The Unlikely Response to an Existential Threat
In the face of fierce enemy armies, King Jehoshaphat chose a seemingly suicidal response: sending Levite singers into battle ahead of his warriors. The amazing thing is that this tactic worked above and beyond any normal military response: “As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed” (2 Chronicles 20:22).
The Amazing Double Meaning
“Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2). This verse, quoted later by Jesus, contains a fascinating play on words. The word עֹז (ʽOz) – translated as “bulwark” here – has the primary meaning of strength and valor, with a secondary meaning of praise. When the Levite singers praised the Lord, they silenced their enemies! The more they praised the Lord, the stronger they became.
Just one Hebrew word captures the essence of the power of Jehoshaphat's story.
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