2 Chronicles 19-20; Proverbs 25:15-28

Thursday's Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 19-20; Proverbs 25:15-28

The sixty-fourth day of summer.

Pluto has been demoted.

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One of my favorite Bible stories is part of today's reading. I smile every time I read it because I think of all the church leaders who secretly wish they could follow the example of Judah's King Jehoshaphat. The passage tells the story of his decision to send "the choir" out in front of the army. Considering the contoversy that music causes in churches, I'm sure there are many who say to themselves, "I'd like to volunteer the singers at my church for that job!"

But Jehoshaphat didn't send the singers to the frontline of battle so they could get picked off by the enemy. It's sad that music today is leading us into conflict with one another rather than leading us to victory over our common enemy.

After Jay and I returned from Turkey in 2002, I wrote an ODB about 2 Chronicles 20:1-22. Actually, I wrote three versions of it. Here is my favorite:

The Fuel of Praise

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people . . . and they were defeated. —2 Chronicles 20:22

Visitors to the military museum in Istanbul hear some of the earliest military music. The Ottomans claim to be the first to send troops off to war accompanied by music. The Bible, however, says that the Israelites used music in battle thousands of years earlier.

Threatened by two vast armies, King Jehoshophat acknowledged that the Israelites were powerless to defend themselves, and he prayed: "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

God's answer came not to Jeshoshaphat but to Jahaziel, who said: "Don’t be afraid or discouraged; the battle is not yours, but God's" (v. 15).

Jehoshaphat responded first by worshiping (v. 19) and then by appointing worship singers to lead the army! As they sang “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever,” the Lord set ambushes against the invaders, and they were defeated.

In the margin of my Bible I wrote, "Praise is the fuel that energizes God to work on our behalf."

If you have ever run out of gas, you know what happens when you try to start an engine with no fuel: you just wear out the battery.

When my prayers seem ineffective and Satan seems to be winning all the battles, this passage reminds me to ask myself: Am I grinding the key in the ignition of petition without first filling the tank with the fuel of praise? —Julie Ackerman Link

For the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you
That they drop powerless behind you
When you praise Him!

"Praise The Lord"
Composers: Brown Bannister & Mike Hudson
c. 1978 Bug & Bear Music, Home Sweet Home Music

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The Ottomans used music to instill self-confidence in their soldiers; the Israelites used music to express their confidence in the Lord.

You can read the edited version here: Battle Praise

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In the news . . . or not . . . ?

I don't recall hearing much if anything about train bombs in Mumbai on 7-11 that killed 186 people. But recently I've been reading references to it in the coverage of the Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Mumbai that was escorted by fighter jets back to Amsterdam yesterday after suspicious behavior by 12 passengers. For example, Plane passengers tell of air marshal action.

It gives some credence to the belief that the only "newsworthy" tragedies in the U.S. are those that happen to people of specified demographic groups.

When I google searched "Mumbai" and "July 11," I found virtually no coverage from U.S. media in the first 100 "hits."