Reflections
“Some time later the armies of Moab and Ammon, together with their allies, the Meunites, invaded Judah.
Some messengers came and announced to King Jehoshaphat: “A large army from Edom has come from the other side of the Dead Sea to attack you. They have already captured Hazazon Tamar.” (This is another name for Engedi.)
Jehoshaphat was frightened and prayed to the Lord for guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country. From every city of Judah people hurried to Jerusalem to ask the Lord for guidance,
and they and the people of Jerusalem gathered in the new courtyard of the Temple. King Jehoshaphat went and stood before them and prayed aloud,
“O Lord God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose you.
You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs for ever.
They have lived here and have built a temple to honour you, knowing
that if any disaster struck them to punish them — a war, an epidemic, or a famine — then they could come and stand in front of this Temple where you are worshipped. They could pray to you in their trouble, and you would hear them and rescue them.
“Now the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom have attacked us. When our ancestors came out of Egypt, you did not allow them to enter those lands, so our ancestors went round them and did not destroy them.
This is how they repay us — they come to drive us out of the land that you gave us.
You are our God! Punish them, for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help.”
The Spirit of the Lord came upon a Levite who was present in the crowd. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah; he was a member of the clan of Asaph and was descended from Asaph through Mattaniah, Jeiel, and Benaiah.
Jahaziel said, “Your Majesty and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord says that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you” (2 Chronicles 20:1-12,14-15).
1. The people of Judah faced life threatening challenges. Strong enemies besieged them. Our country today is equally besieged. There are many life threatening challenges. Terrorists, desert tribesmen/herdsmen, bandits, kidnappers, ritualists, rapists, occultists, yahoo-yahoo people, killer cops and trigger happy security officers, etc. And so life has become what Thomas Hobbes described as solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short! The Church, the Body of Christ, is not spared either. She is bleeding, so to speak, both internally and externally. She is persecuted from every side. And she suffers various undignified abuses from, sadly, those who claim to be her children. “A man’s worst enemies will be the members of his own family” (Mt.10:36). Much of the travails of the Church today is what members of the Church do. On individual basis, many today are heavily laden, without knowing where to turn to. But Jesus Christ who sees and knows everything, “There was no need for anyone to tell him about them, because he himself knew what was in their hearts” (John 2:25), says, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest” (Mat.11:28).
2. The people of Judah, from every city, “hurried to Jerusalem to ask the Lord for guidance.” Where do we hurry to when we are challenged? Where do we turn our helpless gazes to in times of challenges? When enemies besiege us in all fronts, who do we call on? What we should do when odds are adding up against us, when the tide is rising, is first; to turn to God! Second, pray! Third, believe! When we do what is right, God will surely speak!
3. Led by the King, the people of Judah cried unto God, “O Lord God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose you.” This sounds like the “Prayer for Nigeria in Distress.” The people of Judah prayed fervently with every sense of attachment and heartfelt need, pouring out their heart, their soul and their spirit! Which is a lesson to us to go beyond mere recitation of our prayers, detached and devoid of feelings.
4. The people of Judah gathered around the temple, the house of God. In God there is safety in times of danger. “If any disaster struck them to punish them — a war, an epidemic, or a famine — then they could come and stand in front of this Temple where you are worshipped.” In times of national distress, war, pandemic, hunger and poverty, we must draw ever closer to God in prayer. The enemy may only seek to close the gate of the Church against us, as we have seen under Covid -19 pandemic. But victory is assured.
5. “You are God! Punish them, for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us.” From terrorists and religious extremists, herdsmen attacks, bandits, kidnappers, ritualists, rapists, occults, yahoo-yahoo boys menace, killer cops and other uniform men, Lord deliver your people! We do not ask you to punish them, though we are helpless before them. Rather we ask You to touch their hearts in conversion; for there’s nothing You cannot do.
6. Consolation. God will always raise a prophets. Jahaziel was not a known prophet. He was not known to make a living in prophecy. But in this occasion, when well known prophets were no where to be found, God raised one in the midst of his people. Where are our prophets of today? What is God saying about the state of our nation? What is God saying about the state of our world today? What is God saying about the state of His Church? Do we continue to say, 'All is well'? Are we in a state of war or peace? Where are the prophets of our time?
7. It is rather sad many today are living just for the stomach. Everyone is much concerned with daily bread. Forgetting that “man cannot live on bread alone, but needs every word that God speaks” (Mat.4:4). Hedonism, the ‘gospel of stomach’, is a bad philosophy; and a wrong way to live.
8. In summary, it takes a man who fears God to believe in God's word. It takes a man of faith to hope for victory when formidable enemies surround. It takes a truly Christian community to be united when the enemy threatens attack. When odds are adding up against us, and we are besieged, let us First, turn to God! Second, pray! Third, believe! God will surely speak!
May God raise more ‘Jahaziels’ for us today!
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