2 Chronicles 18:31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, it is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God moved them to depart from him.
This story reveals an instructive contrast in response to battle with the Enemy. Ahab, king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, allied together to join in battle against Syria. On the one hand, Ahab disguised himself so the enemy wouldn’t know he was a king. On the other hand, Jehoshaphat wore his royal robes into battle, and the enemy surrounded him to attack and kill him.
The difference between the two kings was in whom they trusted. Ahab trusted in himself. He trusted in human deceit to save himself from enemy attack. Jehoshaphat trusted in God. He openly and honestly wore the kingly robes as a human target, trusting in the Lord save him from the enemy.
In the battle, the enemy surrounded Jehoshaphat to attack and kill him. In the midst of the impending danger, he cried out to the Lord for help and deliverance from the enemy. And the Lord saved him by moving the enemy to go away. Ironically, an enemy soldier drew an arrow and shot at random, inadvertently hitting Ahab in his chariot so that he died.
In the spiritual battles of our daily lives, will we try to avoid defeat by human strength and wisdom, or will we be saved by praying to the Lord and trusting in Him? “Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” So we pray, “Deliver us from evil.”