Dead bodies littered the plains as the sun rose over the wilderness that morning. The curse of the enemy was reversed! Their military forces actually turned against one another and self-destructed.
What a victory for Jehoshaphat, a man who at one time confessed he didn't know what to do and what a tremendous victory you will experience when you apply the same steps he took to confront your own difficult dilemmas.
In the closing verses of 2 Chronicles 20 there are four results of reversing the curse of the enemy, benefits which you will also experience when you learn to triumph in impossible situations:
(1) Reaping.
2 Chronicles 20:25 "When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much."
God not only delivered His people from their foes, He enriched them with the spoil of the enemy. It took three days to gather all the valuables!
Jesus has conquered your enemy. Satan was defeated at the cross of Calvary and it took Jesus three days to carry away the spoils of the enemy! Stand in the place where you are, turn your attention to God, and begin to praise Him, for the victory is won!
Galatians 3:13 "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)."
When Jesus died on Calvary, He not only died for your sin, He redeemed you from every curse! You can reverse the curses in your life by appropriating the power of the blood of Jesus, but as in every other spiritual victory the blood must be applied. In the Old Testament account of the Passover in Egypt, it was not the fact that the blood of a lamb was shed that effected deliverance. The blood was applied to the door of the house and then the destroyer did not come near that residence. The blood of Jesus has power to reverse curses over your life, but you must apply that blood in order for it to be effective.
(2) Releasing.
2 Chronicles 20:25, 26 "And on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day."
The Valley of Berachah was located between Bethlehem and is where David was anointed as king of Israel and Hebron where he fortified a refuge against his enemy, Saul. "Berachach" means "blessing," so the place of blessing is situated between the "anointing" and the "refuge."
The word "bless" occurs about 410 times in the Bible. It means "to cause to prosper, be happy, and favored, blessed in every way and in every area of life." Just as a curse is initiated by words, the Bible reveals it is possible to release a blessing by what you say.
When God created the first man and woman He "blessed them" and told them to be fruitful and multiply. After the flood, God blessed Noah and His sons. The central element of God's covenant with Abraham was “I will bless you...and you will be a blessing" in Genesis 12: 23. The Old Testament patriarchs understood the power of the blessing, for they customarily extended it to their children before they died. A good example of this is the extensive record of Jacob blessing his children in Genesis 49 which was subsequently fulfilled in minute detail.
We see this concept of the blessing permeating the New Testament record. During His first sermon, Jesus pronounced a blessing. He said in Matthew 5:3-11:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit...blessed are those who mourn...blessed are the meek ...blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...blessed are the merciful... blessed are the pure in heart...blessed are the peacemakers...blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake..."
Jesus blessed the children who were brought to Him:
Matthew 19:13-15 "Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them..."
While hanging in agony on the cross, Jesus blessed His tormentors and the last thing He did before ascending back into heaven was to lift His hands and bless His disciples:
Luke 24:50 "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them."
From these Biblical examples it is evident that the blessing is released by the spoken word of authority. This means you can speak a blessing over your son, daughter, mate, and every negative circumstance of life. You have the authority through the Word of God not only to bind the work of the enemy in their lives, but to release God's blessing upon them. It is still up to them to receive it as free moral agents, but freedom is available to all who believe!
When you speak a blessing it can not be reversed. Remember the Old Testament account of Jacob, who through deception received the blessing intended for his brother, Esau? Their father, Israel, could do nothing to reverse the blessing after it was given, even though it was deceitfully attained:
Genesis 27:35 "But he said, 'Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing,’”
A blessing cannot be reversed, but a curse can. Immediately after his victory over the enemy, Jehoshaphat gathered God's people together to reverse the curse of the "bad report" brought by the "great multitude." God's people blessed the Lord and as they did, their blessing reversed every curse of the enemy. The valley where the enemy intended to slay them became "Berachah," the valley of blessing.
(3) Rejoicing.
2 Chronicles 20:27, 28 "Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the Lord."
The people assembled in the house of the Lord before going out to battle and returned there after their victory with tremendous joy, praise, and music. If we would venture out in faith to confront our enemies instead of hiding and cowering in fear, perhaps we, too, would assemble with more joy when we come to the house of the Lord.
(4) Resting.
2 Chronicles 20:29, 30 "And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around."
Israel's victory created in their neighbors a reverence for God. They recognized it is dangerous to fight those who have God with them and, as a result, Jehoshaphat had rest "all around." Enemy forces were still encamped just over the hill and across the streams, but they were not a threat to Jehoshaphat because God gave him rest.
You will be surrounded by enemy forces as long as you are in this world, but you do not have to be troubled by them. Never again will you wring your hands and lament, "I just don't know what to do!" You will be too busy in your valley--reaping the spoils from your enemy, reversing the curse by releasing the blessing, rejoicing over the victory, and resting in God.
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