• Isaiah 56:7. “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matt. 21:13). The word used for “prayer” in this verse is the Hebrew tephillah, which means “psalm” or “prayer set to music.” It is another word for what we commonly call “worship.”

• Psalm 8:2. “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise” (Matt. 21:16). The children in the Temple who were crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” obviously a worship action, triggered this quote from Jesus. But in Psalm 8:2, not Matthew 21:16, we find the specific purpose of this “perfected praise.” It was, interestingly enough, to “silence the enemy and the avenger.” Warfare worship will do this. It will prevent Satan and his forces in the demonic world from accomplishing their evil purposes!

This early group of believers doing warfare worship in the Temple were, of course, what we would regard as biblical believers. However, it is important to keep in mind that their only Bible at the time was the Old Testament. It is safe to assume, therefore, that they were being guided in warfare worship by Old Testament teachings. I suppose that they would have been familiar with the following passages:

• Psalm 22:3. “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” God inhabits or dwells personally in the praises of His people. The word used for “praises” is again the Hebrew tephillah, which we understand as “worship.” This tells us that during worship, the immediate presence of God is expected to be stronger than when we do not worship. The early believers would have known this.

• Psalm 149:5–9. “Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment” (Ps. 149:5–9, emphasis added). The italicized words are an Old Testament phrase that is the equivalent to the “binding the strongman” phrase in the New Testament (see Matt. 12:29). This would have given the early believers courage to know that their warfare worship in the Temple could actually neutralize the power of the enemy.

• 2 Chronicles 20:3–24. The believers in the Temple had undoubtedly heard the story of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, when he came up against the powerful armies of Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir. Jehoshaphat was frightened (see v. 3). He thought he did not have enough power to withstand his enemies, and he had no idea what to do (see v. 12). But then the prophet spoke and said to Jehoshaphat, “The battle is not yours, but God’s” (v. 15). Consequently, the king decided that his best strategy would be to engage in warfare worship: “He appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness” (v. 21). The next thing the king knew, his enemies had all killed each other, “and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped” (v. 24). Jehoshaphat discovered that warfare worship really works!

• 2 Kings 3:7–15. The kings of Israel, Judah and Edom were in trouble. They set out to fight the king of Moab, but all their armies with all their animals became stranded in the desert without water. They asked Elisha the prophet to help them. What did Elisha do? He commanded warfare worship by saying, “Bring me a musician.” The result? “When the musician played … the hand of the Lord came upon him” (v. 15). God sent water supernaturally, and the king of Moab was defeated. The armies that won the battle won because of warfare worship!