Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. – (2 Chronicles 20: 22)

King Jehoshaphat was terrified when he was told: “a great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar.” This multitude of military might was made up of the Ammonites and the Moabites who had joined forces to come against him and Judah.

In response, the first thing the king did was to ask the people to fast and pray. (v. 3) Then, he listened to the words of the prophet, Jahaziel the son of Zechariah. The prophet assured them that God was with them. (vs. 14-17)

Finally, the king did a strange thing. He instructed the priests to praise the Lord.

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.”

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. (2 Chronicles 20: 21-22)

According to the text, the victory came when they began to sing and praise the Lord. Why is this?

Praise is a sign of obedience. The priests praised the Lord in obedience to the king’s command. Yes, it sounded like a weird weapon, but this is what the king had been led to do after several days of prayer and fasting.

Then, their praise was a step of confidence. They had been told by both the king and the prophet that they would be victorious. So, why should they wait until they actually saw the victory to praise the Lord. Since they really believed that victory was sure, it made perfect sense to praise the Lord up front and right away. Lastly, praise represents the surety of God’s presence. Notice that the text says, when they began to praise, “the Lord set ambushes.” They did the praising and God showed up to give them the victory.