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Dangerous Praise

 Joshua 6:5 – “It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

Dangerous praise is a faith-filled declaration of praise in advance of the breakthrough. It is a praise in the face of opposition. Psalms 34:17 says, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.”


It is a praise that does not meet up with our circumstances. Dangerous praise looks the bad report in the eye and refuses to give in to discouragement or despair.  It is a praise that refuses to be defeated. Job 13:15 says, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.”


In Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego made the following faith declaration to Nebuchadnezzar before he put them into the fiery furnace: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”


In Chronicles 20:1-2, King Jehoshaphat was faced with a crisis. A powerful enemy was coming against his kingdom. II Chronicles 20:1-2 says,

 “It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).” 


II Chronicles 20:3 records his response. “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” In verses 14-17 the Lord gives the following instructions:  “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”


Jehoshaphat put the praisers in front of the army. They went to battle singing and saying, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” A dangerous praise will confuse the enemy. II Chronicles 20:22 says, “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.”


What do we do when we are outnumbered and overwhelmed by the enemy? We give praise to God. Psalms 145:1-3 says, “I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.  Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.”


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