God has had one special testimony at each epoch of His dealings with men. It is also a marked principle, that those nearest allied with that testimony, but not really of it, have been the most bitter opponents of that testimony. Examples of this will occur to the reader's mind everywhere, from Cain downwards. Lot was nearly related to the testimony of Abraham, but did not walk in the blessed steps of faith. So, again, of Esau. Their posterity, as we have seen, formed parties of ungrateful, bitter opposition. In our chapter we find them united—a vast multitude—against the testimony in the days of Jehoshaphat. If we have spiritual discernment, it will be seen to be the same in this day as in every other. Those who have been outwardly in closest alliance with the testimony of the Lord will be found to form parties of determined resistance. The Lord's people, who desire to worship in His presence in peace, may be greatly distressed, especially if those parties of resistance should unite.
We cannot dwell too long on the most instructive attitude of Jehoshaphat, and all with him, gathered before the Lord: that beautiful prayer of faith; that calm trust in Jehovah; that laying aside of all mere natural resources, even his vast army, as an object of trust. Is this our position? the calm trust of faith in the Lord, with those gathered really to Himself? Let us now hear the Lord's answer to this faith. " 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." Then what are they to do? " Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; set yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, Ο Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed. To-morrow go out against them, for the Lord will be with you" Each of these sentences is full of golden instruction to the children of God now. It is not attack, but set yourselves; take heed to yourselves; see that your condition is acceptable to the Lord.
And now mark, it is not only, a stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord," as in the day of deliverance from Egypt, but here it is " the salvation of the Lord with you." Christian readers, can you see the salvation of the Lord with you? This is the one thing to see, and to hold fast, until He come. " For the Lord will be with you" We can trust Him, however men may become united against us. He has not only gathered a few to Himself, 'as at the beginning, but be assured of this, " the Lord will be with you." Oh, wondrous grace! Here our souls can rest.
]Now we have a striking contrast. The multitude were prepared for war in the wilderness of Peniel, all ready to fight. On the other side of the cliff, or hill of Ziz, Jehoshaphat, and all with him who have just learned the salvation of the Lord with them. And what was the effect of this great truth on those who heard and believed it? " 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." Oh, that the Holy Spirit may lead the people of God to do so likewise. Is He not present with us wherever two or three are gathered to His name? And shall we not fall before Him- worship and adore Him?
We feel sure many fail thus to recognize Him present when gathered to worship, and do those professedly gathered to Him thus worship in spirit and in truth? Here is our salvation from every gathering storm of war—the salvation of the Lord with you. Oh, priceless lesson! May our hearts learn it, and thus worship before Him.
And what more did they do? The very children of those who were spared from going down into the pit—yes, "the children of the Korhites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.” Oh, for that deep sense of grace! for is it not of His grace that we have not gone down into the pit? It is well to remember this, until, instead of fighting and wordy contention, one vast note of praise burst from our hearts and lips. There is no power in that soul that loses the sense of grace, the free, full, and eternal favor of our God and Father.
Now they rise early in the morning to see the wondrous deliverance of the Lord. "And as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood, and said, Hear me, Ο Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." What a contrast to unbelief! He did not say, " It is all over now. You had better return each man to his tent. There is nothing left now but the individual tent." No; to those who are gathered to Christ it is, " Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established." And can we not still rest in the word of God, be assured of spiritual prosperity? Never was there such a battle as this. When he had consulted with the people, what did he appoint to meet the vast army? " 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 forever." Thus were they to be occupied with the holy and the true, the beauty of holiness, singing to Him, instead of fighting with them. There is a great secret of strength in this: " Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth forever." Can we not say so?
But what has this to do with the multitudes gathered against them? And what effect can it now have, if we sing instead of fight? "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. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir.....And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped, to destroy another.” Thus they who were gathered to the center God owned could bow their heads in worship: believing God, they were established; their hearts could go up in adoring praise to the beauty of holiness: and though they had not to fight, yet, when they began to sing, the Lord set party against party, of those who were gathered against Judah; so that they destroyed one another. Judah had nothing to do but to gather the spoil, " more than they could carry away; and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much." Now, is not this very blessed? Instead of fighting and contending with those who oppose themselves, let us praise the Lord, and afterward gather the spoil. Yes, let us seek not theirs, but them, even precious souls, from Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir.
If these precious lessons of faith be learned, we shall see this result. Nothing can be more blessed than to keep the unity of the Spirit; but the divisions of that which is of the flesh is a mercy.. If all the different parties of the flesh were united, fierce persecution would soon break out. Let us, however, remember God’s center is not maintained by contention and fighting, but by worship and singing; and thus shall we see the salvation of the Lord with us.
We would further notice, after this wonderful victory, they did not assemble themselves on the top of the hill, but, " on the fourth day' they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah [that is, blessing], for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called the valley of Berachah unto this day.” Yes, the valley is the true place of blessing to this day. Let us beware of the hill of spiritual pride. In the valley there they blessed the Lord. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
" 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. And they came to Jerusalem, with psalteries, and harps, and trumpets, unto the house of the Lord.” Now we have seen that as that place, that house, was the only center of God here on earth, so now Christ, as the Center of gathering, is the only Center now owned of God. Let every man, then, who has been gathered to Him return with joy, in the full confidence of faith. How blessed to walk in the true ways of the Lord! " And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries" &c. Does He not also say now, " Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." Shall we faint, or be discouraged, when the Lord says, " Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown "?
Would it not be most sad to cease to see the salvation of the Lord with you, at the very moment when He says, " Behold I come quickly"? There is a calm peace not known to the divisions of Christendom, but surely should be ever enjoyed by those gathered to the Lord. " So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about."
There was failure in Jehoshaphat, as we have seen in the sad matter of joining Ahab, but the Lord graciously restored him. Can we not say also, " He restoreth my soul"? And what need of constant watchful dependence! "And after this did Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, join himself with Akaziah, king of Israel, who did very wickedly. And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish." Then did the prophet say, "Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken that they were not able to go to Tarshish." This is, no doubt, a most solemn warning; but also there is this lesson- the failures of men, even of the most honored servants of the Lord, do not for one moment alter the principles of eternal truth. How sadly they may fail! They may join themselves to them that do wickedly; all their works may be destroyed. Peter may fail sadly, but that should not hinder Paul from standing for the truth of the gospel. All Asia may turn from Paul, but that does not alter the truth of the church, the body of Christ, as revealed to and by Paul. Servants of Christ may fail, and by their works deny the precious truth they have taught. Shall we follow them, or the blessed truth they have taught us? Parties of resistance may join, like Ammon, Moab, and the children of Seir. This is nothing if we are truly seeing " the salvation of the Lord with you." That was the one question then—it is the one question now. To depart from this may lead to getting under the power of a lying spirit for the time, as Jehoshaphat, listening to the prophets of Ahab. This may seem dreadful. It is so; for if we are not led by the Spirit of God, shall we not be deceived by Satan? May our God and Father lead our hearts in the prayerful study of this deeply instructive history, that so the prayer of Christ may be answered in each of us—" Sanctify them through thy truth."
C. S.