2 Ch. 20: Jehoshaphat: Moab Buster

2 Chronicles 20:23 "The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another."

This is a new story in the life of Jehoshaphat. He gets a lot more ink here in 2 Chronicles than he did back in 1 Kings. There's quite a bit here in chapter 22 of interest. This is a story I hadn't read before this point. 

A vast army was marching toward Israel, and it was made up of the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites. And these were lands which Jehoshaphat knew were not defeated by Israel, because God didn't allow it at the time. A king that knew his history...pretty sweet. What's more amazing is that Jehoshaphat completely counted on God for this victory, citing that Israel received notice that all they had to do was cry out to God in their distress, and he would hear them. 

What's more distressing than a 3 nation army with you in their crosshairs and you knowing there's no possible way you can defeat them? Jehoshaphat, for the most part, lived in peace, and wasn't a great warrior. In his weakness, he called for the strength of God. And God delivered. He had them march out to the gorge in full battle regalia, and then see what the LORD was going to do. Of course the LORD ambushed them, and the army all turned on themselves, for whatever reason. Well, I know "God did it," but I wonder what their reason was...distrust? Someone badmouthed someone else's god? Who knows, but God seems to have used the simple things like that in order to make big things happen. 

Anyway, another thing about this is that God told Jehoshaphat and his army to go out to "face" this other army. Why would he do that if He was just going to slaughter the enemy to begin with? What must have gone through the minds of the army, of Jehoshaphat, as they prepared for battle? God said He would deliver us...I'll trust him...things like that maybe?

God was praised greatly in this chapter. He was praised before the battle, when the outcome was still unknown (even in God's promising), and He was praised after He had given the victory. Before and after a trial, we have this precedent of praising God for the promise He makes, and for the promise He keeps. Do I?

Then at the end, Jehoshaphat steps into territory he's not good at, such as dealmaking, and he makes some unsuccessful trading ships with Ahaziah...a bad dude. Jehoshaphat should have just kept at what he did best, trusting God.

2 Ch. 19: Judgin' Jehoshaphat!

2 Chronicles 19:7 "Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery."

Jehoshaphat was generally a decent guy. In fact, one of Israel's decentist. The things he did right were generally the opposite of what other kings did right. What I mean by that is that Jehoshaphat followed the LORD, and made his decisions based on what the LORD told him to do. Other kings focused solely on military things or dealmaking. That's what they got good at. Jehoshaphat was skilled at following the LORD, and facilitating the faith of others.

There was that time he got mixed up with Ahab, and went to fight with him at Ramoth Gilead despite Micaiah's warning not to. That was held against him. It was his support for Ahab that caused Jehu to admonish him when it came to placing judges in Israel.

So Jehoshaphat took very seriously the practice of putting in the right kind of people throughout the land, and gave them very stern orders. One order was to judge for the LORD, not for man. He says the LORD would be with them, which is encouraging, but also gives the idea that they represent what the LORD would say, were he there in flesh. Which is just a laughable idea, that a holy God would take on man's impudent flesh. They also had to warn the people not to sin against the LORD, and in their decisions, to keep that in mind.

So the LORD had these strict guidelines, and I'm sure that's what Jehoshaphat was most concerned with...that the judges would follow the laws of God. Not for the good of Jehoshaphat's legacy, but for the good of the nation in general.

2 Ch. 18: Project Ahab

2 Chronicles 18:19 "And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?'"

I talked about this story already back in September, but here is 1 Kings 22 again. I suppose what I want to focus on for this go-round is Micaiah's prophecy to Ahab. Which wouldn't have happened had Jehoshaphat not insisted that a prophet of the LORD speak regarding Ahab's impending attack on Ramoth Gilead.

Micaiah speaks of an interesting bit of conversation in heaven. It sounds like God wants Ahab attacking Ramoth Gilead. But not for victory. For death. For judgment. In order to accomplish this, God listens to various spirits suggest means for enticing Ahab to go to war. Very interesting. 

Ahab was intent on this attack. On imposing his will. And here, God's will and Ahab's will lined up. But it was the intended outcomes here that differed greatly. Ahab was going to do whatever he wanted.

One spirit told the LORD that he would lie to Ahab's prophets. Of course these prophets were going to be believed by Ahab, because he probably surrounded himself with like-minded and like-spirited individuals. Prophets not especially attuned to what the LORD would say. 

The LORD used Ahab's desires as judgment upon him. Genius.

2 Ch. 17: Teachin' Jehoshaphat!

2 Chronicles 17:9 "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."

Jehoshaphat's reign is briefly touched on in 1 Kings 22 (entry) where he offers ignored advice to Israel's King Ahab regarding fighting the Aramites. 

Here we see a man so interested in the ways of God he sends teachers to the towns throughout Judah. Priests and prophets go out in an attempt to pass on a passion for the ways of God. Can you imagine what those messages must have been like? Been about?

I wonder if they taught along the lines of like, "Look what happens when you don't follow the law. Look at Ahab. Look at what's going on with Israel. Consider Rehoboam." And it goes on. I don't know.

But because of this devotion, God rewarded Judah with an awe and fear from the surrounding, tribute-bringing nations.

The righteousness of Jehoshaphat in a way negated the need to have an armed force. God put the fear of God into these surrounding nations so that they dared not rise up against Judah. Can that still happen? What if a nation was so devoted to God that God in turn protected that nation from other nations, rendering a militia useless? Just curious. It's a gut level reaction, what do you want?

1 Ki. 22: The Double

1 Kings 22:8 "And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.' And Jehoshaphat said, 'Let not the king say so.'"

Well, the king of Israel comes to the realization that this section of land, Ramoth Gilead, belongs to Israel, but is occupied by Syria. The king of Israel, I assume is Ahab. Jehoshaphat is the king of Judah, and he agrees to help him out. Jehoshaphat was a good king, and came from good stock (Asa). Jehoshaphat decides to consult the prophets, who clamor to say that "Now is the time to attack!" Not satisfied, Jehoshaphat asks if there are any more prophets who could say something. Boy does this guy like to be sure.

Then some guy makes some horns out of iron to defeat the Syrians. Which I don't get. What that's about. But he says the LORD told him to make them. Awesome.

There happens to be another prophet, Micaiah. Micaiah's prophecy is quite amazing. It's really a riveting read, and I hope you'll check it out. It looks like Micaiah goes along with the other prophets, and sees a victory for the king. But its tempered by him seeing Israel scattered like sheep with no shepherd on the mountains. That doesn't sound like a victory. But the LORD told him to say it, and he had to know it was going to be an unpopular prophecy. From Ahab's (presumably) conversation, it sounds like Micaiah had a history of telling him bad news. And Ahab has a history of whining.

Micaiah's not done. He goes on rather apocalyptically, seeing the LORD on the throne, surrounded by the hosts of heaven. And the LORD asked who would be the one to entice Ahab to go to Gilead and fall, and one of them steps up and says, "That's me." And how will he do it? By being a lying spirit in the mouths of the prophets. Boom. That's like the Shyamalan twist to Micaiah's prophecy. Can you imagine the reaction of these other prophets, who thought they were telling the "God's honest" truth? One of them even comes over and slaps him in the face. Zedekiah the Horn Maker asks him how he knows. Micaiah tells him he'll know when goes and hides like a bi...g wimp.

Ahab reacts expectedly, by imprisoning Micaiah. No dissenting opinions allowed. Ahab tries to subvert the prophecy by going to war in disguise, realizing the Syrian men would go after him mainly. It doesn't work. They don't kill his dupe, and Ahab ends up getting killed by some random archer. Ahab bleeds out in his chariot, which ends up being washed in the whore pond in Samaria.

The evil Ahaziah takes over for Ahab, and Jehoram takes over for Jehoshaphat.