Jehoshaphat is, once again, tested as a massive army comes against Judah. This time, he does the right thing and turns to God. God tells him and the people that the battle is His and promptly defeats the invading army.
When Judah faces an overwhelming invasion, Jehoshaphat leads the nation to seek the Lord, trust His word, and worship before the victory is visible, and God delivers them without their having to fight.
“O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” - 2 Chronicles 20:12
Second Chronicles 20 records one of the clearest examples in the book of what it means to seek the Lord in a crisis. Jehoshaphat has just returned to faithful leadership after being rebuked for his alliance with Ahab. Now a large coalition of Moabites, Ammonites, and others advances against Judah from the southeast.
Messengers warn Jehoshaphat that the enemy is already at Hazazon Tamar, or En Gedi, near the western shore of the Dead Sea. The threat is immediate. Jehoshaphat is afraid, but fear does not become his final response. He “set himself to seek the LORD” and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.
The people gather from across the kingdom to seek help from the Lord. This is not merely Jehoshaphat’s personal prayer meeting. The crisis becomes an occasion for national dependence. Men, women, and children stand together before God because the danger affects the whole community.
Jehoshaphat stands in the temple courtyard and prays. He begins not with the size of the enemy but with the greatness of God. He acknowledges that the Lord rules over the kingdoms of the nations and that no one can withstand His power. Prayer reorients fear by placing the crisis beneath the sovereignty of God.
Jehoshaphat then remembers what God has done. He recalls that the Lord gave the land to the descendants of Abraham and that Solomon prayed at the temple that God would hear His people when disaster came and they cried out to Him. Jehoshaphat is praying according to the covenant promises associated with the temple dedication in 2 Chronicles 6–7.
He also brings the specific injustice before God. Israel had been forbidden to attack Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir during the wilderness journey, yet their descendants are now invading Judah. Jehoshaphat does not take revenge into his own hands. He asks God to judge rightly.
The heart of the prayer comes in verse 12: “We have no might against this great company that comes against us. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” This is not helpless resignation. Jehoshaphat honestly acknowledges both Judah’s weakness and God’s sufficiency. Faith begins with refusing to pretend that we possess strength we do not have.
As the people stand before the Lord, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon Jahaziel, a Levite. God answers through His Word. Jahaziel tells Judah not to be afraid or dismayed because “the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
They are still commanded to go out against the enemy the next day. Trust does not mean hiding in Jerusalem and doing nothing. Judah must take its position and stand. But they will not have to win the battle themselves. They are to witness the salvation the Lord provides.
Jehoshaphat and the people respond before anything changes on the battlefield. The king bows with his face to the ground, the people worship, and the Levites praise God loudly. Their worship comes after receiving God’s promise but before seeing His deliverance.
The next morning, Jehoshaphat encourages the people: “Believe in the LORD your God, so you will be established! Believe his prophets, so you will prosper.” He then appoints singers to go before the army, praising the Lord for His holy majesty and declaring, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his loving kindness endures forever.”
Putting singers ahead of the soldiers is a remarkable expression of trust. Judah enters the crisis worshiping rather than boasting in military strength. The praise does not manipulate God into acting. It expresses confidence in the word He has already given.
As they begin to sing and praise, the Lord sets ambushes against the invading armies. Ammon and Moab turn against the forces from Mount Seir and destroy them, then turn on one another. By the time Judah reaches the lookout point, the enemy has already been defeated. Not one has escaped.
Judah spends three days gathering spoil because there is so much. On the fourth day they assemble in the Valley of Beracah, meaning “blessing,” and praise the Lord. They return to Jerusalem with music and joy because God has given them victory.
The fear of God then falls on surrounding kingdoms, and Jehoshaphat’s kingdom experiences peace. The chapter closes, however, with another warning. Jehoshaphat later enters a commercial partnership with Ahaziah king of Israel, a wicked ruler. Eliezer the prophet announces judgment on the project, and the ships are wrecked.
The ending reinforces a recurring lesson in Jehoshaphat’s life. He genuinely seeks God and receives remarkable deliverance, yet he continues to struggle with unwise alliances. A dramatic victory does not remove the need for ongoing discernment and obedience.
The chapter points ultimately to Jesus Christ. Judah faced an enemy it could not defeat and received deliverance from God. Humanity faces enemies far greater than military invasion: sin, death, and judgment. Christ has won the decisive victory that we could never achieve ourselves. Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Second Chronicles 20 teaches us what to do when we do not know what to do. Jehoshaphat did not deny his fear or pretend that Judah was stronger than it was. He brought the crisis openly before God. Faith is not confidence in ourselves. It is fixing our eyes on the Lord when our resources are clearly insufficient.
Jehoshaphat’s prayer also shows the importance of remembering God’s character and promises before becoming consumed by circumstances. Our prayers can easily become long descriptions of everything going wrong. Biblical prayer begins by remembering who God is, what He has done, and what He has promised. That does not make the problem smaller, but it places the problem in its proper perspective.
The people’s worship before the victory challenges us to praise God while outcomes remain uncertain. Christian praise is not reserved for the moment when circumstances improve. We worship because God is good, His loving kindness endures forever, and His character does not change even when we cannot yet see what He is doing.
The command to take position and stand reminds us that dependence on God is not passivity. Sometimes God calls us to act while trusting Him for the outcome. We pray, then take the faithful next step. The battle belongs to the Lord, but obedience still belongs to us.
Finally, Jehoshaphat’s later alliance warns us not to assume one major experience with God will eliminate every weakness. We can trust Him deeply in one area and compromise foolishly in another. Continued faithfulness requires continued seeking, listening, and correction.
Bring one overwhelming situation before God using Jehoshaphat’s pattern: acknowledge His greatness, remember His faithfulness, admit your weakness, and tell Him honestly, “My eyes are on you.”
Choose one way to praise God before you know the outcome of a current problem, thanking Him specifically for who He is rather than only for what you hope He will do.
When I am afraid, where do I turn first for security and direction?
Can I honestly admit when I do not know what to do, or do I feel compelled to appear in control?
Does my prayer focus more on the size of the problem or on the greatness and faithfulness of God?
Am I willing to worship and obey before I see how God will resolve the situation?
What repeated weakness or compromise still requires vigilance even after seasons of spiritual victory?
Thanksgiving: Thank God for the times He has carried you through situations beyond your strength and for the victory Christ has already won over sin and death.
Intercession: Pray for believers facing circumstances that appear overwhelming. Ask God to give them courage, clarity, and confidence in His character and Word.
Petition: Ask God to direct you where you do not know what to do, to keep your eyes fixed on Him, and to show you the next faithful step.
Confession: Confess any panic, self-reliance, refusal to seek God, or tendency to worship only when circumstances go your way.
Praise: Praise God as the sovereign Lord whose loving kindness endures forever and whose power is greater than every enemy. Praise Jesus as the victorious King who has accomplished the salvation His people could never achieve for themselves.
When you are overwhelmed and don’t know what you’re going to do, are your eyes on the problem, or on the Lord?
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