2 Chronicles 19:1-11

Go Out Among The People And Appoint Bible Teachers
2 Chronicles 19:1-11 (Also read 2 Chronicles 20) 2010 New Years Message Key Verse: 19:4-5 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1/2/11
“Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 5 He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah.”
Here we are standing at the cusp of 2011. What a great year 2010 was. There was so much work of God that went on among us last year. It became very clear through the 2010 power point that was shown at the Triton UBF New Year’s celebration. This is also the time that we prepare New Year’s key verses for ourselves and for our ministries. This year I realized that at NIU UBF ministry their was a definite spiritual need for us to go out among the people of NIU and DeKalb and share with them the love of Jesus and the word of God. There is also a need for Bible teachers to be raised up because it is only through the words of life from the Bible that real, lasting change and rock solid faith can be manifest in our hearts. And so in this passage we will learn about one king who had God’s vision for his people. He went out among his people and appointed sincere Bible teachers who could plant God’s word in the hearts of the populace. His intent was to turn the hearts of his people back to the God of the Bible. His intent was to turn the hearts of his people back to the God of the Bible. Because he did this the people of Judah were united in faith and purpose and were able to stand against and invincible foe and win a great victory. May you catch the vision of God and decide, by faith, to go out among the people of your mission-field and faithfully plant the word of God in their hearts through 1:1 Bible study.
Part l: A Humble King Who Set His Heart To Seek God (1-3)
Jehoshaphat accepted a rebuke when he made a big mistake. Look at verses 1-3,“When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, 2 Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, ‘Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is on you. 3 There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God.” Jehoshaphat made an unholy alliance and was almost killed in battle. When he returned, he was rebuked for making an alliance with those who hated the Lord. From these words we find see that God hates it when we make unholy alliances with the people of this world. We also learn that God not only calls us out according to our sin, but he also sees the good in us.
Part ll: Go Out Among The People (4)
The amazing thing is that the king accepted the rebuke, and set his heart on seeking the Lord. He is the king. He could have had Jehu arrested and executed as Herod had done to John the Baptist. But he did not. He exhibited true humility. True humility is to humbly stand before the word of God and repent before it with no excuse. May God raise up humble leaders among us in 2011.

Jehoshaphat’s repentance was practical. Look at verse 4, “Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their ancestors.” Though he was a king, he had a heart for the people. He did not just sit in his ivory palace. He made an effort to go out and be among the people and give them what they really needed the most, the word of the Lord. He knew that they needed to turn their hearts back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
Turning their hearts back to God would surely solve a myriad of problems, both personally and nationally. When our hearts are turned to God, then our love problems and our death problem is solved. We no longer live in sorrow, fear and despair. We are not longer wandering in the darkness. We can enter into loving and harmonious and constructive relationships with others around us. We are set free from the bondage to sin and we are able to do what is true and right. We can walk in the light of God and serve God and our fellow man. We can focus on what is truly important. We can deny ourselves and obey the truth and be like a sharpened, well aimed arrow that is able to hit its target. We can bear fruit that is truly beneficial and meaningful and lasts forever. Turning our hearts back to the Lord is more profitable than winning the lottery. I don’t understand why everyone does not turn their hearts back to the Lord Jesus.
Jesus is the best example of going out among his people. Jesus is God almighty. He lives in the kingdom of heaven. But he gave up all the glory of the kingdom of God and became man and dwelt among us. To do so he was born in abject poverty, as a tiny baby in manger. He was born in Roman occupied land, ruled by a tyrant, where Satan was waiting to take his life. It was so difficult, but he came. At the onset of his ministry, Jesus went out among the people. He came to a lonely and selfish tax collector and became his friend and invited him to follow him. He went to a dinner party full of sinners. He went to a wedding. He came to Zacchaeus and became his friend and visited his house. Jesus touched lepers. He purposely walked through Samaria to minister to one Samaritan woman. He hung out with some rough and tough fisherman. He spent time with his disciples every day for 3 ½ years. He preached to thousands and ministered to one. He gave it all up in order save us from our sins and bring us to everlasting life in the kingdom of God. His coming to be among his people is best described in John 1:14. “The word become flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory the glory of the one and only who came from the father full of grace and truth.”
Paul went out among the people. He made tents to support himself. He worked side by side with other tent makers, like Pricilla and Aquila. All the time he was sharing the gospel with them. Much of his ministry was more deliberate. He purposely went into the synagogues and reasoned with the Jews. He went to small house churches and taught the disciples. He set up a Bible school in the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus and taught every day for two years. Paul went out among the people.
There are forces at work that make us alone and isolated. Satan wants us to be isolated from each other, imprisoned in our own personal electronics. We don’t want to be bothered by anyone. Even Christians don’t want to get out among the people. They like to be around their own circle of friends, people whom they like and who are like them. Is this the example that Jesus has shown? He came to dwell among sinners. He gathered around him, sinners. They were not like the holy God, Jesus. Would you do that? Let’s ask ourselves in 2011, “How can I go out and be among the people?”
Part lll: Sincere Spiritual Leaders (5-11)
Jehoshaphat called leaders who had specific qualities. First, these judges needed to have a fear of God. Look at verse 5, “He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 6 He told them, ‘Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. 7 Now let the fear of the LORD be on you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.’” These men had the fear of the Lord. They were not just afraid that the Lord was going to punish them whenever they made a mistake. To fear God meant that they had a deep respect for God and a strong desire to do what was right before him. The fear of the Lord is a good thing. Listen to a few verses. Proverbs 19:23, “ The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” Psalm 111: 10 reads, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” God wants us to have a fear of the Lord because he wants the best for us. There are so many good things that come from having a fear of the Lord. If we want wisdom, contentment, understanding, long life, a strong foundation, lots of knowledge that leads to salvation, and our churches to grow in number, then we must seek to possess the fear of the Lord.
To have fear of God is an attitude. It is manifest through a decision. It also comes from knowing who God is. When we behold God, with the eyes of our hearts, through faith then we will have a fear of God. God is the almighty creator God. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. He came to save us from our sins. When we know this God from our hearts then we can be servants of God with a fear of God.
Second, these judges could not tolerate injustice or bribery. Look at verse 7 again, “Now let the fear of the LORD be on you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.” How easy it is for people who are in power to become corrupt and take bribes and deny people true justice. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But servants of God must be different. They must be like God and be just and do not show partiality or take no bribes. They cannot be looking out for their own benefits, but only for the glory of God and the good of the people. May God raise such servant leaders across our land.
Third, the judges needed to be faithful. Let’s look at verses 8-9, “In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the LORD and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. 9 He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD.” God is faithful. He has faithfully been working throughout history to fulfill his salvation plan. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb 13:8) His love never changes. He words never changes. His mission never changes. Jesus is faithful and so must be his people. To do so we need to hold onto the words of Matthew 6:33 which read, “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
Fourth, the judges needed to serve God wholeheartedly. Look at verse 9, “He gave them these orders: ‘You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD.’” God wants us to serve him wholeheartedly. Deuteronomy 6:5 reads, “Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength?” It is not easy to do things whole heartedly. In the past I trained in taekwondo. In tournaments I was exhausted to the point of nausea. I tore a muscle in my leg. My feet were a bed of bruises. Once I ran track and became delirious and swerved off the track. I was giving my whole heart. Those who give their whole hearts can get A’s in school. They can accomplish great things. The more we learn Jesus the more we learn to give our whole heart to the things that God wants us to do. We can decide to live for the glory of God.
Fifth, the judges needed to tell it like it is. Look at verse 10. “In every case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations—you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.” We see many servants of God throughout the whole Bible who told the people like it is. John the Baptist was one of these people. One day crowds were coming out to him to be baptized. You would think that John the Baptist would praise them for their courageous decision to come to God publically. But listen to what he said to them in Luke 3:7-9, “John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’” You would think that everyone would leave saying, “I’m never going to this guy’s church.” But instead they responded well. They asked, “What should we do then?” And John told each group how each of them should repent practically. Jesus also did not mince his words when it came to preaching the word of God. Right at the onset of his ministry Jesus proclaimed the good news. He stated, “The time has come, The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” Of course you need wisdom to tell people how it is. You need to build a trust relationship with them. You need to pray a lot. You need to frame all that you say around the word of God. You can not deal with all the issues at once. God will give you wisdom. But you must always have on your mind, as a shepherd, that you must tell it the way it is. Then you can be servant of the word of God.
Why must we constantly warn people? We can avoid becoming objects of God’s wrath. Look at verse 10b, “…otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.” Our nation will suffer a lot if there are not Christians who clearly speak the truth and warn people about the destructive nature of their sins. People need to know the way to green pastures and quiet waters. They need to know how to get off the broad road that leads to destruction and get onto the narrow way that leads eternal life. They need to know how to enter into the right relationship with God and have eternal life. They need to know how not to be objects of God’s wrath, but rather recipients of God’s blessings and love. Servants of the word of God must tell them. If we do not then it is sin.
Sixth, the judges needed to humbly submit and co-work together. Look at verse 11a, “ Amariah the chief priest will be over you in any matter concerning the LORD, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be over you in any matter concerning the king, and the Levites will serve as officials before you…” They were part of a team. They submitted to authority and they co-worked together. These words remind me of the words of the Roman Centurion. Matthew 8:8-10. “The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” And what did Jesus say? Verse 10 reads, “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” He knew the nature of faith and the relationship he need to have with God and with his fellow soldiers. Within the church of Jesus, there is no other way. There must be humble submission and teamwork. I thank God for such teamwork between us and Triton UBF co-workers in our New Years Eve celebration.
Seventh, the judges needed courage. Look at verse 11b, “…Act with courage, and may the LORD be with those who do well.” It takes courage to do what Jehoshaphat was telling them to do. Some needed to relocate, putting their own plans on hold. They needed to commute, spend money and time. They needed to give up things and opportunities to follow God’s path. They need to face persecution from those who were opposed to the word of God and the work of God. It took great courage indeed. But those who held onto faith and word of God, could answer the call of God to courageously go out among the people, with faith that God is with them.
Part lV: The Nation Needed Bible Study
To understand why a nation needs Bible study we need to see the effects of Jehoshaphat’s policies in chapter 20. God, who knows the end form the beginning, knew what was needed to overcome the enemy that would soon be at their doorstep. Look at 2 Chronicles 20:1-2, ““1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).” Historical enemies of Israel, joined forces to make war on Judah. They were a vast army. When Jehoshaphat heard about it, they were already marching against Judah. The news struck fear in the hearts of the people. But, because of the spiritual policies that Jehoshaphat implemented, they were able to be unified through faith. 20:4 reads,” The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.” Their whole families were united. Look at verse 13, “All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.” Even the young one and the teenagers were there. They had wisdom to respond with fasting and prayer instead of panicking. And at the crucial moment, when it was so hard to obey the Lord, they did what was impossible to do. Look at 20:17, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’” They obeyed God. As a nation they gave thanks to Lord, even before the battle, and they stood before their enemy and they saw the complete deliverance that the Lord gave to them. The Lord fought for them. They went home rejoicing with wagons full of plunder. It was all because of God. God worked through Jehoshaphat’s spiritual policy of going throughout the land and raising up Bible teachers to minister among the people.
I experienced the wisdom of this same policy in my life. God new what was a head for me. He knew that without Jesus and the word of God, I would be completely lost in my sins. My heart and my mind would be plagued by the darkness. He knew that I would poison my mind, my heart and my body with many vices. He knew that if I continued on my hedonistic lifestyle I would not be equipped to compete in a tough economy. He knew that without his grace my kids could not but become victims of sin, as I had become. He especially knew that if I did not repent of my sins, I would have to stand before the judgment seat of God and have to face eternal condemnation for all of my sins. God knew that I would never respond spiritually to the spiritual forces that were coming to assail my soul. The old Kevin could never have stood firm in the Lord and given thanksgiving to God even before the battle. I would have tried to fight humanly. I would have kept trying to save myself. I would have depended on human psychology. But eventually would have become introverted and alone, hunkering down, trying to survive alone in this hard world. I would have eventually perished in my sins.

God knew this and he cared about me and so he sent a Bible teacher to me. God had appointed Msn Ruth Hwang to go among the young people of Canada in order to plant the word of God in their hearts. She acted with courage and came to me with the words of life. She prayed for me and trained me to be a disciple of Jesus. She helped me to be a campus shepherd. She taught me how to live in the fear of the Lord and what it means to be faithful and to give my heart to follow Jesus. I met Jesus through her ministry. God was preparing me for crucial spiritual battles that were coming.

In chapter 20, Judah had three enemies advancing. But we have many. We are tempted to derive “human” plans to solve our nation’s problems. Becoming alarmed, our young people attempt to solve their problems in their own way too. But if they don’t stop to listen to the word of God from the mouths of faithful and devoted servants of God who fear the Lord, they will not be able to stand as a people of God. Ministries will not be able to stand the spiritual onslaught that is coming upon our young people. We must make a spiritual decision to accept the word of God and also answer the call of God to be faithful and devoted servants of the word of God, who teach the gospel with a fear of God in their hearts.

We have learned so much in this passage. We learned to come outside of our comfort zone and go out among the people and turn them back to the God of the Bible. We also learned the qualities of servants of God’s word. They had a fear of God; they were not corrupted; they were faithful; they served wholeheartedly; they told it like it is; they humbly submitted and co-worked; they had courage and faith that God was with them. God can work powerfully through such people of faith. God wants to prepare us to fight present and future spiritual battles and win. He wants us to taste victory in our lives He wants us to be with him in his kingdom forever. It all begins when we turn our hearts back to the Lord.






Part l: A Humble King Who Set His Heart To Seek God (1-3)
1. What did Jehosphaphat do that Jehu had to come and rebuke him for it? (2 Chr 18) How did God view this? What did he see in the heart of the king? What does this teach us about God?
Part ll: God Out Among The People (4)
2. How did Jehoshaphat show his repentance? What did it mean that he went out among the people? How is this difficult?
3. What did the king do when he was among the people? Who is the God of their ancestors? How is it possible to accomplish this task? How can you go out among your people and turn their hearts to the Lord?
Part lll: Sincere Spiritual Leaders (5-11)
4. What is the first characteristic of a judge? (7) What does it mean to fear the Lord? How can we grow to fear God?
5. What are the second and third characteristics of a judge? (7b) Why it so hard to not become corrupted? How can practice this? What does it mean to be faithful? How can we be a little more faithful to Jesus?
6. What are the fourth and fifth characteristics of a judge? What does it mean to serve wholeheartedly? (Deut 6:5) Have there been examples in your life when you did something wholeheartedly? How can we be Bible teachers who “tell it like it is”?
7. What are the sixth and seventh characteristics of a judge? What are some of the ways that you can humbly co-work with others? How is God calling you to have courage in your walk with Jesus?
8. What did God have in mind when he appointed judges and Levites to teach the word of God? (2 Chr 20) What does this teach us about God? What does God see lurking ahead in your life that he wants to protect you from or equip you to fight?