2 Chronicles 17-18: Jehoshaphat's Reign (Part 1)

"His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore,

he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah."

I don't know about you, but I've really enjoyed our examination of the great Kings of Israel, both in the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms. Many times these stories seem quite distant to us, yet as the Holy Spirit helps us interpret God's Word, we find this to be far, far from the truth. This morning we turn our attention to the first part of Jehoshaphat's reign and find how we can be courageous in the ways of the LORD.

Jehoshaphat. Try saying that ten times fast. Nevertheless, he is the subject of our discussion this morning. He was one of the righteous kings of the Judah, the southern kingdom, who followed the ways of the Lord. In the Kings account, we are simply told that he was a righteous king who followed the Lord (1 Kings 22), yet in the Chronicles account, we get much, much more, including what we look at today.

One of the first things we find about Jehoshaphat is that he was blessed by the Lord. Because of his obedience in the ways of God, God blessed his servant, establishing his reign and giving him military power. Here, we find an obvious application: the Lord blesses the life of obedience. Although we as obedient Christians will face trials (as Jehoshaphat did, which we will look at!), the Lord promises to bless the life of one obedient to him. Although we are not always sure how much of this blessing will be in this life and how much is in the life to come, we can all be assured that God will not forsake those who are obedient to him and his Word.

Another thing we find about Jehoshaphat is that "his heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord" (17:6, quoted above). This phrase really stood out to me today. How man times am I fearful rather than courageous to do the things that I know the Lord has commanded me? Furthermore, how many times am I courageous not in the Lord's ways but in my own power? Yet, Jehoshaphat didn't fail at either of these. He was both courageous and courageous in the right things--that is, following God's commands upon his life. Personally, I think courage is a religious idea that we often forget to talk about. We speak much of the sins of worry and anxiety, yet forget their righteous counterpart of courage. We expect that the solution to overcoming our anxiety is the mere absence of it, yet we must realize that in order to overcome worry we must replace it with courage! Jehoshaphat had this down pat, so much that his heart was full of courage when it came to obeying what God had commanded.

Yet before we end our brief look at Jehoshaphat, we must turn our attention to the story told in 2 Chronicles 18. The story is told in Kings as well, yet here in Chronicles, we find it amidst the context of Jehoshaphat's reign rather than Ahab's. In this story, we find the king of the northern kingdom (Ahab) and the king of the southern kingdom (Jehoshaphat) coming together to fight a common enemy. Yet before they go out to battle, Jehoshaphat suggests that Ahab inquire wisdom from the Lord's prophets. Ahab listens, and grabs 400 prophets who recommend he go into battle, yet, these prophets were false prophets. Thus, Jehoshaphat asks if he has a better prophet to inquire. Ahab at first refuses but then agrees to let Micaiah prophesy about the battle. Micaiah prophesies that Ahab will be defeated and perish in the battle, yet Ahab doesn't listen. Thus, he goes into the battle with Jehoshaphat, though he hides himself in common soldier's clothes first. In the end, he ends up dying by a "random" arrow shot by the enemy. Yet, Jehoshaphat calls out to the Lord amidst the battle, and God delivers him.

From this story (which you should go and read for yourself in 2 Chronicles 18), we learn two great lessons from Jehoshaphat. First, the importance of diligently seeking God's will. Second, the importance of calling to the Lord in our times of distress. In this story, we find Jehoshaphat both inquiring diligently to what God would want and praying to him in times of distress. Both of these things go right along with the Chronicler's comment on how he was "courageous in the ways of the LORD." Rather than fearing the prophet's message, Jehoshaphat diligently sought to know what the Lord willed amidst a difficult decision. Furthermore, rather than clinging to his own power, Jehoshaphat reached out to the Lord when surrounded by the enemy.

In the end, let us consider, are we following Jehoshaphat's example? Are we men and woman of courage, who are always seeking diligently the will of the Lord (which we do by reading, studying, and meditating upon the scriptures, that is, every day) and dearly turning to God amidst our distresses? Children of God, let us live our lives by doing so! For are these not the very example Jesus left us as well, doing the will of the Father and calling out to him in the Garden? Brother and sister, let our hearts be courageous in the ways of the LORD.