Jehoshaphat: His life
So Jehoshaphat was king over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem … And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:31-32).
So, we come to the end of the reign of Jehoshaphat. After the remarkable events outlined in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, the Spirit of God makes some important final comments about his twenty-five year reign. It is important to pause and reflect upon our lives, the steps we have taken and the lessons we have learned. It was a reign that started so well, as Jehoshaphat walked in the way of his father, in contrast to the idolatrous path of Israel under Ahab, king of Israel, and later his son, Ahaziah. Jehoshaphat was a king like David. He was a shepherd who took responsibility for spiritually guiding and feeding his nation, based on the word of God. He placed God’s word at the centre of the lives of his people, (2 Chronicles 17:9) and lived ?^by it himself. Too often, we can complicate what God has made simple. Jehoshaphat teaches us about the blessing that comes from living in simple faith before God.
He also teaches us about the joy of living for God. He stands out as a man who loved to do God’s will. The will of God was not irksome or arduous to Jehoshaphat: “His heart took delight in the ways of the Lord” (17:6). He discovered that the pathway of obedience to God brought peace to him and his nation: “And the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat” (17:10). It was also a powerful pathway: “So Jehoshaphat became increasingly powerful, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah” (17:12).
But Jehoshaphat also teaches us that spiritual dangers are never far away. Abraham, the friend of God, made the mistake of going down to Egypt, and Jehoshaphat made a dreadful mistake in allying himself to Ahab. It was a bitter lesson. God warns us through this remarkable king that the godliest of people can make the most serious and damaging errors of judgement. We can be vulnerable when we are in crisis and we can be equally vulnerable when we are blessed. Paul writes, “Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:12-13). The secret is to stay close to the Saviour, draw on His strength, and constantly watch and pray to ensure we walk in His wisdom.
God restored Jehoshaphat, who immediately continued in the pathway of faith and delight in God. We saw how, through faith, he overcame overwhelming odds by placing the dangers he and his people faced into the hands of God. Through humility, dependence and worship, he discovered the power and blessing of God. Woven into the history of Jehoshaphat’s reign, like the colours in the Tabernacle, are God’s great goodness, powerful protection, constant faithfulness, restoring grace, wonderful salvation and manifold blessings.
Yet despite Jehoshaphat’s faithfulness, the people never fully got rid of idolatry (20:33). Sadly, Jehoshaphat repeated his mistake with Ahab in a joint venture with Ahab’s son, Ahaziah, which ended in disaster (vv. 35-37). God rejoices in our faith, but confronts us with our failures with a heart that would always restore and bless us by turning our hearts to Christ. Jehoshaphat was a great king who had a glorious reign, but there were serious failures. He helps us to look forward to the day when our Saviour, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reign in righteousness and
… the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).
