Week In Review

Unusual assignments bring miraculous results - Are you taking your position? - part 2

Preached in 2007

In this chapter Jehoshaphat aligns himself up with Ahab. And it almost cost him his life. The moment Jehoshaphat took the first step out of Judah and began toward Israel, he was stepping away from God’s purpose. Judah in this instance represents the place where God’s presence is. Jehoshaphat even though he didn’t mean to, was stepping away from God’s presence and the further he went out of Judah the less he could hear the sounds of Judah, until finally he could not hear Judah at all. Because of his turning away from God’s presence, his lost his ability to discern what was good and what was evil. He had stepped away from the presence of God just as his father Asa did. He was however different than his father because when the prophet approaches him in 2 Chronicles, chapter 19 and tells him God’s wrath is upon him he didn’t have a tantrum.

He turned and went back to standing in his position of reformer. He repented of his folly. As soon as Jehoshaphat began his journey out of Judah, he began to leave his purpose and was being drawn away after foolish things. As soon as we allow ourselves to be drawn away from the place God dwells, we too leave our purpose and turn to foolish things. What had happened was Jehoshaphat had allowed himself to be lulled to sleep. He sat down, moved away from the place he should have been standing. Folded his arms, a show of self-satisfaction at his own efforts, closed his eyes, lost sight of God and fell asleep, a spiritual separation from God’s calling. He had allowed his ideas to take place over the work that he was doing for God. Instead of him going to Ahab, that wicked king or as one commentary calls him that depraved Israelite, he should have been back home taking care of God’s business. But when corrected, he woke up and continued the work. His father however refused and in his anger, was lulled to sleep permanently by his own refusal to listen and suffered for it. Both however were lulled to sleep, even though Jehoshaphat only for a while. When they turned from their first love, sat down, folded their arms, closed their eyes, they were lulled to sleep.

What do I mean by lulled to sleep? And what is God’s word speaking to us today? In this instance lulled to sleep means lack of action, which causes sleep, which represents spiritual death. There are two different ways we can be lulled to sleep. Sometimes we can be lulled to sleep because of the stubbornness of our hearts. We refuse to listen to God’s word and correction, so we sit down, which means to move ourselves from our position, fold our hands which means no evidence of works and close our eyes, refusal to see and go to sleep, die spiritually.


We are also lulled to sleep because of our own ideas and agenda that seem good, for we know that the ways of a man seem right in his own eyes, but none the less we are allowing ourselves to fall asleep. Jehoshaphat probably thought lining himself up with Ahab was a good idea because he might be able to bring back the two kingdoms that were divided. But nowhere do we see in that scripture that God called for him to do this, God was more concerned with him obeying his will instead of trying to bring everyone together, it was all his own bright idea.


God is telling his children, to wake up. God is telling us that we must stop being lulled to sleep; we must stop moving from our first love. Here we go, time to fasten on our seat belts, God posed a question in my heart, he said, what things lull my children to sleep today? First let us look at the things that lull us to sleep like Jehosphaphat, things like our own ideas or plans. (Return next week to read the next installment).