Utumishi Blog

At the last ‘First Priority’ prayer meeting James Wainaina (iServe Africa staff member and apprentice 2009-2011) preached 2 Chronicles 17 to us. A very powerful message on the focus and means of true revival. Here’s what he shared:

Introduction:

Perhaps you and I have heard of the so-much publicised meetings with the tags; “Gospel revival meetings” “Come and expect your miracle” “Your better life now” among others. The big question is: What is the centre of these calls to revival? One of the preachers has said, “If I publicize my meetings with the tag, ‘Come expecting a miracle’, many people will come, but wait until I publicise the meeting with the tag, ‘Come and hear from Jesus’, and the number dwindles.” It leaves us to ask ourselves, what is revival? What does it entail? Is it just a meeting that is branded “a revival meeting?”

2 Chronicles 17 can help us answer these questions. So, let’s go into the narrative, but before that, we can look at some information that might help us understand the chapter. Jehoshaphat is a king of Judah after the split of the kingdom in the line of David. He sits on the throne to fulfil God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 where God promises to establish a kingdom in the house of David forever – a forever kingdom and a forever king.  The main message of the book is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people, who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” That’s what you see in 2 Chronicles 17 – the king (the Davidic king) leading the nation in humility and God fulfilling his promise to heal the land. 

Big Idea:

Through Jehoshaphat’s humble obedience, God brings a renewed Israel that could almost measure to that of David’s or Solomon’s Israel. 

The Narrative:

v1-2: What a King will do when he is a King – establish the kingdom.

v3: God’s presence is with Jehoshaphat.

v3b-4: What does God’s presence produce?

• Walking – in the ways of David and the ways of God
• Not walking – according to the practices of Israel
• Seeking – the God of his father
• Not seeking – the Baals – the popular choice

v5: “In this way the Lord established him and the kingdom in his hand. All Judah brought tribute to him and he had riches and honour in abundance.”  Through Jehoshaphat’s humble obedience the Lord establishes the kingdom in a way that hadn’t been seen since the days of Solomon.  

v6:In case we haven’t got the message, the author does not leave us in any doubt how the kingdom was established and the blessing grew – it was a matter of the heart – Jehoshaphat’s heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord (Joshua 1:6).  He did not fumble or stumble even when Baal worship was all around. He removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah unlike Asa who left them after. This was a greater king with a greater heart bringing a greater revival than his father.

v7-9: A team of officials from Jehoshaphat’s kingdom, princes, Levites, and priests are sent out among the people. This time, not to collect tax, forcefully take the sons of Israelites to the army or to forced labour and not to have their daughters as slaves or wives to Jehoshaphat the King, but to teach them the book of the law of the Lord. Jehoshaphat is courageous enough to send the princes, Levites and priests to bring back the book of the law to Israel and remind them of the covenant way of life.

v10-11: Results of teaching God’s word among the people:

• The fear of the Lord gripped the surrounding nations. It doesn’t say the reason why the fear gripped them but it is fulfilment of the promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:3), a reminder of the days of Joshua (Joshua 2:11; 5:1) and a hint of God’s intention to turn the world upside down with the preaching of his Word.
• There was no war between Judah and her neighbours. Peace reigned and the total rest promised by God of a land and His presence (2 Sam. 7:11) being with the Israelites is fulfilled when God’s word is faithfully preached amongst the people.
• Enemies submit to the King of Israel and they bring gifts to Jehoshaphat. Philistines and Arabs bring gifts to Jehoshaphat. The kingdom of God extends to the neighbouring community and there is peace in the region.   (This takes us back to Solomon and even further back to Egypt during the Exodus where the Egyptians gave silver and gold items to Israelites after they witness the great revelation of God before their eyes).

v12-19: Jehoshaphat’s kingdom is established and a great multitude of fighting men, brave warriors serve the King and the established Kingdom. This is like David with his ‘mighty men’ (1 Chronicles 11:10-12:40; 27:1-15) but now they are in their hundreds of thousands.

The kingdom is established when the king realizes that the secret lies not in a new way of doing this, but in the neglected, assumed and forgotten ways of the Lord. Upon assumption to kingship, he goes back to this historical truth and God’s word becomes alive in this kingdom leading to massive transformation not only in his kingdom but also among his neighbouring enemies.

A call to us as Christians: Revival in our churches is not based on a new trick in the way we preach or a new gospel we have discovered or preaching miracles, signs and wonders, not really, revival is based on re-discovery of the historical, biblical God of promise who is revealed to us in Christ Jesus. It is not in feel good, act good sermons but on a call to humility that makes us look at the old neglected Word of God as the only way our hearts will be revived. When we clearly know that when the word of God is taught faithfully, it brings revival in the hearts of men, then we can seek a genuine revival that is focussed on God.

Part 2