O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help. [2 Chronicles 20:12 (NLT)]
Yosemite Sam, the cartoon arch enemy of Bugs Bunny, used to exclaim “Jumpin’ Jehosophat!” I was an adult before learning that Jehosophat was the fourth king of the southern kingdom of Judah. It’s ironic that the king said to be jumping in Sam’s pseudo-swear is best known for standing still in 2 Chronicles!
Judah had been invaded by the armies of Moab, Ammon, and some of the Meunites. Surprised by the invasion and terrified of their powerful enemies, they turned to God. After ordering a nationwide fast, Jehoshaphat called the people to prayer in the Temple courtyard. Acknowledging God’s power and might, his prayer recalled God’s covenant relationship with His chosen people, admitted they were powerless against such foes, and asked for the nation’s deliverance. A Levite named Jahaziel relayed the Lord’s response. Telling the people not to be afraid, God assured them the battle was His, not theirs, and the battle would be won without any of them lifting a sword. They were to take their battle positions, stand still, and watch the Lord’s victory. Worship and praise followed this amazing pronouncement.
Nevertheless, as enthusiastic as Judah was that day, I wonder how confident they were the following morning when they marched into battle. Would they become easy targets as their army, clearly outnumbered, stood unmoving in front of their formidable foes? Perhaps Jehoshaphat heard some grumbling about this perplexing battle strategy because he stopped and reassured the men, “Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”
Jehoshaphat appointed a chorus to walk ahead of the army and sing praises to the Lord: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!” As the choir’s voices rose, the Lord caused the armies of Moab and Ammon to turn against the Meunites, after which they attacked one another. By the time Judah’s army arrived, not one of their enemies had survived the melee; all they had to do was pick up the spoils of war. As God promised, the enemy was defeated without Judah lifting a sword.
While we’re not likely to encounter an enemy army, we do encounter difficulties, temptations, and challenges every day. In essence, Jehoshaphat’s prayer was a simple one: “We are powerless, Lord—you must fight for us!” Are we as willing to admit our weakness and turn to God at the outset of trouble or do we wait until we’re in the midst of a losing battle before calling on Him?
The hardest part, however, comes in trusting God’s plan. Jehoshaphat wasn’t the only one to be given an unconventional battle strategy by the Lord—God told Joshua to circle a fortified city for seven days, Gideon to severely limit his army, Amaziah to dismiss the trained mercenaries he’d hired, and David to wait for a sound in the trees before attacking. Yet, it was by trusting God’s inexplicable plan that all were victorious. Let’s face it, God’s way is often contrary to what we’d normally expect—turn the other cheek, love your enemies, bless those that curse you, forgive seventy times seven, and find strength in our weakness. Nevertheless, God’s way must be our way!
Jehoshaphat and his army trusted so much in God’s plan that they thanked Him for victory before the battle began. Their praise came before their victory, not because they thought God would keep his promise but because they knew He would! The previous day, the moment God said the battle was His, the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites were vanquished; they just didn’t know it then! Let us march into our daily battles as did the Judeans—trusting God and singing, “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”
Saul, a man willing to kill his son rather than concede his error in making a foolish vow, wasn’t quite as eager to fulfill other vows he made. Later, he promised his daughter (along with exemption from taxes and military service) to the man who killed Goliath. While the vow prohibiting his men from eating came from his desire for revenge, this one may have come from fear. It was the king’s job to lead his men into battle and Saul, as the tallest man and the only one with bronze armor like Goliath’s, was the obvious choice to take on the Philistine. Perhaps Saul hoped the promise of wealth, honor, and a place at the king’s table would be incentive enough for someone else to volunteer to face the Philistine. For 40 days Goliath had taunted Israel but there were no takers until David.
Last week, when writing how Jephthah’s reckless vow caused his daughter’s death, I remembered how Saul’s equally foolish vow nearly cost his son’s life. While Israel was at war with the Philistines, Saul and his 600 men were camped near Gibeah. Israel was seriously out-numbered by the better-armed Philistines and, because their enemy controlled the pass at Micmash, Saul’s troops could proceed no further. Although the rest of Saul’s men were afraid, Jonathan and his armor bearer were confident that the Lord was with them. Tired of the hopeless standoff with their enemies, the two snuck out of camp and headed toward the Philistine garrison. After passing through two treacherous cliffs and scaling a steep slope, they entered the enemy outpost and, outnumbered ten to one, killed them all.
Skeptics love to ask how God could allow Jephthah to offer up his daughter as a burnt sacrifice. First, let’s note that it never says God approved of his sacrifice. In fact, Scripture makes it clear that such a sacrifice was abhorrent to the Lord. In His wisdom and mercy, God even provided a way out if someone made a rash or unrealistic vow. Leviticus 27 explains that such a vow could be purchased back with a 20% penalty and describes how valuations were to be determined. Although Jephthah displayed knowledge of Israel’s history when negotiating with the Ammonites, he showed his ignorance of God and God’s law with his rash vow. Moreover, there is no reason to think his daughter was sacrificed in the Tabernacle. It’s more likely that such a horrific event would have been part of a pagan ceremony.
One of the most disturbing stories in the Bible is found in Judges 11. Before leading the army into battle with the Ammonites, Jephthah made a rash vow to the Lord—if given victory, he’d make a burnt sacrifice of the first thing to come out of his house to meet him upon his return. God granted Israel victory but, when Jephthah returned home, it was his daughter who came out to greet him. When the anguished Jephthah told her of his vow, the girl willingly accepted her fate. She only asked for one thing—to go into the hills with her friends to mourn that she’d never marry or know the joy of motherhood. When she returned, “her father kept the vow he had made and she died a virgin.”
Like Christians, Hindus believe that, when the body dies, the soul does not. Unlike Christians, however, Hindus believe that, after death, the soul lives on in an astral body until it is reborn in another physical body. This cycle is continually repeated until the soul reaches a certain state of perfection (moksha) and is released from the bondage of birth and death. At that time, like a drop of water that eventually merges into the ocean, the soul will finally merge into God and become one with its creator. Of course, once absorbed by the sea, the drop would cease to exist.
Devotions of the Heart 