Gold for the heart - 2 Chronicles 20-23

2 Chronicles 20

1 It happened after this that the children of Moab, the children of Ammon, and some of the Meunites came to battle against Jehoshaphat. 2 Someone came and told Jehoshaphat saying, A great multitude comes against you from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and behold, they are at Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi. 3 And Jehoshaphat was afraid, and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

In 2 Chronicles 18, 19 Jehoshaphat had been corrected by the LORD for helping those who hate the LORD.
Jehoshaphat set things right again in the nation and cleansed the court system of corruption.
Often when we change a wrong and do the right thing the forces of evil attack.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

God rules over all

4 So Judah gathered themselves together to ask help from the LORD: out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. 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, are you not God in heaven? And do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in your hand is there not power and strength so that no one is able to stand against you? 7 Are you not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and gave it to the seed of your friend Abraham forever? 8 And they dwelt in it, and have built you a sanctuary in it for your name saying, 9 when evil comes on us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, if we stand before this house, and in your presence, (for your person is in this house,) and cry to you in our affliction, then you will hear and help.

Heathen are nations that have turned their back on God.
God rules over all, including those who turn their backs on him.
He holds all the power.
No one is able to stand against Him.
The nation gathered to pray.

10 And now behold, the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and did not destroy them; 11 See how they reward us, to come to cast us out of your possession that you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us: neither do we know what to do: but our eyes are on you.

God owns all.
He gave Palestine it to Israel.
Looking to God is the great problem solver in life.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’S, and the fullness of it; the world, and those that dwell in it.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The battle is the LORD’s

13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their families, their wives, and their children. 14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the congregation; 15 And he said, Listen, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and king Jehoshaphat, This is what the LORD says to you, Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; you will find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand still and see the deliverance of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: do not fear, nor be discouraged; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. 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 out into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God and you will be established; believe his prophets and you will prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to the LORD, to praise the beauty of holiness as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his love endures forever.

He establishes us if we believe.
He prospers us when we hear His word (Psalm 1:1-3, Joshua 1:8).
He is most beautiful.

Matthewv 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Psalm 45:2 You are more beautiful than the children of men: grace is poured into your lips: therefore God has blessed you forever.

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, who came against Judah; and they struck one another down. 23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to kill and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

The LORD set ambushes against the enemy.
They turned against one another.
These nations came against God’s people to destroy them and instead they themselves were destroyed.

Psalm 141:10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I escape.

24 And when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked to the multitude and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. 25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their plunder, 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: they were three days gathering of the plunder, 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, to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at the head of them, to return to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. 28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries, harps, and trumpets to 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.

God will fight against your enemies if you are following Him rather than evil.

1Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened to them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest all around. 31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was 35 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and did not depart from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. 33 However the high places were not taken away: for the people had still not prepared their hearts to the God of their fathers. 34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book/words of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is made to ascend in the book of the kings of Israel. 35 And after this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: 36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has broken your works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

2 Chronicles 21

1 Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah: all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. 3 Their father gave them great gifts of silver, of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah: but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. 4 Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and killed all his brothers and various others of the princes of Israel with the sword.

A murderer.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and did not stay in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

5 Jehoram was 32 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife: and he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

All mankind are either doing what God has said or Satan’s plan.
Satan’s biggest plan is good that leaves out the one true God who saved mankind through His only Son, Jesus Christ.
Ahab worshipped idols.

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

7 However the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons forever. 8 In his days the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah and made themselves a king. 9 Then Jehoram went out with his princes, and all his chariots with him: he rose up by night and struck the Edomites that surrounded him, and the captains of the chariots. 10 So the Edomites revolted from under the rule of Judah to this day. At that same time Libnah also revolted from under his rule because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers.

Problems are allowed by God to bring us to Him.
God preserved David’s line because of His promise to David.
He honored the way David had lived and ruled.

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

11 Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and pushed Judah to it. 12 Elijah the prophet wrote to him saying, The LORD God of David your father says this, Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 But have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go whoring, like the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers of your father’s house, who were better than you: 14 Behold, the Lord will strike your people with a great blow, your children, your wives, and all your goods: 15 And you will have great sickness by disease in your bowels, until your bowels fall out because of the sickness day by day.

They made special places for these idolatrous ceremonies in the mountains and groves.
Idolatrous leaders lead their people to eternal death.
Whoredom speaks of more than the orgies were part of idol worship.
The greatest unfaithfulness is to leave God our Maker for idols (Colossians 3:5).

Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

The LORD stirred up the Philistines and the Arabians against Judah

16 Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians that were near the Ethiopians: 17 They came up to Judah, broke into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons and his wives also; so that there was not a son left him, except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons. 18 And after all this the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease.

Jehoram had brought sickness of heart on the people by idolatry: much suffering rather than blessing came on them.
He did this to himself by his choices.

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that is what he will reap.

19 And after the end of two years, his bowels fell out because of his sickness: so he died in great pain. And his people made no burning for him like the burning of his fathers. 20 He was 32 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. However they buried him in the city of David, but not in the graves of the kings.

God gave him two years after all the other disasters to repent.
He did not have a big, honorable funeral.

2Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any perish, but that all come to repentance.

2 Chronicles 22

1 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had killed all the oldest. So Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah reigned. 2 Ahaziah was 42 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.

God sets up kings.
God rules over all His creation.
He gives man freewill, kings freewill.
But He is always in control.

Daniel 2:21 And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

Jeremiah 10:7 Who would not fear you, O King of nations? For to you it belongs: for among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like to you.

3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. 4 Therefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab: for they were his counselors after the death of his father to his destruction.

He was king. He had a choice.
They both followed the leading of evil rather than the leading of God.
Ahab worshipped idols. Leaders who worship idols are leading their people to eternal death.

Jeremiah 10:10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king…

Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.

5 He walked after their counsel, and went with Jehoram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel to war against Hazael, king of Syria, at Ramoth-gilead: and the Syrians struck Joram. 6 And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds that were given him at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah went down to see Jehoram, the son of Ahab, at Jezreel, because he was sick. 7 The destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. 8 And when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he killed them. 9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him, (for he was hiding in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had killed him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. There was no one of house of Ahaziah to retain power of the kingdom.

Ahaziah ruled in Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel.
Jehoram ruled in the northern kingdom of Israel.
Ahaziah allied himself with evil Jehoram.
God destroyed him for this.

Acts 11:23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cling to the Lord.

10 But when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, stole him from among the king’s sons that were killed, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she did not kill him. 12 And he was with them, hidden in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

Athaliah is the prime example in scripture of a woman usurping authority.
She killed these male children, her own grandchildren, who were qualified by birth to rule on the throne of Israel and took the throne for herself.

1Timothy 2:12 But I do not allow a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

2 Chronicles 23

1 And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him. 2 They went around in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, Behold, the king’s son will reign, as the LORD said of the sons of David.

God had said David’s sons would rule (2 Samuel 7).
These people were standing up against evil and doing God’s stated will.
In 2 Chronicles 22, Athaliah had killed all the king’s sons and taken the throne of Israel to herself.
One infant son had been saved and hidden in the house of God for six years.
“The kings son will reign,” has great eternal significance.

John 3:35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.

Isaiah 32:1 Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, princes will rule in justice.

Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he will reign forever and ever.

4 This is what you are to do; A third of you entering on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, will be gatekeepers of the doors; 5 a third part will be at the king’s house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people will be in the courts of the house of the LORD. 6 But let no one come into the house of the LORD except the priests, and those that minister of the Levites; they will go in, for they are holy: but all the people will keep the watch of the LORD.

The watch of the Lord began when the Israelites stood at the door of their tents to watch as Moses went into the tabernacle to speak with God. The men stood in the doorway of their tents until Moses came out. They also waited and watched during the atonement sacrifice.

Leviticus 16:17 And there will be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goes in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he comes out, and has made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

7 And the Levites will surround the king, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever else comes into the house, he will be put to death: but be you be with the king when he comes in, and when he goes out.

God guards His people more strongly and securely than this.

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD camps around them that fear him, and delivers them.

Psalm121:8 The LORD will preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go out on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of the divisions. 9 Moreover Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of hundreds spears and large and small shields that had been king David’s that were in the house of God. 10 And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple and around the king.

The monthly rotation of Levites were not released to go home after their time of service was completed.
They did not know how much the opposition would fight the removal of Athaliah as queen, so they prepared.

11 Then they brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, Let the king live.

God commanded the king to read His word every day. That is the testimony that was given the king.

Deuteronomy 17:18 And it will be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he is to write himself a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19 And it is to stay with him, and he is to read in it all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

12 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people in the house of the LORD: 13 She looked, and behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entrance, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded the trumpets, also the singers with instruments of music, and those taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled, Treason, Treason. 14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the army and said to them, Bring her out between the ranks: and whoever follows her, let him be killed with the sword. For the priest said, Do not kill her in the house of the LORD. 15 So they laid hands on her; and when she came to the entering of the horse gate by the king’s house, they killed her there.

This was not treason but patriotism.
She stole the throne of Israel by murdering her own grandsons.

16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, between all the people, and between the king, that they would be the LORD’s people. 17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal, broke it down, broke its altars and its images in pieces, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by the hands of David.

All the leaders and followers of false gods are under death sentence from God for leading people to eternal death (Deuteronomy 13).
They covenanted to be God’s people. God died to make us His own.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him not perish, but have everlasting life.

19 And he set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD so that no one that was unclean in any thing would enter. 20 And he took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house of the LORD: and they came through the high gate into the king’s house, and set the king on the throne of the kingdom. 21 And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after they had killed Athaliah with the sword.

Isaiah 57:21 There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked.

1John 1:9I f we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John 15:3 Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

John 14:6J esus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.

SUMMARY: 2 Chronicles 20-23

The LORD rules over all
He fights our battles
He stirred up nations to come against His disobedient nation