Jehoshaphat: Going With God

II Chronicles 17-20

Introduction

It is a beautiful day. The temperature is 26 degrees and the sun is shining. Family and good friends surround you in a park set beside a clear river. You are having a good time enjoying the outdoors, enjoying the sunshine, enjoying your friends. As the call comes for supper, you notice that the food spread out on the table under the green of the shade trees looks delicious and not a single fly or mosquito have found this party.

Is that what your life is like? Is your life a picnic? Sometimes it is, but many times it is not. In fact often our lives feel like war. Having read some of your blogs this week, and having visited with some of you and having lived a similar kind of life myself, I know that many of us have had to deal with things that are no picnic - things like discouragement, illness, temptation and disappointment. We have an enemy, Satan, who is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He is trying to get us to give up, to quit the faith life, to allow ourselves to be overcome by disappointments and trials.

Are we always successful at fending off his attacks? The truth is that we are not. Yet, the stakes are high. To lose to Satan and his attacks is to succumb to death. To gain victory is to discover life in all its fullness. How can we live in a victorious way?

We have been studying the stories of the kings of Israel in I & II Chronicles. We have noticed that sometimes they succeeded in being faithful and sometimes they failed. Although David did not always succeed, over all, he was a man of faith and in a way became the reference point. When later kings were evaluated on their faithfulness, they were sometimes compared to David. Solomon also was a man who followed God’s way for the most part. When his son Rehoboam became king we find in 12:1 that after “he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord.” But later, we read in 12:6, that “the king humbled himself.” His son Abijah was a faithful follower of God and in 13:10 we have his motto, “The Lord is our God.” His son Asa we read in 14:2 “did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord.” But in 16:12 we learn that this was not always so because there it says that he “did not seek help from the Lord.” Later on Jehoram became king and he was not a follower of God. We read in 21:6 that “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” His epitaph was very sad. In 21:20 it says that “He passed away to no one’s regret.” How would you like to have that on your tombstone?

This morning we want to look at the life of Jehoshaphat who was the son of Asa and the father of Jehoram. His over all reputation in 17:6 is that “His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord.” We read about the ways in which he trusted the Lord, taught the people the ways of the Lord and generally followed God. Yet he also did not always follow God and have victory in the battle. There are two stories of military battles in which he was involved. They teach us two things about this battle of life that we are in. In one case, he engaged in behaviour that led to defeat, in the other case in behaviour that led to victory. As we examine these stories, I trust that we will hear God’s word, as we discover it in II Chronicles 17-20, and hear what God’s word has to say to us about victory in the battle for life.

Should You Love Those Who Hate The Lord?

Jehoshaphat’s Story

The first story we will look at begins in II Chronicles 18 and tells us that Jehoshaphat had made an alliance with Ahab, king of Israel, by marriage. What happened is that his son Jehoram married the daughter of Ahab whose name was Athaliah. In those days, some of the marriages which took place were not marriages of love, but marriages of political alliance. The intent of this marriage was to prevent Judah and Israel from fighting each other. The problem was that Ahab was a wicked king. His wife was Jezebel and together they had led Israel deeper and deeper into pagan religions.

Yet, at the same time, we can see how it could be looked at as a good thing to make this alliance. Judah and Israel were the same family and had been one nation at one time.

Because they were allied together, Jehoshaphat went to visit Ahab in Samaria. While there, Ahab wined and dined him and invited him to join him in attacking Ramoth Gilead. As was his habit, Jehoshaphat wanted to consult God. So Ahab gathered 400 of his prophets and they all said the same thing – “you are going to be successful.” These prophets were not necessarily those who could find out what God wanted, but like the pagan nations, did unusual things to entice the gods to listen to them. It is interesting that, in 18:6, Jehoshaphat asked Ahab, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” It seems that all 400 prophets were not actually prophets of God, but simply were there to tell the king what he wanted to hear. When Micaiah, who was a prophet of the Lord, was called, the answer was quite different. He warned that the outcome of the attack was not going to be successful and that instead, they would be defeated. It says in 18:16, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’” The prophesy declared two things. One that they would be defeated and the other that Ahab, the master of the people, would be killed.

It is puzzling why Jehoshaphat, after hearing such a prophecy from one who was a prophet of God, would still agree to go to war. Because of the alliance, was too proud and ashamed and fearful to speak out against Ahab’s plan and didn’t want to go against him. It is also interesting that Ahab had a sense that things would not go well. In the battle, he chose not to identify himself as the commander of the army, but to put on a soldiers gear and hide himself in anonymity. Jehoshaphat, however, was clearly identified as king in the battle. The enemy had determined to focus their attack on Ahab. In spite of this little game of hide and seek, Jehoshaphat survived the battle and went home again unharmed. Ahab, on the other hand, was killed seemingly by accident. But it was no accident, for God is sovereign and you can’t hide from Him.

In II Chronicles 19:1 we learn that Jehoshaphat returned safely to his palace, but when he got there, Jehu the prophet confronted him with a very significant question. He asked him in 19:2, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?”

Let’s Talk About It

In this question we have a very important concept raised. It identifies one of the ways in which we are in danger of losing in the battle in which we find ourselves. It invites us to ask, “When are we in danger that drags us down and causes us to enter into defeat at the hands of Satan? What kinds of relationships can we have with others who do not follow the Lord? When are we compromising our faith?”

The answer to these questions is not all that simple.

The New Testament speaks about this issue as well. II Corinthians 6:14,15 says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” When we read these verses it seems pretty clear that we need to avoid contact with those who do not follow the Lord. This would put us into a safe place and we would not be in danger of what happened to Jehoshaphat.

The only problem is that the Bible has some other things to say about this that are quite opposite. Paul, who makes this statement, also says in I Corinthians 5:9-11, “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.” In this verse, he is not telling us to avoid unbelievers at all, but recognizes that we can not and indeed should not avoid them. Why should we not avoid them? How can we be the light of Christ in the world if we are not in contact with the people of the world. Jesus himself fellowshipped with sinners to the extent that he was identified with them. About him it was said, in Luke 7:34, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’”

I believe that the story of Jehoshaphat helps us understand how we should deal with this issue.

I believe that the association which we are to avoid is one in which we are in a covenant relationship with unbelievers. That is, we should avoid associations in which we are in relationships, by legal or social contract, in which we could be forced to decide between obedience to God and maintaining the relationship. For example, if Jehoshaphat agreed to go to war with Ahab, he knew that this was against God’s will. If he refused to go to war, he created difficulties for his son and daughter-in-law and also for his relationship with Ahab.

The principle is that any situation which involves a covenant that could force a compromise should be avoided. On the other hand, if we are able to be an influence in a relationship and not be in any danger of being influenced, then we should have complete freedom to enter into those kinds of relationships. Therefore, a Christian should never marry an unbeliever. This is exactly that kind of a covenant relationship in which such a difficult choice may have to be made. The danger is obvious and a clear and faithful walk with Christ is difficult in such a case. Therefore, we should be careful about what kind of business relationships we enter into. Where else might this apply? The principle is clear. May God help us to be wise in applying it.

The danger which such a failure represents is great. Jehoshaphat’s relationship ended up in disaster. In fact, as we read on, we see the evil influence of this alliance two generations later. Jehoram, who was married to Athaliah, was a wicked king and likely so because of her influence. When he died, Athaliah killed all the heir’s to the throne except one and became the queen of the nation of Judah for a little while and continued her reign of evil.

So the first lesson on living a victorious life is to avoid relationships which could lead us to compromise our walk with God.

The Battle Is Not Yours, But God’s

Jehoshaphat’s Story

The second story is told in II Chronicles 20 and involves another battle. But the outcome is quite different.

This time the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites came with a vast army to attack Judah, as we read in 20:2. In the next verse we read “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” Things were serious and so they looked to the only source of help.

In his prayer in 20:6-12, Jehoshaphat declared that they relied on God because He is the God who rules over the nations, who has power and might and whom no one can withstand. He reflects on the past acts of God in verse 7 when he mentions that God was the one who had driven out the inhabitants of the land and given the land to them and that they had not provoked this enemy and that the enemy had no right to this land because of these promises and past acts of God. It is interesting that he makes reference to the temple where people can come to meet with God and seek God, according to the promise made to Solomon in II Chronicles 7. Then in 20:12 he makes a humble plea for God to act. He says, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” What a wonderful prayer - a great model for prayer when we are in trouble.

Now we have looked at this idea of prayer and seeking God and depending on God before and it is a good reminder of this lesson. But something else happens in this story that is a great lesson for us as well.

A prophet of God named Jahaziel spoke to all the people after Jehoshaphat had completed his prayer. The prophet assured them that God was indeed with them and in fact he tells them in 20:17, “you will not have to fight this battle.”

What happens next is amazing and a wonderful lesson for victory. We read in 20:21, “Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendour of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’”

Then, in the next verse, we read, “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir…and they were defeated.” What happened was that all these enemies began to fight against each other and they totally destroyed each other. All Judah did was gather the spoils of war, and there were a lot because these people had come ready to move in and settle in the land.

Let’s Talk About It

When our enemy appears on the horizon and we are fearful and in danger of falling to his attacks, one of the primary weapons of attack which we have at our disposal is prayer.

John Piper puts it this way, “When our lives are threatened—when our faith is threatened or our marriage or the morality of our children or the fire of our worship—when we are threatened by any of Satan's devices, we should seek the Lord and fast in earnest prayer. O, that we would learn to pray the way Jehoshaphat prays here.”

The second great weapon at our disposal and the one I would like to focus on in this message is praise. I like what Piper says about this strategy in the battle. He writes in a sermon on this text, “…I think that the writer of this book wants to make it clear that, even though the victory belongs to God, the human means through which God gives victory is the ministry of the choir…Spiritual worship and spiritual warfare should be carried out with singing…the enemies of God are thrown into confusion by the songs of God's people. Or to put it another way, God has appointed the use of spiritual songs as an effective weapon against his archenemy Satan.”

This is not last time that God’s people have gained victory by praising God. When Paul and Silas were in Philippi, they were arrested. Acts 16:22-24 indicates that they were stripped, beaten, flogged and thrown into prison where their feet were put in stocks. This was no nice clean prison with thick mattresses and a washroom in every room. It was a dark, dank, smelly place filled with rats, germs and filth. They were bleeding, bruised and in pain. They had been trying to do God’s work. They had done nothing wrong. They had every right to be treated as noble citizens because they were Roman citizens. Yet here they were in the worst possible situation. What does the Bible say they did next? Acts 16:25 says, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…” Of course we know what happened next. The prison doors opened and they were released and they were able to witness to the jailer who became a believer. God gave victory as they led out in praise to Him. Piper asks and answers, “Why were they singing? I think they were singing because they needed a display of God's power. They had learned that singing to God is not merely a response to his grace but also a weapon of spiritual warfare. They had learned like Jehoshaphat and like many of us that the enemies of God are thrown into confusion by the songs of God's people.”

A while ago I read a biography of Amy Carmichael who was a missionary in India. She said, "I believe truly that Satan cannot endure it and so slips out of the room—more or less—when there is a true song."

Piper tells this story, “…years ago I was called late one night to come to an apartment where supposedly there was a demon-possessed woman. I called Tom Steller and we went together while our wives prayed at home. What we found was a woman held in a room by some young Christian women who were intent on seeing the demon driven out of this woman. For about two hours I talked to her and read her Scriptures and prayed prayers of deliverance.

“She became increasingly violent, knocking the Bible out of my hand and grabbing the prayer sheets and shoving me. At one point, about one in the morning, when the conflict rose to a fever pitch between the Word of God and the satanic force in this woman, someone in the group began to sing. It was one of our familiar worship songs. We sang it again and again and the Lord gave us new words for it each time. The effect on her was dramatic. She began to tremble and threaten us if we didn't stop. Then she threw herself on the floor and screamed for Satan not to leave her. She went into convulsions and then went limp. When she came to, she remembered nothing of what happened and was willing to read Scripture and pray.

“So Tom Steller and I know from experience that singing to God is not a nice little emotional trip to spice up a worship service. For us it felt more like a matter of life and death. That is what it was for Paul and Silas. And that's what it is for our church.”

So, if praise and worship has such an effect, then we need to see its importance in our own battles. We need to have praise as a part of our personal devotional times. We need to recognize the importance of praise and worship times in our church. We need to see that it is not just a matter of personal preference to make us feel good, but a declaration of the sovereign power of God and a strategy to defeat the enemy.

Conclusion

God is the one who has given us salvation and promises to bring us to His heavenly kingdom. Yet if we enter into relationships in which we could compromise faith, we are in grave danger of great trouble. If on the other hand, we seek God and declare His praises, we are on solid ground for victory.

May faithfulness and praise be well used weapons in our battle in the life God has given us through faith.

Abijah: Crying Out To God

II Chronicles 13

Introduction

Connie’s station wagon coughed and choked all the way to the Christian bookstore in the mall. While she stood at the bookstore counter, she moaned to her mother, "I'm not sure we can make it home in the station wagon. If only Dave had driven the station wagon and left the Dodge Spirit for us!"

At that moment she glanced outside the store and happened to see her husband, Dave, rush by on his way to the restaurant next door.

"Dave! Dave!" she called. "Help! We need the Spirit."

The clerk came to the counter at that moment. Thinking she had just overheard a devout and desperate prayer, her eyes opened wide--until Connie and Dave exchanged car keys.

Someone has said that the most profound prayer we can pray is, “help!”

The story we will look at today describes such a prayer. It is found in II Chronicles 13 and tells the story of king Abijah. His name means “my father is Jahweh. He was a descendant of David and the 5^th king over Judah. He reigned over Judah for 3 years. If we read his story in I Kings 15:1-8 we find that he was not a man after God’s heart. I Kings 15:3 says, “His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord.” In spite of that, this story is about an occasion when he and the people of Judah did put their hope in the Lord. The key verse is 13:18, “…the men of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.”

Reason For Fear

But let us back up and tell the whole story.

II Chronicles 13:2 says, “There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.” Who were these two and why was there war between them? The first king of the nation of Israel was Saul. He was not faithful to God and so David was made king because he was a man after God’s own heart. God promised David that his descendants would always rule over God’s people. David’s son Solomon became the next king and reigned with wisdom, but at the end of his life, began to follow other gods because of the influence of some of his foreign wives. Because of this sin, God allowed a division in the land. Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king after him, but because he was foolish and did not rule wisely, Jeroboam, an official in the court, rebelled against him and caused a division in the nation. From then and for many years afterwards there was a divided kingdom. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon ruled over Judah or the southern tribes and Jeroboam ruled over Israel or the northern 10 tribes. From the beginning of this division, the two sides fought against each other and this war continued into the days of Abijah, son of Rehoboam. That is why there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

I can remember attending basketball, volleyball or hockey games and sizing up the other team and trying to figure out who has the better chance of winning. Can you imagine being on a high school basketball or volleyball team and when you show up for a game one day, you notice that not one of the opposing players is under 6’5” tall? How would you feel?

That is likely how Abijah felt when he showed up at the battle ground. He looked over the enemy soldiers and notice that there were a lot more of them. We need to remember that war in those days was fought differently than it is today. In those days they drew up battle lines and met face to face, so he could see the force that he faced very easily, especially since the text says in 13:4 that he was standing on a mountain. II Chronicles 13:3 says that he had 400,000 soldiers and they were facing Jeroboam who had 800,000 soldiers. Immediately he knew that they were in trouble.

Abijah began a war of rhetoric, recorded in 13:4-12, which we will look at in a minute. While he was speaking, Jeroboam sent a bunch of his troops around behind the army of Abijah. In 13:13,14 we are informed that Judah became aware of this ambush. They became aware of the fact that they were totally surrounded by a superior force. They were in deep trouble!

Have you ever been in a situation in which you knew that you were in trouble? Have you ever experienced reason for fear in your life? There are times in life when there is reason for fear, when we know that we are in trouble.

Reason For Confidence

The Lord Is Our God

In spite of the obvious evidence of a fearful situation, Judah also had reason for confidence. The reason for their confidence was expressed by Abijah in his speech in 13:4-12. The essential message of his speech was to relate, for the benefit of his own soldiers and as a warning to Jeroboam and his army, what God had done for them and how they related to Him.

This Is What God Has Done

The first message of God’s work which he spoke about is found in 13:5-7. The basic message is “the Lord has given the kingship to David.” He speaks in verse 5 about a “covenant of salt.” The phrase “covenant of salt” simply means a covenant that has been confirmed. In the Old Testament, covenants, or promises in relationships, were often confirmed with a meal, at which salt was always present. It is kind of like the marriage covenant which is confirmed by a celebration meal with those who attend the wedding. Later the meaning was simplified to the phrase “covenant of salt.” The covenant God had made with His people was that a member of David’s family would be on the throne in perpetuity. We find this promise in II Samuel 7:16 where God said to David, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

Although Rehoboam had been foolish when he began his reign and although God was punishing his people for the sins of Solomon, the nation of Israel led by Jeroboam was still a nation which existed in rebellion against God. As Jeroboam and his massive army came against Judah, they came in disobedience against God and for this reason, they had hope in this promise of God.

The Lord Is Our God

As Abijah carries on with his speech, he comes to his next major point in verses 8-10. The most significant point here is that “The Lord is our God.”

He speaks in verse 8 about the hope of Jeroboam and his army. He acknowledges that they have a vast army and have physical reason to trust in that vast army. However, then he mention their “golden calves” which they were depending on. He points out that Jeroboam and Israel have in actual fact forsaken God. They do not worship God in the way that he has prescribed. They have made up a religion in which anyone who makes a few sacrifices can be priest, when God had declared that only descendants of Levi could be priests. He reminds them that they are priests not of the living God, but of those which are “not gods.” His conclusion in verse 10 is, “The Lord is our God.” With this warning, he was letting Jeroboam know that he had no backing from a higher power whereas, although they were vastly outnumbered by the number of soldiers, God Himself was actually their side and so it was really Jeroboam who was outnumbered and this was a strong reason for hope for Judah.

This Is How We Relate To Him.

But a lot of kings have claimed that God is on their side. Why would they believe that in this case it was really true? Abijah answers this objection in verses 10-12 by declaring, in summary, “We have not forsaken Him.”

He goes on to describe how in Judah they continued to worship God in the way that God had prescribed. They continued to present burnt offerings and incense offerings. They were faithful to the worship of God in the way that God had told them to worship Him.

Not only were they faithful to God in their worship and religious observances, they were also faithful to God in their obedience. In 13:11, he says, “we are observing the requirements of the Lord our God.” When we read the story of Abijah, we find that this was not totally true for him. There we find that he was not a man who was faithful to God at all times. Yet at this point, in spite of a weak faith and a faltering obedience, he knew where he stood and declared his faith in God and his hope in God.

For this reason, they had hope and confidence, as he says in 13:12, “God is with us.”

So we see that in spite of a desperate situation, it was not all desperate. There was much reason for hope. This hope was found in the things that God had done for them and in how they related to God.

What Reason Do We Have For Confidence?

As we face those things which are a reason for fear, do we also have reason for confidence? Are there things which God has done and do we relate to God in such a way that we can expect Him to act?

This Is What God Has Done

The reason we have for confidence is based on what God has done for us. Romans 8:32 is one of many verses which describe what God has done. It says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Our hope is based in the work God did on the cross through Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus died for us and rose again to demonstrate the power of God over sin and death. That gift assures us that God is for us and that he will also help us face whatever we may have reason to fear. What was true for Judah, is true for us. “The Lord is our God.”

This Is How We Relate To Him

Judah’s hope was based not only on what God had done, but also on their relationship to God and their obedience to Him. In the same way, we also can have confidence because we have a relationship with God. One verse which speaks about this hope is I John 2:24, “See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.” As long as we remain in a faith relationship with the Son and with the Father, we remain in a position of hope in Him and we can say in any situation which causes us fear, “God is with us.”

Crying Out To God

So Judah had reason to fear. They were surrounded and they were outnumbered. But they also had reason to hope because of their relationship with the living God who was their God. What happened in the moment of crisis?

Crying Out

There is an interesting sequence of events which is described in this passage. In 13:12 Abijah declared with confidence to Jeroboam and his army, “you will not succeed.” In the next verse, we realize that they are surrounded and we wonder if Abijah really believed in his bold statement of success?

But in the moment of crisis, they demonstrated that they did indeed have their hope in God. In the moment of desperation when the danger was greatest and the trouble was most intense, the conviction born of their relationship with God triumphed and 13:14 says that “they cried out to the Lord.”

The reality of their hope in God is seen not only in the proclamation or even in the obedience and ceremony, it is seen in their immediate reaction when they know that they are in trouble. At that moment, they turned to God, they cried out to Him for help.

Do we cry to the Lord? The reality of our hope in God is grounded in God’s grace and in our relationship with God, but the reality of our hope is seen when we are in crisis.

Earlier I said that “help” is the most profound prayer we can pray. Why is this so? It is profound because in the moment when we, like Judah in this story, cry out to God and yell a sincere “help,” we are demonstrating a complete dependence on God. The Bible does not call us to self sufficiency. It does not advise us to “buck up little camper.” One of the teachers who taught our children in high school had an interesting way of dealing with the whining which kids sometimes manifested. If they were having difficulty with an assignment or were overwhelmed because of extra-curricular activities and went to him for sympathy, he would challenge them with the word, “cope.” I like that. It sounds like taking responsibility. It sounds like “being a man.” It sounds like self sufficiency. But it is not what God calls us to. He does not tell us to suck it up, He says, “come to me.” He says, “Seek the Lord!” He invites us to “Call out to Him!” What Judah did here is exactly what God wants us to do. He wants us to ask Him, to cry out to Him.

God Answers

The Men Of Judah Were Victorious

It is very interesting that after they cried out to God, they “blew the trumpets” and “raised the battle cry” and then… it doesn’t say that they went into battle. It says, “God routed Jeroboam.” In fact, the victory was won in a decisive way not by Judah at all but by God. The conclusion of this, and the statement which is our key verse, is 13:18, “the men of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.”

The victory was so decisive that it resulted in an enlargement of their territory as we see in 13:19. Even after Abijah had died and Asa had become king, we read in 14:1 that “the country was at peace for ten years.”

What If God Isn’t Answering?

The story shows us that when His people cried out to Him, God acted. The victory was immediate and the victory was evident. But what if it isn’t?

We have hope and reason for confidence as we already saw, but…what if God isn’t answering? In fact the Bible speaks of times when it appears as if God doesn’t answer. Psalm 18:41 says, “They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the Lord, but he did not answer.”

Whenever I get into a situation like that I ask myself two questions. The first question is, “Has God promised What I am expecting?”

If we would call a doctor and ask, “if I come in will you be able to diagnose my problem and have a pill ready for me right away?” is there any doctor who would promise to do that. Knowing the nature of illness, the nature of our body and understanding that doctors do the best with the knowledge they have, we know that that is an unrealistic expectation.

Sometimes when we pray we expect things from God that he has not promised. What can we expect from God? What has God promised that we can count on? If we expect that God will heal every disease we have when we want it healed, we know that He has not promised to do that. In II Corinthians 12 we learn that Paul had to live with a disease so that he would learn about the grace of God. If we expect that God will make us rich and that we will never have material need, we know that God has not promised that. Paul writes in Philippians 4:12 about learning to live in plenty and in want. If we expect that God will give us a road map of our life, once again we are expecting something that God has not promised. He promises us to lead us, but not to give us a map for the whole path. If we expect that God will save every person we pray for, we forget that God has set things up so that he does not force anyone into the kingdom and every person needs to make their own decision of faith, so God cannot promise that everyone will be saved.

So what can we expect? We can expect that in every situation we are living within the love of God. John 3:16 itself promises, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We can expect that God will bring those who have faith into His heavenly kingdom. That He will keep us and guide us towards the promised end. II Timothy 4:18 says, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.” We can expect that God is in the process of making us like Jesus and perfecting us. Hebrews 10:14 assures us of this direction when it says, “because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Jesus’ death on the cross happened for the purpose of perfecting those whom God is making holy and the promise of Philippians 1:6 is, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” We can also expect that God’s kingdom will prevail. Matthew 16:18 assures, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

There is more and if you want to know what you can expect as you cry out for help in desperation, I would encourage you to search the Scriptures to find out what promise God has made to us that we can expect Him to honour.

The other question I ask is, “Have I waited long enough?” When we are in fear and desperation, it is a terrible place to be and we don’t like being in that place, but we can derive some comfort and hope by knowing, “this isn’t the end of the story.”

The Bible encourages us to wait. Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 38:15, “I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God.” Psalm 40:1, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.”

So when it seems that God isn’t answering, we should not give up, but explore to see if our expectations are according to God’s promises and be patient to wait for God’s timing.

Acknowledging God’s Answer

The key verse we have been looking at says, “The men of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.” It is written as an acknowledgement of what God did that day. We have this story recorded because they recognized that God had done this.

That raises one other thing that we need to take note of and that is, when we see God do something, when God acts to deliver, we need to both acknowledge and declare what He has done.

Conclusion

I was waiting for my grandson to get dressed in his winter clothes so that we could go outside and play in the snow. He is 3 and has to do this by himself. As I waited, things were getting worse. The strap from the ski pants were underneath his leg, the boots were on the wrong feet. He couldn’t do up his jacket with his mitts on. Finally he looked up at me and said, “can you help me?”

I remember a story which Dobson tells about when his son was small. He was up on the back of a half ton truck and was wanting to get down. His legs were too short to reach the ground and he was caught suspended in mid air and afraid to let go and unable to climb back up. Dobson quotes what he said at that point. He said, “somebody help the boy.”

To ask for help is not weakness. It is what God wants us to do. It is good to cry out! We have reason to expect God to hear and answer and so, I invite you, “cry out!”

Solomon – Wisdom From Above

II Chronicles 1-9

Introduction

Sometimes in life we have to make tough decisions and we don’t always know what is the best decision.

The following are some of the questions I have asked myself or discussed with people:

Do I continue in the job I am in or is it time for a change?

How can I help my friend when I don’t fully understand their problem and I am not an expert in their problem and no solution seems adequate?

Should I go to school or should I work?

If I go to school, which course should I take?

Am I ready to make a lifetime commitment to my boyfriend/girlfriend?

I have been diagnosed with “x” disease, now what?

How should I parent my children who are having “x” problem?

How can we help our parents because they shouldn’t be driving any more or because they need more care than they are getting where they are living now?

In these situations, we are desperately seeking after wisdom!

The text we will look at today is II Chronicles 1-9 and contains the story of Solomon. Although Kings has stories not included here, this is the description of his life in Chronicles. In it there are two major events described – Solomon’s wisdom and the building of the temple. As we examine these chapters, we will discover a path for finding wisdom.

Seeking Wisdom

God’s Offer

The book of II Chronicles begins in a most encouraging way when it says that God was with Solomon and made him great.

The story continues to describe how Solomon approached God in worship. Solomon and the people offered sacrifices to God at Gibeon, where the tent Moses had made still existed.

It was in the context of worshipping that God came to Solomon and spoke to him. In verse 7 we read, “That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, ‘Ask whatever you want me to give you.’”

Talk about a blank cheque! Talk about getting “three wishes!” If God made such an offer to you, what would you ask God for? Would you ask for health? I suspect many of us would. When our children ask Carla what she wants for Christmas or her birthday, she sometimes answers, “Artige Kinder,” which is something she learned growing up. Perhaps that is what we would ask for – children who are obedient and who follow the Lord. I remember a movie in which there is a scene in which contestants in a beauty pageant are making speeches and part of the humour is that people only clap for their speech when they indicate that they are supporters of “world peace.” Who doesn’t want that? Would you ask God for world peace? Perhaps you have something much more personal in mind and would ask God for a big screen TV or a new car or enough money so you could retire. I wonder if there would be some among us who would ask God that we would be loved and respected by the people we know. What did Solomon ask for and why?

Solomon’s Request

Solomon didn’t ask for any of these things, although in verse 11, God comments on the possibility when he commends Solomon saying, “Since … you have not asked for wealth, riches or honour, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life…”

What Solomon did ask for was wisdom. Notice verse 10 in which Solomon states his request when he says, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

This verse also includes the reason why Solomon wanted wisdom. God refers to his “heart’s desire,” in 1:11, and realizes that it is out of his heart’s desire that he has requested wisdom. What was his heart’s desire? It was to be able to govern the people of Israel over whom he had been made king. He realized that it was a huge responsibility as he says in verse 10, “who is able to govern…” He also realized that he was not doing it for himself, but for God because he speaks of these “people of yours.”

Solomon asked for wisdom from God because he wanted to do what God wanted him to do in the best way possible and he knew that it was beyond him.

Fulfillment Of The Request

In response, God promised Solomon that he would give him wisdom. But he extended that promise to also include wealth, riches and honour as we see in verse 12.

Did God keep his promise?

Solomon’s Wisdom

In the rest of the story about Solomon in II Chronicles 1-9, a number of passages are specifically written to demonstrate how God fulfilled this promise.

This is particularly true in II Chronicles 9 when the queen of Sheba visited him. Please notice the number of times in which it speaks about his wisdom:

9:1 – “When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came…to test him with hard questions.”

9:2 – “Solomon answered all her questions, nothing was to hard for him…”

9:3 – “…the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon…”

9:5 – “The report I heard…about…your wisdom is true…”

9:6 – “not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me…”

9:7 – “your officials…stand before you and hear your wisdom.”

9:22 – “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.”

9:23 – “All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.”

Solomon’s Wealth

A number of verses throughout this passage also indicate that God fulfilled the other part of this promise. In 1:14-17 we have a description of Solomon’s wealth and the livestock he had. For example, 1:15 says, “The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones…”

Then in chapter 9 we again have indications of his wealth. Please note a few examples. In verse 13 it says, “the weight of gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents.” Then in verse 17, it describes the throne which Solomon had made for himself, which is an indication of the honour he received, the wisdom he dispensed and the wealth he had at his disposal. In verse 20 we have the interesting comment that “Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day.”

The Beginning Of Wisdom

The question is, “Was Solomon’s experience unique?” He was clearly a unique individual, he was unique in the history of God’s people, but was he unique in being able to receive wisdom from God?

Solomon himself answers that question when he says in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” In other words, wisdom comes from God. This brings us to the second major event of Solomon’s life as described in I Chronicles 1-9.

The Building of the Temple

The key event in chapters 2-7 is the building of the temple. In chapter 2 we see all kinds of preparations for the building project. Wood is contracted out to Hiram king of Tyre. It is also interesting that Solomon looked for someone who had the skills to do the artistic work. He was concerned, as he built the temple for God, to make it a beautiful building and it was completely in place to hire a skilful artistic worker to accomplish this goal.

Then the building began and we have a description of the dimensions and the layout of the temple and also descriptions of all the furnishings provided. I Kings 6:37, 38 indicates that it took 7 years to build. It was built well and it was built beautifully. But why was it built?

The Purpose Of The Temple

Why did he want to build a temple for God? In 6:18 he says, “But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you.” What was the purpose of this temple? The answer to this question is revealed in the dedication of the temple and in Solomon’s dedicatory prayer.

In chapter 5 we notice that the ark of the covenant was brought into the temple and then worship was established and sacrifices were made at this new location. It must have been a wonderful time of celebrating in the presence of God. Remember the excitement of the day when we dedicated the addition to this building? Can you remember thanksgiving celebrations that included a special worship service and a meal together? The day of celebrating the dedication of the temple must have been like that and even greater!

Solomon had built a bronze stage and in chapter 6:12 we read that he knelt on this stage in the presence of the whole assembly and he prayed a prayer of dedication for the building. It is in this prayer that we see the intended purpose of this place.

The theme which is repeated in each paragraph is one theme. It is introduced in 6:19-21 where we read, “…give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. ^20 May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place…”

In each of the following paragraphs, Solomon makes a specific request, asking each time that God will hear prayer from this place. In 22-23, he asks God that if someone wrongs his neighbor, realizes his wrong and prays, that God will hear. In 24,25 he asks that when an enemy defeats Israel because of sin and when the people pray towards this place, that God will hear. In 26, 27 he prays about times of drought and when people confess and turn from their sin and pray towards the temple, that God will hear. The same request is made in the following verses in regards to famine, to foreigners who come to seek God in this place, in times of war and when they have sinned against God and have been sent into captivity. Whatever the situation, whenever people pray towards the temple, the request of Solomon is that this will be a place to seek God, to inquire of God. It will be a place to meet God and where God hears the prayers and requests of his people.

The history of a place to meet God and inquire of God is an interesting history. God met with Moses on Mt. Sinai and established a relationship with his people. Before they left that region, God had provided a tent with the ark of the covenant and the altar of sacrifice which would be the place where they were to meet God. As we have read already in Chronicles, the ark which represented the presence of God was separated from the tent and the altar of sacrifice. David had pitched a tent for this ark in the city of David. The tent which Moses had made, however, remained in Gibeon and it was at this location, where an altar for sacrifice still existed, where Solomon had worshipped and sought God, as we read in II Chronicles 1. We have also read that when David numbered the people and God sent a plague on the people, the plague was stopped on Mount Moriah, which is a little to the north of David’s city. David continued to offer sacrifices here, even though the tent from the wilderness days was still at Gibeon and the ark was in a tent in the city of David. When Solomon built the temple, all of these places of worship were brought together. The temple was built on Mount Moriah (3:1). The ark was brought from David’s city to the temple (5:4,5) and from then on this was the place where God would be present with his people and where they could meet God.

When the tent of meeting in the wilderness was dedicated, a very special thing happened to indicate God’s presence. In Exodus 40:34 we read that “the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting…” On this occasion, when the temple was completed we read something very similar in II Chronicles 7:1,2, “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord…”

This event was confirmation to the people that this was indeed to be a place to meet God, to inquire of God and to seek God. It established that the temple was to be a house of prayer. Later Isaiah repeated the importance of this as the place where people could go to meet God in Isaiah 56:7, “…these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Much later, when Jesus visited the temple, which was now rebuilt after the Babylonian exile, he also recognized the importance of the temple as a place to meet God when he accused those buying and selling in Matthew 21;13, “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”

God’s Promise To His People.

God thus confirmed that this temple would be a place to meet God. He confirmed it by his glory which appeared in the temple. He also confirmed it when he answered Solomon’s prayer and actually spoke to him as we read in II Chronicles 7:12-22. In II Chronicles 7:14 there is a verse which many of us have probably memorized. There we read, “^ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” This summarizes God’s answer and you can see how it speaks directly to the requests that Solomon made in chapter 6. Whenever God’s people needed help, whenever they needed wisdom, whenever they needed redemption, whenever they needed God to intervene, God promised that if they would humble themselves and repent and ask, that he would answer their prayers.

But what does all of this have to do with us today? The temple no longer exists. We do not pray towards Jerusalem. How does this story apply to us?

The common thread in this story is the idea of a place where people can go to meet God. Where is that place today?

Earlier I mentioned two occasions on which the glory of God appeared to indicate a place to meet God - when the tent of meeting was dedicated and, in this story, when the temple was dedicated. There is another significant occasion on which the glory of God appeared and that was in the dedication of the new temple of God. For this dedication, we need to reference Acts 1,2 when God’s Spirit came to indwell His people. Since that day, the place to meet God is no longer in a building, but that does not mean that we cannot meet God. The place to meet God is no longer in one particular physical location on the earth, but that does not mean that we cannot pray to God and seek Him. The temple which God now occupies, the new place to meet God is in those who are His people and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. For the day of Pentecost is precisely the same as the day when God’s glory appeared on the tent of meeting and the day God’s glory appeared in the temple in that it is the confirmation of the place where people can come to meet with God and seek Him and pray to Him. The promise of God given in II Chronicles 7:14 that if God’s people will humble themselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways, that God will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will give what is needed is still true today.

Earlier I mentioned that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That was true through the temple in Solomon’s day and it is still true today. It is when we fear the Lord, when we recognize His power and holiness and come to Him with our desperate need for wisdom and recognize that it is found in seeking Him and obeying Him that we will receive wisdom from God.

Conclusion

This is where we bring these two stories of Solomon together. He built the temple as a place to meet God and it was in seeking God and God’s way that he received the wisdom he needed to lead God’s people and to become a man whose wisdom was evident to all. The wisdom he had came from God and James 1:5 indicates that the wisdom we need to live and answer the questions of life comes from the same source. In James 1:5 we read, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ^6 But when he asks, he must believe…”

Therefore, the offer made to Solomon still holds. If we lack wisdom, we can ask God for wisdom. How will that wisdom be found? It will be found in a relationship with God in which we seek Him, fear Him and inquire of Him.

May we learn daily to seek wisdom from the source of all wisdom!