Category: sin

God’s Battle #8

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV).

Indeed, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s!”

Zechariah 12:4-9 looks toward Jesus Christ’s Second Coming to defend Jerusalem: “[4] In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. [5] And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

“[6] In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. [7] The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. [8] In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. [9] And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

We should bear in mind how this closely resembles the context of today’s Scripture. As in the days of Jehoshaphat more than 2,700 years ago, so antagonistic Gentile armies have gathered to attack Jerusalem (yet future from us). Like long ago, the LORD ultimately controls the situation: He gives opportunity for Satanically-inspired men to oppose Him, but He causes them to turn on and destroy each other, sparing Israel and Jerusalem to enter His earthly kingdom….

God’s Battle #7

Monday, October 24, 2022

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV).

Indeed, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s!”

Zechariah chapter 12 says concerning the ages to come: “[1] The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. [2] Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. [3] And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”

Chapter 14 concurs: “[1] Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. [2] For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. [3] Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. [4] And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”

Verse 3 calls to mind the countless wars the LORD God fought on Israel’s behalf throughout the Old Testament economy. Those ancient conflicts and victories look forward to the future Battle of Armageddon, which the Apostle John describes in Revelation 16:12-16 and Revelation 19:11-21. Jesus Christ leaves Heaven to come to Earth and defend Jerusalem….

God’s Battle #6

Sunday, October 23, 2022

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV).

Indeed, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s!”

Some seven centuries before today’s Scripture, the Israelites were helpless slaves to Egypt—in bondage to the flesh (sin), the world (system), and the Devil (Satan). Since Pharaoh refused to release them, God’s purpose and plan for the Earth was being hindered. Thus, the LORD smote the land of Egypt with 10 devastating plagues (Exodus chapters 7–12). Pharaoh reluctantly freed the Jews, but he and his armies pursued them all the way to the Red Sea. Once again, the LORD was more than ready to show the Egyptians and the Jews who was God and who was not.

Read Exodus chapter 14: “[13] And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. [14] The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Although pacifists argue there is no such thing as a “just war,” they are simply advertising Bible ignorance. They tell us a lie. In fact, Exodus 15:3 comments on this same event with the following: “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.” Due to sin, war is inevitable or unavoidable (James 4:1,2). Unless God had intervened to save the Jewish people by drowning the Egyptian troops in the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-31), Pharaoh’s minions would have continued bullying and abusing God’s people (and they would have never reached the Promised Land).

God’s war with Egypt and Pharaoh, His battle with the Gentiles of today’s Scripture, as well as other ancient conflicts (Genesis chapter 14; Judges chapters 4, 5, and 7; 2 Samuel chapter 5; Isaiah chapter 37; to name a few), are glimpses into the future, when God and Satan have their final confrontation at the end of the world….

God’s Battle #5

Saturday, October 22, 2022

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV).

Indeed, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s!”

Countless Gentile soldiers tried to slaughter Judah in order to take Judah’s land (verse 11). However, the LORD God had deeded that land to the Jewish people forever (verse 7), so He was not about to allow it to be stolen. Judah did not have to fight at all, for the LORD took care of the matter! With Judah’s foes now dead at the hands of each other (verses 20-24), the Scriptures report: “[25] And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

“[26] And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah [‘Blessing/Praise of God’], unto this day. [27] Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. [28] And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD. [29] And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. [30] So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about. [31] And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.”

This literal, historical event is just a preview of something much grander in the ages to come….

God’s Battle #4

Friday, October 21, 2022

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV).

Indeed, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s!”

Praying and awaiting deliverance as God promised (verses 3-13), King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah received a message of victory from the LORD (verses 14-17, today’s Scripture). We keep reading: “[18] And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. [19] And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

“[20] And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. [21] And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. [22] And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. [23] For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. [24] And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.”

Facing a mammoth army they could never conquer alone, the little nation of Judah went out singing praises to God, and the LORD was faithful in causing Judah’s enemies to kill each other….

God’s Battle #3

Thursday, October 20, 2022

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV).

Indeed, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s!”

Jehoshaphat took the Hebrew Bible—God’s words to Israel—and claimed its promises for Israel (2 Chronicles 20:5-12; cf. 1 Kings 8:33-40; 2 Chronicles 6:24,25,28-31). As the King prayed for the LORD’S intervention concerning huge Gentile armies, the congregation of Judah was assembled at the Jerusalem Temple.

Today’s Scripture in context: “[13] And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. [14] Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; [15] And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. [16] To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. [17] Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.”

With Jehoshaphat speaking to God in light of God’s words to him (Hebrew Bible), God spoke to Jehoshaphat in light of Jehoshaphat’s words to Him (prayer). The Spirit of the LORD came upon a prophet (preacher) and communicated a Divine message to King Jehoshaphat and Judah. Indeed, the LORD had heard them pray, and He assured them all would be well. His battle plan for them was simple. On the tomorrow, Judah—and this was definitely strange counsel from God—was to go out and “stand still!”

Let us see Israel’s response….

God’s Battle #2

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV).

Indeed, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s!”

The context of today’s Scripture: “[5] And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, [6] And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? [7] Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?” King Jehoshaphat quotes the Hebrew Bible in verse 7, especially the Book of Joshua, the record of Israel’s conquest of Canaan (Promised Land) centuries prior.

Jehoshaphat prays further: “[8] And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, [9] If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword [war], judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.” They are actually standing in the Jerusalem Temple, God’s house, which King Solomon had dedicated with a similar prayer nearly 200 years earlier (1 Kings 8:33-40; 2 Chronicles 6:24,25,28-31).

The King of Judah asks the LORD: “[10] And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; [11] Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. [12] O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.”

Jehoshaphat humbly awaits God’s reply….

God’s Battle #1

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV).

Indeed, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s!”

The Holy Spirit communicates to us the following data in 1 Kings chapter 22: “[41] And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. [42] Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. [43] And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.” It is important to observe how Jehoshaphat was a believer.

For more information about the challenges he faced as monarch, we turn to the context of today’s Scripture: “[1] It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. [2] Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. [3] And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. [4] And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.”

King Jehoshaphat is David’s great-great-great grandson, reigning in Jerusalem over the Kingdom of Judah more than 800 years before Christ. The King is terrified to hear the news of an enormous army of Gentiles preparing to attack him! Let us see what he does next—or, better yet, what the LORD does next….

The Ravings of a Madman! #10

Sunday, October 16, 2022

“And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself” (Mark 3:20,21 KJV).

Who here is “beside himself?” Why has this designation been applied?

Saints, as we manage our lives and ministries, we must (!) remember our loyalty is solely to the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not follow preachers, denominations, or theological systems. We are not here to share “feel-good messages” so everyone will love and praise us. Our Lord Jesus conducted His life and earthly ministry to think like and serve Father God (John 8:28,29). He was not here to please people. Likewise, we are to be about Father God’s will, thinking like He does, walking by faith in His rightly divided Scriptures—regardless of what any fellow humans say or think about us. What is of ultimate importance is Heavenly Father’s assessment of us.

This is precisely how the Holy Spirit caused our Apostle Paul to view his life and ministry: “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Corinthians 4:3-5).

Let them belittle us: we need not their applause anyway. Let them abhor us: we need not their love anyway. Let them kill us: we need not their world anyway. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1,2). If we have the renewed mind, we are truly not the madmen! 🙂

The Ravings of a Madman! #9

Saturday, October 15, 2022

“And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself” (Mark 3:20,21 KJV).

Who here is “beside himself?” Why has this designation been applied?

Christendom’s prevailing spiritual insanity is the false notion that a system of rules and regulations will bring victorious Christian living. First Timothy chapter 1: “[5] Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: [6] From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; [7] Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm [encourage, support]. [8] But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; [9] Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, [10] For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; [11] According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.”

In their lunacy, legalists—“understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm” (verse 8)—force people under the law system when it cannot give anyone a right standing before God. It can only point people to Christ the Saviour (Galatians 3:24,25). When we place ourselves and others under a performance-based acceptance system (obey to receive a blessing, failure results in a curse), this is legalism, the law system being contrary to the grace system. Understanding the Scriptures “rightly divided” (2 Timothy 2:15), we recognize we live in this “the Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Ephesians 3:1). “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid [God protest, may God never let that happen!]” (Romans 6:14,15).

To avoid spiritual craziness, we must not only be Scriptural but dispensational too….