Clean Transcript

Concepts of a Holy War, Part 4

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• 2 Chronicles 20, and let's read most of this chapter. 2 Chronicles 20, beginning with verse 1. "It came to pass after this also that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. And there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria. Behold, they be in Hazazon Tamar, which is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?"

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• "And in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name's sake, saying, If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us."

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• "Neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you."

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• "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord."

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• "And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high. And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another."

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• "And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much. And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel."

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• Now, we have been studying the biblical doctrine of war. We've looked at the fact that God is a warrior, and for the last three lessons, we have been dealing with the concept of holy war. I've shown you from the scripture that war is not inherently evil in and of itself, that God himself wages war. I've shown you from the Bible several prerequisites for waging holy war. I told you, of course, the cause must be holy. Secondly, the camp must be holy. Thirdly, the army must be holy. And fourthly, the leader must be holy. And then last week, I dealt with several individual things that related to holy war, such as sacrifice, circumcision, vows, atonement money, and of course, trumpets and the ark. Well, today I want to go a little bit further, because there is another precept that God gives us concerning holy war that we are going to look at today in detail, and that is the concept of praise. You see, warfare is holy activity, and God often fights for his people, and sometimes he fights alone.

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• This passage in 2 Chronicles chapter 20 is an excellent illustration. Now, before I go further, I want you to note in the Bible, not only does God himself fight for his people, but that many times God allows creation itself to fight against the enemies of God. For instance, I want you to hold 2 Chronicles 20, but look in your Bibles to the book of Joel 2 and verse 11. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Hosea is right after the book of Daniel. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look in Joel 2 and verse 11. We'll look at several passages. Joel 2, verse 11. And the Bible says, "And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army." Note the army. "And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great."

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• "For he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" So here is God now uttering His voice before His army. It's a great and terrible day. Who can abide it? So when God speaks, the enemy melts away.

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• Now very quickly, if you will turn in your Bibles, to the book of 2 Kings. I want you to note that there is a heavenly host as well as an earthly host. 2 Kings 6. We will not have time to read all of these passages, but let me begin by reading this. This is very interesting. 2 Kings 6, verse 8. "Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place."

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• "For thither the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?"

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• Lord, there is a traitor in the camp. "And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not:" watch what Elisha says, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."

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• So God then had a heavenly host surround the enemy that had surrounded Elisha. In 2 Kings 19, you have another story where the angel of the Lord smote the Assyrians. In Matthew 26, verse 53, when they came after our Lord, he said, "Know ye not that I could call and have at my disposal twelve legions of angels?" So very obviously there is an angelic host that fights for God and for his people.

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• Now, God oftentimes uses creation itself, as I mentioned earlier. For instance, in Exodus 14, verse 21, there was a great east wind that God used to divide the Red Sea so that his people could walk across on dry ground. In Joshua 10, verses 9-10, God caused great hailstones to fall out of the sky against the enemy. In Joshua chapter 10 as well, God allowed Joshua to command the sun, and the moon would stand still in the valley of Ajalon until he finished defeating the enemies of God. And then, of course, in Judges chapter 5, you have the song of Deborah and Barak, where creation itself fought against Sisera and his host. So we find that God is very capable of defending his people and his cause just simply in and of himself.

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• But in every one of these instances, and I'm not going to go back and point these out right now, but in every one of these instances, there was the concept and the precept of praise that was to be given to God. In fact, Judges chapter 5 is nothing more than the song of Deborah and Barak praising God for His defeat over their enemies. So there is so much in the Word of God about praise as a weapon.

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• Now let me just tell you very quickly that praise is not only a necessary weapon, but it is indeed a very powerful weapon. And to demonstrate that, I want you to see 2 Chronicles 20. I want you to turn there, and let's work our way through this passage just to develop this one thought about praise. Now, to begin with in 2 Chronicles 20, verses 1 and 2, we have a grave crisis. If you're taking notes, that's the first point, a grave crisis. Look at it.

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• "It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon," which were children of Lot, by the way, "and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon Tamar, which is Engedi." So here is the crisis now.

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• The enemy is planning an attack. They're going to destroy Jerusalem and Judah. The important thing to notice is this. It was not just a single nation that was coming against Judah and Jerusalem, but it was a confederation. You have the children of Ammon, you have the children of Moab, and then verse 1 tells us "other beside the Ammonites." If you will look in your Bibles to verse 10 and also verse 23, you'll find out who the other were. In verse 10, "And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir," which means they were the Edomites, the children and the descendants of Esau. Once again in verse 23, the Bible says, "For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir." So you have a combination, then, or a confederation of the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Edomites that are coming against Judah and Jerusalem.

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• That's almost like, in one sense of the word, that China and Russia and Germany got together to fight against not just America, but let's say two or three states that are in America. So here was a humongous army coming against them. Now, not only was Jehoshaphat terrified, so were the people of Judah. Let me tell you something, folks. First of all, fear is a natural emotion. But fear should never control us or dominate us.

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• It should, however, motivate us. Jehoshaphat and all of Judah were afraid.

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• Now look if you would please secondly in verses 3 through 12 at this glorious confession. Now I just pointed out the fact that fear should always motivate us. Our fear should always drive us to God and not away from God. Because fear can be used for us or against us. And God is the only one who can calm our fear and deliver us from our fear.

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• Now, I want you to understand that we have enemies today simply because we're Christians. I want you to hold 2 Chronicles. We're coming back there. But look in your Bibles to John chapter 15. John chapter 15. And look, if you would please, at verses 18 through 21. I want you to note in this passage that we have enemies just simply by virtue of the fact that we're the children of God. John 15 verse 18, Christ said, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

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• "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."

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• Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Just simply because we're Christians, the world automatically hates us. So many people try to think, well, I don't have any enemies. The truth is you do have enemies if you're a child of God. And the world hates you. So here are the historical enemies of Israel coming against them, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Edomites. And they hated Israel because Israel was chosen of God.

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• Now, look in verse 3 of 2 Chronicles, chapter 20. I want you to see the wisdom of the king. The Bible says, "...and Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah." Isn't that interesting? Here's the civil ruler, the highest civil ruler in the land, who is afraid, and what does he do? Number one, he seeks the Lord himself. Secondly, he proclaims a fast that all Judah should seek the Lord. That means the king himself was fasting. He was terrified. He was afraid. He knew that he was in trouble as a king and as a ruler. Look at verse 4. "And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord." So now the nation comes together, fasting and praying and seeking the Lord's help and protection. Now, it is in this context that Jehoshaphat makes this glorious confession. By the way, when we're in trouble, it's time to start confessing that God is the only one that can get us out of trouble.

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• It's time to admit that we're not nearly as independent as we like to think we are. So I want you to note this confession. First of all, in verse 6, He confesses that God is the sovereign God. Watch verse 5, "And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court." So he's making this open confession. Here's his confession that God is the sovereign God. "And he said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?"

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• "And in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?" Now, I want you to note this. God is not only sovereign in heaven, but I want you to see what that sovereignty implies. It implies that he rules over all the nations, even the nations of the heathen. So the truth is this, Boris Yeltsin is not in control of Russia. Castro is not in control of Cuba. You see what I'm saying? God is in absolute control because he is absolutely sovereign. "Is there not power in thine hand, and is there not might in thine hand, so absolutely none are able to withstand thee?" So he's confessing that God is the sovereign, omnipotent God of the universe, and absolutely no one can stand up to him.

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• Do you remember what Job said in Job 42, verse 2? He said "that thou art God, and no thought can be withholden from thee." God is so absolutely powerful that no one can withhold even the thought of God or whatever God thinks. God can do whatever He pleases, and God can make everybody think what He wants them to think. Exodus 34 tells you that in detail. But unlike Daniel chapter 4 and verse 35, you remember what Nebuchadnezzar confessed in Daniel 4 and verse 35, Nebuchadnezzar confessed that God was the sovereign God of heaven and earth, and listen to what he said, "thou doest according to thy will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay thy hand, or say unto thee, What doest thou?" What's he saying? God, nobody can stop you. No one can stop you. No one has the right to even question you. Now think about that.

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• So Jehoshaphat is making a great confession. He's saying, God, you're our help. You're the sovereign. You're the omnipotent one of the universe. You're the one that is in absolute sovereign control. You're the only one that can do anything about this situation. We're helpless. So he confesses, then, that God is the sovereign God.

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• Now, watch verses 7 through 11, because he makes another confession. He confesses that God is the God of history. He says in verse 7, "...Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name's sake, saying, If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit." Now, God is the God of history. God is the one that divided the nations.

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• God is the one that said, all right, Israel, here is your land. I'm giving this to you. God is not only the God of history, listen to me, God is the God of geography. I remember when I was a young man, I used to despise history. I really did. And I could not think, what in the world is the purpose of knowing about dead men and dates that are already past? I thought, man, I'm not living back then.

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• Why should I know this? And then I found out that God was the God of history. And that history is nothing more than the eternal decrees of God coming to pass in time. Now listen to me. The word geography, the word for earth is ge in the Greek, okay? Graphe is the word for writing. Geography just means literally earth writing. So geography basically is God's handwriting in the earth. Christian geography just simply means this. It is the view that this earth has its origin, its end, its purpose, and its physiography, that is the physical structure of the earth, all for God's honor and God's glory. And God divided the nations exactly as he saw fit.

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• Look in your Bibles, hold 2 Chronicles chapter 20, but look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 8. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 8. I want you to see what Jehoshaphat is confessing. Deuteronomy 32, verse 8, look what the Bible says. "When the Most High," that's God himself, the sovereign God of history, "when the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." Now note, when the Most High divided the nations, their inheritance. God is the one that set the boundaries. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 17. Acts chapter 17, you'll see the Apostle Paul confessing the same thing. Acts 17 verse 26. The Bible says, "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation." Now who was it that set the bounds for the nations?

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• It was God. So God, then, is the God of geography.

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• Now what is Jehoshaphat confessing back in 2 Chronicles chapter 20? He said, now look, Lord, You are the one who gave this land to Israel. You are the one that gave the land that Ammon and Moab and Esau possessed. You gave it to them.

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• Now let me show you. Look what he does in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, and he says in verse 10, "And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade." You remember when God brought Israel out of the land of Egypt? He said in Deuteronomy chapter 2, I'm not going to give you Ammon's land. I'm not going to give you Moab's land.

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• Don't even try to take it. I'm not going to give you Esau's land. I've given that to them. Now he says, Lord, you gave us our land. You gave them their land. You wouldn't let us invade them. Guess what they're trying to do now? They're coming to invade us and take the land you gave us.

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• Now God, since you're the God of sovereignty, you're the God of history, you're the God of geography, protect us. You gave us what we've got. Let me tell you something, folks. If Russia invaded America tomorrow, I'd be praying, Lord, protect this land. Protect this nation. You know why? Because God gave it to us.

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• Now, it is true, because of our sins, He could dispossess us if He so pleased. But I would give the same argument that Jehoshaphat gave. Lord, this is the land You gave us. We may be sinners, and we may deserve to be defeated, and we may deserve this and all because of our wickedness, but Lord, if it please thee, deliver us and save our heritage. Certainly, that's a permissible prayer.

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• I want you to note, he not only confesses that God is sovereign, he not only confesses that God is the God of history and geography, I want you to note in verse 12 of 2 Chronicles 20, he confesses that God is the God of help. He says, "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee."

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• Man, I like that prayer. Lord, will you not judge our enemies? And then he confesses, we have no might. We have no power. We are helpless in and of ourselves. You know something folks, if you ever want God to do something for you, you better confess your own helplessness. As long as you think you can, God's not going to do it for you. He's not. As long as we believe that we're the mightiest nation upon the earth and that we can whip anybody that comes against us, God's never going to whip them for us. In fact, God will probably let them whip us just to teach us a lesson, that we're not what we think we are. You remember what the psalmist said in Psalm 121, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord," because the Lord is the God of help. And certainly he is the all-powerful God. So he says, "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do."

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• In other words, we don't know where to fight, how to act. We don't know what to do. Lord, just help us.

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• Now note, if you would please, in verses 13 through 18, you have thirdly a gracious commitment. First of all, you have a commitment to encourage the people, beginning with verse 13. I like verse 13. Watch this. "And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children." Can't you just picture that? Here the people now have been fasting and praying. They've made their confession. They've made their supplication. And now they're just standing there waiting on the Lord to do something. That's what the Scripture says, wait thou upon the Lord. So they're just standing there waiting. So what's this? The Spirit of God comes upon Jahaziel, and look what he says in verse 15. "And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's." So the very first thing he says is, be not afraid. What does he do? He calms their fears.

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• He knew that they were afraid. And then he says, be not dismayed. In other words, don't worry about what to do. I'm going to take care of that. Let me ask you a question. Would it not encourage you if you knew that God had told you not to be afraid and not to be dismayed? Because you know He's going to take care of it.

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• Now I want you to watch, not only is there a gracious commitment to encourage the people, but there is also on God's part here, a gracious commitment to engage the enemy himself. For he says in verse 15, "for the battle is not yours, but God's." Watch what he says in verse 17, "Ye shall not need to fight in this battle." Now, let me just try to give you an illustration.

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• Let's suppose that Russ came up to me and said, Pastor Weaver, I'm going to beat you in the ground until you can't walk. And I'm thinking, he means it. And he can do it. But Dr. Bristow overhears him say that. And Doc comes up and said, Brother Weaver, don't worry about this. I'll take care of Russ for you. I'll whip him. I'll stomp him in the ground. You just stand back and let me take care of it.

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• Now would that encourage me? You better believe it would not only encourage me. I'd say, stick him boy, get him! You know?

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• Now what is God saying? God's saying, you don't even have to fight. I don't care how great they are. I don't care how powerful they are. I don't care how many they are. I'll take care of them. So here's a gracious commitment, not only to encourage the people, but to engage the enemy.

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• Now, watch verses 19 through 29, and here's where I want to really start preaching this message, okay? Here's a great celebration. It's time to celebrate. Look in verse 19. "And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high." Now, wait a minute. How was this divine intervention celebrated? And the answer is by praise.

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• Let me make a statement. Praise is a weapon of war. You may not think so right now, but praise is a weapon of war. Did you know the Bible says in Psalm 50 and verse 23, God says, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me." Now praise is a weapon of war. I want you to note in verses 19 through 20, here is praise before the battle. Watch. "And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

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• And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." So the battle has not even been engaged at this point. It is before the battle and they're already praising the Lord.

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• Now let me tell you, if I knew that God was not only encouraging me and that God himself was going to fight for me, I believe I could start shouting before the battle as well. So that's what they're doing. They're praising the Lord. So here's praise before the battle. Now look in verses 21 and 22 because here's praise during the battle. Watch this. "And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten." Now, I want you to know, "and when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, that should praise the beauty of holiness, and they went out before the army."

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• Have you ever wondered about this tactic, militarily speaking? Here are two armies, drawn up to fight, and one of them sends out a bunch of singers, and trumpets, and cymbals, and all they're doing is singing and praising the Lord. Can you imagine, first of all, the confusion and the consternation on the enemy? Well, should I shoot or should I not shoot? I mean, they're not even armed as such. They're not firing at me. They're not hurting me. They're just singing and praising the Lord. I mean, undoubtedly, there'd be some consternation. Here they are praising the Lord, not only before the battle, but during the battle, and the army was led by the singers and by the praisers.

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• Now, I want you to hold 2 Chronicles, but turn in your Bibles to Psalm 68. Look in Psalm 68. We'll come back to this probably a little bit later. Let me show you a war song. In fact, I love to sing this song. I can't sing, everybody knows that. But I love to sing this song, and I sing it by myself plenty of times. Look in Psalm 68, beginning with verse 1. "Let God arise."

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• "Let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice." Watch, but he says, "Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him."

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• Look, if you would please, verses 19-30 of the same psalm. Verse 19, "...Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death. But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses. The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea: That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same. They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. The singers went before."

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• "The players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels. Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali. Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us. Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee."

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• "Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war." You know what this is? This is a war song. The whole chapter is a war song. It was sung in all probability during battle and on their way to battle. "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered."

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• Hey, I'd like to sing that too if I was about to go out and fight, wouldn't you? I want God to rise up and do something for me. So here is a song of praise, which they sang during the battle. Now, look back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles, because there was not only praise before the battle, there was not only praise during the battle, there was also praise after the battle. Look in verse 27 of 2 Chronicles 20.

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• "Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. And they came to Jerusalem," what now, "with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel." How did they come to the house of the Lord? With psalteries, harps, and trumpets. What were they doing? They were singing and praising the Lord for the victory that He gave them.

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• I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 15. Let me show you how praise is indeed to be given after the battle as well as during and before. Exodus, chapter 15, beginning with verse 1. Everyone knows the story, or at least you should know the story. How the Lord has overthrown Pharaoh and the army of Egypt. They've all been drowned in the sea.

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• Now watch what happens immediately after this destruction. "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea."

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• "The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil."

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• "My lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear, and be afraid."

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• "Sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away." Skip down, if you would please, to verse 21. He's still praising the Lord. Note verse 21, "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea." And so here's Miriam now leading the women in praising the Lord.

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• Judges chapter 5, which I've already mentioned, is the song of praise of Deborah and Barak. In fact, just turn there very quickly. Look in Judges chapter 5. We won't take time to read all... This whole passage is a song of praise. "So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years." So here's a song of praise. Now, we're not going to take the time to do it today. But if you would take the time to study the Book of Psalms closely, you will find an amazing thing. That many of the psalms are nothing more than war psalms. That is, they have their setting in the context of holy war. Let me just show you a couple of them. Look in the Book of Psalms, and first of all, Psalm 7. Now, Psalm 7 was in all probability a psalm that was sung before the battle while the troops were still in camp.

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• And you can see why this song would have been sung before the battle. Because it is asking God to rise up and destroy the enemies. Watch. He says, "O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver."

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• Now note what he's saying. Verse 3, "O Lord my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:) Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah." If I deserve to be defeated, Lord let it, but please don't let it be. Watch verse 6, "Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded."

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• "So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high." And he goes on, verse 8, "...the Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord." So here's a psalm now asking for protection in the battle. "O God in thee do I put my trust, save me from all them that persecute me." Let me tell you, if I were in a battle, I mean where bullets are flying and hand grenades are being tossed and bombs are dropping, you know what I'm going to pray? Save me, O Lord, deliver me.

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• Don't let that bullet hit me. Don't let that grenade explode close to me. Let that bomb fall somewhere else. This psalm is a psalm that was... And by the way, all of the psalms were set to music. They were all sung. They were hymns of praise. So this psalm is a psalm that was undoubtedly sung before the battle. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 91. Psalm 91 could have been sung either in camp or during the battle as the individual faced dangers. Notice Psalm 91.

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• "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."

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• And then he goes on, "...for he shall give his angels charge over thee." So here is a psalm that was sung for protection, either before the battle or during the battle. Now, look in Psalm 98. Here is another one. I want you to know that this song has three stanzas. The first stanza gives thanks to the Lord for past victory. You'll find that in verses one through three. "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation."

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• "His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God." So these first three verses are one stanza, and they're just thanking God for past mercies and past victories. Watch verses four through six. Here is praise for his kingship in the present. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King."

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• Now, verses 7-9 is looking forward to future judgment and victory. "...Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity." So here is, number one, praise for past blessings and victory. Here is calling upon the Lord for present help. And then here is a looking forward to the judgment that he's going to give against the enemy.

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• Now, very quickly, let me tell you this. In the psalm, you see God as warrior, God as king, and God as judge. Let me show you one other quick one. Look in Psalm 44. You'll see this same exact outline. In verses one through three, you have thanks for past victories. Verse four is prayer for present help. In verses five through eight, look forward to future victories. So verses one through three, look at the thanks and the praise for past victories. "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old."

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• "How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them."

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• Now that's thanking God for past victories. Watch verse 4. "Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob." You did it in times past. Do it now. It's appealing for present help. Now watch the future victory and the future judgment, beginning with verse 5. "Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah." Now, in this psalm, you see God as a warrior, you see God as a king, and God is a judge.

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• Now, let me kind of tie this together for you today. All of us have sung the old hymn, "There's a new song in my heart." Okay? Do you realize the phrase, "a new song," is a biblical phrase? It occurs in the book of Psalms, it occurs in the book of Isaiah, and it occurs in the book of Revelation. I want to just take a few minutes and show you the implication of the new song. Turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Isaiah 42. Isaiah 42, and let's look at verse 10. Isaiah 42 and verse 10. Watch carefully. "Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof." Look in verse 13.

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• "The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies." Now wait a minute. What is the context of the new song? God prevailing over his enemies.

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• Now look in Psalm 40. Psalm 40. Psalm 40 verse 3. Psalm 40 verse 3.

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• David says, "And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." Now watch this. Let's go back to verse 1. David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." Look what he did. "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth." He put a new song in my mouth. What has God done for us? God has just delivered him. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 96 and look at verse 1. Psalm 96 verse 1. Psalm 96 verse 1.

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• "O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day." Now, how are we singing this song? Well, let's skip down, if you will, to verse 12. "Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth." Look in Psalm 98, verse 1. "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory."

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• I don't have to go any further. The new song is associated with victory. Look, if you would, please, to Psalm 144. Psalm 144, verse 1.

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• "Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight." Verse 9, "I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword." What is this new song? It's in a context of war. Look in Psalm 149. Psalm 149, verse 1, "Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints." Now, what kind of new song are we going to be singing? Well, let's look in verse 5.

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• "Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth," this is the new song, "and a twoedged sword in their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord."

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• Now look in the book of Revelation, Revelation 5 and verse 9. Revelation 5 and verse 9. "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."

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• Now, very obviously in this passage is deliverance and victory as well, because Jesus Christ was victorious over death and hell. Look, if you would, please, in Revelation 14 and verse 3, "And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth."

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• Now, in practically every one of these passages either warfare has been directly connected or indirectly connected. The new song in the Bible is the song of victory. It is associated with warfare. Look back in your Bible very quickly to Psalm 149. Let me just show you this. Psalm 149 and verse 3. "Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp." And if you will read the rest of that Psalm, this verse refers to warfare. If you will read the rest of the Bible, the timbrel and the song and the dance were after the war was over. It was the victory celebration. So very obviously, the new song in the Bible is a concept of victory.

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• What in the world do you think the saints of God are going to be doing when God destroys all of his enemies and all of their enemies? What are you going to be saying? I've got news for you. I'd start it right now if God started cleaning the house today, wouldn't you? I'd kind of like that.

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• Now listen, let me make a couple of applications. First of all is this. You and I had better learn to praise God if we're going to fight with him in his battles. Because praise is to be given before the battle, during the battle, and after the battle. And here is the next one, and I think everyone understands this concept. When God arises to fight for his people, the outcome is already settled. Victory is absolutely assured.

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• You know, there's a gospel song, and I don't particularly like the song, but it does convey a truth. The song, the man is singing, "I've read the end of the book and we win." We have already won in Jesus Christ. Why should we not praise Him now? There's a song, and I love to hear R.L. Peacock sing it. "I want to see Israel marching. I want to hear that trumpet call. I want to see old Babylon fall." And brethren, let me tell you, Babylon is falling and shall fall. And we who belong to Jesus Christ alone will be the victors. And we better learn to praise, because praise is a principle of holy war. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee this day. We thank thee for your mercy, for your love, for your grace. Teach us to praise thy name. Build us up in the most holy faith. In thy name we ask it. Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:44:57Z