The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 248

uocertain. 3. The suppliant. Jehoshaphat acted ae the mouthpiece for himself and hie people. Standing forth in the centre of the congregation, he offered "without form o_r any premeditation(?) one of the most sensible, pioll8, correct, and, ae to its composi- tion, one of the most elegant prayers ever offered under the Old Testament dispensa- tion" (Adam Clarke). Il. 'l'HE PRAYER, 1. The Being addressed--Jehovah. Adored e.s: (1) Personal and present.. 'l'he God of Jehoshaphat and hie people (vere. 7, 12). " He that cometh to God must believe that he is" (Heb. xi. 6). (2) Anceetra.l and faithful. The God of their fathers (ver. 6), who had covenanted with these fathers (Deut. v. 2), and would remain true to the engagements then undertaken (eh. vi. 14; 1 Kings viii. 67). (3) Celestial 9:nd mundane. The God of heaven as well as of earth, who dwelt among the armies of light and ruled among the kingdoms of the heathen (Dan. iv. 36). (4) Universe.I and local. Not the God of Israel and Judah alone, but the God to whom all empires and sovereigns owed allegiance (Ps. ciii. 19; cxxxv. 6, 6; 1 Chron. xxix. 11; Dan. iv. 17; 'Mal. i. 14; Rev. :i.:i. 4). (5) Omnipresent and omnipotent. Possessed of resistless ~wer and might which no one could withstand (ver. 6). 2. The pleas offered. (1) The covenant mercies of Jehovah in first gifting the land to his friend, their father A bra.ham, and to his seed for ever (Gen. xii. 1; xiii. 17); second, driving out the inhabitants of the land before them (Exod. xxxiii. 2; xxxiv. 11; Deut. xi. 23; Pe. :xliv. 2) ; and third, in establishing them in possession of the vacated territory, so that for centuries they had dwelt in it (Lev. xxv. 18; Deut. xii. 10). (2) The expectation of Judah, that Jehovah would hear and keep them when in danger they called upon his Name (ver. 9). In this hope the temple had been built, and in the belief that this . hope would be realized they now stood before Jehovah's presence (Ps. cxlvi. 5). (3) The ingratitude of the enemy, whom Israel on her way from Egypt had not been suffered t.o invade (Deut. ii. 4, 9, 19), and who now repaid her clemency by attempting to drive her from her land. Such ingratitude on the part of nations and individuals is by no means infrequent. The only things men find it easy to remember are insults and injuries; kindnesses remain with difficulty in the human memory (Gen. xl. 23; 1 Sam. :xxiii. 5-12; Eccles. ix. 14-16; eh. :xxiv. 22). (4) The helplessness of Judah, Jehoshaphat and his people were without strength to contend with so great a company. Neither knew they in what direction to turn or what to do. No better plea can be laid before Heaven than a confession of human weakness (Ps. vi. 2; xxii. 11), since God's strength u, perfecUid in weakness (2 Cor. xiL 9). (5) The attitude in which they then stood. Their eyes were waiting upon Jehovah (Ps. xxv. 15; cxxi. 1, 2; cxxiii. 1, 2), trusting, desiring, expecting. They had placed their hope in and anticipated their help from him, as in a similar crisis Asa had done (eh. xiv. 11; Ps. cxxi. 1). 3. The petitions urged. That Jehovah would (1) judge and defeat their enemies; (2) hear and help them, the petitioners. The two requests were inseparable. Deliverance to Judah could only come through destruction of her adversaries. 'l'he Church of God may still conjoin the two petitions. llI. THE ANSWER. 1. From whom it procee,d,ed,. Jehovah (ver. 15), or the Spirit of Jehovah (ver. 14). No answtirs to prayer except from him. Human lipa can reply for God only in so far as God puts bis words into them (Isa. Ii. 16; Ezek. iii. 17; Jer. v. 14). 2. TIYrO'Uflh t.:1hom communicated. Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of J eiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph; a man of (1) honourable pedigree, being the fifth in descent, not from the Hemanite Mattaniah, a contemporary of David (1 Chron. xxv. 4, 16), but from Nethaniah the Asaphite (1 Chron. xxv. 2, 12); the letter n having been accidentally changed into an m (Movers, Keil, Bertheau); (2) honourable rank, being a Levite, and therefore of priestly station ; and (3) honourable calling, being, as a son of Asaph, a leader of psalmody in the temple worship, and now suddenly invested with the dignity of the r.rophetic office. God can find prophets anywhere when he wants them, not being bound to prophetical any more than to apostolical succession-Elisha at the plough (1 Kings xix.. 19), Amos among the herdsmen (Amos i. 1). 3. To whom it was addressed. 'l'o all Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to Jehoshaphat, the persons in whose D&mt and on whose behalf the prayer had been offered. 4. Of what it consisted. (1) A dissca,;ive against fear. "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multi• twit," li.mi.lar to that given by Moses to the fleeing Israelites (Exod. xiv. 13), and for 11R. XX, 1-37.] TIIE s:mcoND BOOK OF THE! CHRONICLES. 249