All Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, and the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. He told all Judah and King Jehoshaphat not to be afraid or dismayed at this great horde, "for the battle is not yours but God's." Tomorrow they were to go down against the enemy, who would come up by the ascent of Ziz and be found at the end of the valley east of the wilderness of Jeruel; they would not need to fight, but were to stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord (a paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 20:13–17).

Doug Wilson is a pastor whose writing I like and appreciate, and much of what I say here draws on his essay "Eleven Theses on Private Spirits."

I believe the revelatory gifts have stopped. Not that they could not return in the future, but there have been no manifestations of biblical quality — specifics presented, timelines kept, limbs restored. To be clear, I am speaking of revelatory gifts: gifts that reveal God and His confirmation of such revelations. The kind we see in this passage: they will be here tomorrow; you will not have to fight; you will win — I stake all our lives on it.

True revelations are guaranteed by the Spirit and fully insured with a 100% guarantee, as Deuteronomy 18 lays out. They can be overpowering, so that the recipient suffers for not speaking, like Jeremiah (cf. Jeremiah 20:9). They reveal events that others may try to imitate through manipulation, deceit, or luck, like Pharaoh's magicians. This kind of claim is invoked by words like "the Lord said" or "in the name of the Lord," and we should be very careful of the idle words that come out of our mouths (cf. Matthew 12:36).

In addition, if such a word is offered, it is a candidate for Scripture — even if it is something like "the Lord told me to buy this shirt." Even the seemingly mundane, such as "my husband died, I went to Israel, and I found another husband" (cf. Ruth), becomes extraordinary if it is a revelation of God, for any hair or shadow of God is of the greatest importance!

Spiritual insights or special knowledge are not guarantees of the Holy Spirit in that sense. Such insights are woven throughout Scripture:

• The king's heart is like streams of water in the hand of the Lord (cf. Proverbs 21:1).
• A person plans his way in his heart, but the Lord establishes his steps (cf. Proverbs 16:9).
• God put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose (cf. Revelation 17:17).
• Paul's company went on to Macedonia, "concluding that God had called us" (Acts 16:10).
• "Call to me and I will answer you," and tell you great and hidden things (Jeremiah 33:3).
• God gives "the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places," so that people may know that He is the Lord (a paraphrase of Isaiah 45:3).

If every good and perfect gift comes down from above (cf. James 1:17), then every time my child chooses not to kick her younger sister, praise God — He put something in her. Every time I choose to confess my prideful attitude to my wife, praise God — He put something in my heart. It cannot be denied that God is still at work. But to say that your desires are directed by God (cf. Philippians 2:13), or to act as if all your desires are approved by God without considering the self-control He requires, is to invite the kind of weakness David showed when he was incited to number Israel, which led to the death of many by the angel's sword (cf. 1 Chronicles 21).

"To the teaching and to the testimony!" If they do not speak according to this word, they have no dawn (a paraphrase of Isaiah 8:20).

AI-Expanded Reflection

The episode the comment highlights is one of the most remarkable battle accounts in the Old Testament, and its climax is not a military maneuver but a worship service. Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go out ahead of the army praising "the splendor of holiness," singing "Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever" — and when they began to sing, the Lord set an ambush, and the enemy armies turned on each other (2 Chronicles 20:21–23). Judah arrived to find the battle already over, and spent three days collecting the spoil. The valley was renamed Beracah, "Blessing" (20:26).

Jahaziel is also a good example of the kind of prophetic word the comment describes. His word was specific (the ascent of Ziz, the end of the valley), time-bound (tomorrow), and checkable — and it came true. That is the Deuteronomy 18 standard the comment rightly insists on.

The comment's cessationist position is held by many careful believers, and the distinction it draws between revelation that carries God's authority and ordinary providential guidance is one that thoughtful continuationists also make. Continuationists would say that New Testament prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:20–21) is presented as something to be weighed and tested rather than received as Scripture-level revelation, and so they do not see its continuation as threatening the canon. Both sides share the comment's closing principle from Isaiah 8:20 — every claim must be measured against the written Word — and its caution about casual use of "the Lord told me" (see #1736).

Micaiah told Ahab that the Lord had "put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets" and had declared disaster against him (a paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 18:22).

Here we read that the Lord sent a deceiving spirit. But does this contradict other Scriptures that say God does not and cannot lie (e.g., Titus 1:2; Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 6:18)? It does not.

In this text, notice that even though God sent a deceiving spirit, it went into Ahab's court prophets, so that they gave King Ahab a false assurance of success in battle. We know these were not true prophets of the Lord because Jehoshaphat king of Judah asks Ahab whether there is not also a prophet of the Lord there (2 Chronicles 18:6). When they find such a prophet in Micaiah son of Imlah, he speaks the word of God in truth. Thus God made a distinction between the word of the Lord and the word of the false prophets.

Our God is sovereign. He can use evil men (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:27–28), deceiving spirits, and even Satan (cf. Job 1:7–12; 2:2–6) to accomplish His purposes. But He Himself does not tempt and cannot be tempted (cf. James 1:13). And He Himself does not and cannot lie (cf. Titus 1:2; Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 6:18). Thus we also read, "Let God be true, and every human being a liar" (Romans 3:4).

What does this mean? It means that God defines truth. He always acts in ways completely consistent with His character and purposes. But this does not preclude His use of sinful men in their sinfulness, lying spirits in their deceptiveness, and Satan in his antagonism, to accomplish His good and perfect plans. If He could not use these agents, He would not be sovereign. And if He were not sovereign, He would not be God. Our God is a sovereign God.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The correction actually sharpens the comment's point. Ahab's prophets used the Lord's name — Zedekiah even made iron horns and declared, "Thus says the Lord" (18:10). The danger in this scene is not open idolatry but false prophecy that sounds orthodox. That is the harder kind to discern, and it is why Jehoshaphat's instinct to ask for one more voice matters.

A detail that bears directly on the question of God's truthfulness: the deception is announced openly. Micaiah tells Ahab, in front of everyone, exactly what he saw — a lying spirit in the mouths of the court prophets and disaster decreed (18:18–22). Ahab hears the truth and chooses the pleasant falsehood, then disguises himself for battle to hedge his bets (18:29). God's judgment works through Ahab's preference for a lie he had been warned about. Paul describes a similar pattern in 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12, where those who refuse to love the truth are given over to the delusion they prefer.

Interpreters approach the heavenly-court vision itself in different ways — as a literal scene, as a prophetic parable conveying God's sovereign judgment, or as a vision accommodated to Ahab's own world. All agree with the comment's conclusion that God is not the author of the lie in the sense of deceiving the unwilling: the truth was placed in front of Ahab, and he rejected it.

1 Corinthians 2 speaks of Paul proclaiming God not by words but by the Spirit and power. So they would not rest in the wisdom of men but the power of God. Verse 6 points to a maturity and is contrasted in chapter 3. After Paul came demonstrating with power it did not stick. He had to address them as ‘people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.’ He comments that ’the wise in Christ are fools to the world.’

Hebrews 5 paints a picture of maturity in Christ as one who has discernment trained by constant practice.

Philippians 3 paints a picture that maturity in Christ is seen as someone who strives for eternity and puts all things in that context. This would mean we would forgo some, what would appear, crucial events today, because we have our eye on the eternal.

Jehoshaphat did well. He took down the unholy things and taught the people to be holy. But he missed the overarching purpose of God. After we hear of his great works, he does something odd; he creates an alliance with Israel. Why was this needed? Why does Judah, who is with God, need to claim equality with another nation? After all, an alliance states an equality, a statement saying (2 Chronicles 18:3) “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”

Jehu then rebukes Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat then is attacked once again; does well pleading to the Lord, but then later joins up again with Israel in building ships ‘to go to’ Tarshish; I presume for war and the Lord foils this plan – just read Wikipedia says to revive trading.

We start as infants with God. Learning that he has saved us, but this is only the beginning. We should expand to know that your struggle of the day is only a small piece of your existence. As we grow we should (Hebrews 5) practice learning and applying who God is. How we view struggles should change. Why we wake up each day should change. Our interest should be aligned with God’s interest, our interests are his interests – only.

This is a big task! You are to become God-like, The Lord-like. This definitely will take practice! If we strain to look forward toward eternity, knowing God moves all the pieces, then what seems foolish now should be done, because we know the outcome, we know the last piece to be moved.

By ordering your life with the big important issues first, the issue of Jesus, then you have anchored yourself well and find the Spirit fighting all sorts of battles for you. As Unmi’s comment, “the Lord fights your battles” – I would add, it is up to you to hold the ground, using the armor of God (Ephesians 6).

AI-Expanded Reflection

The contribution brings together three complementary portraits of maturity. First Corinthians 2–3 contrasts receiving God's wisdom through the Spirit with the jealousy and factionalism that reveal infantile conduct. Hebrews 5:11–14 stresses discernment trained through use. Philippians 3:12–16 describes maturity as pressing toward the goal while admitting that one has not arrived. Taken together, these passages prevent maturity from being reduced to impressive spiritual experiences, accumulated information, or an air of certainty. It is the practiced integration of truth, character, and direction.

Paul's proclamation “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” does not mean that words or reasoning were absent. He preached Christ crucified and explained that message; his contrast concerns the foundation of faith and the self-promoting wisdom Corinth admired. Nor does the Corinthians' later immaturity show that the Spirit's work simply failed to last. Paul addresses them as people in whom genuine spiritual provision coexists with behavior that contradicts their identity. Their preferred teachers become badges of rivalry. A similar inconsistency can appear when someone teaches dependence on God but secures influence through arrangements that require compromising that teaching.

Jehoshaphat illustrates the gap between sincere beginnings and sustained judgment. His reforms did not automatically make every subsequent alliance wise. However, an alliance does not always assert equality, and Scripture does not condemn all cooperation with outsiders. The specific issue here is participation with Ahab's wicked house despite prophetic warning. The later shipping enterprise should also be read with 1 Kings 22:48–49, which associates it with obtaining gold, rather than assuming a naval war. Correct historical identification makes the spiritual warning sharper: commercial opportunity can tempt a faithful person to repeat a compromise already exposed elsewhere.

The language of becoming “God-like” is best understood as conformity to God's communicable character—holiness, mercy, truthfulness, and love—not possession of his omniscience or control. Looking toward eternity does not give us knowledge of each event's outcome. It gives us a reliable final hope by which to assess present choices. Practically, trained discernment asks: What does this proposal require me to affirm? Whom could it harm? Does its apparent advantage depend on overlooking a clear command? Prayerful dependence then expresses itself in a concrete refusal or commitment. Standing in God's armor is active fidelity under his provision, not passive confidence that consequences will take care of themselves.

Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him [Jehoshaphat]. “Why should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD?” he asked the king. “Because of what you have done, the LORD is very angry with you.” (2 Chronicles 19:2 NLT)

Jehoshaphat is called a "good king" because He sought the LORD (1 Kings 22:43). We are told that he taught the people the Word of the LORD and removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah.

Yet, as we look at Jehoshaphat's life, we see some inconsistencies. Even though He sought the LORD, he also allied himself by marriage to the wicked king of Israel, Ahab, who worshipped Baal (2 Chronicles 18:1). Later, even after prophetic warnings against it, he would ally himself to Ahab's son, Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 20:35–37) and give his son in marriage to Ahab's daughter (2 Chronicles 21:6).

And even though he sent out officials and Levites to instruct the people on the Word of the LORD (2 Chronicles 17:7–9), and even though he encouraged the people to listen to and believe God's prophets, he himself failed to do so when the prophet Micaiah of Imlah told him and Ahab that they would be defeated by the Arameans in battle. He also failed to pay any attention to the prophet's (prophet Jehu the son of Hanani) warning not to ally himself with the wicked kings of Israel (2 Chronicles 19:2).

What is more, even though he removed some of the pagan shrines, he did not remove all of them, such that "the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there" (1 Kings 22:43).

When looking at the totality of his life, you get the sense that while Jehoshaphat sought the LORD, he did not do so wholeheartedly, and he was more than willing to compromise to ensure peace with his "brothers" in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. His loyalty to his friends and family was greater than his loyalty to the LORD. And this not only caused suffering for the people of Judah in his reign, it almost destroyed the Davidic line of kings, as familial links to Ahab would wreak havoc in both Jehoshaphat's descendants and the faith of the people of Judah.

Friends, what do we learn from this? We should not compromise our faith. We should not compromise the truth. Sometimes, for the sake of "unity," for the sake of "peace," we are told not to correct (or "criticize") those who speak and do the wrong things. Yet, we are commanded in the Bible not only to encourage but to admonish and correct each other (Colossians 3:16; Titus 1:13; 2:15):

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2 NIV)

The Word of God is given for this purpose:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 NIV)

What we should say is not "Don't judge" or "Don't criticize," but rather "Judge rightly" and "Correct biblically," not forgetting also to encourage one another, knowing that our intent is not to destroy but to build each other up in the truth. If we just make some blanket statement like "Don't say anything critical of anyone, we are going "beyond what is written [in Scripture]" (1 Corinthians 4:6) and violating the biblical mandate. Also, when we allow false testimonies and "prophecies" contrary to the correct handling of the Scriptures without correcting and rebuking such, we dishonor the Lord and lay the groundwork for divine judgment, for as the Scripture says,

But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:31 NASB)

Because Jehoshaphat compromised truth and faith by making alliances with the wicked kings of Israel and going along with their plans, God judged him and his posterity. Let us not make the same mistake.

Recently, we had someone testify prophetically, saying that certain obscure passages of Scripture along with a very spiritualized view of numbers were signs to them from God. While I sympathize deeply with this person's pain, such that they might say anything to find consolation, their bizarre handling of Scripture was wrong. And, thus, their perceived prophetic "signs" are likely also to be wrong.

But what is worse perhaps is that church leadership allowed them to freely speak such biblical error, even giving tacit approval to their words. Sympathy is one thing, but this is wrongful sympathy, for the Scripture says that true love "does not delight in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth" (1 Corinthians 13:6). I pray for this person's healing and my heart aches for them, for I have known them a long time. It would have been better for them to simply testify that God supernaturally told them they would be healed (i.e. if indeed God did) rather than using the Scriptures in such a wrongful way. And the church leadership should never have given them a forum to speak such a wrongful testimony in the pulpit. Even though every testimony is personal and subjective, this does not mean that every testimony is right, especially when the testimony invokes Scripture in a wrongful way.

Friends, only some of you will know about what and to whom I am referring, but I kept it general so that we might all be instructed. We cannot worship the Lord in a syncretistic way, allowing truth and falsehood to coexist. We are called to expose anything to do with the darkness (Ephesians 5:6–13). Jehoshaphat thought it was fine to be allied with the wicked kings of Israel as long as he himself remained faithful. But as the prophets and biblical history show, this was not the case.

Now, in the scenario I gave above, I am not speaking of unbelievers but believers. Within the church we are commanded to turn our brothers and sisters from the wrong way to a right way, from falsehood to truth. Let us not be squeamish about doing this in love.

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19, 20 NASB)

AI-Expanded Reflection

Jehoshaphat's history is deliberately mixed. The Chronicler records his teaching reforms, prayers, judicial appointments, and dependence on God, while also exposing his alliances with Ahab's house. The rebuke in 2 Chronicles 19:2–3 does not erase the good; the prophet immediately acknowledges it. This matters when applying the account to church life. Biblical discernment can recognize genuine devotion and a serious error in the same person. Neither a record of faithful service nor one painful mistake supplies a complete moral biography.

The alliance at Ramoth-gilead shows the particular danger. Jehoshaphat requests a prophet of the Lord, hears Micaiah's warning, and nevertheless accompanies Ahab into battle. Consultation without submission leaves the appearance of discernment while preserving a decision already made. The problem is therefore more specific than friendship with imperfect people. He uses royal power to support a course God has exposed as disastrous. The subsequent marriage and shipping connections with Ahab's family illustrate how commitments can spread consequences beyond the original decision, although the narrative's references to the marriage do not establish the sequence suggested in every detail of the original comment.

The application to personal testimony requires equally careful distinctions. A suffering person's hope deserves compassion; an interpretation offered as God's authoritative promise requires examination. First Corinthians 14:29 explicitly calls for weighing prophetic speech, and 1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 combines openness with testing. A numerical coincidence or an isolated phrase does not acquire its claimed meaning merely because it brings comfort. Responsible leaders can affirm the person's pain and pray earnestly while explaining that the cited passage does not promise that particular outcome. They should not offer a different unverified prediction as the correction.

The manner of correction belongs to its truthfulness. Second Timothy 4:2 includes patience and careful instruction, while Galatians 6:1 calls for gentleness and self-watchfulness. An initial private conversation, a clear explanation of the text, and an opportunity for correction may serve better than public humiliation. Where a public teaching has misled others, an appropriately public clarification may also be necessary. The goal is a community able to distinguish a person's worth from a claim's validity: loving enough to listen, honest enough to test, and humble enough to receive the same correction it offers.

The Spirit of the LORD comes on Jahaziel, a Levite descended from Asaph, as he stands in the assembly. He tells King Jehoshaphat and all Judah and Jerusalem not to be afraid or discouraged by the vast approaching army, since the battle isn't theirs, but God's — they wouldn't even need to fight, only take their positions and watch the deliverance the LORD would provide (a paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 20:15–17).

This is such a wonderful reminder — the battle belongs to the Lord! In Jehoshaphat's day, God physically intervened against their enemies. What about our own time? We fight enemies both physical and spiritual — Paul tells the Ephesians our struggle isn't against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (a paraphrase of Ephesians 6:12). Yet we're told not to fear those who can kill the body but not the soul (Matthew 10:28). We can face tomorrow with confidence, knowing that nothing — death, life, angels, demons, present, future, any power, height, depth, or anything else in creation — can separate us from God's love in Christ Jesus our Lord (a paraphrase of Romans 8:38–39). Even in death, the enemy claims no real victory — through Christ's resurrection, death itself is swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54).

Let's live victorious lives, since the battle has already been decided, and God has won!

AI-Expanded Reflection

The specific instruction Jahaziel gives — take your positions and simply watch — is worth noting as an unusually passive military strategy even by the standards of Israel's other miraculous victories, since Israel isn't asked to march, fight, or even shout in this instance, only to stand still and observe. That level of required inaction may be precisely the point: unlike battles where Israel's obedience took some active form (marching around Jericho, reducing Gideon's army), this victory required nothing from them at all except trust expressed through simply not acting — arguably a harder discipline than active obedience, since it demands complete confidence with no visible contribution of their own to point to afterward.