The Beauty of Holiness, 2 Chronicles 20
Overview
This is the account of Jehoshaphat and Judah’s miraculous deliverance from a heathen invasion. Jehoshaphat’s actions in Chapters 19 and 20 provide an understanding of why he was said to have walked in the ways of David. Jehoshaphat also prefigured Christ as He is described by David in Psalm 110. Jehoshaphat’s obedience and prefiguring will be examined in light of the phrase “beauty of holiness”. The lesson of Jehoshaphat applies to believers in the Age of Grace.Time: About 853 BC or somewhat later
Personalities
Jehoshaphat: King of JudahJehu: Prophet of God, son of Hanani who was God’s prophet during Asa’s reign.
Background
Jehoshaphat, having barely escaped with his life from the Ramoth Gilead battle discussed in 2 Chronicles 18 and 1 Kings 22, received a stern warning from the prophet Jehu upon his return to Jerusalem. God preserved Jehoshaphat’s life by allowing him to return in peace, but in this passage God in His grace and mercy corrected Jehoshaphat and prophesied God’s wrath for Jehoshaphat’s foolish disobedience. There was a three-fold aspect to God’s correction: First, it came from the prophet Jehu, whose father was Hanani the seer. Hanani had corrected Jehoshaphat’s father Asa in 2 Chronicles 16 for also making common cause with the ungodly. Hanani was imprisoned by Asa for this. Jehu was placing himself directly in God’s hands by issuing a similar judgement to Jehoshaphat for an impious act similar to his father’s. This provision and protection of God’s is the key to the lesson.Jehu reported that God saw good things in Jehoshaphat, and as God’s perception is perfect, Jehoshaphat then displayed David’s quality that pleased God: He repented and returned to his work of leading his people in God’s way. Jehoshaphat had the godly attitude mentioned in Psalm 141:5: “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.” 2 Chronicles 19:4 marks Jehoshaphat’s return to God’s work - a return to active ministry among the people as opposed to consorting with wicked Ahab.
Jehoshaphat established judges in major cities to promote orderly life among the people (Romans 13:1 - 7). Since the purpose of government is to minister God’s will, Jehoshaphat exhorted these judges to have God’s law in the forefront of their work, as outlined in Deuteronomy 1:7, 10:17, 16:19, and reinforced by Romans 2:11, Ephesians 6:9, and James 2. The repetition of God’s strict demand for impartial judgements is illustrated by the recurring nature of the subject, and Jehoshaphat did well to make provision for it.
Jehoshaphat appointed princes, priests and Levites to fully represent spiritual and civil provisions in God’s Word. The Lord’s Word was to be the arbiter in all matters of life and was to be applied to all people without regard to social position. The fear of the Lord and a perfect heart was to be key in everything the judges did. Note that the purpose of these judges is stated in verse 19:10, that they are to zahar (zaw - har’) the people. This word can mean to warn, but in its only use in the Pentateuch, Exodus 18:20, the context favors “instruct”, or “teach”, as the AV has it. “How shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14b).
Jehoshaphat’s reaction to Judah’s crisis
2 Chronicles 20:1-2
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. 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 Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.Jehoshaphat had done well to repent and strengthen the nation to worship and fear the LORD, for now the God was sending the trial promised by the prophet Jehu. What Jehoshaphat did, and how this was in keeping with God’s view that he was a man who walked in the ways of David, should be kept in mind.
Moabites, Ammonites, and other desert tribes moved to attack Judah from Engedi, which is halfway up the west coast of the Dead Sea, about 25 miles from Jerusalem. Spurgeon considers Psalm 83 to refer to this incident.
2 Chronicles 20:3
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.Like David in 2 Samuel 24, Jehoshaphat knew he had sinned and deserved judgement. Like David, he was willing to accept God’s judgement rather than man’s triumph, so again like David in so many of his trials, Jehoshaphat set himself to seek God. Direct revelation of God's will through prophets ceased at the close of the Apostolic Age, but all God intends for us to know can be known though Scripture. David’s and Jehoshaphat’s good example is therefore followed by using Scripture to determine God’s will.
2 Chronicles 20:4-9
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? 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, 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.Jehoshaphat knew, assented to, and trusted that God is the True and Living God with total sovereign power over all things. Jehoshaphat recounted that God, by sovereign choice, established a covenant with Abraham and subsequently established the nation in the land now being invaded. Finally, Jehoshaphat retold how God established His presence in the Covenant land by alluding to Solomon’s prayer and God’s acceptance of the covenant of national protection by fire (2 Chronicles 6 -7).
2 Chronicles 20:10-12
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; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.Jehoshaphat then highlighted the righteousness of the nation’s position and the need for judgement on the invading nations. Finally, in contrast to Jehoshaphat’s earlier decisions, he states a reliance on God for direction in this crisis.
2 Chronicles 20:13-21
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, 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. 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.Jehoshaphat and the people acted in obedience to God. After seeking God with their whole heart and hearing God’s Word, they marched to witness the salvation and deliverance that God has promised. Complete and utter annihilation was the price of losing a military encounter in ancient times, but Jehoshaphat did not deploy the people in military array. God deployed the people as if in the Temple, in God’s very real presence, instead of military array, and the people obeyed.
“Beauty of Holiness”
This phrase is used five times in Scripture: 1 Chronicles 16:29, when David brought the Ark up to Jerusalem, this passage, Psalms 29:2, 96:9, and 110:3. The first four passages contain the words “hadrat qodesh” and Psalm 110:3 contains the related phrase “hadre qodesh”, or literally, “the beauty of holiness”.The opinion of scholars as to the meaning of “beauty of holiness” in these five passages can be summarized into two positions: First, “beauty of holiness” refers to the God-ordained garments and adornment of the priests, especially the high priest, as they worshipped God before His presence in the Temple. This is a foreshadowing of the direct worship of God wearing the robes of Christ’s righteousness by priest-believers today, the only lawful attire in which God may be approached.
The other view is that “beauty of holiness refers directly to God’s presence with the Ark when David brought it to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:29), with Jehoshaphat (in this passage), in the Temple (Psalms 29 and 96) and God’s presence in and with Christ in a millennial gathering (Psalm 110). This is a foreshadowing of priest believers today who are constantly in God’s presence and have continual access to His throne.
The NASB translates “beauty of holiness” as “holy attire” in 2 Chronicles 20:21 and Psalm 96:9 and as “holy array” in the other three passages. In all but our passage tonight, the NASB includes the alternate reading: “splendor/majesty of holiness”. The idea of holy attire or temple garments follows the views expressed by Spurgeon in his commentary on the Psalms and by Matthew Henry. The idea of “splendor of holiness”, or God’s presence, follows Calvin’s thoughts on this phrase, expressed in his commentaries on Psalms 29, 96, and 110.
Calvin sees the phrase in Psalms 29:2 and 96:9, referring to the beauty of the tabernacle and temple representing God’s presence. In Psalm 110, Calvin takes an eschatological view, seeing Christ’s people becoming his subjects and entering directly into the beautiful presence of God’s holiness to serve Him or, in the true beauty of holiness. The view Calvin presents with regard to Psalm 110 can also be supported by similar use of these words in Ugaritic non-Scriptural sources.
The NASB translators, rendering “beauty of holiness” as holy attire in this passage, may be parallel with “holy garments” in Leviticus 16:4. The summary of this is that there are differing views from many reputable scholars whether “beauty of holiness” refers to God’s splendor or to the clothing of the people of God used in Temple worship. I like the direct translation of the AV, since it causes one to consider these passages without mandating either view. For this study, “beauty of holiness” can be understood to refer to the splendor of God’s presence, or to refer to the splendor of the priest believer’s robes ordained by God for true worship and finding their fulfillment in the robe of Christ’s righteousness for the believer.
An application of the “Beauty of Holiness”
This is not a comprehensive study of all five Scripture passages in which the phrase “beauty of holiness” appears. Instead, it considers how the events in this account of Jehoshaphat foreshadow the fulfillment of the great messianic Psalm of David, Psalm 110, and also what applications may be gained for the lives of believers today. Reviewing Psalm 110:The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.David's words looked forward to Christ, the true fulfillment of this prophecy. Jehoshaphat’s actions in this account are a partial type, or prefiguring, of Christ and His total work and illustrate how Jehoshaphat walked in the first ways of David.
God reigns in serenity and peace, unaffected by rebellious man (Psalm 2:4). After Christ finished His work on Earth, he was seated at God’s right hand (Luke 22:69, Acts 7:55 - 56, Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, & 12:2, 1 Peter 3:22, etc.), resting from His own works until God places Christ in direct rulership of all. Jehoshaphat accepted God’s Word (though Jehu), as Christ did on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:2), and believed in God’s sovereignty over the invaders. Rather than making his own preparations as before, he prepared to see God’s deliverance from the vantage point of obedience.
God has always raised up a people to Himself and will do so again when Christ returns to rule. God’s people are not compelled by God to follow, but do so willingly, which God “generates from above” (John 3:3) in their hearts. God gave the people willing hearts to obey Jehoshaphat’s strange preparation, which was in accordance with God’s instructions. Remember that loss in battle during Jehoshaphat’s day normally resulted in paying an ultimate and often gruesome price. The people’s willingness to obey Jehoshaphat by not deploying militarily, but in faith, must be regarded as a work of God. God brings about revival in His way, and it is always marked by obedience to Him: Children of God today still wear the robes God has ordained to be worn in His presence, the beauty of holiness, namely the robes of Christ’s righteousness (Psalm 132.16, Isaiah 61:10, Zechariah 3:4, Romans 13:14).
Believers still praise the beauty of holiness of God, which is always with us, just as the singers praised the beauty of holiness in Jehoshaphat’s time. Consider the praise sung by the Levitical singers: "Yadhah, Yahweh, hesed olam". "Yadhah Yahweh" praises the nature of God, thanking Him for His attributes. "Hesed" is lovingkindness, and "olam" indicates that God’s lovingkindness is eternal and extends forward into perpetuity. Just as the Levitical singers praised God, believers of today recognize and praise God for the lovingkindness He has shown in salvation and trust in its perpetual quality. We praise God for His attributes, and will more truly do so in Heaven with Christ, who is the great High Priest.
The high priest who accompanied the march is a type of Christ as discussed in Hebrews 7. The fact that the high priest was chosen by God through Moses and was not elected or self appointed stands in contrast to the world’s attitude, which believes that Christ can be accepted or rejected at one’s pleasure or whim. God’s sovereignty overrules such foolishness, and believers should thank God for His grace that overrules this foolishness in our own lives. It is another example of the perpetual lovingkindness He shows His elect on the basis of His covenant, not the behavior of the elect.
Continuing with Jehoshaphat’s story before finishing the comparison with Psalm 110:
2 Chronicles 20:22-25
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. 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.The LORD brought forth praise for Himself as He acted in the people’s hearts, since the LORD inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). God still brings forth worship to Himself today in believer's worship services and especially in His beauty of holiness in Heaven.
As the heathen nations came forward in attack, God caused confusion. Various theories have been advanced as to how this may have happened. One of the more interesting ones is that God caused related desert tribes to ambush the invader’s rear guard. The view is that this ambush excited volatile desert sensitivities and politics and caused the invasion to destroy itself.
It is not necessary to read any explanation into the account, however, other than what is written. God in His sovereignty destroyed the invaders, an act which required no action on the part of the people, although God permitted them to watch for their edification. The aftermath prefigures verses 5 and 6 of Psalm 110: Three days were spent collecting the tremendous amount of booty, and Psalm 110 says: “he shall fill the places with the dead bodies”. Prefiguring is also evident in the multiplicity of heathen kings and nations that were destroyed.
Today, the believer's deliverance is of a different nature, but it is just as real and just as dependent on God. Beleiver's faith while living in this world is seen by Scripture as a very real victory (Romans 8:35-37, 1 John 5:4). These victories are every bit as attributable to God’s grace alone as was Jehoshaphat’s. Jehoshaphat was both obedient and disobedient, like David and like all believers. God's people should strive to maintain an attitude that worships and represents God’s beauty of holiness and remember that the beauty of holiness associated with our robes of righteousness were purchased by Christ at great cost according to God’s electing grace.
Resources
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 2 Chronicles 19 - 20, Matthew HenryCommentary on the Old Testament, Keil and Delitzsch, 2 Chronicles 19 - 20, C. F. Keil
Wycliffe Bible Commentary, ed. by Pfeiffer: 1 Chronicles 16 and 2 Chronicles 19 and 20 (J. Barton Payne) and Psalms 29, 96, and 110 (Kyle Yates).
Commentary on the Old Testament, Keil and Delitzsch, Psalms 29, 96, and 110, F. Delitzsch
Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 29, 96, and 110, John Calvin
The Treasury of David, Psalms 29, 96, and 110, Charles H. Spurgeon
Bible History, Old Testament, Book 6, Chapter 6, Alfred Edersheim
Antiquities of the Jews, Book 9 Chapter 1, Josephus
“The Singing Army” Charles H. Spurgeon sermon #2923
New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, #2075, and #3344, #6409, ed. by Willem VanGemeren
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, #477c and #1990a, Harris, Archer, and Waltke
Conversation after the Lord’s Supper with Dr. James Allman on “the beauty of holiness” and “Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever”, December 10, 2000
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