Jehoshaphat's Goodly Administration

I've been saying for a long time now that Man is incapable of self government (and some day God will take over that role for the whole earth), but there are some good things that can be accomplished when a single very powerful and Godly man tries his best -- such is the government of Jehoshaphat.

Beware the Lying Spirit

It seems this story has been told a millions times and yet the truth it imparts remains potent. What strikes me as I read it again today is how watered down the religion had become in Israel. I get the sense that Ahab is courting Jehoshaphat to gain his alliance againt Syria and feels compelled to passify him with some kind of pretense of inquiring after the will of God. It's all just smoke and mirrors.

Jehoshaphat Honors God's Word

Jehoshaphat seems to go even further than his father Asa. Isn't it amazing that after the big house cleaning Asa did that there remained still MORE high places to be removed in Judah by Jehoshaphat.

Also, with Jehoshaphat we see the teaching of the word of God . . .

Verse 9 -- "And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people."

This is always a good thing.

Asa's Waning Fervor

Judah's first good king, who had removed the graven images, high places, and grove declines in his fervor and his faith in God thins over time. By all accounts he is still a good man, but he fails to trust God for everything in his live. He puts more trust in the king of Syria for military victory and in the physicians for his health. This is an important lesson for us to learn. God wants us to trust him at all times -- right down to the very end.

What Made Asa Good

We already know about the evil tendencies of Asa'a grand father, Rehoboam. Also it appears that Asa's father, Abijah was equally bad. Why else would there be so many altars to strange gods and high places, images, and groves. These things all speak of a kingdom steeped in idolatry and a a king who must of condonded it. So for Asa to be so markedly good by contrast it is puzzling.

In this chapter we discovery that his mother was also an idolterer.

The First Good King

During the period of the divided kingdom of Israel there are only a handful of truly good kings (6 really . . . go back and see if you can name them). All of the good kings are from Judah of course (the Kings of Isreal were all really bad). The first genuinely good king of Judah is Asa and we get to know him chapter 14 of 2 Chronicles. Many of Judah's kings were martinally good, but when a truly good king comes along after him we see the extent of the house cleaning that is done by the good king and it becomes more clear that the mantinally good king before him was really mostly bad.

Such is the case with Asa. Look at what he does . . .

Verses 3-5 -- "... he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him."

He cleans up the mess started by his father and grand father. We know that Rehoboam did evil before God. Clearly, his father Abijah was not a good man either. Think back to chapter 13 where Abijah brags to Jeroboam and Israel about how they (the kingdom of Judah) were following God's law and how they had God on their sides. What I find myself thinking of most as I read this chapter about this good king Asa is what a weak smoke and mirrors act his father was. Look at the evil junk he left in his wake for Asa to clean up.

What a Brutal Civil War

I couldn't help myself. I took a look at some interesting data on the Internet which give the death tolls of the famous battles and wars over the course of human history. Amazingly, this civil war between Israel and Judah ranks right up there with some of the highest in terms of death and carnage. I'm not just talking about the history of wars from a period in time or region in the world. I'm talking about ALL warfare of ALL time in ALL of recorded history. This ongoing war between Israel and Judah was absolutely brutal by comparison to other world conflicts and rates right up there with some of the worst ever!

Case in point is this battle recorded in this chapter 13 of 2 Chronicles. On this day half a million men are killed.

Verse 17 -- "And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men."

When I first read this I had to read in over again a few times. Are you kidding me?! Half a million men killed! It's almost impossible to take in with just the reading of one verse of scripture. We get no other details (but just use your imagination -- this was atrocious!).

Remember the war between Israel and Judah continued for generations! This battle was just one of many. I don't think we realize just how horrific this period was and how sad it was that this great kingdom of Israel split into two factions and spent most of it's existence destroying it's own people. It makes you wonder what was the total price paid in deaths over the whole split kingdom era. This would be an interesting study all to itself -- the death tolls of this entire period. The grand total must have been staggering and most likely far exceeds the deaths inflicted upon Israel by other nations. What a judgement God rendered upon his people!

Rehoboam Was a Disaster Waiting to Happen

Chapter 12 of II Chronicles can be viewed as a sort of mini commentary on the life of Rehoboam. What stays with me after reading this account again today is the obvious fact that this man was doomed to fail from the start. First notice his mother was not an Israelite. She was an Ammonitess (verse 13). These people did not practise the laws of God and, with literally hundreds of children, do you suppose Solomon took special time with each of them? Of course he didn't! How could he!? These children would have been heavily influenced by their mothers. So the first little red flag we see is Solomon gives the kingdom to the son of one of his heathen wifes.

Also remember how Rehoboam consulted with the younger men of Israel and disregarded the wise council of the old men (after he had first become king). When you first read this account you get the sense that this is a very young, very green kid taking over the trone of his famous father. But, in this chapter we get some helpful information.

Verse 13 -- "Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem..."

This was not a young kid -- he was a full adult with many years of life experience. He clearly had leanings toward the culture around him and was not at all grounded in his responsibility as the king of God's people. Ah ha. The curtain opens a bit more! Of course what is most telling is his ultimate end where he eventually does evil even after being warned by Shemaiah the prophet who told him that God was punishing him and all of Judah because they had forsaken Him. They repent for a brief time and for this God delivers them from total destruction by Egypt, yet Rehobaom goes right back down the road he was on (the road to spiritual ruin) and apparently dies outside of God's favor.

This life (of Rehoboam's) is another reminder of how standing still is very dangerous spiritually. I get the sense that Rehoboam was not exactly an evil man down to the core (certainly not to the degree of his arch nemesis Jeroboam), but he was not actively seeking to do good . . . and that's the real key. Just like God told Cain in Genesis Chapter 4("if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door" -- Gen 4:7) -- in other words just doing nothing is enough to become engulfed in sin. This is the problem with Rehoboam. He did nothing definitely good. He just existed and became to pawn of evil. It all comes jumping out to us in verse 14 . . .

Verse 14 -- "And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD."

Just let that sink in for a minute. Why did Rehoboam do evil? Because he was wicked at the core? No. Because he was plotting and scheming to turn Israel away from God? No. He didn't prepare his heart so he became infected with the disease that was already all around him -- sin. This is the nature of sin. It envelops anything in its path. You have to be ready for it 24/7 . . . always seeking God's guidance and strength. This is a powerful lesson for all of us!