2 Chronicles 20: Edit history

This is the final chapter of the account of the reign of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, in 2 Chronicles 17–20. In the preceding chapter Jehoshaphat returned from the battle at Ramoth-gilead, was rebuked, and reorganized the judicial system; in this chapter he faces a coalition army invading from the east.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 When a great multitude, including the children of Moab and Ammon, reaches En-gedi, Jehoshaphat is afraid and proclaims a fast. People from all the cities of Judah gather to seek help from the LORD.
• Verses 5–13 Jehoshaphat prays in the house of the LORD before the new court. Appealing to the land given to the descendants of Abraham and to the promise that God would hear those who cry out to Him in the temple, he confesses, "Our eyes are upon thee."
• Verses 14–19 After the Levite Jahaziel prophesies, the king and the people bow down in worship, and the Levites of the Kohathites and the Korahites praise God with a loud voice.
• Verses 20–23 As the people go out into the wilderness of Tekoa, singers praise God at the head of the army. The LORD sets ambushments, and the enemy armies destroy one another.
• Verses 24–30 Judah spends three days gathering the spoil, and on the fourth day the people bless the LORD in the Valley of Berachah before returning to Jerusalem. Afterward the kingdom enjoys peace.
• Verses 31–34 A summary of Jehoshaphat's reign. He became king at thirty-five, reigned twenty-five years, and did what was right, yet the high places were not taken away.
• Verses 35–37 Jehoshaphat builds ships at Ezion-geber together with Ahaziah, king of Israel, but the ships are wrecked, as Eliezer had prophesied.

Key Verses

• 2 Chronicles 20:12 "Our eyes are upon thee" — a prayer of reliance on God alone when the people do not know what to do.
• 2 Chronicles 20:15 "The battle is not yours, but God's" — the central declaration of the chapter.
• 2 Chronicles 20:21 "Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever" — the scene in which the people go out to battle with praise leading the way.

Characters and Places

• Jehoshaphat — king of Judah and son of Asa.
• Jahaziel — a Levite of the sons of Asaph who prophesied the victory.
• Ahaziah — king of Israel and son of Ahab.
• Eliezer — son of Dodavah of Mareshah, a prophet who rebuked Jehoshaphat for his alliance.
• Jehu son of Hanani — the prophet who recorded Jehoshaphat's acts.
• Moab, Ammon, and the people of Mount Seir — the invading coalition. Mount Seir refers to the region of Edom.
• En-gedi (Hazazon-tamar) — an oasis on the western side of the Dead Sea.
• Tekoa — a wilderness in southern Judah.
• Valley of Berachah — a name meaning "blessing," where the people blessed God after the victory.
• Ezion-geber — a port at the northern tip of the Red Sea.

Points for Reflection

• In verse 2, "Syria" (Aram) is read as "Edom" in some manuscripts and translations.
• Verse 22 does not identify the ambushers; some interpret them as supernatural beings sent by God, while others understand them as an ambush from within the enemy ranks.
• Some readings emphasize that praise brought about the victory, while others hold that the victory was God's gift and that praise was the response of faith.
• 1 Kings 22 records that Jehoshaphat declined Ahaziah's proposal of a joint venture, which differs from the account in this chapter. The note on the high places in verse 33 is likewise read in comparison with 17:6.
• Verse 15 resembles David's words in 1 Samuel 17 ("the battle is the LORD's"), and verse 17 resembles Exodus 14:13–14. The phrase "Abraham thy friend" in verse 7 connects to James 2:21–24.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, verses 12 and 15 are frequently cited in sermons urging reliance on God in the face of hardship, and the scene of the singers going before the army is commonly used in sermons on the meaning of praise and of the choir.