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The Battle is the Lord’s, July 30
2 Chronicles 20:1-30
O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this
great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but
our eyes are upon thee.
2 Chronicles 20:12
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Toward the close of Jehoshaphat’s reign the kingdom of Judah was invaded
by an army before whose approach the inhabitants of the land had reason to
tremble.... Jehoshaphat was a man of courage and valor. For years he had been
strengthening his armies and his fortified cities. He was well prepared to meet
almost any foe; yet in this crisis he put not his trust in the arm of flesh. Not by
disciplined armies and fenced cities, but by a living faith in the God of Israel,
could he hope to gain the victory over these heathen who boasted of their power
to humble Judah in the eyes of the nations.
“Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast
throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the
Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” Standing in
the temple court before his people, Jehoshaphat poured out his soul in prayer,
pleading God’s promises, with confession of Israel’s helplessness....
With confidence Jehoshaphat could say to the Lord, “Our eyes are upon
Thee.” For years he had taught the people to trust in the One who in past ages
had so often interposed to save His chosen ones from utter destruction; and now,
when the kingdom was in peril, Jehoshaphat did not stand alone; “all Judah stood
before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.” Unitedly
they fasted and prayed; unitedly they besought the Lord to put their enemies to
confusion, that the name of Jehovah might be glorified....
God was the strength of Judah in this crisis, and He is the strength of His
people today. We are not to trust in princes, or to set men in the place of God.
We are to remember that human beings are fallible and erring, and that He who
has all power is our strong tower of defense. In every emergency we are to feel
that the battle is His. His resources are limitless, and apparent impossibilities
will make the victory all the greater
[218]
52
Ibid., 198-202
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