 7. Art not Thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land, all the heathen nations, before Thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham, Thy friend, for ever? Note the honor included in the word "friend," as applied to any believer.
v. 8. And they dwelt therein, and have built Thee a Sanctuary therein for Thy name, saying,
v. 9. If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house and in Thy presence, as King Solomon had prayed, 1Ki 8:33-37, (for Thy name is in this house,) and cry unto Thee in our affliction, then Thou wilt hear and help. Jehoshaphat here made use of the proper importunity in his prayer, by reminding the Lord of His promise, 2Ch 7:14-16.
v. 10. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom Thou wouldest not let Israel invade, for the Lord had expressly ordered that the children of Israel should not disturb these nations, Deu 3:4 to Deu 9:19, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and destroyed them not;
v. 11. behold, I say, how they reward us to come to cast us out of Thy possession which Thou hast given us to inherit. The heathen nations were attacking without provocation, their purpose being the conquest of the land.
v. 12. O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? namely, by letting His punitive justice strike them. For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do, they were unable to defend themselves against the overwhelming numbers; but our eyes are upon Thee, steadfastly and trustfully looking to God for His almighty assistance.
v. 13. And all Judah stood before the Lord, in seconding the king’s prayer, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. That is the proper and effective way of bringing matters to the attention of the Lord, by reminding Him of His promises and declaring one’s unwavering trust in His almighty power and mercy alone.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31, 34, 35 It came about
It came about
This phrase is used here to mark an important event in the story. If your language has a way for doing this, you could consider using it here.
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Meunites
This was a people group from the region of Meun which was near Edom, east of the Jordan River. (See: How to Translate Names)
came against Jehoshaphat to do battle
Here "Jehoshaphat" represents himself and his army. AT: "came against Jehoshaphat's army to do battle" or "came to fight against Jehoshaphat and his army" (See: Synecdoche)
See, they are in Hazezon Tamar
The word "see" is used here as an idiom to add emphasis to what is said next. They could not see the army in Hazezon Tamar from where they were speaking. AT: "They are already in Hazezon Tamar" (See: Idiom)
Hazezon Tamar
This is the name of a place. It is another name for Engedi. (See: How to Translate Names)
translationWords
Moab
Ammon
Jehoshaphat
Salt Sea
En Gedi
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 2, 3, 10, 14, 20, 32, 35 20:1 Meunites (see 1 Chr 4:41): The Meunites were…
20:1 Meunites (see 1 Chr 4:41): The Meunites were a nomadic group living on the southern borders of Judah; their name probably survives as the Arab town of Ma’an, twelve miles southeast of Petra.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.