What has been said tonight by various men brings to mind a verse on which I preached not too long ago. This verse has to do with a king of Judah, Jehoshaphat. It is the very first verse that records the beginning of Jehoshaphat’s reign: “And Jehoshaphat his [Asa’s] son reigned in his stead.” Now to summarize the very beginning of Jehoshaphat’s reign, scripture says, “And [he] strengthened himself against Israel” (2 Chron. 17:1).

It is very easy when reading an Old Testament, historical narrative to just keep buzzing along. Do not just buzz along. The word of God that Jehoshaphat “strengthened himself against Israel” is very important.

Jehoshaphat strengthened himself against Israel—Israel, whom God brought up out of Egypt, marched through the Red Sea, carried through the desert, and to whom God gave an inheritance in the land of Canaan; Israel to whom God in generations past gave judges and his gracious rule of Jesus Christ through David and Solomon; Israel to whom God gave oracles, his law, and many mighty works; Israel who came out of the loins of Abraham and was blood relation to Judah. It was now Israel against whom Jehoshaphat strengthened himself.

There were tremendous enemies around Judah. Just prior to Jehoshaphat’s reign, a massive Ethiopian host had come up against Judah. There was Syria. And there were Ammon and Moab and Edom that could form a mighty coalition and fight against Judah.

But Judah had one enemy—one enemy in the mind of all that kingdom. The enemy was Israel. Judah was not worried about the other nations, but Judah concerned herself with Israel.

And Jehoshaphat turned Judah into a well-oiled war machine. He created a military juggernaut, an army of one million men against Israel. Jehoshaphat stockpiled troops, fortified cities, and set up garrisons throughout the entire land. He made storehouses for victuals and munitions against Israel. He was not concerned with Ethiopia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Syria; but he was concerned with Israel.

The statement that Jehoshaphat strengthened himself against Israel stood in stark contrast with the rest of his reign, for he continually sought affinity with Israel. Not many years after Jehoshaphat had strengthened himself against Israel, he married off his son to Ahab’s daughter. Then Jehoshaphat joined himself in battle with Ahab. Then Jehoshaphat joined himself in an economic alliance with Ahab’s son Ahaziah. And then Jehoshaphat joined himself in battle yet again with another of Ahab’s sons, Jehoram.

That act wherein Jehoshaphat strengthened himself against Israel did not arise out of his own flesh. That was not his own desire, but that was Jesus Christ’s gracious rule in Judah. When Christ set up Jehoshaphat to reign in Judah, Christ strengthened that kingdom against Israel, so that when the people of Judah awoke in the morning and saw all the garrisons, the strongholds being built, and the massive army, their first thought was, “We are at war against Israel.”

That was Christ.

You can tell Christ’s handiwork in the world. You can see him work when he strengthens his church against Israel. You can see the handiwork of Jesus Christ in the written word on the pages of Sword and Shield. There you can see Christ’s gracious rule in his church, strengthening his kingdom against Israel.

The text gives encouragement, for it tells you something about the origin of this magazine. The origin was not man; it was Jesus Christ—Christ’s gracious rule in his church, strengthening his church against Israel.

The text also gives warning against those who would shame and sow discord against that strengthening of Christ’s kingdom against Israel. It is a warning. “You are shaming the marvelous, mighty, gracious work of Jesus Christ, who makes the church very aware of who her enemy is, so that she wakes up in the morning and says, ‘I am at war.’”

Imagine some peon coming to Jehoshaphat and saying, “I do not like what you are doing. I think you could spend your time and your money in a better way. There are better things that you could be doing with the kingdom and with its energy.”

Be warned! Christ always strengthens his kingdom against Israel.

The text gives focus too. It gives focus to the writers (I am speaking personally), to the board, and to the association represented here. What is that focus? What is the focus of the writing of Sword and Shield? The focus is against Israel. And so that there is no confusion regarding who Israel is, Israel is the Protestant Reformed Churches.

There was a lot said tonight against the Protestant Reformed Churches. Rejoice in that. Rejoice in that. That is Christ’s coming to strengthen his church against Israel.

I conclude my remarks.

Let us pray.

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, seeing thou hast determined a kingdom wherein thou wilt be all in all—so that when Christ (who has made an end of thy wrath against the sins of all thy covenant people, who has given his life as a ransom price, whom thou hast raised from the dead and highly exalted and given the reins of this word) brings all in submission to thee, then that kingdom comes—Lord, let thy name be all in all. Let thy name and thy truth and thy cause be made glorious and weighty in the world.

And since thou hast chosen the church to be the pillar and ground of the truth, since thou hast chosen thy church to be thy kingdom, wherein thou art all in all, preserve and protect thy church.

Lord, bless too the work of Sword and Shield and continue to use it as a means to make thy name weighty and glorious in the world. If the magazine ever does anything other than that, break it, for to thee alone belongs all glory, honor, and praise. If there be those who seek to undermine and disrupt that work, break them, for thou art glorious as the only good and ever blessed God. Thou art glorious, O Lord, in thy sovereign election and sovereign reprobation. Thou art glorious, O Lord, in using all those in whom thou hast no pleasure for the service of thy covenant and of thy church and of thy kingdom. Thou art glorious when thou dost lift up thy people into the everlasting kingdom and when thou dost break the nations with a rod of iron, for thou art God. Prosper the magazine that it gives clear defense of thy truth and exposes the lie and reproves it.

Lord, we thank thee for this evening, and we pray that all that was done in sin be forgiven in the blood of Jesus Christ.

May we go with thy blessing.

Hear us in Jesus’ name.

Amen.