The Battle Belongs to the Lord Text: 2 Chronicles 20:20-25
Introduction: The Weapons of Our Warfare
We live in an age that prides itself on being sophisticated, pragmatic, and realistic. Our political discourse, our cultural battles, and even our church growth strategies are all built on the assumption that the levers of power are material. We think in terms of budgets, demographics, voting blocs, and strategic messaging. We believe that if we can just get the right man in office, or pass the right legislation, or win the right court case, then the day will be ours. But in doing so, we have forgotten the fundamental nature of the conflict we are in.
The world sees a political contest. The Scriptures reveal a spiritual war. The world trusts in chariots and horses, in polls and in pundits. But we are called to trust in the name of the Lord our God. And this is not some pious platitude to be stitched on a throw pillow. It is the central, strategic reality of the universe. The story of Jehoshaphat and the great multitude that came against him is a permanent, inspired lesson on the nature of true spiritual warfare. It teaches us that the battle is the Lord's, and that the appointed means of victory are often, to the world's eyes, the most foolish and impractical things imaginable.
A vast, overwhelming coalition of enemies, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, had come against Judah. By any human calculation, the situation was hopeless. Jehoshaphat’s prayer in the preceding verses is a model of covenantal reasoning, but the response from God through the prophet Jahaziel was stunning: "You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you... Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you" (2 Chron. 20:17). What we have in our text today is the outworking of that staggering promise. It is a lesson in the audacity of faith, the technology of worship, and the glorious, bloody sovereignty of God.
This is not just a quaint story about an ancient battle. This is a paradigm for the church in every age. We are facing a great multitude. The unholy trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil have arrayed themselves against the people of God. And the temptation is always to panic, to despair, and to begin frantically trying to manufacture our own deliverance with carnal weapons. But God summons us to a different strategy, a strategy of faith, praise, and utter reliance on Him. He calls us to sing in the face of the enemy.
The Text
And they rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, establish your faith in Yahweh your God and you will be established. Establish your faith in His prophets and succeed.” When he had taken counsel with the people, he caused those who sang to Yahweh and those who praised Him to stand in holy attire, as they went out before the army, saying, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for His lovingkindness endures forever.” When they began singing for joy and praising, Yahweh set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were defeated. Indeed, the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to devote them to destruction and to utterly eradicate them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to bring one another to ruin. Now Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, and they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses fallen on the ground, and no one had escaped. So Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil and found much among them, including goods, garments and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much.
(2 Chronicles 20:20-25 LSB)
Faith Before the Fight (v. 20)
We begin with the king's exhortation as they march out to a battle they were told they would not have to fight.
"And they rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, establish your faith in Yahweh your God and you will be established. Establish your faith in His prophets and succeed.'" (2 Chronicles 20:20)
Jehoshaphat is a good king, and a good king is a theologian for his people. He understands that the foundation of any victory is not military might but theological stability. The battle is first won between the ears. He calls them to "establish their faith," or as some translations put it, to "believe." The Hebrew word is aman, the root from which we get "Amen." It means to be firm, steadfast, and reliable. Jehoshaphat creates a chiasm here: Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be confirmed, you will be made firm. Believe in His prophets, and you will prosper.
This is the logic of the covenant. God is the ultimate reality, the ground of all being. To believe in Him is to align yourself with reality itself, and thus to be "established." To disbelieve is to build your house on the sand of your own autonomous reason, which is to say, on nothing. God's prophets are His authorized spokesmen. Their words are not their own; they are the very Word of God. To trust their word is to trust God's plan, and to trust God's plan is the only path to true success.
Notice the order. They are marching out to face a horde of killers. The natural human response would be to give a rousing military speech, to talk about courage and swords and shields. Jehoshaphat’s first order of business is a call to theological confidence. He knows that courage is a theological virtue. It flows from a right understanding of who God is and what He has promised. Fear is a form of atheism. It is the assumption that the enemy is bigger than God. Jehoshaphat will not allow his people to indulge in such blasphemy. They are to establish their faith, to drive the pilings of their confidence deep into the bedrock of God’s character and God’s promises.
The Ludicrous Vanguard (v. 21)
What follows is one of the most bizarre and glorious military strategies in the history of warfare.
"When he had taken counsel with the people, he caused those who sang to Yahweh and those who praised Him to stand in holy attire, as they went out before the army, saying, 'Give thanks to Yahweh, for His lovingkindness endures forever.'" (2 Chronicles 20:21 LSB)
After consulting with the people, which shows a wise and humble leadership, Jehoshaphat appoints the vanguard. And who does he put at the tip of the spear? Not the elite special forces, not the heavy infantry, not the chariots. He puts the choir out front. He appoints singers, dressed in holy attire, to lead the army into battle.
This is tactical insanity and theological genius all at once. To the enemy, watching from the ridge, this must have been a bewildering sight. It was an act of profound contempt for their military power. It was a declaration that the weapons of Judah’s warfare were not carnal. They were not trusting in their own strength, but in the strength of the one being praised. Worship is warfare. Praise is a weapon. When we sing praise to God, we are not just engaging in a bit of liturgical throat-clearing. We are reminding ourselves, the principalities and powers, and God Himself of who He is and what He is like.
And what is the substance of their song? "Give thanks to Yahweh, for His lovingkindness endures forever." The word for lovingkindness is hesed. This is a rich, covenantal word. It speaks of God's steadfast, loyal, unrelenting, covenant-keeping love. It is not a sentimental feeling; it is a rugged, unbreakable commitment. They are marching into the face of annihilation, and their battle cry is a declaration of the eternal, unchanging, faithful love of God. They are saying that no matter what happens on that field, this one thing is true: God's hesed endures forever. This is the ultimate ground of their confidence. Their security is not in the outcome of the battle, but in the character of their God.
Divine Ambush and Self-Slaughter (v. 22-23)
The result of this act of faithful worship is immediate and catastrophic for the enemy.
"When they began singing for joy and praising, Yahweh set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were defeated. Indeed, the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to devote them to destruction and to utterly eradicate them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to bring one another to ruin." (2 Chronicles 20:22-23 LSB)
The moment the praise begins, the Lord acts. The text says He "set ambushes." We are not told the precise mechanics of this. Perhaps it was angelic forces, or a sudden, divinely induced paranoia. The instrument is not the point; the agent is. Yahweh did it. He is the warrior, and He fights for His people. The praise of His people was the trigger.
What follows is a complete rout, a divinely orchestrated self-immolation. The fragile alliance of God's enemies disintegrates into a bloody circular firing squad. Ammon and Moab first turn on their allies from Mount Seir and "devote them to destruction." This is the language of herem, a holy war where the enemy is utterly annihilated as a sacrifice to God. They do the Lord's work for Him. And then, once they have finished with the men of Seir, they turn on each other. They "helped to bring one another to ruin."
This is what happens when God gives rebellious men over to their own sinful hearts. The wages of sin is death, and when God removes His restraining hand, sinners will destroy themselves. Their hatred for God's people is surpassed only by their hatred for one another. All unholy alliances are temporary and built on the shifting sands of self-interest. When God decides to act, He simply lets that internal rot do its work. He turns their own swords, their own hatred, and their own violence back upon themselves. This is a pattern we see repeatedly in Scripture. God’s enemies are their own worst enemies.
The Spoils of a Victorious God (v. 24-25)
The aftermath of God's victory is a scene of stunning, silent carnage and overwhelming blessing for His people.
"Now Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, and they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses fallen on the ground, and no one had escaped... So Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil and found much among them... more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much." (2 Chronicles 20:24-25 LSB)
Judah arrives at the scene, not as warriors, but as spectators. They were told to stand and see the salvation of the Lord, and this is what they see. A valley filled with dead bodies. Total annihilation. "No one had escaped." God's judgment is precise and complete. The threat has been utterly neutralized, not by their hand, but by His.
And then they become not just spectators, but beneficiaries. They were not called to fight, but they are called to plunder. The very enemies who came to plunder them have now become their source of immense wealth. The spoil is so great, so abundant, that it takes them three full days to gather it all. This is the God we serve. He does not just deliver; He delivers with overflowing abundance. He does not just save His people; He enriches them. The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just (Proverbs 13:22).
This is a picture of the gospel. We were facing a multitude of enemies: sin, death, and the devil. We were powerless to save ourselves. But God sent a champion, the Lord Jesus Christ, who went out to fight the battle for us. He did not send a choir before Him, but rather went as the Lamb of God to the cross. And on that cross, He absorbed the full fury of God's wrath against our sin. He conquered death by dying. He disarmed the principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15).
We did not fight. We did not contribute to our salvation in any way. We simply stood, helpless, and watched God achieve the victory. And now, we are invited to plunder the enemy's camp. We receive the spoils of Christ's victory: forgiveness of sins, the righteousness of Christ credited to our account, adoption as sons, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, eternal life, and an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. The blessings are so vast we will spend all of eternity gathering them up, and we will never be able to carry it all.