Imagine you’re the new king of a major world empire. Your father did everything by his strength and his efforts, but now that you’re king, you’re going to do things differently. Although you still make efforts to make your nation great by building more trade relationships with surrounding nations, and you strengthen your army to rival any nation, you also seek to do it God’s way, asking Him to guide and direct your path.
Time would tell if you reached your goal, but perhaps the way you used your blessings would prove whether or not you were successful. For King Jehoshaphat he inherited a kingdom from his father Asa that was in need of repair, economically and spiritually. Jehoshaphat wanted to make it better, stronger, a force to be reckoned with. It was when other nations started asking for Judah’s assistance in fighting their enemies that proved his efforts were worth it.
We read in 2 Chronicles 18 where King Ahab of Israel asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to war?" And Jehoshaphat replied, “Why, of course! My troops are your troops. We will certainly join you in battle, but first let's find out what the Lord says.”
This was perhaps what really proved he had built a Godly kingdom. Although he wasn’t perfect, he continually sought out what the Lord wanted to do with his life and what the Lord had in mind for the kingdom. Jehoshaphat knew to be true what his ancestor David said in Psalms 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”
Ahab on the other hand wasn’t the kind of person Jehoshaphat should have been teamed up with; Ahab was probably one of the worst kings Israel ever had. Ahab simply gathered around him many false prophets who were willing to tell him whatever he wanted to here.
In 2 Chronicles 18:5 Ahab summoned 400 prophets, and asked them, "Should we go to war, or should I hold back?" They all replied, "Yes, go right ahead! God will give the king victory." But Jehoshaphat could recognize a true prophet from a false one, so he asked, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here?” But Ahab’s response was, “There is one more man who could consult the Lord for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah.”
Micaiah did present himself before the kings to prophesy about the upcoming war. Even though he was told to agree with the other prophets, Micaiah finally tells Ahab the truth. He says, “You will die.”
Although this was orchestrated by God to get rid of Ahab for his many sins he committed, hopefully we can see how important it is to be prepared for the battle. Jehoshaphat prepared his kingdom with warriors, but he was also wise enough to rely on God’s strength to win his battles. Why did he trust God so much when his own efforts seemed to be so prosperous? As Psalms 24:8 reveals, “Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”
Part of putting on the armor of God is realizing where the strength actually comes from. Then realizing the need to stay alert and sober so that you can recognize when it’s best to join the crowd or buck the system. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 and see if the armor Paul described could help you make the right choice in some decision you have to face.
Paul describes that our battle really isn’t against flesh and blood, but against something harder to identify. Ultimately, that enemy is Satan. Satan hates you because God loves you. Satan wants you to be teamed up with people that may cause you to harden your heart to God. However, the battle armor Paul reminds us to put on is spiritual protection. Do you have your armor on?
No comments:
Post a Comment