Praise God by Confessing Truth
Jon: Bradon, don’t think, just answer! What is so good about God?
Bradon: He has given me a great family!
Jon: Coming up on the Bible Story Podcast, we will learn that people Praise God by confessing the Truth.
Discussion Episode
2 Chronicles 20:1-30
About the Story
Jon: We have got such a great story for you today. You can read the story for yourself in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. King Jehosephat was a good King.
Bradon: He was an excellent king, but he was in a terrible situation, as we will learn about in the story today.
Jon: Israel’s kingdom began under Saul was firmly established under King David and grown to incredible proportions under King Solomon.
Bradon: After King Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel was divided into the North and South, and King Jehosephat was leading the portion known as Judah.
Jon: This meant that they were way smaller than before.
Bradon: By the time Jehosephat came around, the kingdom of Israel was past its prime in large part because some of the kings had begun to lead the people away from God and set up places to worship idols.
Jon: This wandering away from God to worship false gods led to much trouble and difficulty for Israelites. When you look at the larger context of Israel’s behaviour previous to this, it is not a massive surprise that Jehosephat and all of Israel are in this awful predicament.
Bradon: Let me set the stage. A few nations have created an alliance with one another. An alliance is like an agreement to work together.
Jon: These nations were the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites. Together they made an army that was so big there was no way Judah would be able to stand against them.
Application
Jon: Ok, seriously, there was a lot of praising God in this story. Amid the King and the people being terrified, they choose to praise God.
Bradon: That’s right. As soon as they got news of the enemy armies, they began to pray and fast. Then the King recounted all the incredible things God had done in the past!
Jon: Next, they praised God, bowing low to the ground after the prophet spoke, followed by shouts of praise from some of the Levites.
Bradon: Then the army was led by singers who praised God.
Jon: They celebrated and praised God when they saw the enemy dead in the valley.
Bradon: They praised God after they collected all the valuables from the dead enemy army.
Jon: Then they praised God as they marched back to Jerusalem and went directly to the temple!
Bradon: When we praise God, we confess the truth about God. So much good comes about, and God enjoys it so much.
Jon: It also begins to change those who are praising God. I mean, imagine hearing for hours and hours, “Give thanks to the Lord. His faithful love endures forever.” It would have been difficult not to reflect on the song and come to the realization that it is true and begin to march with more confidence that God is on your side.
Bradon: When we confess the truth about God, we praise him. We can all take time today and throughout the week to praise God.
Jon: Praise God by confessing Truth.
