When Ezra and Nehemiah returned the the land of Israel from exile in Persia, what they found was enough to discourage the most stalwart saint. Jerusalem was largely in ruins; the population was compromising their allegiance to Yahweh by intermarrying with their neighbors; enemies thwarted their labor. As Ezra considered how he could provide these folks who had returned from exile with spiritual direction, he decided to write a history text, a text which we call First and Second Chronicles.
One of the lessons that Ezra teaches his audience conerns warfare. How are we as the people of God to thwart the attacks of the enemy? How are we to advance His kingdom? To teach this lesson to His audience, Ezra records an incident from the life of Jehoshaphat. The story contains numerous principles of spiritual warfare and enables us to get a grasp of the significance of our worship every Lord’s Day. So what are these lessons and why are they important?