
The Prayer of Jehoshaphat
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The prayer of King Jehoshaphat in our reading today, is quite possibly one of the least known, best prayers of the people of God in the Bible. Jehoshaphat, having no where else to turn, goes to God and basically rehashes the Covenant with God, asking Him to act on their behalf because they have indeed turned their hearts toward Him. The prayer really gives us a deep insight into the Hebrew Theological thinking as well, relating back in their ancestry, almost rehashing their history as an appeal to God. We talked about this at the beginning of 1 Chronicles, how the people look to their past as a way of being closer to God.
This prayer, and the narrative of Jehoshaphat is also set in between the narrative of his father, Asa, and the following narrative of his son and grandson. Remember back two days to the narrative of King Asa, towards the end of his life he is threatened by the Northern Kingdom. What does he do? Rather than seeking the face of God, he sends tribute to King Ben-Hadad of Syria for help. In this act, the Lord calls him out and Asa becomes very angry and bitter at the end of his life. Later, after the reign of Jehoshaphat, we read the narratives of Jehoram and Ahaziah (also known as Jehoahaz and not to be confused with the wicked Ahaziah that reigned in Israel). They are simply evil and do not follow the Lord and we see very clearly the results that come of it.
However, Jehoshaphat does not follow in these evil ways, he does not place his trust in others, he is moved to prayer and places his faith in God. What happens in this? Not only does God promise that the battle against his enemies will be won, God says that they will not have to life a finger because “the Battle is the Lord’s.” All they need do is believe and go out to face down their enemy. No doubt this took some courage, I can’t imagine having to go out and face down an innumerable enemy army. However, as they stand at the ready, Jehoshaphat rallies them saying, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” I have visions of Aragorn rallying his troops before the gate of Mordor or the Young King Peter leading the charge against the White Witch. These analogies disintegrate pretty quickly, but you get the idea. The people are rallied and God wins the victory… and the spoils of war are almost more than they can handle.

Aragorn at the Black Gate of Mordor
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Like I said though, the narrative of Jehoshaphat is Juxtaposed between the pretty good and the really bad, and we continue on today to the really bad. The reigns Jehoram and Ahaziah (again, also known as Jehoahaz and not to be confused with the wicked Ahaziah that reigned in Israel) are relatively unremarkable. They are similar in nature, being completely evil in the sight of the Lord. During their reigns all that was gained during the reigns of Asa and Jehoshapaht were lost; spiritual, geographically, economically, and the like. There is continual strife within the families, which ultimately led to Queen Athiliah’s wicked reign and the almost extinction of the Dividic line of Kings. However, as I said a couple days ago, we have to keep in mind the Lord’s covenant with David, something that the writer of 1 & 2 Chronicles wishes to impress on his readers as well.
He writes, in the midst of the narrative of Jehoram, “Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.” This is a testament to the faithfulness of God in the face of evil and sinful leaders. I think that the writer is communicating something else here as well to his audience, the notion that God is at work and working in the face of sin and rebellion. Even when we can’t see God’s actions or the outcomes that He means to bring about, God is still at work in the world, always seeking to bring about His will. What will? The same Will that God has been working towards since the beginning. The same Will that God has been working towards in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Israel, and now the line of David… and it is the true nature and purpose of the covenant community (the Elect) of Israel… and of the Church today… “I will be your God and you will be My people, and through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed.”
Related articles
- What Happens When Leaders Pray (callforfireseminar.wordpress.com)
- Lead by Prayer & Worship (spiritualworship.wordpress.com)
- Day 108: 2 Kings 9-11; Jehu, the Best Bloody King of Israel (orcministries.wordpress.com)
- Jehoshaphat and God’s Battle (kelund.wordpress.com)
- What Should Be Our Posture When We Pray? (underthecoverofprayer.wordpress.com)