This week we are in 1 Kings- kinda- because I'm going to go a bit off road with this one. So much of what we need to learn here is NOT here, but in 2 Chronicles 18 and following. So once again, here comes the thumbnail of our chapter.
We open with the righteous king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, making an alliance with the skunky king of Israel, Ahab- yes, that Ahab. Why are we making an alliance? Save that one for a little bit. But we're making an alliance, and in the midst of this Ahab slyly brings up the subject of a formerly Israelite town that Ben-Hadad of Syria had recently taken. His reason was to gull the other king into helping him fight Syria, as Jehoshaphat is a bit naive. So after buttering the bread, Ahab comes out and asks if Jehoshaphat will help take the town back. His response?
1Ki 22:4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
And AFTER he makes the deal, THEN he figures he'd better call upon the Lord to see what He thinks. The order with which this was done we'll call mistake #1. Of course, Ahab brings his wife Jezebel's 400 prophets, who tell the pair:
1Ki 22:6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king."
Note: They never say, "The Lord says," or which Lord (in deference to Jehoshaphat, who is slowly getting the idea they don't worship the same God), or which king was going to get 'it' delivered to them. Jehoshaphat smells something funny, and asks for a prophet of GOD. So they bring in a man named Micaiah, who's already went a round or two with Ahab; and after playing with Ahab a bit, he lets them know 3 things:
1- the armies are going to be scattered and wander along home;
2- the prophets have been caused to lie by God, so that God's earlier words to Ahab would be fulfilled, and not to his benefit;
3- and the proof that Micaiah had God's word would be whether Ahab made it home alive or not.
So, then Ahab dumped Micaiah in jail. Jehoshaphat, for whatever reason, decided to go along with Ahab rather than listen- and went back to Jerusalem alone after a stray arrow killed the disguised Ahab (another stupid thing Jehoshaphat let himself be talked into). The chapter then goes on to tell the good and holy things he did later, how he got screwed up in another alliance with Ahab's son Ahaziah, and what a skunk Ahaziah was. Now I could get a good lesson just from that, but there is a re-telling of the story in 2 Chronicles, which adds a lot of important detail- such as how the alliance with Ahab was sealed by marrying his son Jehoram to Ahab's daughter Athaliah, who became the most evil usurper in Judah's history- so far.
Now, I want to flesh this out by looking at the 4 prophets who would speak to Jehoshaphat- and why they did. The first one is, of course, Micaiah. He gave a warning to the naive king he failed to heed, and he paid for it, almost with his life. You see, Ahab had conned him into going into battle in full regalia, while Ahab went incognito. But God had instructed Ben-Hadad to tell his men, "Go after no one small or great save for the king of Israel." In 1 Kings, it said Jehoshaphat cried out when he started being chased, and then the warriors dropped off the chase... 2 Chronicles tells us why:
2Ch 18:31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "It is the king of Israel." So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him.
Which might make you ask, why would God bother to help someone who didn't listen? That's where the second prophet came in...
2Ch 19:1 Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem.
2Ch 19:2 But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.
2Ch 19:3 Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asherahs out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God."
He had set his heart to seek God, but had made one mistake. God therefore gave him a chance to atone for it, and he didn't waste the opportunity. He did as much as he could to purify his people (though the writer mentions that a lot of it didn't take with them) and God prospered him.
Which means, He had to test him.
He got news that a coalition of Moab, Ammon, and Edom- all at the time vassals of Judah- were joining together to attack. But Jehoshaphat learned- he brought the people to God first thing. He admitted they had no chance without His hand, and because of this, the third prophet comes along.
2Ch 20:14 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
2Ch 20:15 And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.
And Jahaziel goes on to give Jehoshaphat God's step by step plan for victory, which basically boiled down to, "Put on your armor, stand, and watch." And as they did, the coalition turned on each other and destroyed themselves.
So, thus far we have had him do his own thing and ask God to bless it- didn't work; get scolded for failing, but encouraged in what he did right in obedience- became prosperous; and come up against an insurmountable problem, gave it to God first- and God took care of it. All three of these are good lessons for us- but we still have one prophet to go, and what lesson do we need to keep in mind with these?
Well, Jehoshaphat decided to put together a trade fleet as Solomon had, and his dear daughter-in-law took that info to her brother, fellow skunk Ahaziah, king of Israel. Ahaziah managed to do like dear ol' dad, and con Jehoshaphat into letting him into the deal. You'd think Jehoshaphat would know better, and so did God. Thus, we hear from Prophet #4-
2Ch 20:37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made." And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.
Later, he began rebuilding, and this time He told the opportunistic Ahaziah to get lost. So he was, on balance, a good example- except to his son. By allowing the marriage to the evil Athaliah, he set up Jehoram for the hard fall. The churches are full of parents hoping a good child will convert a sinful mate, and the Bible is full of people of promise being brought down by evil mates instead. And, as Jesus said, "And great was its fall..."
2Ch 21:18 And after all this the LORD struck him (Jehoram) in his bowels with an incurable disease.
2Ch 21:19 In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers.
2Ch 21:20 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one's regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Let me end things with one more example of God's sense of humor. Among the four hundred prophets was one man in particular:
1Ki 22:11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.'"
Zedekiah would go on to insult Micaiah, but would be found "hiding in an inner room", later. The joke being, daddy's name: Chenaanah translates out to 'humiliated'. Like father, like son.
Interesting indeed
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