Learning How to Defend in Faith

Scripture: As soon as they started shouting and praising, God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead. The Ammonites and Moabites mistakenly attacked those from Mount Seir and massacred them. Then, further confused, they went at each other, and all ended up killed. 2 Chronicles 20:22-23

Observation: With three nations unified and about to attack Judah, Jehoshaphat does not seek outside help to defend his country. In fact, he doesn't even really raise an army. Instead, he turns to the Lord, with praying and fasting, and eventually marches out into "battle" with a force that is lead not by chariots or archers or infantry, but by ... a choir. The Lord responds as he always promises he will; He fights the battle for Judah, turning the enemy's own tactics against them, and completely killing the enemy by their own confusion. Judah reaps reward without fighting at all.

It is in this example that all of Judah's kings should have learned and forever understood the truth about their nation. They have seen the northern kingdom of Israel fall further and further away from the Lord, and the result is continued loss of territory and loss in battles. However, when Jehoshaphat models total faith in the protection of the Lord - not by his own hand as king, but by leading the people in faith - Judah (now just two tribes) defeats three other nations without even fighting. Unfortunately, future kings won't learn from Jehoshaphat's example.

Application: As I have spent time worried about how the church may stand up against the evil earthly concepts of popular culture - to "defend" against misleading lies - perhaps it is better to consider Jehoshaphat's model. In other words, all we really have to do is trust in the Lord, continue in prayer, sing worship, and in public to simply stand firm and give him all praise and honor, and then wait to see how all the various enemies and their evil tactics will ultimately destroy each other.

Perhaps we are seeing some of this when certain ideals like transgenderism begin to run into conflicts with champions of radical feminism. It is difficult to see how some of these cultural issues could 'kill' each other, however it was probably difficult to understand how three allied armies accidentally slaughtered each other, too.

I am tired of watching Christians 'fight' against culture. My own extended family is doing it, and all I can think of is that it is harming - not advancing - the mission of Jesus' Church. I would rather mount a defense that involves singing and praying and trusting the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, I have said many times that I don't know how our society today reverses course when it comes to the evil deceptions that are misleading so many. But I know you can do it, and you don't need us to become militant or aggressive. May we, your believers, continue to just love others, to worship you, and to give our faith and our lives wholly to you. I know you can take care of the rest. Amen.