Ep 180: Worship Before The Battle

"When panic feels practical, where do you turn? Join us as Jehoshaphat's story reveals how to discern God's voice, trust Him in impossible battles, and discover why worship sometimes becomes your greatest weapon."

We talk through what it looks like to trust God when you’re afraid, when you’re outnumbered, and when you don’t know what to do. We follow Jehoshaphat through bad counsel, real repentance, and a breakthrough that comes when praise goes first.
• Summer tour updates and why we ask for prayer for travel safety and the hearers
• Jehoshaphat and Ahab as a warning about unwise alliances
• 400 voices of approval versus one faithful prophet telling the truth
• Micaiah’s refusal to speak what people want
• Jehoshaphat’s correction and his practical reforms in leadership and justice
• Fasting and prayer as the first response to fear
• “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” as a model prayer
• “The battle is not yours” and what it means to stand firm
• Worship placed in front of the army and praise as a battle strategy
• God’s ambush, unexpected victory, and grace upon grace in the spoils
Please be in prayer for the tour. Pray for the vehicle, pray for our safety. The Gospel is gonna go forward. So pray for that also. Pray for the hearers. Amen!

To find out more, check out our website at playsonword.org.

FIRST STOP on OUR TOUR:
SANDY COVE MINISTRIES — Family Vacation 2026: https://www.sandycove.org/family-vacation/

FAMILY VACATION 2026 Offers a Variety of Packages for each of the 4 week sessions: 
Summer 2026 Speakers
• July 5 - 10 (Joe & Denise Holman)
   - Pastor Fred Kenney, Jr. - Evening Speaker and Life Coach this week
• July 12 - 17  (Curtis Zackery)
• July 19 - 24  (Richard Dahlstrom)
• July 26 - 31  (Peter Reid)

Register Here: https://www.sandycove.org/family-vacation/book-now/

Recent Podcasts about Sandy Cove!
Ep 176 (Part 1) https://www.buzzsprout.com/2110391/episodes/19294639
Ep 177 (Part 2) https://www.buzzsprout.com/2110391/episodes/19297013

Check out the rest of our Tour Schedule here: https://www.playsonword.org/calendar

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Transcript

Cold Open And Scripture Tease

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Okay, I'm here with my buddies Paris and Roy. Roy, uh what what do you like to listen to? I like to listen to the podcast. What podcast? Do you like it? Yeah!

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Lord, you know you will now listen to play is the best.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

The men of Ammon. Moab and Mount Seir, who had come up against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the He had them fighting each other. Oh my goodness, this is classic. The men of Amon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

SPEAKER_00 1:03

Prayer changes everything, but do we believe it when God answers? We explore Acts 12, Genesis 24, and powerful stories of answered prayer. How can planning God's Word strengthen your faith when answers being delayed?

Welcome And Summer Tour Plans

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Hello and welcome to Plays on Word Radio, where we discussed, analyzed work, and play on the Word of God. Thank you for joining us on this excursion today. Let's join Pastor Teddy, also known as Fred David Teddy Jr., the founder of Plays on Word Theater, as he does a deep dive into the Word of God.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Amen. Amen. Well, welcome to Plays on Word Radio. All of you listening, it is awesome to connect with you guys. Many of you, this is your Friday, some of you listening on Saturday, some of you are listening on every other day of the week. But for this period of time, we're together, the plays on word audience and family. And yeah, we're kicking off another short tour summertime. We're kicking off a Christmas in July, believe it or not. Yeah. We're going up, we'll be up in New York State. We're gonna be doing Pete and Christmas in July. So we'll be doing Christmas Joe. Oh, hallelujah. I would much rather do Christmas Joe in upstate New York in July than in December. Man. Sherry and Andrew, our brother and sister that live up there up near Albany. Actually, I think it's north. It is, it's north of Albany. They we stay with them when we're up in that area, and he's got heaters on his roof for the snow. Yeah. Dude gets hit with landslides or or or or what is it? Avalanche. Avalanche happens when he's trying to get the snow off his roof. So yeah. I'm not trying, I'm not trying to be up stuck up like stuck up in New York or stuck up in New Jersey. I don't even want to go to New Jersey in the in the winter time. I'm a missionary. I fight the elements. I go where God tells me, but man, I'm not trying to do that. Unless the Lord says go, and then I won't be like Jonah. I'll go. Anyway, we're gonna be doing our Christmas jokes. So be in prayer for that if you're listening on Friday or not this week. It's actually not this week. We're leaving. I think we leave Saturday morning. This is Friday morning, so tomorrow morning we'll be on the road. And we are heading to Sandy Cove. We're gonna be doing a series of uh speaking engagements at Sandy Cove first, then we're gonna do a Pete play, and then we're kicking off our Christmas in July in New York State. So please be in prayer for that. Pray for the vehicle, pray for our safety. Just you know, you know the gospel is gonna go forward. So pray for that also. Pray for the hearers. Amen. All right, amen.

Jehoshaphat And Ahab’s Bad Alliance

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Well, hey, you know, one thing I want to share with you guys, one of the things we do, we do we do deep dive into the scripture, but I I just want to share a story that I read when I was doing a devotion in the Bible, doing my own my own feeding on the word. And man, this story is just so it's just so cool to me. And just stuck out. I'm gonna share it with you, and it comes from 2 Chronicles chapter 18. If you have your Bible, I'm gonna read from the NIV. Or no, I'm gonna read from the ESV. I could read from the King James too, but a lot of you guys don't speak that Shakespearean old English, so I'm gonna read from the ESV. And check this out from chapter 18. I'll start at verse 1. Okay, now Jehosaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. After some years, he went down to Ahab in Samaria, and Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him, and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth Gilead. Ahab, the king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead? He answered him, I am as you are, my people is your people. We will be with you in the war. Man, Jehoshaphat, why are you doing this, man? Anyway, verse 4. And Jehosaphat said to the king of Israel, Inquire first for the word of the Lord. Verse 5. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, 400 men, and said to them, Shall we go into battle against Ramoth Gilead? Or shall I refrain? And they said, Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king. Verse 6. This is the key here. At least Jehoshaphat has some sense. He says, Verse 6, but Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here another prophet of the Lord? Yahweh, in the in the in the Hebrew. Is there not a prophet of Yahweh of whom we may inquire? So all those other prophets were were not true prophets. Verse 7, and the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, there's yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, Bring quickly Micaiah, the son of Imlah. Verse 9. Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were sitting down on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. And Zedekiah, the son of Kenaniah, or Kenanah, made for himself horns of iron and said, Thus says the Lord, with these you shall put the Syrians until they are destroyed. You shall push the Syrians. Yeah, that's right. Until they're destroyed. Verse 11. And all the prophets prophesied so and said, Go up to remote Gilead and triumph. The Lord will give it into the hand of the king. Verse 12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, Listen, man, this is my my own translation of this. Yo, man, listen to this. Check this out. The words of the prophets, with one accord, are favorable to the king. So check this out. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably. Verse 13. But Micaiah said, As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak. Verse 14. And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go up to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I refrain? And he answered, Go up in triumph. They'll be given into your hand. Verse 15. But the king said to him, How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord? Verse 16. And he said, This is Micaiah speaking, he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, These have no master, let each return to his home in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Didn't I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? Verse 18, and Micaiah said, Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, Who will entice Ahab, the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead? And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, I will entice him. And the Lord said to him, By what means? And he said, I will go out, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, You are into to you are to entice him, and you shall succeed. Go out and do so. Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you. Verse 23. Then Zedekiah, the son of Canana, came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, Which way did the spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you? And Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself. Verse 25 And the king of Israel said, Seize Micaiah and take him back to Ammon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son, and say, Thus says the king, put this fellow in prison and feed him with meagre rations of bread and water until I return in peace. Verse 27. And Micaiah said, If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, all you peoples. Make note, basically, is what he's saying. Verse 28. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth Gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go into battle. But you wear your clothes and your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself. Man, let's look at that dude. He disguised himself and they went into battle. Verse 30. Now the king of Syria had commanded all the captains of his chariots, fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel. Verse 31. As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It's the king of Israel. So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from. I bet he cried out. They were all coming on him, and he wasn't the king of Israel, he's the king of Judah. And he's dressed as a king here. And the king of Israel is all disguised. Anyway, back to our story. Verse 32. For as soon as the captains of the chariot saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. Verse 33, but a per a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Oh, they found a seam in the armor. Therefore, he said to his driver of his chariot, Turn around and carry me carry me out of the battle, for I'm wounded. Verse 34, and the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians until evening. And then at sunset he died. That was something. But it continues. Verse chapter 19. That was the end of the chapter. And that's Ahab. Ahab was notorious. Go back and look. The different he was married to Jezebel. It was a disaster, man. Ahab was a disaster. And that's how he ended up dying. Getting shot through, and he had armor on. And it went through the seem and got him. Now check

A Rebuke And A Reset In Judah

SPEAKER_01 14:13

this out. Chapter 19. Let's this is important. We're gonna get to my main point. Jehoshaphat, going back to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, returned safely to his house in Jerusalem. But Jehu, the son of Hananiah, or Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath is gone out against you from the Lord. Verse three Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the ashtarith out of the land, and you have set your heart to seek God. So the worshipping of Ashtarith, false god, mother child cult stuff like that. Simaramus and all that, Ashtarith. Anyway, verse 4 Jehosaphat lived at Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and he brought them back to the Lord. The Lord, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges in the land and all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, Consider what you do, for you judge not for man, but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality, or taking bribes. Moreover, in Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and the heads of families of Israel to give judgment for the Lord. So he's setting up shop here. And it's really after this whole debacle when Ahab gets killed. Well the Lord continuing verse eight. Judgment for the Lord and decided disputed cases, they had their seat at Jerusalem, verse nine, and he charged them, thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, with your whole heart. Verse 10. Whenever a case comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities concerning bloodshed bloodshed, law or commandments, statutes, or rules, then you shall warn them that they may not incur guilt before the Lord, and wrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not incur you will not incur guilt. Verse 11. And behold, Amariah, the chief priest, is over you in all matters of the Lord. And Zebediah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, and all the kings' matters and Levites will serve you as officers, deal courageously, and may the Lord be with the upright. Now I don't think I'm gonna be able to get to it. I know some of you are like, keep going. This is great. Yeah, this is great. I'm gonna do 20 here, too. We were moving right through. We're this is a deep dive. Not a deep dive, this is a just a large, large download of stuff. But this is important what I'm gonna get to. Chapter 20.

Fear Turns Into Fasting And Prayer

SPEAKER_01 17:24

After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Mahunites came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, a great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea. And behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar, that is in Geti, verse 3. Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord from all the cities of Judah. They came to seek the Lord. Look at that. He was afraid, and rather than reacting, he responded. He didn't just go, oh, let's we're gonna we're gonna figure out a way to fix this. No, he was afraid, but he operated properly. He set his face to seek the Lord. The fear of the Lord should be first in all our fear. And that should guide us. And that's what happened here. Verse 5, Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah in Jerusalem and in the house of the Lord, went and before the court and said, Oh Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule all the kingdoms of the nations, and your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend? I love that line. Abraham's God's friend. Verse 8. And they lived in it and have built and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, If this disaster comes upon us, the sword judgment or pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and cry out to you in all our affliction, and you will hear and save. Verse 10. And now, behold, the men of Amnon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they uh and and whom they avoided and did not destroy, verse 11 Behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. Verse 12, O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. You are you feeling that prayer, man? What? They really put it up to the Lord there. Their concerns, that's how to cry out. Wow. Verse 13. Meanwhile, Judah stood before the Lord with all their little ones, their wives, and their children, and the spirit of the Lord came upon Jehazael, the son of Zechariah, son of Beniah, son of Jael, son of Mataniah, a Levite of the sons of Asap, in the midst of the assembly,

The Battle Is Not Yours

SPEAKER_01 20:34

verse 15. And he said, Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. Thus says the Lord to you, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours. Ho ho, hallelujah.

unknown 20:55

Woo!

SPEAKER_01 20:57

I'm feeling that. The battle is not yours. Verse 16 tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. Now, this is amazing. He's giving them coordinates. Verse 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. There's a multitude of people coming against them, and God's saying, You will not need to fight. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf. Oh Judah and Jerusalem, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you. This is amazing, man. What God is telling them to do. There are multiple countries coming up against them. And God's saying, You're not going to need to fight. And they just prayed this petition. They went before God, and God's saying, You stand firm. Somebody listening to this right now, maybe God's saying that to you. You stand firm. You're not going to need to fight. Let me continue. Verse 18. Then Jehosaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, Lord, worshiping the Lord. And the Levites and the Kohathites and the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. Verse 20.

Praise Leads And God Sets Ambush

SPEAKER_01 22:30

We're getting coming up to my the real thing that really got me. Verse 20. And they rose early in the morning and went into the wilderness of Tokoah. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established. Believe his prophets, and you will succeed. And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army. Yo, he had the worship team before the think about, look at that. He set up the worship team to go in front of the army. What? Letting you know that praise and worship need to go before your battles. Yo. As they went before the army. Man, I know four chords. I can play, you know, a couple, a couple worship tunes. Actually, if you know four chords, you can play like almost every worship tune. But you know, and he's like, uh I'm going before the dude, the dudes with the weapons. I don't think that was the case, actually. I can't paint that picture because I think they were so amped up after that prayer and just so amped up with the situation they were in. They were like, uh, we've got no alternative but to trust God. So let's put the worship team out in front of the military. And they're gonna praise God. And God said, We're not gonna have to fight. And what did they say? This worship team, give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love endures forever. And when they began to sing in praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come up against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the He had them fighting each other. Oh my goodness, this is classic. The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. Yo, man. This is the funniest. I was literally laughing like this when I was doing my devotion. I was like, this is absolutely amazing. They're scrapping with each other, they start fighting each other. Can you imagine being the dude holding the guitar on the worship team, leading the praise or whatever? And and and seeing your enemies, two of them, team up on one of them. There's three of them, and then that they wipe them out, and then the the two that are left start fighting each other. And you're sitting there in front of your military singing praise to God. Verse 24.

Spoils Joy And Closing Support

SPEAKER_01 25:43

I'm gonna close this. When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, and they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground. None had escaped. Verse 25 When Jehosaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them in great numbers goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. Not only did the Lord provide a victory that they didn't have to fight, but now they're being given grace upon grace. Gifts. And they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets to the house of the Lord, and the fear of God came on them all, all the kingdoms of the countries where they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehosaphat was quiet, for God gave him rest all around. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord, for your word.

SPEAKER_02 27:17

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