Editorial November 10, 1945 Issue

The Rejoicing Commended by Jesus

John Randall Dunn

The ending of hostilities of any nature, national or individual, is always the signal for rejoicing especially with those who have witnessed the triumph of Truth over error. The Bible records several notable instances of national rejoicing. Possibly the best known and most frequently quoted of these is the experience related in II Chronicles, twentieth chapter.

The people of Judah and Jerusalem were in danger of annihilation at the hands of vicious enemies, who vastly outnumbered the Israelites. When the situation appeared hopeless from a material standpoint, King Jehoshaphat, inspired by the spiritually-minded Jahaziel's vision that the battle was not theirs but God's, commanded his people to sing and to praise; in fact singers were to precede the forces of Israel, who were ordered to move toward the enemy. Such a spectacle must have caused much, amusement in the camp of the adversaries, but this was destined to be short-lived, for an amazing thing happened.

In the presence of Israel's praise and rejoicing, error destroyed itself; the enemies fell on each other and were completely annihilated. The Scriptural narrative concludes with this statement: "Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies" (II Chron. 20:27).

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