When he was told that 3 different armies were coming up against him, Jehoshaphat was alarmed and resolved to inquire of the Lord and proclaimed a fast for all Judah. All the people came together from every town and the king stood in front of the temple and spoke to them:
"O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you...If calamity comes upon us,...we will stand in your presence...and cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and save us...we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."
Then one of the men came forward and spoke, "This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you,...Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'"
Then they all fell down and worship the Lord and some of the Levites stood up and praised the Lord.
Early the next morning, they prepared to set out and "appointed me to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army"(rather than their Special Forces or Rangers) and sang "Give thanks to the Lord for His love endures forever."
"As they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men...invading Judah, and they were defeated."
"When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value--more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah(Praise), where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah to this day."
ALL Jehoshaphat's hope was in the Lord! With all the treatment options, strategies for fighting this great enemy of mine...this seems to be such a clear message from the Lord for me...to trust in His power to fight this enemy, not my own strength or strategies, to rest knowing He is fighting for me and my child, to praise and thank Him for His protection and all the blessings He promises to bring from my conquered enemy...what a beautiful story that I never truly appreciated, never read it as anything more than an old battle history before now...
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