In going through the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, we find that during the time of the divided kingdom, the kings of the northern kingdom (Israel) went from bad to worse, but the kings of the southern kingdom (Judah) were for the most part good kings who remembered to obey the Lord. There is a lot to be learned from that contrast. I mentioned one of those kings of Judah two posts ago: Jehoshaphat.
The last time I mentioned Jehoshaphat was in the context of one of his greatest triumphs. It’s where that old-time phrase comes from: “Great jumping Jehoshaphat!” That is the episode that we most talk about in Sunday School: the time when three nations decide to come against him (his kingdom of Judah) in war, and their army is vast, much greater than the army Jehoshaphat had left to fight with.
But he and the people turn to God, and God is the one who wins that battle. All the people had to do that day was to march toward the enemy singing and praising the Lord. That story is found in 2 Chronicles chapter 20.
As you should always assume with the Bible, no story exists isolated by itself. The Bible is really all about cause and effect. So, today I want to rewind the story back a little and look at the background that set that all up.
Ahab, the worst king of Israel
As I mentioned, the kings of the northern kingdom went from bad to worse (several of them ascending to the kingship by assassination.) Ahab was the son of Omri. The stage is set in 1 Kings 16 when we are told of his father:
1 Kings 16:25-26 And Omri wrought evil in the sight of Jehovah, and did worse than all that were before him. And he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin, provoking Jehovah the God of Israel to anger with their vanities…
True to what you would expect from many proverbs, that kind of example is not likely to produce a better next generation:
2 Kings 16:30-31 And Ahab the son of Omri wrought evil in the sight of Jehovah more than all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it was a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshipped him.
It is one thing to personally choose to reject God but he has done worse. All Israel knew that when God promised them the land of Canaan, their possession of it was contingent on obedience: obedience requiring that they never bow down to the gods of that land, of the other nations; and therefore they were never to marry the peoples of those lands because God knew they would turn their hearts away from Him, to instead worship the false gods (demons).
Yet here, Ahab decides to do the politically smart: marry the daughter of the king of Sidon because that way they are allied by marriage, and they won’t be at war with each other. But at that time, Tyre and Sidon were the hot bed of Baal and Asherah worship. The result?
1 Kings 16:32-33 And he (Ahab) reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. And Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did more to provoke Jehovah the God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
And lest we think this is just a (mythological) power struggle between Jehovah and the other gods, take a look at Ahab’s (and Jezebel’s character).
1 Kings 21:1-3 And it came to pass after these things, [that] Naboth the Jizreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jizreel, by the side of the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spoke to Naboth saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, for it is near, by the side of my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; if it seem good to thee, I will give thee its value in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, Jehovah forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee!
This too was one of the rules God gave the people through Moses. To remind them that He was the One that had given them the land: they were never supposed to sell it or lose it. It was meant to remain in the original family for all generations. There is a whole other sermon there, but let’s go on. The point is Ahab knows this, and yet…
1 Kings 21:4-7 And Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word that Naboth the Jizreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and ate no bread. And Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, Why is thy spirit sullen, and thou eatest no bread?
And he said to her, Because I spoke to Naboth the Jizreelite and said to him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee a vineyard for it; and he said, I will not give thee my vineyard.
And Jezebel his wife said to him, Dost thou now exercise sovereignty over Israel? arise, eat bread, and let thy heart be glad: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jizreelite.
In other words, Jezebel tells him: “What kind of king are you?”
This is a truly important question for any man who would be king…
You can either choose to be king according to God’s ways or be a king according to the ways of the world. After all, we know there are two kingdoms vying for our souls.
1 Kings 21:8-13 And she wrote a letter in Ahab’s name, and sealed it with his seal, and sent the letter to the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letter saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people; and set two men, sons of Belial, before him, and they shall bear witness against him saying, Thou didst curse God and the king; and carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
And the men of his city, the elders and the nobles that dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letter that she had sent to them: they proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. And there came the two men, sons of Belial, and sat before him; and the men of Belial witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth blasphemed God and the king. And they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
And so, Ahab in effect abrogates his responsibility and lets Jezebel do what she wants. And you see the result. This is the awful danger of wanting to be king: that the way you rule, the example you set, leads your house after you, into the same path. If we choose the Lord, then we lead our house to the Lord. But if we choose the ways of darkness, we lead our house into darkness.
Matthew 18:6-7 (NIV) “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!
Ahab was king over Israel: the people of God: the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: the ones who received the promise that would bless the whole Earth. That was an awesome responsibility.
And as Jesus’ words from the gospel of Matthew remind us, it is also an awesome responsibility that we all share. And we need to remember that: Because we all are, at various times and places, leaders in some way… certainly leaders in our family, but also at our place of work…
…and especially in any position of power where our actions are most likely to be imitated by those who obey, admire, and aspire to that power.
What we do with our power can be a matter of life and death, eternal life or eternal death.
1 Kings 21:14-16 And they sent to Jezebel saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. And it came to pass when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jizreelite, which he refused to give thee for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead. And it came to pass when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jizreelite, to take possession of it.
Ahab was such a bad influence to his kingdom, that God chose to send to him (and them) the most powerful prophet in all of scripture: Elijah. You can read those stories in the intervening chapters. Now I turn to another king.
Jehoshaphat’s big decision
At the beginning of Ahab’s reign, Asa was king of Judah. But then he died and his son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king. His reign started well, and he was able to grow his kingdom’s prosperity and its army. But there was a historical reality he had to face. Throughout the history of the divided kingdom, wars often broke out between Israel and Judah. So, Jehoshaphat here has a decision to make. Does he leave that in the hands of God, or does he do what the typical kings of the Earth do?
2 Chronicles 18:1 (NIV) Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.
Jehoshaphat had his son Jehoram marry Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel!
He has decided to play politics, the way the world plays politics. Sure, this will ensure there won’t be war between Israel and Judah… but at what cost? The awful consequences of this decision will extend years into the future and will result almost in the wiping out of the lineage of David.
And you might think: How could Jehoshaphat have known? He did what was prudent for his people at that time…
Really?
Isn’t there a God in Heaven to whom I can turn and ask for counsel? And wouldn’t that God take one look at Ahab and Jezebel and the thorough corruption that that family had brought to Israel and tell me in no uncertain terms:
“Are you crazy? What were you thinking!”
Again, this is something we need to take to heart, especially as we want to lead our families, and the people we touch with our lives, to the Lord. God doesn’t stop being God because people down here on Earth think they know better than Him. God doesn‘t stop being God when people claim with their mouths to believe or respect Him but prove with every action of their lives that they don’t care what God has taught about love, faithfulness, kindness, mercy, truth, and righteousness.
Of course, those people are free to choose how they live their lives. And their relationship with God is strictly between them and God.
But when I get to the choice of whether or not to follow them in this world, or to give them power over me, that decision is one I have to make in the Presence of God.
And I tell you, the last thing I want to hear from God in that situation is: “Are you crazy? What were you thinking!”
Soon, Jehoshaphat’s decision starts bearing fruit…
2 Chronicles 18:2-4 (NIV) Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?”
Let’s not ignore the stakes here: Jehoshaphat has been asked to put the lives of his people, his army, on the line for the sake of Ahab’s ambition. He immediately replies as politics requires it, but then thinks maybe there is a way out:
Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.” But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”
Look at that! (You might tell me…) See? Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahab to become a good influence on him. (Yeah… I reply… dream on…)
2 Chronicles 18:5 (NIV) So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” “Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.”
Four hundred prophets… of Baal. You can imagine Jehoshaphat not being very comfortable here…
2 Chronicles 18:6-8 (NIV) But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”
The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.
So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
Ok… maybe finally Jehoshaphat will be able to save face and dodge this bullet.
2 Chronicles 18:9-14 (NIV) Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’” All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says.”
When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?”
“Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.”
Can you imagine Jehoshaphat’s face when he heard that? Well… there was obviously something in the way Micaiah said that, maybe obvious sarcasm… (Don’t you wish sometimes that we had a soundtrack to hear the tone of people’s voice as they said things in the Bible?) There was something, because Ahab reacts:
2 Chronicles 18:15-17 (NIV) The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”
The whole scene would be laughable except for the fact that we know life and death are at stake. And as Jehoshaphat is wondering what to do now, Micaiah continues:
2 Chronicles 18:18-22 (NIV) “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’
“One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’
“‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.
“‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.
“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’
“So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”
This is a fascinating passage. Now, before you think that this is the Lord deceiving Ahab or overriding Ahab’s free will, pay close attention to what is happening. First of all, we know God does not tempt anyone into sin (James 1:13).
God has told Ahab up front what is going on: His false prophets are prophesying what a demon has told them to say; namely a lie. That is no surprise. False prophets who reject God’s true voice, subject themselves – by their own choice – to hearing the lying voice of the enemy. King Ahab now has all the cards on the table, face up before him. God has set a trap for him, to end his reign, to bring the guilt of all his sins down on his head now… Yet, God in His infinite mercy, has told him about it! The Lord is giving Ahab a chance to repent…
But, wait, you say: Didn’t God say in Micaiah’s vision that Ahab would indeed be enticed and be killed? How can anyone resist God’s will?
The point is: God does not have to override my free will. He knows me so completely, and He knows the future so thoroughly, that He knows what I will choose using my free will, given the circumstances.
God just set the circumstances before Him and then He “bent over backwards” to warn Ahab about them. And still, what do you think Ahab chose?
2 Chronicles 18:25-27 (NIV) The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son, and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’”
Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”
Scary story, isn’t it?
But it is a fact of human nature that we can be given chance after chance to repent, even see our lives miraculously spared, and instead of hearing God’s voice and bowing down to it, we just keep on going justifying ourselves.
Isaiah 26:10 (NASB) Though the wicked person is shown compassion, he does not learn righteousness; he deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, and does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.
What now, Jehoshaphat?
Well, they go to war. And true to Micaiah’s words it is not going to go well for the kings of Israel and Judah. But as a preface to that, there is a little verse in the story that points out one of the consequences of choosing to side with those that reject God. Solomon says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. When we reject God’s will, wisdom goes out the window. Look at this verse:
2 Chronicles 18:28-29 (NIV) So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
So, Ahab thinks he can hide himself from God. Ok… But guess who he is sending into the fray wearing a big bullseye on his chest…
And Jehoshaphat didn’t catch that?
2 Chronicles 18:30-32 (NIV) Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.
Jehoshaphat has dodged the bullet (or in this case, arrow). Did he deserve that? Didn’t he make every foolish decision that brought him to that very spot? Ahh… but God is more than merciful, He is gracious. If we cry out to Him, He doesn’t give us what we deserve.
Ahab, on the other hand…
2 Chronicles 18:33-34 (NIV) But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.
(My daughters used to chuckle at this verse… that guy, Random, must have ducked at the last minute and the arrow hit Ahab instead.) Levity aside, you get the point. We can’t hide from God. And, yes, He will give us chance after chance to repent throughout our lives but there will come a time when we have rejected Him one time too many. And then we will reap what we sowed.
Jehoshaphat survives but his army has borne the penalty of defeat. We don’t know how many soldiers he lost. (But it must have been quite a loss because he ended up looking weak in the eyes of the surrounding nations. And in chapter 20, we will see three of those surrounding nations deciding to come against him with an army that he couldn’t possibly match.)
He returns home defeated…
2 Chronicles 19:1-2a (NIV) When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him…
Ahab had prophets. He listened to the false ones and hated the true ones. Jehoshaphat also has a prophet. And the prophet comes to meet him in his defeat.
What do you think the prophet is going to tell his King? If you were Jehoshaphat, what would you like to hear?
Think about it: Ahab died. But Jehoshaphat miraculously survived that battle! Why? Was that because of his “righteousness”? Was it because God needed him alive to keep leading his righteous kingdom?
We heard Ahab’s prophets, false and true. Did we learn anything from that?
Assume you were Jehoshaphat, and two prophets came to you now: One praised you for having survived and told you, “Well done! God saved you because you are the man we need.” The other prophet says, “What were you thinking!”
One comes to praise you, the other comes to call you to repentance.
Which is the true prophet?
Can you tell?
Jesus said we can tell:
Matthew 7:15-19 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Jesus’ words sound like He is not just saying we can tell; He is commanding us to discern the difference. And if the phrase, “by their fruits” seems too fuzzy, all we need to do is read the Gospel and we find out that the fruits He is taking about, the fruits that our life bears, are our actions: the good that God has called us to do in this world; the work we have done for the sake of the kingdom of God. Jesus told His disciples:
John 15:16-17 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.
The works of Love, of the kingdom, are the fruit that bears witness to where our hearts are living.
Now, is it easy to tell which is the false prophet and which is the true, in every circumstance? Not necessarily… Remember, Satan knows how to lie. Therefore, many times, it takes prayer and careful observation to tell. But sometimes it is easy. Like when John the disciple says in 2 John 1:7 that anyone who denies that the Christ has come in the flesh is a deceiver and the antichrist.
The devil cannot risk leading anyone to Jesus, not even accidentally. So, a false prophet is going to stay as far away as he can from the preaching of Jesus.
Therefore, that is the fruit in the life of a prophet that we should be observing: Are that prophet’s words leading us to Jesus, to His Kingdom, or to some other (any other) goal?
This is why you will probably never hear a false prophet tell you to repent.
You see, repentance is the door that ushers us into the Kingdom of God. That is why both John the Baptist and Jesus began their proclamation of the Gospel with that call: “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.”
So, which of the two hypothetical prophets I put before Jehoshaphat is the true one?
2 Chronicles 19:2b …and [Jehu] said to the king, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is on you…
In other words: “What were you thinking! You know better than that. But if you continue on this path, you are going to reap God’s wrath.”
And then God adds through Jehu:
2 Chronicles 19:3 “…There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God.”
And we find, immediately following this rebuke, that Jehoshaphat sets out to follow the Lord in His life and to teach his people to do the same:
2 Chronicles 19:4-7 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”
That is what is supposed to happen; the opposite of Isaiah’s 26:10 warning. A wicked man gets shown compassion, and he thinks he deserves it and gives no more thought to God. A righteous man gets shown compassion and, knowing full well he did not deserve it, he repents and determines to follow God.
That is what Jehoshaphat did. And that is the Jehoshaphat that those three nations came against in chapter 20. But they didn’t stand a chance because that Jehoshaphat had placed his life in the hands of his Lord.
