because he never prophesied anything good about him, but always bad. (see 2 Chronicles 19). 2 Kings 1 - After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Jehoshaphat failed to foresee the long-term consequences of his bad decisions. Ahab asks him if he would go with him to take the city of Ramoth in Gilead from Syria. Not only was he faithful he was a reformer. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. All rights reserved. He builds many forts and attempts to help the kingdom prosper in a financial sense. Ahab got King Jehoshaphat of Judah to ally himself with him in war against Ramoth-gilead then held by the Syrians. Jehoshaphat and Ahab. What he didnt consider was that though Micaiah prophesied evil towards Ahab, he prophesied truth. Save: $14.00 (70%) Buy Now. Ahaziah's parents brought Baal worship into the land and turned God's . If there's one mistake Jehoshaphat made, it's the time he decided to ally himself with King Ahab of Israel, the devious Jezebel's husband. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad.. Who had not rather be a Micaiah in the jail than Ahab in the chariot? God brought Judgement on Ahab; he would not listen to Elijah and was bent on his evil ways. The Levites have the responsibility of seeing that the decisions of the courts are carried out. Let each return to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?. (He) sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Lets begin by getting oriented. After King Ahaziah's death (1:18), his brother Jehoram (called Joram in 8:25), another son of evil King Ahab, became king over Israel since Ahaziah himself had no son (1:17; 3:1). Who was King Ahaziah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org He ruled for 25 years. That is, he gave his son in marriage to Ahabs daughter. The people's hearts were turned from the false worship of Baal that was present in the land during his time in power. a. (29) Jehoshaphat and Ahab go into battle. We have different frameworks and directions to our lives. Ahab determined that he should take the city of Ramoth-Gilead back from the Syrians. Following that disaster, Jehoshaphat appointed judges throughout Judah to deal fairly with the people's disputes. (NIV). Micaiah assured him that he would simply repeat what God said to him. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. One of these rulers, King Jehoshaphat, is a great example to learn from. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Romans 12:19-21, A true test of character: How you treat those weaker than you, Come to Jesus and find rest. He went out with Ahab in battle, and was rebuked by Jehu the son of Hanani. 16, 2022, learnreligions.com/jehoshaphat-king-of-judah-4114131. Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. First, Jehoshaphat just went and visited Ahab. First of all, the king shows us that we all can make mistakes of judgment. In his disobedience, Jeroboam (the first king of the kingdom of the northern tribes) said, I will worship the LORD, but do it my way. Ahab said, I want to forget about the LORD completely and worship Baal., ii. It was certainly persuasive to have 400 prophets speak in agreement on one issue. Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, takes the throne about halfway through his life. They had a great party with lots of food. But he did not do all that he should have, as he did not remove all the high places from Judah (2 Chronicles 20:33). Thankfully, Jehoshaphat repented and returned to his true love: God. He was the son of Ahab and Jezebel, who were among the most wicked rulers Israel ever had. Ahab wanted Micaiah imprisoned and deprived (feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction). Of course, there may be some business arrangements where such matters would never be at issue. Jehoshaphat in the Bible was the fourth king of Judah. These were prophets happy to please their kings, and to tell them what they wanted to hear. King Jehoshaphat instituted another round of reforms . 10 One of them, Zedekiah son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said to Ahab, This is what the Lord says, With these you will fight the Syrians and totally defeat them. 11 All the other prophets said the same thing. Ahab and his wife, Queen Jezebel, had well-deserved reputations for wickedness. Perhaps some hesitation on his part? The ruse fails, in the end. He was 35 years old when he sat as king and reigned for 25 years until his death at age 60. Ahab pretended herein to honour Jehoshaphat, but intended to save himself, and to elude Micaiahs prophecy. (Trapp). We will be with you in the war 2 Chronicles 18:3. You will succeed., 22 And Micaiah concluded: This is what has happened. Who Was King Jehoshaphat In The Bible? | Living News Thankfully, Jehoshaphat repented and returned to his true love: God. 9 He gave them the following instructions: You must perform your duties in reverence for the Lord, faithfully obeying him in everything you do. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead: It is easy to understand why King Ahab of Israel went to this battle; he didnt want to believe that Micaiahs prophecy was true and wanted to courageously oppose it. Zedekiah had the agreement of 400 other prophets (all the prophets prophesied so). Jehoshaphat and Ahab | Mark P. Spinks - Timeless Truths c. Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead? This made some sense because Ramoth Gilead was only 40 miles from Jerusalem. i. Jehoshaphat - New World Encyclopedia Ahab induced or enticed him to form a league with him to retake a disputed city in northern Israel Ramoth-gilead. When Jehoshaphat led the people out to meet the invaders, he ordered men to sing, praising God for his holiness. We see a prophet in rags and chains stand before two kings, ready to speak on behalf of the LORD. Trans Britain: are the numbers really adding up. God's hand was on Jehoshaphat and He blessed the kingdom of Judah under his reign. Jehoshaphat strengthened Judah militarily by building an army and many forts. Ahab disguises himself | Fact and Fantasy He sometimes followed the world's ways, such as making alliances with questionable neighbors. He has Jehoshaphat dress like the king, while Ahab disguised himself. Jehoshaphat also established a strong justice system. Ahab was a king of Israel, first mentioned in 1 Kings 16. Jehoshaphat established a very strong nation under him. Go up, for God will deliver it into the kings hand: When Ahab gathered the prophets, they were not faithful prophets of the LORD. After all, the dangerous one he made almost got him killed. Apparently this was a city that Ben-Hadad never returned to Israel and it was in a strategically important location. To pry into the future King Ahab religiously consulted his false prophets, about four hundred of them. He repented when he did wrong. This show of friendship to Ahab was in reality hatred towards God (2 . Enduring Word Bible Commentary 2 Chronicles Chapter 18 Ahaziah became sick, and rather than establishing a relationship with the true God and placing his trust in Him, he attempted to inquire of the pagan god Baal-Zebub whether he would live or die. 18:1 Jehoshaphat was very wealthy and greatly respected. We can be certain that every eye was on Zedekiah when he used the horns of iron to powerfully illustrate the point. 16 In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. In other words, he should not have made a partnership with an evil king, who was Gods enemy. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.. He had amassed "riches and honor in abundance" ( 2Chronicles 18 . He died at 60? And the LORD said, Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead? So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 1) Jehoshaphat the faithful. You have removed all the symbols of the goddess Asherah which people worshiped, and you have tried to follow God's will., 4 Even though King Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, he traveled regularly among the people, from Beersheba in the south to the edge of the hill country of Ephraim in the north, in order to call the people back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He is Micaiah the son of Imla. Once back, the Lord rebukes him through his prophet Jehu, whose father, by the way, had rebuked Jehoshaphats father King Asa. Will the actions of orthodox Anglicans be as strong as their words post-Kigali? Here is the Bible's explanation: "for the daughter of Ahab was his wife" (2 Kings 8:18). To be sure, this is a case of misguided judgment. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. 11 Amariah the High Priest will have final authority in all religious cases, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, governor of Judah, will have final authority in all civil cases. He said that not only would Israel be defeated, but also that their leader (shepherd) would perish. But just in case, he disguises himself and also encourages Jehoshaphat to wear his royal attire, thus making him the target of the enemy. i. b. Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him: Finding himself as the only identifiable king in the battle, Jehoshaphat found himself quickly in danger. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Stay up to date with the latest Christian news! This must have been a vivid and entertaining presentation. " 3 But the angel of the Lord said to . He campaigned against idolatry and the renewed worship of the One True God. Jehoshaphat was an ancient king, but he is not so different than us, for we do similar things in our lives. Scholars have variously dated his reign to around 873-849 B.C.E. We will look at this briefly to set the stage. An enormous army of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites gathered at En Gedi, near the Dead Sea. This was a city which Ben-hadad This is significant if we compare this with how many other Israelite kings passed away. Just as Jehoshaphat allied himself with a wicked king. And finally, Jehoshaphat slinks back to Jerusalem, humiliated by his bad decision. He certainly did not walk in Gods ways. 46 views, 7 likes, 0 loves, 3 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Eubank Church of Christ: The Minor Prophets (22) This might have daunted the good prophet, but that he had lately seen the Lord sitting upon His throne with all the host of heaven standing by Him, and hence he so boldly looked in the face these two kings in their majesty; for he beheld them as so many mice. (Trapp).