Meditate

20. Jehoshaphat Defeats Enemies

Invasion from the East

20

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle.²Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; already they are at Hazazon-tamar” (that is, En-gedi).³Jehoshaphat was afraid; he set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.⁴Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the towns of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer and Victory

⁵ Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,⁶and said, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven? Do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In your hand are power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you.⁷Did you not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?⁸They have lived in it, and in it have built you a sanctuary for your name, saying,⁹‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or 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 distress, and you will hear and save.’¹⁰See now, the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy—¹¹they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession that you have given us to inherit.¹²O our God, will you not execute judgment upon them? For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

¹³ Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.¹⁴Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the middle of the assembly.¹⁵He said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not fear or be dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours but God’s.¹⁶Tomorrow go down against them; they will come up by the ascent of Ziz; you will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.¹⁷This battle is not for you to fight; take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”

¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.¹⁹And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰ They rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God and you will be established; believe his prophets.”²¹When he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy splendor, as they went before the army, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord,

for his steadfast love endures forever.”

²² As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.²³For the Ammonites and Moab attacked the inhabitants of Mount Seir, destroying them utterly; and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

²⁴ When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; they were corpses lying on the ground; no one had escaped.²⁵When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the booty from them, they found livestock in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They spent three days taking the booty, because of its abundance.²⁶On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day.²⁷Then all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returned to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had enabled them to rejoice over their enemies.²⁸They came to Jerusalem, with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord.²⁹The fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.³⁰And the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

³¹ So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.³²He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord.³³Yet the high places were not removed; the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their ancestors.

³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

³⁵ After this King Jehoshaphat of Judah joined with King Ahaziah of Israel, who did wickedly.³⁶He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish; they built the ships in Ezion-geber.³⁷Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.

4. A Sabbath Rest for God's People

The Rest That God Promised

 4

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it.²For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.³For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“As in my anger I swore,

‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ”

though his works were finished at the foundation of the world.⁴For in one place it speaks about the seventh day as follows, “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”⁵And again in this place it says, “They shall not enter my rest.”

36. Psalm 36

Psalm 36

Human Wickedness and Divine Goodness

To the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord.

1

Transgression speaks to the wicked

deep in their hearts;

there is no fear of God

before their eyes.

2

For they flatter themselves in their own eyes

that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

3

The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;

they have ceased to act wisely and do good.

4

They plot mischief while on their beds;

they are set on a way that is not good;

they do not reject evil.

5

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

6

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,

your judgments are like the great deep;

you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

7

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8

They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

9

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we see light.

10

O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,

and your salvation to the upright of heart!

11

Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,

or the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12

There the evildoers lie prostrate;

they are thrust down, unable to rise.