Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king and strengthened himself against Israel. He stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.
In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah. With them were certain Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah—and the priests Elishama and Jehoram. They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.
The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat. Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.
Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah and had large supplies in the towns of Judah. He also kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem. Their enrollment by families was as follows:
From Judah, commanders of units of 1,000:
Adnah the commander, with 300,000 fighting men;
next, Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000;
next, Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered himself for the service of the Lord, with 200,000.
From Benjamin:
Eliada, a valiant soldier, with 200,000 men armed with bows and shields;
next, Jehozabad, with 180,000 men armed for battle.
These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.

• 2 Chronicles 17:1-19

For a link to 2 Chronicles 18, click HERE.

When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is on you. There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God.”
Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”
In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord. In every case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations—you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.
“Amariah the chief priest will be over you in any matter concerning the Lord, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be over you in any matter concerning the king, and the Levites will serve as officials before you. Act with courage, and may the Lord be with those who do well.”

• 2 Chronicles 19:1-11

For a link to 2 Chronicles 20, click HERE.

For a link to 2 Chronicles 21, click HERE.

 Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

2 Chronicles 17:3-9 ‘Jehoshaphat’s strategies’: “Jehoshaphat made three strategic moves, spiritually speaking: (1) he obeyed the Lord (vv. 3-6); (2) he removed false worship from the land (v. 6); and (3) he sent out teachers who taught the people the law of the Lord (vv. 7-9).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 17:16 ‘faithful Amasiah’: “It was a great thing for King Jehoshaphat to have such a pious lord-lieutenant, one who could command an army and, at the same time, obey the commands of God. Christian people ought greatly to value Christian servants, especially if such persons are employed in positions of trust. If we can have godly people to occupy our offices and transact our business, we should be grateful and do our best to encourage and cheer them. I wonder how this man, Amasiah, the son of Zichri, came to be a servant of God? We have no history of his experience. Amasiah is a man of whom we do not know anything beyond this—he willingly offered himself to the Lord. He must have reached a turning point in his career—a time when first he knew the grace of God that worked such a change in him. He must have experienced a waking up to the feeling that God deserved his love and his life. He must have come to a time of making alive to spiritual consecration. We are told nothing about that; therefore, we must leave it under the veil that Scripture draws over his history. I do like, sometimes, to see those come to him who have some life in them, some talent about them, and who can, by consecrating themselves to the Lord, do for his cause and kingdom, by his grace, a real service in days to come. There is hard fighting to be done, and my Lord calls for people who will not be afraid to do it. Let all the heroism of manhood impel us to this blessed service. We are not asked to serve the Lord because he promises us ease and pleasure; we are, rather, called to ‘share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus’ (2 Tm 2:3). Amasiah is distinguished from the other mighty men of King Jehoshaphat by the fact that he made it his lifework to serve the Lord, and he did it willingly. There is much truth in the old proverb that ‘one volunteer is worth twenty conscripts.’ Service willingly rendered has a fragrance and a bloom about it that make it most delightful and acceptable. Amasiah needed no conscripting, no hunting out, no looking after, no leader.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Chronicles 18:5 ‘Evil kings’: “Evil kings had false prophets who told them what they wanted to hear (cf. Is. 30:10, 11; Jer. 14:13-16; 23:16, 21, 30-36). The true prophet spoke God’s Word and was arrested (v. 26).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 18:12-27 ‘Michiah predicts Ahab’s Defeat’: “Contemplating an alliance of war, kings Ahab and Jehoshaphat consult Israel’s prophetic guild for divine direction. After receiving a suspiciously positive report from Ahab’s local prophets, Jehoshaphat requests one more opinion, that of the prophet Micaiah. At first Micaiah gives the two kings a similarly positive answer, but when the prophet is pressed for a truthful answer that found its source in divine revelation, Micaiah conveys a negative report of forthcoming military failure that would result in Ahab’s death.
“A notable and peculiar inclusion in the narrative is Micaiah’s vision of an executive brainstorming session within the heavenly court, in which the Lord solicits plans from spiritual beings to entice Ahab to charge to his doom. A volunteer comes forward to serve as a ‘lying spirit’ to deceive Ahab’s prophetic advisors (1 Kings 22:19-23; 2 Chronicles 18:18-22).
“Disregarding the true word of the Lord, Ahab goes out to war and is killed in battle (1 Kings 22:34-38; 2 Chronicles 18:33-34). This account, like so many in the annals of the Kings, reminds us of the importance of our obedience to Gods Word.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

2 Chronicles 19:2 ‘Hanani’: “This same prophet had earlier given Jehoshaphat’s father, Asa, a similar warning (16:7—9).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 19:4-11 ‘spiritual order’: “Jehoshaphat put God’s kingdom in greater spiritual order than at any time since Solomon. To insure this order, he set ‘judges’ (v. 5) in place and gave them principles to rule by: (1) accountability to God (v. 6); (2) integrity and honesty (v. 7); (3) loyalty to God (v. 9); (4) concern for righteousness (v. 10); and (5) courage (v. 11). All are essentials of spiritual leadership.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 20:3-4 ‘Looking to the Lord’: “A general fast was proclaimed; and the preparation to meet the hosts of Moab, Ammon, and Edom was prayer. No doubt if the Ammonites had heard of it, they would have laughed. Edom would have scoffed at it, and Moab would have cursed those that made supplication. ‘What? Do they suppose their prayers can defeat us?’ would have been the sneer of their adversaries. Yet this was Israel’s artillery; this was their eighty-one ton gun. When it was ready, it would throw one bolt, and only one—and that would crush three nations at once. God’s people resorted only to the invisible arm—the arm Omnipotent—and they did well and wisely. How did they ask for help? First, they expressed their confidence in the Lord. Then they pleaded his past acts. Next they pleaded the promise of God. Then they confessed their own unhappy condition. One of the most prevailing arguments to be used in prayer with God is a truthful statement of our condition, a confession of our sad estate. Perhaps we think that is not praying. But it is the most powerful form of prayer, just to set our case before God, just to lay bare all our sorrow and all our needs and then say, ‘Lord, there it is.’ What did they do after asking for help, after pleading the promise and confessing their condition? They expressed their confidence in God. They said, ‘We look to you’ (20:12). What did they mean by that? They meant, ‘Lord, if help does come, it must come from you. We are looking to you for it. It cannot come from anywhere else, so we look to you. But we believe it will come. We feel sure it will come, but we do not know how, so we are looking. We do not know when, but we are looking. We do not know what you would have us do, but as the servant looks to her mistress, so are we looking to you, Lord.’”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Chronicles 20:12 ‘Looking at Jesus’: “Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues. It is by its very nature scarcely conscious of its own existence. Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all. While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves—blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

2 Chronicles 20:15-17, 20-25 ‘Jahaziel Prophesies Judah’s Victory’: “Jahaziel the Levite prophesies to Judah, Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat the encouraging news that the Lord would provide them victory without any actual military conflict. They were merely to march down to the enemy position in the wilderness of Tekoa—the Lord would do the rest! This was literally fulfilled the following day as the Ammonites and Moabites destroyed one another (20:20-25).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

2 Chronicles 20:20 ‘Courage comes from within’: “A legend from India tells about a mouse who was terrified of cats until a magician agreed to transform him into a cat. That resolved his fear … until he met a dog, so the magician changed him into a dog. The mouse-turned-cat-turned-dog was content until he met a tiger—so, once again, the magician changed him into what he feared. But when the tiger came complaining that he had met a hunter, the magician refused to help. ‘l will make you into a mouse again, for though you have the body of a tiger, you still have the heart of a mouse.’
“Sound familiar? How many people do you know who have built a formidable exterior, only to tremble inside with fear? … We face our fears with force … or … we stockpile wealth. We seek security in things. We cultivate fame and seek status.
“But do these approaches work?
“Courage is an outgrowth of who we are. Exterior supports may temporarily sustain, but only inward character creates courage.“

• Max Lucado, The Applause of Heaven

2 Chronicles 20:21 ‘the beauty of holiness’: “The Lord is beautiful in holiness (cf. Ex. 15:11; Ps. 27:4), but the text here would better be translated ‘in holy attire,’ which was referring to the manner in which the Levite singers were clothed in symbolic, sacred clothing (cf. 1 Chr. 16:29) in honor of the Lord’s holiness.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 20:37 ‘Eliezer Prophesies Jehoshaphat’s Failure’: “Due to king Jehoshaphat’s alliance with Israel’s king Ahaziah, Eliezer prophesies that Jehoshaphat’s shipbuilding endeavor would come to naught. This was immediately fulfilled, as ‘the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish’ (20:37).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

2 Chronicles 21:4, 11 ‘Jehoram, the next evil king’:”The next evil king, Jehoram, makes his appearance in 2 Chronicles 21:4.
“Whereas Rehoboam had refused good advice and turned a deaf ear to the law, Jehoram turns to murder as his unrestrained jealousy undermines the kingdom. He kills all his brothers to prevent them from threatening his reign and leads the nation into even deeper moral and spiritual corruption.
“The Hebrew people once worshiped Jehovah on the high places, when there was no temple. But after the temple of Solomon was built and the Lord put His name there, He commanded the people to worship Him and offer sacrifices in the temple—not on the high places. From then on, only the idolatrous religions offered sacrifices on the hilltops. Jehoram directed the building of altars on the high places—and those altars were used to worship the idols of false gods.
“As the worship of Jehovah deteriorated society weakened and crumbled. The nation’s military and economic might began to disintegrate—and the nation was soon invaded by foreign powers. During King Jehoram’s reign, the Philistines, the nation that symbolized the desires of the flesh, invaded the kingdom.”

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

2 Chronicles 21:12-20 ‘Elijah Prophesies Judgment’: “Following Jehoshaphat’s death, his son, the ultraviolent and morally bankrupt Jehoram, begins his reign over Judah (21:1-11). When Jehoram’s multiple sins against the Lord and the nation finally reach the tipping point of divine wrath, Elijah the prophet sends a letter of denunciation to the king, prophesying calamity against both Jehoram and his entire family.
“Interestingly, the Lord’s judgment was directed specifically toward Jehoram and his family, and not the Davidic line as a whole, for according to 2 Chronicles 21:7, God had an unconditional commitment to the nation and the Davidic line as previously expressed within the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16; 1 Chronicles 17:10-14).
“Elijah’s prophecy against Jehoram was fulfilled when Judah’s enemies invaded the land, pillaged the king’s possessions, and took captive his wives and all but one son. Jehoram then succumbed to a terminal intestinal disease that proved both painful and, within two years, fatal (21:16-19). Jehoram was buried with ceremonial minimalism, having ‘departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings’ (21:20).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

2 Chronicles 21:20 ‘eighty years’: “These were the years of Jehoram’s exclusive reign, not including his co-regency with his father.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

My Thoughts

Jehoshaphat followed the God of king David.  He made an attempt to remove the high places (2 Chronicles 20 states not a complete removal).  He tore down the Asherah poles.  And he developed a team of people that went throughout Judah to teach them the law of Moses and how to worship God.  The people accepted this teaching gladly.

And there was peace in Judah.  Judah’s neighbors had a fear of the Lord, and with Jehoshaphat worshipping God properly, they avoided any conflict.  Some neighbors, like the Philistines, gave Jehoshaphat gifts of goodwill.

But then as 2 Chronicles 18 begins, Jehoshaphat is promising support to Ahab of the northern kingdom.  King Ahab, who God has cursed and wants to expunge from the planet, wants to retake Ramoth-Gilead.  Ramoth-Gilead was part of Saul’s kingdom.  King David strengthened the kingdom.  But since Ramoth-Gilead, on the east side of the Jordan, was in the northern part of the Land of Gilead.  Aram, basically the kingdom that has Damascus as its capitol, was in control of that region, mostly as God’s punishment for the evil reign of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel.

Oddly, Ahab agrees to consult the prophets before attacking.  His 400 prophets of Baal say that they will take this territory, destroying Ramoth-Gilead and the Arameans.  But Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of the God of all Israel.  Ahab said that there was Micaiah, but he never said anything that Ahab wanted to hear.  Micaiah was called in and he agreed that the Arameans would be destroyed, but the two kings could tell he was holding something back.  King Ahab expected a negative prophecy.  Then Micaiah reports that the people of Israel will be asking who their leader is?  Ahab had Micaiah thrown in prison until his victorious return.

But to fool the Arameans, they had Jehoshaphat wear his kingly robes while Ahab went in disguise.  The Arameans attacked Jehoshaphat, but God protected him.  But when the Arameans got close enough to discover it was Jehoshaphat, their fear of the Lord caused them to seek another commander.  Yet, even then, it was a random arrow from an archer that struck King Ahab.  He continued to fight until sundown when he died.  The Arameans were defeated, but King Ahab was dead, just as Micaiah had prophesied.

The wrath of God burned against Jehoshaphat.  Jehoshaphat had peace, but he allied himself with an enemy of God who worshipped false idols and did abominable things.  While things went back to normal, and Jehoshaphat continued to work toward proper worship of God, Jehoshaphat’s borders were not as safe as before.

One of Jehoshaphat’s improvements was to appoint judges.  These judges were taught to not show partiality when making a judgment and to not accept bribes, doing all in fear of the Lord.

But then, Moab and Ammon combined forces to attack Judah.  Jehoshaphat mustered the army, but he called for a national fast.  His prayer is recorded in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12.  Jehoshaphat’s prayer acknowledged God as the only source of strength to overcome such an enemy.  Jehoshaphat speaks of prior victories, and he lays the battle at the feet of God.  In acknowledging God in this manner, God states that the victory will not be at the hands of Jehoshaphat’s army at all.  Judah’s army got ready for the battle the next day, but the army from Mount Seir attacked Moab and Ammon rather than allying with them.  When Jehoshaphat arrived at the battleground, the armies had killed one another.  All that was left was to take the spoils of war home with them, and there was great plunder to be had.

Even then, Jehoshaphat did not learn from his mistake of allying with Ahab.  He makes a business agreement with Ahaziah, Ahab’s son.  They were to build ships together.  A prophet comes to Jehoshaphat to let him know that this again was a great blunder.  The ships would never set sail.  Indeed the ships were destroyed and never left port.

Jehoshaphat died and was buried with great honor in the tomb of the kings.  Jehoram, his son became king.  Jehoram was the oldest.

Jehoram was an evil king.  He reestablished the high places for false god worship.  He married king Ahab’s daughter.  It does not state her influence here, but she had as much or more influence than did Jezebel in the northern kingdom, influence for detestable worship.  Jehoram killed all his brothers to strengthen his hold on the kingdom.  God did not destroy Jehoram.  His covenant with David was still intact even though there was a curse on the descendants of King Ahab.  The Edomites rebelled, as did Libnah.  They took away all Jehoram’s children except for the youngest, Ahaziah.  Elijah, late in his work as prophet of God, working in the northern kingdom, sent Jehoram a letter of condemnation.  He would have trouble in his kingdom, and he personally would develop an intestinal disease.  His intestines would spill out and he would die an agonizing death.  This happened and Ahaziah became king.  Jehoram was not buried in the tomb of the kings.  No one missed him.

Jehoshaphat was a good king.  He worshipped God.  He destroyed much of the ground used to worship false gods.  He instructed the people about proper worship.  But like many times before and after, it only took one generation to forget God.  And Jehoshaphat, late in his reign had lapses where he did not consult God first.  He seemed to have the idea of helping his fellow Israelites, maybe to reunify the nation to its former glory, but he reigned when Ahab was the king and then his son Ahaziah, cursed for the evil they had done.  Jehoshaphat should have known of the curse.

And do not be confused here.  The son of Jehoshaphat who became king was Jehoram and his son who followed him was Ahaziah (aka Azariah).  When Ahab was killed, king of the northern territory, his son Ahaziah became king, but Ahaziah died before Jehoshaphat died, where another son of Ahab, Jehoram became king.  This Jehoram was killed by Jehu in God’s judgment of the line of Ahab.  The statement was that what Ben-Hadad did not kill, Jehu would kill, and anything left, Elisha would kill.  Note that a few generations of kings of Judah are skipped in the Matthew Genealogy of Jesus to note the curse of the line of Ahab through the third and fourth generations.  The commonality of the names came from Jezebel in Israel and her daughter Athaliah, the wife of Jehoram in Judah.  Athaliah would later become the ruler of Judah.  Thus, there might be confusion about which Jehoram you are talking about or which Ahaziah you are talking about.  About like today, with only some names being fitting for kings with a Roman numeral attached, but all families have a family name that is carried from one generation to the next, it seems.

Jehoram horrible practice of killing his brothers is typical of pagan kings of his time.  Even as late as the Ottoman Empire, the new ruler killed all rivals to the throne to solidify the kingdom.  This practice is famously carried out by Athaliah, Jehoram’s widow, then it is her children and grandchildren that are killed by her.  Even then, God preserved the Davidic line.  But that will come in the next chapter study.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

2 Chronicles 17: 1. Jehosophat had wealth, respect, peace and prosperity. ls it true today that people who are close to God are successful and prosperous, while people who worship false gods pay tribute to the first group? How does the chronicler’s lesson apply in your world?
“2. If you were to create an itinerant teaching team for churches, what subjects would you have them focus on? What would you like such a team to do for your church? For your group?
2 Chronicles 18:1-27 Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab 1. Truth or Consequences: How difficult is it to tell the truth no matter what? To family? At work? To members of this group? To God?
”2. In what situations might lying be wise and/or necessary, if any?
2 Chronicles 18:1-19:3 Ahab killed at Ramoth Gilead 1. Do you generally feel embarrassed to ‘cry out’ for help? Ever have a narrow escape and learned about God from it? How so?
2 Chronicles 19:4-11 Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges 1. What would you say is your guiding principle in the decisions that you make day in and day out?
“2. If you knew that God was with you whenever you made a decision how would that affect your decisions?
2 Chronicles 20:1-30 Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon 1. Compare the ‘serendipity’ (happy surprise) in this chapter with experiences of your own. Can you share a ‘battle’ God has won for you?
“2. In the midst of a problem, where is your focus? On the problem? On the Lord? On yourself? What are some good ways to fix your eyes on the Lord? What kind of music and/or body language might help?
“3. How does the defeat of Moab and Ammon warn you about: Alliances with unbelievers? The common idea that the bigger guys always win?
2 Chronicles 20:31-21:3 The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign 1. If tonight you were to die, what legacy would you leave behind? What goals unfinished or not begun?
2 Chronicles 21:4-20 Jehoram King of Judah 1. ln terms of forgiveness and getting right with God, how late is too late?
“2. Have you ever received a letter as authoritative as Elijah’s to Jehoram? A letter as ominous? What would your first response have been?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for 2 Chronicles 17.  There are six sets of questions for 2 Chronicles 19-21 as indicated above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.