In Difficulties, Seek The Lord First! - [2 Chronicles 20:1-30]

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin not in part, but the whole what would have happened if only part of it was nailed to the cross. Tell me what would have happened? What kind of salvation would that be?

There would be none. Because all it would take would be one sin To our account and we would be banished From God's presence and banished from heaven forever. You consider that Author of that hymn Mr. Spafford and the difficulties if you ever read the story behind that hymn in his business financial struggles, but But as we heard this morning of the news of the DeSimone family of losing their son Mr. Spafford lost his daughters.

I think I think there were four children that were lost. And his son too was a different time and it's difficulties that come the way of the child of God and what are you going to do? Do you you cash it in?

Do you throw in the towel? Do you? Stop ministry stop prayer. Stop reading the Bible. It just doesn't work. It's It's just not worth it. We're just gonna we're just gonna give up. Mr. Spafford writes a hymn attributing that all is well for his soul because Because God is with him and for him and on his side.

And when it comes to the life of the believer Difficulties are going to come and if you haven't experienced them as a child of God, they will it will happen. And what is it that we do? How is it? How is it that we are to face them and I'd like to share with you something out of 2nd Chronicles chapter 20.

So if you take your Bibles and turn there 2nd Chronicles in chapter 20 We have this account here in the in the history of the children of Israel It's under King Jehoshaphat That That there's a great invasion that is Coming against Israel and Moab and Amnon come against Jerusalem.

We see this in verse 1 it came to pass after this also that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon Ammon and with them other Besides the Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Verse 2 there came some that told Jehoshaphat saying there cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria and Behold they be in hazzazon Tamar which is and get a.

So we see here at the very beginning of this chapter That there is an attack of a great multitude coming against Jerusalem against God's people and particularly here King Jehoshaphat gets this news and what what is he going to do?

Well right from the very beginning we see in the first point of my message this morning is I mean this evening is In our difficulties. What is it that we ought to do and first and foremost? I believe that before we go anywhere else We need to go to the Lord and ask for help.

Before we go anywhere else We must go to the Lord first and ask for help. We see in verse 3 Jehoshaphat feared and set himself or Turned his attention to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

So John we see the king here what he does not do is he does not do the typical the conventional. He does not call his joint chiefs of staff. He does not call the military commanders. But he goes to the Lord first not man not human strength not human reasoning not his own intellect.

Not his own past not his own his own thinking the things that have worked for him in the past, but he goes To seek the Lord first, and I think that if we think if we I mean when it comes to the the Christian life I mean what what happens many times is.

Here's the motto when when all else fails go to God. And we get in trouble when that happens we get in trouble you've heard me say this before but we get in that in trouble when when it comes to buying something at the store and bringing home the package and opening up and and Put it in trying to put it together and when all else fails we we do what we pull out the instructions.

Don't we I know that in my in my Christian life there have been times In the past when I am hitting my head against the wall. When I am trying to get over a hurdle, I'm trying to get through some difficulty and it might it might be something That's big.

It could be something that's very small. Sometimes it's putting something together in the garage or working around the house and I haven't committed it unto the Lord. I'm trying to do it in my own strength and It isn't until I stop and I acknowledge that.

Everything is to be done unto the Lord and for the glory of the Lord and I commit it to the Lord then. Like the king and Daniel I get a little bit of wisdom and you can go on and get the get the job accomplished.

Well Jehoshaphat, he does not rely upon the arm of the flesh. He seeks the Lord and notice the example of this in seeking the Lord first and foremost up here. It says in verse 4 that Judah gathers themselves together to ask help of the Lord even out of all the cities of Judah.

They came to seek the Lord. I think that's very interesting here because we see that because of the good example of King Jehoshaphat the leader that the people follow his example or the people follow suit and.

Doesn't that give us a little principle when it comes to in the Christian life when it comes to those in leadership? Maybe an elder maybe a pastor. Maybe someone who is teaching or maybe a leadership in the home when it comes.

When it comes to the father the husband in the home or if you're at work and you're the boss. And you have those that are working for you. Maybe you have a Christian business together that first and foremost what we ought to do is seek the Lord first.

And we do that then we'll see that others will gather along with us to seek the Lord. It is so so important rather than when all else fails. Go to God the biblical thinking ought to be when things are failing go to the Lord and go to the Lord immediately quickly.

And we see here as the story goes on as the account goes on here in verse 5 Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah in Jerusalem in the house of the Lord. Before the new court and we're going to see here.

As we go to the Lord and before we go anywhere else as I've said we're supposed to and we ought to go to the Lord. First I want you to see how they go to the Lord. How is it that they that they approach God.

And we see here in verse 6 first? In this sub point of point number one and When Jehoshaphat goes in the house of the Lord and he and he seeks Lord. He says O Lord God of our fathers art not thou God in heaven and Rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen and in thine hand.

And in thine hand is there not power and might so that none is able to withstand thee and the first thing that we see Jehoshaphat do here and I I need to just stop for just a moment. I usually try to do this the beginning of my message.

But this outline I had seen many many years ago in some book. That just it had an outline in it and it was from Spurgeon. He had he had Laid this out and I thought wow you know he did a whole lot better of an outline on this that I could ever do and I've Borrowed adapted and just going to preach from from that outline I just need to make sure that I give that credit up front.

We see in verse 6 though that what he does as he's seeking the Lord is that he expresses his complete confidence in the Lord. When he goes to the Lord, he's not going in doubt when he goes to the Lord.

He is expressing an assurance and a confidence in God and notice he says, you know He speaks to the sovereignty of God. God you rule over all the kingdoms of the heathen and who is that? He rules over the Moabites and he rules over the Ammonites that are that are coming after him that are gathering together that are conspiring to attack Jerusalem and not only that he says and in thine hand Is there not power and might so that none is able to withstand thee what attribute of God this just shines out of that God's Omnipotence.

God is all powerful. There's this power in his hand and power and might in with the Lord and no one can stop the Lord. And then as he not only does he express his confidence in the Lord notice what he does in verse 7 art art not thou Our God who did strive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel and gave us it to this to the seed of Abraham Thy friend forever.

And what we see here that he's doing is he's is not only as he did before he Expressed his complete confidence in God, but in verse 7. He is pleading the past acts of God's mercies. He's looking to what the Lord has done in there in their past in their history and he said Lord did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land and you and you gave it to Abraham.

And When we think about that in our lives brethren isn't it so true that at times when? When we are faced with a difficulty so many times we can say the Lord has been So faithful so much so we can kind of think of a hymn like great is thy faithfulness and we think back upon how good and how faithful the Lord has been to us in every past trial and in every past difficulty and that kind of assures us and it bolsters our faith as we look back and we see if God was Faithful to us then and his thoughts towards us have not changed.

He will be faithful and remain faithful to us not only in this new and present difficulty. But all the days of our lives God has not done anything to any one of his children that would ever cause us to doubt his faithfulness towards us.

He will always remain faithful. And it is something that as Jehoshaphat goes to to seek the Lord's face to seek for help in this situation. Not only is he expressing confidence that God is able to do this and he's and he's sovereign over all but he's but he is One who has done good to them and has been faithful to them in the past and then just briefly in verses 8 and 9 I won't I won't touch on them too too much, but you can go in there and you can see That that what he does is he goes back and reminds and brings before the Lord God's promises to them in the dedication of the temple that if they ever if evil ever came against them in verse 9 as like a sword or judgment or pestilence or famine and they stand before this house and In God's presence for your name is in this house.

It says and cry unto thee in our affliction then thou will hear and help and he's just calling To mind what it is that God has said in the past God made a promise and he is a covenant-keeping God. That God said that if they were in difficult situations dire straits back against the wall I mean, they've got they've getting hit right right in the face with this one.

I mean it's coming right at him. And you know what I'm talking about and your life is a child of God when all of a sudden that you get that phone call or you get that person who walks in your presence with that news or Some news some information comes to you and it's right in the face.

It is a trial. It is a difficulty. It is it is Yes, of course goes across the desk of the Lord getting his stamp of approval but it comes to us with great weight in heaviness and many times with great grief and Sorrow or as in this case here the enemy attacks and great fear.

No doubt arises in the hearts of Jehoshaphat and the people I mean there there's anxiety there's a great multitude coming and What they do is they plead the covenant mercies of the Lord God you promised that if we would if we were in Difficulty that we could cry unto you and that you would hear and help and if you promise that to us We are going to trust in you.

We're going to do that and we're going to look to you to be strong on our behalf and we're going to see what the Lord does. Now notice notice what it says in verse 10. And now behold the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade when they came out of the land Of Egypt, but they turn from them and destroyed them not behold I say how they reward us to come to cast us out of thy possession which thou has given us to inherit.

You're just saying here Lord. They're coming to displace us to displace us out of the land that you gave us. Hear us and help us but not only when we go and seek the Lord when there's difficulty should we express confidence in the Lord and Should we plead his past mercies and we can also?

Call up the Lord's covenant promises to us to hold and to cling to and to and to plead the Lord to be faithful as he has in the past been but notice what he also does in verse 12 as They go before the Lord they say this Oh our God Wilt thou not judge them for we have no might against this great company that comest against us.

Neither know we what to do, but our eyes are Upon thee and here they confess their true condition. They confess their true condition they say we have no power or we are powerless against this enemy not only that He says that we have no plan.

I Mean we we just don't know what to do. I mean sometimes My children over the years have come to me especially when they were younger, but they still even do it now and it's almost like They think you're the Bible answer man.

You know what? I mean husband's father's, you know, you got or you got the answer for every single Situation and sometimes you're put on the spot because the question is coming or even I mean I'm hitting in the elders.

Can anybody can attest to this when you're in the aisle here and after a service is over? You get hit with the big mega bomb question and it's like who's gonna be asking about the you know The super lapsarian view or you know some.

I this morning someone was coming to me asking me asking me questions About the lineage in the Old Testament and it was like well I hope they work this one out as they're talking because I'm not gonna be able to do this without a without without a study.

But it's like sometimes we just don't know. And you know the problem is when we don't know we don't ought not to act like we do know. We ought not to act up in pride and say I'm not gonna humble myself before before a person to tell him I don't know the answer and when it comes to a Difficulty one of the worst things that we can do is think that we've got it made.

We think that we've got it under control. We think that we think that we have the answer for this or we think that we have the strength to be Able to do this no power no plan and there are there's nobody on their behalf.

There's no allies as a matter of fact all they've got is is their families notice worth verse 13 and all Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones and their wives and their children. I mean they got a that's their care.

That's their concern. They themselves and their families can be consumed off the face of the earth and wiped out by this enemy but they don't know what to do and Here they are admitting their inability and their knowledge.

There's humility here. They're admitting their weakness and it is not a bad thing. When you don't know what to do to say that you don't know what to do. I mean one of the best things that I do at work when I have somebody ask me a question.

And I try to teach the people that work for me if you don't have an answer to deal dealing with some technical issue. Don't bluff it. Tell them you don't know and tell them I will research it and I will get back to you with the right answer.

And when it comes I mean aren't we supposed to be sincere as Believers aren't we supposed to be transparent and when we don't know we ought to say that we don't know and when we are without Strength, we ought not to think that we have strength in our own cells or we can as I think maybe Steve Cooley brother Steve Cooley has coined so elegantly Solar bootstrap, uh, whatever that was pull you pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, you know.

That's the thinking of this world. You can do it yourself. You can be the king of the hill you you know. You've got it made. But there are times brothers and sisters in Christ when when the the enemy will come and attack.

When that difficulty that trying situation will hit us. Face on and we have absolutely no clue that life is snuffed out right in front of us that relationship is snapped in two. That person leaves the faith right in front of us and it's like we haven't it's like where did this come from we get we Get almost like blindsided because we did not see it and it's okay.

When we don't know what to do to admit that it's it's it's terribly Difficult and in a bad situation we put ourselves in if we think that we have the answer. I think it's more important for us to do what Peter said in first Peter 5 7 to cast all of your care Upon him because he cares for you and that's exactly what they do here in verse 12 notice.

We don't we don't have any might we don't know what to do. There's no plan here. We don't have any any strategy. We we can't defeat the Ammonites. We I mean, they're not even talking about weaponry or anything here.

They're just saying we we are undone. But our eyes are upon thee that's the place to be. When we don't have the answer we don't have the power when we don't have any allies. There's nobody there's nobody around to shore us up and to go through this with us.

The words can come to us. I Will never leave thee nor forsake thee like David said in Psalm 16 8 though I've set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. So we see here.

Firstly that the most important thing before we go anywhere else We need to go to the Lord and seek his face and to ask for help now secondly. When we ask for help, I believe that it ought to be. That we expect to receive help from the Lord so point number two is expect to receive help from the Lord.

Don't doubt it. Expect when you ask notice as we see this in verses 14 through 20. Then upon Jeheziel now, he is a Levite we see here and I'm not going to attempt to read those names this evening. It seems like my my tongue is getting in from in front of my eye teeth.

I can't see what I'm saying at times here I'm twisting some of these consonants together, but he's a Levite Prophet the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him in the midst of the congregation at the end of verse 14 and he says in verse 15 harken ye all Judah and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem and Thou King Jehoshaphat thus saith the Lord unto you.

You first and foremost what we see here is how they're receiving this help. How is it coming to them? Well first and foremost by the entrance of the Word of God God has raised up this man. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon him and He begins to speak and he's speaking the words that God wants them to hear in this difficulty in this trial.

In this situation and isn't it so important to us? I mean When people are facing Difficulties and you're counseling and you're talking to them about the situation. There have been so many times when I've spoken to somebody I'd say well.

In this I mean, what are you praying about? I'm not praying. What is it that the Lord is using from his word to console you to comfort you to help you? To drive to guide you to direct you maybe in this even a difficulty or in a decision that you're making Not reading anything how dangerous and how we forsake the mercies the in the means of grace that God gives us because The Word of God tells us in Psalm 119 130 the entrance of thy words gives light and the entrance of God's Word gives light and dark and difficult times like like They were facing here in.

In this account when the enemy attacks and certainly the enemy will attack we saying onward Christian soldiers Marching on to war. I mean, what is all that about? Are we in warfare? Yes, certainly we are dropped behind the enemy lines and There is a spiritual invisible battle that is going on.

And we are we are to be clad in the armor of God and to be marching forward under the banner of Christ to to proclaim and further the gospel of Jesus Christ and to stand firm when it Comes to the truth of God and yet the enemy will attack.

Will he not first Peter 5 where it says cast all your care upon him also says in that text that the that your adversary The devil walks about as a roaring lion Seeking whom he may devour so we need to be sober and we do need to be vigilant.

And we need to understand that we are we are in a battle as a as the Christian Church. In the day in which we live the the onslaught will come and it will be continuous and sometimes. It is like it is like I said, you know the in the military they have What do they call those things somebody might be able to tell me?

It's a long stick with the ends on it and your pump is it pummel sticks. Pugil sticks. I knew it began with a P. I mean, that's what's the idea is like. It's like in your face. The attack will come and when it comes Flee to the Lord, but also flee to his word.

Don't neglect it you think on this trial and it's difficulty. I'm just so I'm so tired. I'm so discouraged. I'm so depressed I'm not going to read it the word of God. But it's the Word of God That is a lamp under our feet and a light under our path and will encourage us and God will use it and notice all.

Also what he says in verse 15 not only thus saith the Lord unto you. He says this be not afraid. Nor be dismayed by reason of this great multitude. God is saying to Jehoshaphat and the people these words.

Don't be afraid. What's he doing? How is it that they're receiving help by the Word of God? But they're also receiving help by the calming of their fears. I mean Isn't it so true that when the attack does come One of the things that happens is is with the anxiety that may come there also could be fear.

What is going to happen to my family when this attack comes? What is going to happen to my health? What is going to happen in the church and and these thoughts begin to to begin to fester and It can be it can be very trying.

I can remember When I was younger we used to have a game that we played in our house and we lived in a in a two-story home it was a basement built back in the 60s and When when my parents built that house they did built just the basement part of the house because it was the way to be able to get in an entryway to get into a home and then you Required to build it to the rest of the house within so many years afterwards.

Well, we lived in the basement to begin with then we moved upstairs. The basement was then, you know, just for Odds and ends and and for playing at times. One of the things we used to do is shut all the lights off down there and see.

See who could go all the way to the other end of the house and come back. You know you do that by yourself as a little one and it's terrifying. But if you have your brother or sister with you piece of cake.

You can both go together and you kind of help each other get all the way to the end and get back. And here I mean think about that in this dark time in this difficulty in this in this attack. That is coming from the enemy.

God says he will be with them notice. He says be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude for the battle is not yours. But God God calms their fears and he makes them aware of the fact that he will fight this battle for them.

He will fight on their behalf. What I love next is is is verse 16, do you remember before up in verse 12? They said we have no might. And this company this great company comes against this company that is coming against us.

Neither know we what to do we don't even have a plan and In verse 16 help comes to them. This is God still speaking through Jehaziel the the prophet the word of the Lord coming to them. And he's telling them exactly what to do and the help that comes to them is God's well-defined plan.

He says this tomorrow. Go you down against them behold? They come up by the cliff or the descent of Ziz and you shall find them at the end of the brook before the wilderness of Jeruel. You don't know what to do verse 12.

You don't have a clue is it and if we could kind of pull back the curtain so to speak and we could we could See as where as maybe they were talking to the Lord in prayer and we were listening in. What was being said God Speaking to them if this were possible.

He said you don't have a clue, but I do. I'm the God of heaven and earth. I know all about your situation. I know you. I know your enemy. I know where you are and what you need. Somebody put a life motto.

I don't know. I think I may have paraphrased this just to kind of sweeten it up a little bit or kind of more. Just make it a little bit more doctrinally biblical here. Somebody put this as far as a morning speech speaking that the Lord could do for his people and It would go like this.

He said good morning. This is the Lord. I'm in complete control of your life. I do not need your help. So why don't you just trust me and have a day full of rest? And when it comes to our lives when it comes to the life of the people here.

That's what is what is happening. God knows where they are. He knows exactly what they need. He even knows where the enemy is. You don't know where they are. But they didn't know where he was that the enemy was but God does his eyes who goes to and fro Over all of the earth.

He knows the scheme of the enemy. He knows their battle strategies. He's been in their tents he knows their hideouts and He's going to give Jehoshaphat and the people an Unmistakable well-defined plan for victory and because he's going to do that do not be Afraid God was going to lead them and doesn't the Lord lead us as we read his word as we seek his face as we pray.

In the difficulty the Lord will lead us the Word of God will give us direction. It will guide us it will will have discernment as for to which way to go how to respond. How to react to the situation that has come our way if it is a difficult trial and a difficult loss.

We don't raise the fist and we don't shake our fist at God and say what are you doing? We don't get bitter. We don't have a root of bitterness within us. We don't check out. We don't throw in the towel, but we keep pressing forward because we know that God Has promised that he'll always be with us will always be his people that we are eternally secure in Christ that that that No weapon that is formed against us shall prosper in this case here.

We see that the battle is the Lord's. Doesn't that remind you of David going against Goliath? The battle is going to be the Lord's and he tells them exactly where to go. I mean, this is almost this is almost like saying, you know down 190.

Take the you know such-and-such a street go down such-and-such an alley and that's where the enemy is right there. He tells them exactly where they are and notice what he also says not only Does the help come he calms their fears?

He gives them awareness of who's going to fight this battle. He gives them a well-defined plan, but he gives them a renewed assurance see this in verse 17. You will not need to fight in this battle set yourselves.

Stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord with you. Oh Judah and Jerusalem fear not nor be dismayed tomorrow go out against them for the Lord will be with you. Wow. What assurance? Assurance that comes from the Lord and notice it says in this verse here that they will not be the instruments of victory they will be the spectators of this victory.

What they will be doing is standing still and Seeing and beholding and watching God act on their behalf and Win a mighty victory for them and let's see how this unfolds as we go on Jehoshaphat verse 18.

I like at the end of verse 17 to in the in the part of the renewed assurance His is that we have God's promised divine presence in the midst of the difficulty right there. You see it the Lord is going to be with you.

He's with Joseph you read that when he's in prison and all the struggles and the trials that he's going through as God is Working out his promise in Joseph's life that that he will be used of the Lord in his lifetime.

And it says God is with him. Here we see it the people of God God is is going to is going to be with them. He's with us in the difficulty verse 18 Jehoshaphat bows his head with his face to the ground and all Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord Worshipping the Lord and isn't it so important for us to remember that when it comes to the battle we need to worship Before there's warfare.

We need to seek the Lord's face and we need to pray and we need to diligently Look to the Lord for help and search his word and be still before the Lord and then to worship the Lord and they do this in the Levites verse 19 of the children of the Kohathites and The children of the Korites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high and I believe here that they are praising in faith.

I mean They are so confident in God's promise of victory that if they've begun to praise the Lord before The victory has even been wrought on their behalf. I Don't know if that's ever happened to your life.

It doesn't happen. It doesn't happen often, but there are times Possibly and I've only experienced it a very few times when you're praying about something and You are assured that God is for you and that God is is going it just gives you just Just gives you the peace about being able to go forward in it not knowing exactly maybe I'm not saying that I know exactly what's going to happen.

But there's just a settledness that you have are completely assured and confident that this is all going to work out and it's almost like internally you smile and You begin to praise the Lord in the situation because you're so confident that God is Going to hear your cry and act on your behalf.

So they praise with a loud voice in verse 20 they rise up early in the morning and They went forth in the wilderness of Tekoa and as they went forth Jehoshaphat stood and said hear me O Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem Believe in the Lord your God.

And what he's saying there is put your trust in God. Be firm that that word believe or putting your trust in God be firmly settled. Trust in him and he's urging them on to greater faith here as they're as they're coming against this enemy in this great difficult Difficult situation not only he says believe in the Lord your God.

So shall you be established or be firmly settled and then he says believe his prophets. So you shall prosper and that word prosper there means the root word means to push forward it means to succeed or have Success true prosperity when it comes comes when you're trusting in the Lord and you're going to be firmly settled you're going to be quiet firmly settled and you're going to succeed not by believing in God and Believing the prophets or believing again God's Word.

And then we have the The third point of the message first we saw that We need to first go to the Lord in times of difficulty. More than any place else always go to the Lord first and then secondly when we go to the Lord Expect an answer from the Lord expect help from the Lord.

Don't doubt that he will be for you and Then thirdly we'll have when the help comes we need to respond properly. When we have received help from the Lord, we need to respond properly and we see that verses 21 through 30.

It says in verse 21 and when he had consulted with the people he appointed singers unto the Lord. And that should praise the beauty Of holiness as they went out before the army and say praise the Lord for his mercy endures forever.

This is not conventional warfare. I mean think about it. What do we what does it say that they're doing. Who is going to go before this army? Well, it is not. It is not the intelligence crew. It is not those that are going to do surveillance.

It is not the blasting bombing campaign. It is not as we our military would do after the bombing send in the special forces and the. And the the marines go in and all the order that they take when they go in.

There are no shields mentioned here. There are no swords mentioned here. There are no spears mentioned here. The singers Are going to go before the Lord. Matthew Henry wrote about this text and he said an active faith Can give thanks for a promise Though it be not yet performed an active faith can give Thanks for a promise Though it be not yet performed.

And we saw back up in verse 19 that they stood up to praise the Lord with a loud voice. And jehoshaphat says those that are going to go before are going to be the singers. This is going to be God's way which is above man's way.

It is uncommon to head up your army this way. They were so confident in the Lord for victory that the choir was going to lead the army with praise before the actual Promise the actual victory was even seen and that's all they were going to do.