The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 249

a eimilar reaeon, the.t the battle wae Jehovah's more than theire, and he would fight with and for them (Exod. xiv. 14; 1 Sam. xvii. 47). The same iR true of the battle the Christian Church is summoned to maintain against the three powers of evil, known as the world, the flesh, and the devil (Matt. x. 28). (2) A command to advance. "Go ye down against them" (ver. 16), exactly as Moees was instructed to epeak unto the children of Ieracl that they ehoufd go forward (Exod. xiv. 15). Little as God's people oan or could do if left to themeelves, they a.re not at liberty to play the coward in faco of the foe (Dcut. xxxi. 6; 2 Sam. x. 12; Mark xv. 43; Acts ix. 27; 2 Pet. i. 5), to eubside into despair or take to their heels. Their duty is to stand fast, quit themselves like men, be etrong, and persevere, (3) A direction where to find the enemy. "Behold, they come up by the cliff [or, 'a.scent'] of Ziz, and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wildernees of Jeruel" (ver. 16). This a pa.rt of the flat country extending from the Dead Sea to the neighbourhood of Tekoa., and ea.lied El Husasah, from a wady on ite northern side (Robinson, vol. ii. p. 243). The aecent or mountain-road, Hazziz, led towards it from Engedi. (4) An instruction what to do on meeting them, To eet themselves in battle array-stand still and see the salvation of God (ver. 17). They would not require to fight. Jehovah would do the rest. Compare again the orders of Moses to the Israelites (Exod. xiv. 13). The instruction here given has its counterpart in that given by the gospel to sinners: "To him that worketh not, but believeth," etc. (Rom. iv. 6). (5) An encouragement to hope for victory. "The Lord would be with them" (ver. 17), and fight for them as he did for Israel at the Red Sea (Exod. xiv. 13) and at Gibeon (Josh. x. 14), as Moses promised he would do every time they faced their enemies (Dent. xx. 4), and as Nehemiah (iv. 20) afterwards believed he did. The same presence is enjoyed by the Church of God still (Matt. xxvii. 20). IV. THI!l ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 1. By the king. "Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground" (ver. 18), in token of humility and reverence, as well as of adoration and submission (eh. xxix. 30; Gen. xviii. 2; x.xiv. 26; Exod. iv. 31; x.xxiv. 8; Josh. xxiii. 7). 2. By the people. "All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord," in a solemn act of worship. 3. By the Levites. Those belonging to the children of the Kohatbites and the children of the Korahites "stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with an exceeding loud voice," adding notes of thanksgiving and rejoicing to those of adoration and self-humiliation which Jehovah's graciolli aaswer inspired. Learn : 1. The sorest need of man-a God to flee to in the hour of trouble and day of calamity. 2. The highest glory of God-that he can hear prayer and rescue the perishing. 3. 'l'he greatest peril of the Church's enemies-the fact that Jehovah fights against them. 4. The surest guarantee of victory for the Church of Jesus Christ-the fact that the battle is the Lord's. 5. The brightest hope for an anxious sinner-that he only needs to stand still and see the salvation of God.-W. Vers. 20-30.-.A victory without a blow. I. THE MARCH TO 'l'EKOA, (Vers. 20, 21.) 1. The compositi()11, of the army. (1) The king commanded in person (vers. 25, 27). Modern monarchs stay at home when their soldiers go to war, and even when they do not, seldom place themselves like Jehoshaphat in the forefront of their troops. Perhap11 "discretion is the better part of valour;" but the arrangement commends itself as reasonabl11 that kings and captains should share the perils of their subjects and followers. (2) The inhabitants of Jerusalem contributed their contingent to the force. Probably the flower of the nation's troops, these may have served as the king's body-guard. (3) The warriors of Judah completed the armament. The entire army mustered at and took its departure from Jerusalem. 2. The time of its setting forth. "Early in the morning," i.e. the next after Jahaziel's assurance. An indication of (1) faith, since without this they had hesitated and delayed, if not sat still and trembled (Ps. x.xvii. 13); (2) zeal, discovering the ear;erne~s with which they entere~ on the _path of d1;1ty once it had been pointed out (Ps. C!:IX, 33); (3) courage, as being afraid of _noth_mg with Jehovah as Leader and Commander (Ps. xxvii. 1). 3. The address of its king. Standing in the city gate as regiment after regiment filed i1:1to line and sallied forth,. Jehoshaphat exhorted them (successively) to calm confidence I? the ultimate success of the cam1)aign upon which they were entering. (1) 'l'wo things he recommended-  250 THE SECOND BOOK OF TE:E CHRONICLES. [err. xx.1-37,