Prophetic Instructions Leading to Favoured Transfer through Obedience
David W Palmer
In the following passages, we see a Scriptural confirmation of the whole process that we looked at yesterday—spiritual pressure on the enemy, instructions from a prophet, and great favour on God’s people. We are following the prophetic significance of the exodus from Egypt and how it applies today. We saw that as they left Egypt, God’s people received and obeyed an instruction to ask for the wealth of their neighbours.
In conjunction with the spiritual force the Lord was exerting on Pharaoh and his people, God’s people obeyed and received great favour leading to all the wealth being transferred to them—as back-pay for their hundreds of years of forced slavery. Today, we look at a parallel and confirming event to reassure us that this is both Scriptural and instructive to us of what God is doing today:
(2 Chronicles 20:20 NKJV) 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.”
In this historical account, king Jehoshaphat’s kingdom came under threat from the combined military of three nations. Knowing that they didn’t have the natural fire power to repel this great physical force, Jehoshaphat led his people into prayer, fasting, and solemn assembly. In other words, they released spiritual force onto their enemies. As they were doing this, God gave them clear instructions through his prophet:
(2 Chronicles 20:14–17 NKJV) 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.’”
Amazingly, despite the overwhelming odds and the apparent natural hopelessness of advancing their tiny military against this great horde, God’s people obeyed their leader and God’s prophet. They advanced in faith, putting praise for God in the forefront as their priority—reflecting where they had placed their faith.
As they were moving in obedience to the prophetic word, the spiritual force this released on their enemies caused such intense and lethal in-fighting that their enemies wiped each other out. Finally, they were completely annihilated by their own hand, and God’s people didn’t have to fight a physical battle at all:
(2 Chronicles 20:22–24 NKJV) 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.
Praise the Lord; instead of fighting a physical battle, after they had won the spiritual battle through their prayer, confessions, fasting, praise, and obedience, they enjoyed God’s help and favour:
(2 Chronicles 20:25 NKJV)
