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Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. II Chronicles 20:22
The people of Judah and Jerusalem were in high spirits after they received the encouraging words from the prophet Jahaziel. It appears that he was a Godly man who was a descendant of Asaph. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied of Judah's victory over their enemies. Psalm 83 may have been written by him to commemorate the victory. Reference, The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary.
As we read the text in II Chronicles 20, the word "when" appears 4 times in 5 verses. When is one of those little interesting words like "but" and "then." They give us a signal that something already happened; and something else is going to take place.
Pause with me for a moment
And reflect on the word when
It can refer to a certain time
Very much like the word then
It seems to imply an order of events
Of things happening, here, there, or somewhere
It can also mean because of or as a result
Maybe the moment when we just don't care
Or the perfect time that we know
When its appropriate to leave
And the best way to go
God sent judgment on the ungodly
When His people began to sing and praise
In verse 21 it says, "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." It would also make sense to say, "After he had consulted with the people." The consultation with the people brought about a decision to appoint people to sing.
Verse 22 says, "Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir." This leads us to an interesting question; if the people had failed to sing and praise the Lord, would
God have destroyed their enemies? It almost seems as if there were two parts to this victory; man's part and God's. God's part was often contingent upon man fulfilling his obligation or righteous requirement. So how does this work? Where can we find another example of this?
II Chronicles 7:14 says, "If (when) My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." God's forgiveness and healing was contingent upon the people's actions and response.
There were several things that were necessary for God to bestow His blessing. Here is the list: humility, prayer, seeking God's face or grace, and turning away from wicked ways. In this modern day in which we live, many want to cling to their carnal, sinful, wicked ways, and still hold on to Christ and have His blessing. According to this text, that is an impossibility. If we want God's favor and blessing, we must live in accordance with His Word.
In the text we are looking at today, God fought for His people when (after) they began to sing and praise. They boldly worshiped God by vocally proclaiming His mercy and goodness to the nations around them. This leads me to a few questions. Have you and I done our part? Is God waiting on us to fulfill our obligation to Him and His Word? Comments or questions, contact me at: thoughtsonword@gmail.com
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published three books, "Common Thoughts on The Word" in 2016 and "Eye of a Needle" in 2017 and "Common Thoughts on The Word II" in 2019. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.