Personal Character and Fear of the Lord – The underlying, bottom line to Godly Decision Making
There are several stories about 2 kings of Judah that will
help us understand God’s ways of doing things. I love to let the Word of God
speak for itself. This sermon is mostly scripture with few of this author’s
comments..
Also see Chapter 15 to
see how God used Asa to bring revival throughout Judah and even several tribes
in Israel come over to Judah.
What was the key to the victory in this battle?
2 Chr
14:8-15
8 And Asa had an army of three hundred
thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two
hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these
were mighty men of valor. (580,000
soldiers)
9 Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out
against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he
came to Mareshah. (1,000,300 – about 2 to1)
10 So Asa went out against him, and they
set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried out to the LORD his
God, and said, "LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or
with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and
in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let
man prevail against You!"
12 So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before
Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13 And Asa and the people who were with him
pursued them to Gerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not
recover, for they were broken before the LORD and His army. And they carried
away very much spoil.
14 Then they defeated all the cities around
Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came upon them; and they plundered all the
cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil in them.
15 They also attacked the livestock
enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to
Jerusalem.
Many years later we see
Asa doing something differently when facing an enemy:
2 Chr
16:1-5
1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign
of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, that he
might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
2 Then Asa brought silver and gold from
the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to
Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,
3 "Let there be a treaty between
you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Here, I have sent
you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so
that he will withdraw from me."
4 So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent
the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon,
Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.
5 Now it happened, when Baasha heard it,
that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work.
Look at the change of
heart and the consequences:
2 Chr
16:7-10, 12, 13
7 And at that time Hanani the seer came
to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: "Because you have relied on the
king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of
the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.
8 "Were the Ethiopians and the
Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you
relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.
9 "For the eyes of the LORD run to
and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those
whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from
now on you shall have wars."
10 Then Asa was angry with the seer, and
put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed
some of the people at that time.
12 And in the thirty-ninth year of his
reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his
disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.
13 So Asa rested with his fathers; he died
in the forty-first year of his reign.
Now let’s look at his
son, another example of these same principles.
2 Chr
17:3-19
3 Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat,
because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the
Baals,
4 but sought the God of his father, and
walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel.
5 Therefore the LORD established the
kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had
riches and honor in abundance.
6 And his heart took delight in the ways
of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.
7 Also in the third year of his reign he
sent his leaders, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah, to teach
in the cities of Judah.
8 And with them he sent Levites:
Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah,
Tobijah, and Tobadonijah-- the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the
priests.
9 So they taught in Judah, and had the
Book of the Law of the LORD with them; they went throughout all the cities of
Judah and taught the people.
10 And the fear of the LORD fell on all the
kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war
against Jehoshaphat.
11 Also some of the Philistines brought
Jehoshaphat presents and silver as tribute; and the Arabians brought him
flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male
goats.
With a heart for God,
this king prospered greatly. Even the historical, and current, enemies
willingly brought tribute to him. Also
note his approach to training the people in the Law of the Lord.
Here we see him seek
council from God before going to battle, as Asa his father did. But note the
seed of trouble in his relationship with an ungodly man.
2 Chr
18:2-17
2 After some years he went down to visit
Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the
people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead.
3 So Ahab king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me against Ramoth
Gilead?" And he answered him, "I am as you are, and my people as your
people; we will be with you in the war."
4 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of
Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the LORD today."
5 Then the king of Israel gathered the
prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to war
against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up,
for God will deliver it into the king's hand."
6 But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there
not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?"
7 So the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD;
but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always
evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not
the king say such things!"
8 Then the king of Israel called one of
his officers and said, "Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly!"
9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat
king of Judah, clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at
a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets
prophesied before them.
10 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had
made horns of iron for himself; and he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'With
these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.'"
11 And all the prophets prophesied so,
saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it
into the king's hand."
12 Then the messenger who had gone to call
Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Now listen, the words of the prophets with
one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word
of one of them, and speak encouragement."
13 And Micaiah said, "As the LORD
lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak."
14 Then he came to the king; and the king
said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall
I refrain?" And he said, "Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered
into your hand!"
15 So the king said to him, "How many
times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name
of the LORD?"
16 Then he said, "I saw all Israel
scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said,
'These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.'"
17 And the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me,
but evil?"
As you would imagine,
the battle did not go so well. Ahab was killed and Jehoshaphat escaped by the
skin of his teeth. Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord when he was surrounded by
the Syrians and the Lord helped him escape. Jehoshaphat made a serious mistake
and the Lord let him know it:
2 Chr
19:1-4
1 Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah
returned safely to his house in Jerusalem.
2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer
went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the
wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is
upon you.
3 "Nevertheless good things are
found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and
have prepared your heart to seek God."
4 So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and
he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim,
and brought them back to the LORD God of their fathers.
Jehoshaphat set-up a
theocratic government under himself as king. Note the tone he established:
2 Chr
19:5-11
5 Then he set judges in the land
throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
6 and said to the judges, "Take
heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who
is with you in the judgment.
7 "Now therefore, let the fear of
the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the
LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes."
8 Moreover in Jerusalem, for the
judgment of the LORD and for controversies, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the
Levites and priests, and some of the chief fathers of Israel, when they
returned to Jerusalem.
9 And he commanded them, saying,
"Thus you shall act in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and with a loyal
heart:
10 "Whatever case comes to you from
your brethren who dwell in their cities, whether of bloodshed or offenses
against law or commandment, against statutes or ordinances, you shall warn
them, lest they trespass against the LORD and wrath come upon you and your
brethren. Do this, and you will not be guilty.
11 "And take notice: Amariah the chief
priest is over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael,
the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king's matters; also the Levites
will be officials before you. Behave courageously, and the LORD will be with
the good."
May God give us leaders in this land with such principles to
govern by.
Now let’s look at how
he handled things when an enemy came against him
2 Chr
20:1-25
1 It happened after this that the people
of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites,
came to battle against Jehoshaphat.
2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat,
saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from
Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar" (which is En Gedi).
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set
himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 So Judah gathered together to ask help
from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly
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 nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one
is able to withstand You?
7 "Are You not our God, who drove
out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the
descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
8 "And they dwell in it, and have
built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,
9 'If disaster comes upon us-- sword,
judgment, pestilence, or famine-- we will stand before this temple and in Your
presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our
affliction, and You will hear and save.'
10 "And now, here are the people 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 "here they are, rewarding us by
coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.
12 "O our God, will You not judge
them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against
us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."
13 Now all Judah, with their little ones,
their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.
14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon
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 assembly.
15 And he said, "Listen, all you of
Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says
the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great
multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16 'Tomorrow go down against them. They
will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and 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. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who
is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go
out against them, for the LORD is with you."
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his
face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before
the LORD, worshiping the LORD.
19 Then the Levites of the children of the
Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God
of Israel with voices loud and high.
20 So 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 shall be established; believe His prophets, and you
shall prosper."
21 And when he had consulted with the
people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise
the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
"Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever."
22 Now when they began to sing and to
praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount
Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood
up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And
when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy
one another.
24 So when Judah came to a place
overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were
their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to
take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the
dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more
than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil
because there was so much.
The outcome of that battle is such a WOW!!
There are many lessons
in this chapter. For today, just tell me how he knew what to do in this
potentially disastrous situation.
Late in life, as his
father did, Jehoshaphat made a costly mistake. Remember the mistake he made
earlier, getting together with Ahab. I guess he forgot that lesson when he got
older and here we see he paid a great price for the same mistake
2 Chr
20:35-21:1
35 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah
allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly.
36 And he allied himself with him to make
ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber.
37 But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of
Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have allied
yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works." Then the ships
were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
21:1 And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and
was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Jehoram his son reigned
in his place.
These 2 men of God were
Kings of Judah. They were responsible for the nation, for the welfare of its
people. The 2 books of Kings and the 2 books of Chronicles are filled with the
stories of the kings of both Judah and Israel and I think we should all read
through these exciting histories about once a year.
Let’s bring these
stories home. Let’s look at what we can do to make the right decisions in our
daily lives, in the nitty gritty of where we live and work.
Anytime either of these
godly kings formed an alliance with the ungodly king of Israel they got in
trouble. In Corinthians, Paul puts it bluntly:
2 Cor
6:14 Do not be unequally yoked
together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with
lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
Paul uses the rest of that chapter to really drive the point
home. This verse is usually referred to in terms of keeping believers from
making the mistake of marrying unbelievers. That’s very true but there is more to
it than that.
Eph 6:5,9
5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who
are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity
of heart, as to Christ;
9 And you, masters, do the same things
to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven,
and there is no partiality with Him.
These verses clearly
indicate working relationships with unbelievers, It’s neither wrong for us to
work for, nor employ, unbelievers but I think it would be a serious mistake to
enter into a business partnership with an ungodly person.
Is there anyone here
today who has not done what the following verse says?
Rom
10:8-9
8 But what does it say? "The word
is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith
which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth
the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.
Ø What
does it mean to confess the Lord Jesus?
o
Don’t all of our decisions need to go through Him?
o
If so, how do I know what’s OK and what’s not?
2 things become critical
– knowledge of the Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The battle:
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform
what is good I do not find.
19 For the good that I will to do, I do not
do; but the evil I will not to do, that I do
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will
deliver me from this body of death?
The source of victory:
25 I thank God-- through Jesus Christ our
Lord!....
The spoils of victory:
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
FREEDOM,
NO COMDEMNATION
Walking it out:
Rom
8:14-16
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, these are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of
bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry
out, "Abba, Father."
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with
our spirit that we are children of God,
Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
It’s the Word that we
reference to learn of all this. The Word tells us to be led of the Spirit. We
have the responsibility to grow in a relationship with Jesus where there is 2
way communications. We develop a sixth sense so to speak, an insight into the
spiritual realm so that He can lead us by His Spirit. We must know, in our
hearts and minds, His character, His desires, His ways of looking at things so
we can determine which direction to take. Discipleship is the process and is
clearly defined:
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Thank God that this is
not just an intellectual exercise, I’m not that great a student. Even little
kids can walk in the Spirit and be used of God. When Jesus was talking with the
woman at the well it showed both sides of the most valuable coin,
John
4:23 "But the hour is coming,
and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 "God is Spirit, and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
We see the phrase
repeated twice here, “in Spirit and
truth.” If we feel led to do or say anything it is crucial that we test
that leading with the Word, thus we see “in
Spirit and truth.”
2 Tim
2:15 Study to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth. (KJV)
There’s a key word I
must use to wrap this up. The word is cultivate. Have you ever raised
vegetables in a garden? There are specific things that must be done in order to
get any harvest at all; some things by you and some by God. What tools do you
need in order to cultivate a garden? –
ü
Rototiller or plow
ü
Hoe
ü
Potato Fork
ü
Shovel
ü
Garden hose
ü
Fertilizer
ü
Insecticide
ü
Etc.
What are the tools the Lord has provided to
cultivate a hearing heart and mind that can understand and follow His will?
ü
Bible Study, experience
the Author of the Book of Life giving you understanding of what it says.
ü
Prayer, experiencing
the Presence of God 1 on 1
ü
Worship and Praise,
experiencing the Presence of God in a group.
ü
Fellowship with other
believers, experience His presence flowing through others of like precious
faith
ü
The 5 Fold ministers
and other mature leaders, experience the presence of God as poured out through
these special anointings
ü
There is no limit to
ways God causes us to experience Him.
When Asa and Jehoshaphat
won battles there were things they did and things God did. 1st they
sought God’s will in the matter and did not do anything until they know His
will. The prophet spoke, their hearts were touched and then they did what He
said to do. Jehoshaphat knew when the lying prophets spoke because something
just wasn’t right, there was no witness in his heart that they were speaking
direction from God. This king had cultivated a relationship with God and knew
something was not right.
May we always be a
Spirit led people, following Jesus in all aspects of life. Life is filled with
decisions, some big, some small. Every decision may have profound consequences
so it is important to renew then use the brains God gave us and be led of the
Spirit. Spend time with God, in Word and in prayer daily. Just as these kings
of old sought council, sought a word from God in an important matter, we
encourage you to also avail yourselves of the ministries the Lord has put in this
body for your help and guidance.
