The One Year Bible TLB (160 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
July 27As King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home, uninjured,
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the prophet Jehu (son of Hanani) went out to meet him.
“Should you be helping the wicked, and loving those who hate the Lord?” he asked him. “Because of what you have done, God’s wrath is upon you.
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But there are some good things about you in that you got rid of the shameful idols throughout the land, and you have tried to be faithful to God.”
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So Jehoshaphat made no more trips to Israel after that but remained quietly at Jerusalem. Later he went out again among the people, traveling from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim to encourage them to worship the God of their ancestors.
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He appointed judges throughout the nation in all the larger cities,
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and instructed them:
“Watch your step—I have not appointed you—God has; and he will stand beside you and help you give justice in each case that comes before you.
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Be very much afraid to give any other decision than what God tells you to. For there must be no injustice among God’s judges, no partiality, no taking of bribes.”
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Jehoshaphat set up courts in Jerusalem, too, with the Levites and priests and clan leaders and judges.
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These were his instructions to them: “You are to act always in the fear of God, with honest hearts.
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Whenever a case is referred to you by the judges out in the provinces, whether murder cases or other violations of the laws and ordinances of God, you are to clarify the evidence for them and help them to decide justly, lest the wrath of God come down upon you and them; if you do this, you will discharge your responsibility.”
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Then he appointed Amariah the High Priest to be the court of final appeal in cases involving violation of sacred affairs; and Zebadiah (son of Ishmael), a ruler in Judah, as the court of final appeal in all civil cases; with the Levites as their assistants. “Be fearless in your stand for truth and honesty. And may God use you to defend the innocent,” was his final word to them.
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Later on the armies of the kings of Moab, Ammon, and of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah.
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Word reached Jehoshaphat that “a vast army is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea from Syria. It is already at Hazazon-tamar” (also called Engedi).
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Jehoshaphat was badly shaken by this news and determined to beg for help from the Lord; so he announced that all the people of Judah should go without food for a time, in penitence and intercession before God.
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People from all across the nation came to Jerusalem to plead unitedly with him.
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Jehoshaphat stood among them as they gathered at the new court of the Temple and prayed this prayer:
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“O Lord God of our fathers—the only God in all the heavens, the ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth—you are so powerful, so mighty. Who can stand against you?
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O our God, didn’t you drive out the heathen who lived in this land when your people arrived? And didn’t you give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?
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Your people settled here and built this Temple for you,
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truly believing that in a time like this—whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, disease, or famine—we can stand here before this Temple and before you—for you are here in this Temple—and cry out to you to save us; and that you will hear us and rescue us.
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“And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You wouldn’t let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so we went around and didn’t destroy them.
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Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land which you have given us.
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O our God, won’t you stop them? We have no way to protect ourselves against this mighty army. We don’t know what to do, but we are looking to you.”
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As the people from every part of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children,
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the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there—Jahaziel (son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah the Levite, who was one of the sons of Asaph).
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“Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat!” he exclaimed. “The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid! Don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s!
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Tomorrow, go down and attack them! You will find them coming up the slopes of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.
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But you will not need to fight! Take your places; stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem! Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!’”
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Then King Jehoshaphat fell to the ground with his face to the earth, and all the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.
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Then the Levites of the Kohath clan and the Korah clan stood to praise the Lord God of Israel with songs of praise that rang out strong and clear.
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Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and called them to attention. “Listen to me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem,” he said. “Believe in the Lord your God and you shall have success! Believe his prophets and everything will be all right!”
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After consultation with the leaders of the people, he determined that there should be a choir leading the march, clothed in sanctified garments and singing the song “His Loving-Kindness Is Forever” as they walked along praising and thanking the Lord!
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And at the moment they began to sing and to praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to begin fighting among themselves, and they destroyed each other!
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For the Ammonites and Moabites turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. And when they had finished that job, they turned against each other!
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So, when the army of Judah arrived at the watchtower that looks out over the wilderness, as far as they could look there were dead bodies lying on the ground—not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
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King Jehoshaphat and his people went out to plunder the bodies and came away loaded with money, garments, and jewels stripped from the corpses—so much that it took them three days to cart it all away!
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On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, as it is called today, and how they praised the Lord!
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Then they returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, full of joy that the Lord had given them this marvelous rescue from their enemies.
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They marched into Jerusalem accompanied by a band of harps, lyres, and trumpets and proceeded to the Temple.
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And as had happened before, when the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God fell upon them.
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So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was quiet, for his God had given him rest.
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A thumbnail sketch of King Jehoshaphat: He became king of Judah when he was thirty-five years old and reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
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He was a good king, just as his father Asa was. He continually tried to follow the Lord
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with the exception that he did not destroy the idol shrines on the hills, nor had the people as yet really decided to follow the God of their ancestors.
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The details of Jehoshaphat’s reign from first to last are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in
The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
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But at the close of his life, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, went into partnership with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who was a very wicked man.
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They made ships in Ezion-geber to sail to Tarshish.
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Then Eliezer, son of Dodavahu from Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, telling him, “Because you have allied yourself with King Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your work.” So the ships met disaster and never arrived at Tarshish.
But how shall they ask him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
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And how will anyone go and tell them unless someone sends him? That is what the Scriptures are talking about when they say, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel of peace with God and bring glad tidings of good things.”
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In other words, how welcome are those who come preaching God’s Good News!
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But not everyone who hears the Good News has welcomed it, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed me when I told them?”
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Yet faith comes from listening to this Good News—the Good News about Christ.
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But what about the Jews? Have they heard God’s Word? Yes, for it has gone wherever they are; the Good News has been told to the ends of the earth.
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And did they understand that God would give his salvation to others if they refused to take it
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? Yes, for even back in the time of Moses, God had said that he would make his people jealous and try to wake them up by giving his salvation to the foolish heathen nations.
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And later on Isaiah said boldly that God would be found by people who weren’t even looking for him.
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In the meantime, he keeps on reaching out his hands to the Jews, but they keep arguing
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and refusing to come.
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I ask then, has God rejected and deserted his people the Jews? Oh no, not at all. Remember that I myself am a Jew, a descendant of Abraham and a member of Benjamin’s family.
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No, God has not discarded his own people whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you remember what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet was complaining to God about the Jews, telling God how they had killed the prophets and torn down God’s altars; Elijah claimed that he was the only one left in all the land who still loved God, and now they were trying to kill him too.
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And do you remember how God replied? God said, “No, you are not the only one left. I have seven thousand others besides you who still love me and have not bowed down to idols!”
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It is the same today. Not all the Jews have turned away from God; there are a few being saved as a result of God’s kindness in choosing them.
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And if it is by God’s kindness, then it is not by their being good enough. For in that case the free gift would no longer be free—it isn’t free when it is earned.
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So this is the situation: Most of the Jews have not found the favor of God they are looking for. A few have—the ones God has picked out—but the eyes of the others have been blinded.
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This is what our Scriptures refer to when they say that God has put them to sleep, shutting their eyes and ears so that they do not understand what we are talking about when we tell them of Christ. And so it is to this very day.
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King David spoke of this same thing when he said, “Let their good food and other blessings trap them into thinking all is well between themselves and God. Let these good things boomerang on them and fall back upon their heads to justly crush them.
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Let their eyes be dim,” he said, “so that they cannot see, and let them walk bent-backed forever with a heavy load.”
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Does this mean that God has rejected his Jewish people forever? Of course not! His purpose was to make his salvation available to the Gentiles, and then the Jews would be jealous and begin to want God’s salvation for themselves.
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Now if the whole world became rich as a result of God’s offer of salvation, when the Jews stumbled over it and turned it down, think how much greater a blessing the world will share in later on when the Jews, too, come to Christ.
How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! How he exults in your salvation.
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For you have given him his heart’s desire, everything he asks you for!
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You welcomed him to the throne with success and prosperity. You set a royal crown of solid gold upon his head.
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He asked for a long, good life, and you have granted his request; the days of his life stretch on and on forever.
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You have given him fame and honor. You have clothed him with splendor and majesty.
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You have endowed him with eternal happiness. You have given him the unquenchable joy of your presence.
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And because the king trusts in the Lord, he will never stumble, never fall; for he depends upon the steadfast love of the God who is above all gods.
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Your hand, O Lord, will find your enemies, all who hate you.
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When you appear, they will be destroyed in the fierce fire of your presence. The Lord will destroy them and their children.
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For these men plot against you, Lord, but they cannot possibly succeed.
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They will turn and flee when they see your arrows aimed straight at them.
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Accept our praise, O Lord, for all your glorious power. We will write songs to celebrate your mighty acts!