_It came to pass._ IT CAME TO PASS “It came to pass.” The phrase occurs again and again in the Old Testament. “It came to pass after four hundred and thirty years that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt,” and, “It came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, th... [ Continue Reading ]
_And proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah._ OBJECTIONS TO FASTING ANSWERED (on the occasion of a public fast):--A fast may be defined to be a voluntary abstinence from food, as a token of our humiliation before God. Objections-- 1. There may be this outward mark of repentance without any real s... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah._ MAN’S EXTREMITY IS GOD’S OPPORTUNITY I. That in the discipline of life we should expect dangers and extremities. To know other resources we must learn the weakness of our own. II. That in these dangers and extremities God has many ways of deli... [ Continue Reading ]
_For we have no might against this great company._ EMBARRASSMENT I. There are embarrassments concerning our country. II. Many good men and women are often greatly embarrassed about the divine inspiration of every sentence in the Bible. III. Some of us are at times much embarrassed by the circums... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the battle is not your’s, but God’s._ VICTORY THE GIFT OF GOD I. Let us remember the great truth enunciated here, and let us in all thankfulness address our tribute of praise to God for the success wherewith He has crowned our exertions. II. Let us never forget that war must always be consid... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ye shall not need to fight in this battle._ THE CONDITIONS AND CERTAINTY OF OBTAINING GOD’S DELIVERANCE I. That since our enemies’ designs are known to us, we ought to set ourselves, that is, make what provision we can against them. II. That having thus set ourselves, we must then stand still, t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Believe in the Lord your God._ SALVATION BY FAITH Judah is to be “saved by faith” from Moab and Ammon, as the Christian is delivered by faith from sin and its penalty. The incident might almost seem to have been recorded in order to illustrate the truth that Paul was to teach. It is strange that... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when he had consulted with the people._ SHOUTING BEFORE THE VICTORY Anybody can sing the _Te Deum _after the battle is over. The German soldiers shouted when they had conquered their foe in the first battle in the war with France. It did not want much of a spirit to do that. The difference be... [ Continue Reading ]
_The valley of Berachah._ BIBLE VALLEYS The word valley is a poem in itself; it is associated with a great deal that is beautiful, comforting, and that gives the soul a sense of security and plentifulness. The Bible is full of valleys, as it is full of wells. What is this valley of Berachah? In som... [ Continue Reading ]
_Every one helped to destroy another._ MUTUAL DESTRUCTION As we look upon the world at large, how do we see men occupied but as destroying one another! This is a marked character of the lower and worse forms of vice, that each degraded one has a wretched pleasure in bringing down other souls to the... [ Continue Reading ]
_So the reign of Jehoshaphat was quiet._ THE CHARACTER OF JEHOSHAPHAT I. Jehoshaphat is not unlike Hezekiah and Josiah. II. His personal character seems to have had very distinctive features in it. III. He was distinguished for his simple and yet profound reliance on God. IV. The religion of mo... [ Continue Reading ]
_To make ships to go to Tarshish._ THE WRECKED FLEET I. The disaster to Jehoshaphat’s shipping. II. The cause of this disaster. A judgment from Heaven. If Jehoshaphat had been a mere man of the world probably this disaster would not have occurred, but God would not allow one of His own servants t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works._ EVIL COMPACTS Some partnerships are inexplicable. A Church officer who has led the devotions of the Church has been known to enter into partnership with a grovelling man who never hesitated to use profane language in t... [ Continue Reading ]