The Praise

The mood of the king has been altered substantially from when he first received the news of the three nations coming against him in war. His fears have been allayed. The terror and trepidation that had once gripped his very soul was now replaced by a profound sense of godly confidence and an indescribable feeling of relief.

What then would be the next item on his godly agenda. The answer is quite simple, praise and worship. For once we have sincerely committed a situation to our Heavenly Father and He has given us His answer, the only thing left then for us to do is praise and worship.

Praise and worship is the (not the natural) spiritual outgrowth of having placed our trust and confidence in God and His plans and purposes for our lives.

It is not being in a particular place physically. It is being a particular place spiritually. One can be in the praise and worship services of one of the most exciting churches in the nation and yet, not praise and worship God. That person is there physically, and praise and worship is going on all around him, but he is unable to participate because spiritually he is in a different place, a place where he has not set himself to seek the Lord. At what place are you spiritually? At what place are you in your fellowship with your Heavenly Father?

In the book of Genesis, (See Genesis 3) the book of the beginnings when Adam and Eve heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden, in the cool of the day, they heard God's rhetorical question, "Adam, where art thou?" Adam, at what place are you spiritually?

If we are in that place where Jehoshaphat was, that place where he set himself to seek the Lord, praise and worship will abound.

Worship will abound even though manners, mores and methods differ from culture to culture and sometimes within the very same culture.

However, methodology, though important, should never overshadow principle. Whether one worships with holy hands lifted toward heaven, prostrate toward the earth with eyes not so much as lifted toward heaven, with silent and sometimes not so silent emotional tears of joy, the fundamental, underlying principle and element of worship is that it belongs to God and only to God. Not even angels are allowed to receive worship.

Not even angels are allowed to receive worship.

Now once again, Jehoshaphat exhibits his wisdom and godliness. For not only did he lead Judah in prayer at the onset of this crisis, but he also leads them in praise, once Jehovah gives His answer. According to the record, Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. Here we have one element of worship that seems to permeate all of scripture, both in the New and the Old Testaments. — And that is the act of bowing, the act of deference and obeisance to our Father in Heaven. In this way we show submission to our Supreme and Sovereign God.

When Moses arrived in Egypt with his message of liberation for the Israelites, his first official meeting was with the elders of Goshen, after performing the miracle of the leprous hand, and the staff that became a serpent and then a staff again, they believed Jehovah had visited them and looked upon their affliction. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped. (See Exodus 4)

In Second Chronicles, chapter seven, after the dedicatory prayer by king Solomon for the newly constructed temple, the Bible says, "Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever." (2 Chronicles 7:1,3)

The apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi sums it up by declaring, ". . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" (Philippians 2:10) Thus this idea of bowing is a paramount and integral part of the worship experience. However, as we are about to soon discover. It is not the only part of the worship experience.

Diversity in Worship

The manners and modes of worship are multifaceted. We must be mindful of the fact that God is the object of our worship, not our particular styles of expression.

There are those who do not worship God, they in essence, worship the way they worship. Their processes and their traditions are dearer to them than the Personhood of the Savior.

In Numbers, chapter eleven, the story is told of two spiritual leaders, Eldad and Medad (part of the seventy elders Moses had chosen to help him to attend to the demands of the people) were worshiping in the camp instead of at the Tabernacle, the appointed place of worship. Someone brought the news to Moses, that worship was taking place in a different place from which we are accustomed.

Joshua, the personal assistant to Moses became indignant and requested that Moses halt this activity, that he would restrain them from this manner and mode of worship that is different from the way we do it. Moses' reply to the son of Nun was, ". . . Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:29)

True worship of our Father in Heaven is not limited to any one manner or milieu. It is not bound by color, culture or class. The record states Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, the ordinary citizen fell before the Lord, and yet, still others stood up to praise the LORD God with a loud voice on high, namely the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korhites.

The Levites were the descendants of the third son of Jacob and Leah, Levi. They held a unique position among the twelve tribes of Israel, one being, that in the portioning out of the land by Joshua and Eleazar the priest, they were not given an inheritance. It was their responsibility to minister to the spiritual needs of the other tribes, i.e., the offering of the burnt offerings and sacrifices, the leading the people in worship and ministering about the things of the altar. (See Number 3 and 1 Corinthians 9) The people of Judah in turn, tended to their temporal needs. At the commandment of the Lord they gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance.

Now the ancient chronicler names, in particular, a group of Levites, the Kohathites, sometimes referred to as the Korhites. They were a prominent and significant family in Judah, in fact, Moses and Aaron were branches on their family tree. They were the descendants of Kohath, a son of Levi and grandson of Jacob.

During the wilderness experience of Israel, as journeyed from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land, the responsibility for the care of the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the various instruments used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use was given to the Kohathites. (See Numbers 3:31)

Thus, this matter of praise, is not bound by color, culture or class. The potentate (the king) bowed his head with his face to the ground, the plebeians, (the ordinary citizen) fell before the LORD, worshiping the LORD and the prominent (the Kohathites) stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high. The psalmist sums it up this way, "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalm 150:6)

The Next Morning

With the dawning of each new day, we are presented with a new and fresh opportunity to offer praises unto God, simply for being who He is, and thanksgiving for all of His blessings and benefits toward us.

The Roman writer, orator and statesman, Cicero, who lived in first century B.C., wrote that "A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues." The psalmist overwhelmed by an attitude and heart of thanksgiving, put it this way, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all of His benefits toward me." (Psalm 116:12)

With a thankful heart, the people of Judah rose up early the next morning and in obedience to the words of the prophet went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa.

Note also. There is no attention given to the weapons of the armies of Judah. Nothing is said about, the swords and shields nor their bows and arrows. For if the words of the prophet were true that there would be no need to fight in this battle, then why carry unnecessary weights. Many are burdened with weights and loads of care in a senseless attempt to fight in a battle that does not belong to them. The battle is not yours, but God's.

Now I am aware of that bring along an extra pair of this or that item, just in case kind of thinking. I remember several years ago, during my first pastorate, in fact, it was in my very first year (1982) as a pastor, I was invited to speak in a revival service in Seattle, Washington and I broke that bring along an extra pair rule. Well, the long and short of it, I ran out of clothing. Thanks to my gracious host, who took me shopping, I purchased an extra pair of pants. A pair of grey double knit slacks.

The point being, is that we ought not to use this matter of practicality and attempt to substitute it for being armed with nothing but our faith in God.

Note now. The destination of the armies of Judah is the wilderness of Tekoa. Tekoa was a small town located south of Bethlehem and north of Hebron. It was part of the wilderness of Judah and it was also two-thousand seven-hundred ninety feet above sea level.

What then, is the spiritual significance of these facts? Well, the first, Tekoa being in the wilderness, it is those wilderness experiences of our lives when we often learn how to lean and depend on our Heavenly Father for His protection, and His provision — in times when great companies of which we have no might come against to do battle. The Lord's provision and protection in our times of barrenness and wilderness rings within our souls with a depth of insight of His goodness that few other experiences in life can give us.

I believe that this kind of profound spirit of praise and thanksgiving was in the heart of the psalmist as he led the people in worship by declaring, "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:" (Psalm 124:1-2)

Nearly two decades ago, I was in attendance of an annual Ministers' Institute held on the campus of Bishop College (my alma mater) of Dallas, Texas. The keynote speaker that evening was the late Dr. Dearing E. King, the then pastor emeritus of the Monumental Church of Chicago, Illinois. Dr. King was sharing the story of his humble beginnings and how God provided for him to matriculate at LeMoyne Owen College of Tennessee despite the lack of funds. He went on to tell us how there was just he and his mother who worked as a maid and house cleaner. Somehow they managed to save up enough to get him in school, but the money ran out and so he went back home.

She came home from a hard days work of cleaning and found him there. When he told her he had to leave school because of lack of funds, that was unacceptable to her. She immediately sent him back to school. Dr. King said he protested but his protest fell upon deaf ears. She gave him a few dollars, not nearly enough to pay for tuition, but the school accepted whatever he could pay. Dr. King said, "When I told mama what had happened, she began to praise and shout, Nobody but you Jesus! Nobody but you Jesus! Nobody but you!"

When our Heavenly Father provides for us during our seasons of barrenness and times of wilderness, it will elicit from us praise and thanksgiving. Some may bow their heads with their faces to the ground, others may fall before the Lord, still others may stand up to praise the Lord with a loud voice on high. No matter the mode, the method or the manner, every grateful child of God will render unto Him due praise.

There are some things, one just cannot see unless he is in an elevated position.

The next spiritual lesson to be learned from these details concerning Tekoa (the fact that Tekoa was not only in the wilderness, but it was also two-thousand, seven hundred ninety feet above sea level, nearly a half of a mile) is that from an elevated position we can get a bird's eye view of life. Remember the prophet had promised them that they would see the salvation of the Lord. Perched from the mountainous region of the Tekoa wilderness, they set themselves firmly, to look down into the valley and see the salvation of the Lord. There are some things, one just cannot see unless he is in an elevated position.

During the earthly ministry of the Master, He visited the city of Jericho. On this occasion there was a man named Zacchaeus, a tax collector by trade, who desired to see Jesus. His initial try failed because the crowd was so massive and he was so small. However, he refused to allow the large crowd and his diminutive stature hinder him from seeing Jesus. The Bible says that he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree because he knew that Jesus would be passing that way. Zacchaeus elevated himself in order to see the SALVATION of the Lord. When Jesus arrived to the spot where he was, He looked up and called out to him, Zacchaeus, hurry on down here, for today I must abide in your house. (See Luke 19:1-9)

Now the challenge of the lesson is, If you have not experienced any deliverance lately, if you have not seen the salvation of the Lord since first coming to know Him as Savior, the challenge then, is to elevate. Go up a little higher. Perch yourself in the mountainous region of the Tekoan wilderness of your life, set yourself firmly, stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord!

A Leader Addresses His People

The next item on the king's agenda was to address Judah as they went forth toward the wilderness of Tekoa. The king's presence there was not merely to encourage them as they proceeded to the Tekoan wilderness. But, his presence was to exhort them as they embarked upon this journey. The act of exhortation, though it encourages, it also prods, prompts and pricks one to respond to God in obedience. Exhortation (paraklesis), a gift of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14) also refers to the very work of the Spirit, as One who comes along side with the task of not only encouraging us but to also admonish us.

The attitude of exhortation is present in the very words Jehoshaphat spoke. The Hebrew phrase "Hear me" (shaw-maw') means to call to attention not just for the sake of making an announcement, but it carries along with the idea of calling to attention with the intent of having the listener conform and comply with the message. — to give heed to the herald's message and respond in obedience.

Being aware, that some who went forth might fall from the ranks of the righteous, that they may again become frightened and discouraged; the king exhorts them to believe in the LORD your God. Every leader has a measure of concern that there is among those whom he gives leadership to will some times lose focus. That is why those who are charged with leadership responsibilities, should at regular intervals, stand before the people, encourage them and exhort them do the best and the highest good for the sake of the kingdom.

So as they make their way out of the gates, head toward the wilderness of Tekoa, king Jehoshaphat gives them this final admonition, have a firm faith in Jehovah, believe the words of the prophets and the end result will be that you will not only be upheld, and established in the faith, but you will be successful. You will prosper. You will see the salvation of the Lord.

A Radical and Reckless Faith

Every now and then you will hear some people exclaim that, "Church going and this religion thing is boring." Some time they will even remark that it is for people who can't make it in life, but need a crutch. The next time you come across those who make such remarks, direct them to this passage of scripture. For it shows us that these religious folks, the people of Judah were not cowardice but courageous. And it definitely was not boring, but a reckless, adventurous act of radical faith.

After a brief consultation with the people, the king does something both radical and reckless. He appoints singers unto the Lord and sends them out before the army of Judah. To send out an army that is outnumbered, out manned, outgunned, against a multiple militia, is in itself, an act of courage and bravery. However, that is some times the call, for when one enlists in the military, it is with the idea that you just might be confronted with arduous and life threatening situations. When nothing stands between the enemy and those whom you have sworn to protect, then as a good solider, you are expected to stand in the gap and fight the enemy with every thing that you can muster.

However, when you join the choir, when you sign up to sing, even in the fine print you don't expect to find the words be ready to march in front of the army as they go into battle. If that be case, choir stands in more than a few churches would be empty all across the land.

Now there was an affinity between the choirs and the armies of Israel. They indeed had a relationship. (See Psalms 136) They did go before the armies and they did sing. However, it was as they were marching home in victory. As God had given them victory over their enemies, they marched back home with the choir in front of them. Yet, this time the choir was in front of them as they were marching toward their enemies.

Boring, I think not! For those who can't make it else where in life, but need a crutch, certainly not! As they took their position before the army of Judah, they lifted up their voice and proclaimed, ". . . Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever."