Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 19:1
And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.
Ch. 2Ch 19:1-3 (no parallel in Kings). The Reproof of Jehu the Prophet
1. in peace ] i.e. in safety. LXX. (B) om. the phrase.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Jehoshaphat … returned to his house in peace – With the battle of Ramoth-Gilead, and the death of Ahab, the war came to an end. The combined attack of the two kings having failed, their troops had been withdrawn, and the enterprise in which they had joined relinquished. The Syrians, satisfied with their victory, did not press on the retreating foe, or carry the war into their enemies country.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Ch 19:1-9
And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.
Jehoshaphats declension and recovery
I. God makes a difference between a backslidden child and an apostate.
1. He preserves the life of the child (2Ch 19:1).
2. God reproves in grace His backslidden child (2Ch 19:2-3).
3. God commends His backslidden child for the good he has done.
II. Jehoshaphat exemplifies the true spirit in which we should receive Divine reproof.
1. He received the Divine reproof without resentment and with real contrition for his sin.
2. He sought to make amends for past misconduct by greater personal efforts to promote the spiritual interests of his people.
III. Jehoshaphat lays down rules for the judges of the people which are applicable and essential to our own times.
1. That a true judge must have reference to God in his decisions (2Ch 19:6).
2. That a true judge should be a real Christian (2Ch 19:7).
Lessons:
1. Unholy alliances are fraught with the greatest danger to every child of God.
2. In his backslidden state the child of God should at once heed Gods warning and reproof through His servants.
3. God requires personal efforts for the promotion of His cause from the rich as well as poor; from those in the highest positions of State as well as from the obscure and lowly. (D. C. Hughes.)
Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord?
Entangling alliances
I. The friendship of wicked men one of the most dangerous temptations to which Christians are subject. Modern life in cities illustrates this with special force.
1. The wealth of the world is largely in the hands of men who are not friends of Christ.
2. In many communities intelligence and culture are possessed mainly by the irreligious.
3. Interests of business sometimes create similar peril.
4. In a higher circle of life professional success often tempts young men of aspiring mind to ally themselves with those who love not God.
II. While Christian principle requires no narrow or ascetic seclusion from the world, yet it forbids seeking worldly friendships and alliances for selfish ends and to the peril of religious usefulness and religious character.
III. The irreligious friendships of religious men violate the ruling spirit of the Scriptures.
IV. Entangling alliances with the world often involve immense sacrifice of Christian usefulness.
V. Christian alliances with the wicked do not command the respect of the very man for whose favour they are formed.
VI. Loving those that hate God inflicts a wound of great severity on the feelings of Jesus Christ. It is from Calvary that the voice comes to each in our solitude, Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord? (A. Phelps.)
Jehoshaphats connection with Ahab
I. What is that intimacy with the ungodly which God forbids?
1. An alliance with them.
2. A conformity with them.
3. An unnecessary association with them.
II. Why is it so displeasing to God?
1. On account of the state of mind it implies.
2. On account of its pernicious tendency.
3. On account of its Opposition to His revealed will. (J. Chapin.)
Associating with the ungodly
It is told of a sweet-voiced canary that it forgot how to sing by having its cage hung outside where it was constantly surrounded by sparrows. It gave up its once sweet notes and learned to chatter the meaningless, tuneless notes of the sparrow. The constant association with the Christless is apt to make our hearts grow Christless.
Jehoshaphat; or the dangers of indecision
I have to describe to you a man, not lost, but continually in danger of being lost; a man not wicked, but weak; a man possessing in his character much that was good, but allowing his goodness to be sullied by approach to evil and evil men. I have to show you how one ill-considered step, in the earlier part of his career, embarrassed his whole reign. Affinity with Ahabs family affected more or less the whole life of Jehoshaphat. This should make us cautious.
I. In such serious matters as forming family connections, or partnerships in business.
II. In what appear minor things. Observe the man who is over-persuaded to what he believes to be evil; the man who consents to do what is wrong, and justifies himself by saying some good will come of it; the man who frequents the society of the vicious, yet believes that he can escape corruption; the man who enjoys the jest of the profane, yet supposes that his mind can retain its reverence for holy things; the man who is silent when he should declare openly his disapprobation of evil; the man who runs himself into temptation, yet trusts that God will find him a way out of it. All these persons do, in their measure and degree, expose themselves to danger–commit acts of indecision–take a step which may necessitate others, against which they may exert themselves in vain–impress a stain on their conscience which it may require years to efface–and plant on the soil of their souls a weed so vivacious, so self-spreading, so absorbent of moisture and nutriment, that by and by it may choke the growth of all Christian graces and virtues. (J. Hessey.)
Nevertheless there are good things found in thee.—
The stimulus of an encouraging word
The Lord will analyse a mans disposition and a mans character, and will assign to him all that is due. What man is wholly bad? Surely in the very worst of men there are excellences, and it ought to be our delight to consider these, and where possible, with due regard to justice, to magnify them and to call the mans attention to them. A man may take heart when he sees some of his best points. Here is a lesson for parents, magistrates, and teachers and monitors of every name and position. Tell a boy that he has done something well. We are too much afraid of what is called flattery, forgetting that flattery is a lie; but we are called upon simply to state the truth, and to state it with affection and emphasis, that it may become an encouragement to hearts that are very easily cast down. (J. Parker, D.D.)
Good and bad things in moral character
Is a man whose character is good to the extent of six-sevenths to be pronounced a bad man? Is there not a spiritual arithmetic which looks into majorities and minorities of a moral kind? Will God, then, at last drive away from Him men who have had six good points out of seven? As business men, suppose a man be recommended to you in these terms: This man has seven qualities, and six of them are really admirable; the only thing about him is that you cannot trust him with money. Would you take him? Six points are good out of seven: will you go by the majority or by the minority? Another man is also good in six points, admirable; the only fault he has is that you cannot believe a word he says. Will you take him into your business? There is a minority greater than any majority can be. That is the doctrine which we have omitted when we have been criticising eternal providence and wondering about the issues of human action. Amongst ourselves it is right that we should say of one another, He is a good man take him on the whole. But what is the meaning of the reservation? Is it a grace, a posture that may be taught by a hired master? Or is it a morality, the want of which turns the whole being into a bog on which you cannot rest with security? (J. Parker, D. D.)
Jehus commendation
We may very well admit that the nearer we get to God and to His sunlight the more freely and fully we shall admit that there is no good thing to be found in us. But yet God sometimes allows His angels to say of a mortal man, There are good things in him, without any frown of supreme displeasure. This should–
1. Comfort us. Our good deeds are not useless, not forgotten.
2. Encourage us. If God speak so like an indulgent master to a trying servant, then we need not fear Him. We need dread no impatient frowns upon our insufficient strivings.
3. Humble us. We are perhaps not so good as Jehoshaphat. For his one backsliding ours, perhaps, are many.
Lessons:
1. Mutual forbearance. Let us not set down any of our neighbours as altogether bad.
2. Let us see that our good qualities are definite and discoverable.
3. Let us pray earnestly, agonisingly, that the good in us may overcome the evil. Evil must not for a moment be tolerated. Christ must reign. (S. B. James, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XIX
Jehoshaphat, on his return from Ramoth-gilead, is met by the
prophet Jehu, and reproved, 1-3.
He makes a farther reformation in the land, establishing courts
of justice, and giving solemn and pertinent directions to the
judges, Levites, &c., to do judgement and justice among the
people, in the fear of God, 4-11.
NOTES ON CHAP. XIX
Verse 1. Returned to his house in peace] That is, in safety, notwithstanding he had been exposed to a danger so imminent, from which only the especial mercy of God could have saved him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Safe, being miraculously delivered from eminent danger, as was related, 2Ch 18:31,32.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1-4. Jehoshaphat . . . returned tohis house in peace(See 2Ch18:16). Not long after he had resumed the ordinary functions ofroyalty in Jerusalem, he was one day disturbed by an unexpected andominous visit from a prophet of the Lord [2Ch19:2]. This was Jehu, of whose father we read in 2Ch16:7. He himself had been called to discharge the propheticoffice in Israel. But probably for his bold rebuke to Baasha (1Ki16:1), he had been driven by that arbitrary monarch within theterritory of Judah, where we now find him with the privileged licenseof his order, taking the same religious supervision of Jehoshaphat’sproceedings as he had formerly done of Baasha’s. At the interviewhere described, he condemned, in the strongest terms, the king ofJudah’s imprudent and incongruous league with AhabGod’s open enemy(1Ki 22:2) as an unholyalliance that would be conducive neither to the honor and comfort ofhis house nor to the best interests of his kingdom. He apprisedJehoshaphat that, on account of that grave offense, “wrath wasupon him from before the Lord,” a judgment that was inflictedsoon after (see on 2Ch 20:1-37).The prophet’s rebuke, however, was administered in a mingled strainof severity and mildness; for he interposed “a nevertheless”(2Ch 19:3), which implied thatthe threatened storm would be averted, in token of the divineapproval of his public efforts for the promotion of the truereligion, as well as of the sincere piety of his personal characterand life.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned,…. From Ramothgilead, after Ahab was slain:
to his house in peace in Jerusalem; to his palace there in safety, having narrowly escaped losing his life in the battle.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prophet Jehu’s declaration as to Jehoshaphat’s alliance with Ahab, and Jehoshaphat’s further efforts to promote the fear of God and the administration of justice in Judah. – 2Ch 19:1-3. Jehu’s declaration. Jehoshaphat returned from the war in which Ahab had lost his life, , i.e., safe, uninjured, to his house in Jerusalem; so that the promise of Micah in 2Ch 18:16 was fulfilled also as regards him. But on his return, the seer Jehu, the son of Hanani, who had been thrown into the stocks by Asa (2Ch 16:7.), met him with the reproving word, “Should one help the wicked, and lovest thou the haters of Jahve!” (the inf. with , as in 1Ch 5:1; 1Ch 9:25, etc.). Of these sins Jehoshaphat had been guilty. “And therefore is anger from Jahve upon thee” ( as in 1Ch 27:24). Jehoshaphat had already had experience of this wrath, when in the battle of Ramoth the enemy pressed upon him (2Ch 18:31), and was at a later time to have still further experience of it, partly during his own life, when the enemy invaded his land (2 Chron 20), and when he attempted to re-establish the sea trade with Ophir (2Ch 20:35.), partly after his death in his family (2 Chron 21 and 2Ch 22:1-12). “But,” continues Jehu, to console him, “yet there are good things found in thee (cf. 2Ch 12:12), for thou hast destroyed the Asheroth…” = , 2Ch 17:6. On these last words, comp. 2Ch 12:14 and 2Ch 17:4.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Jehoshaphat’s Piety. | B. C. 897. |
1 And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. 2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. 3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. 4 And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers.
Here is, I. The great favour God showed to Jehoshaphat,
1. In bringing him back in safety from his dangerous expedition with Ahab, which had like to have cost him dearly (v. 1): He returned to his house in peace. Notice is taken of this to intimate, (1.) That he fared better than he had expected. He had been in imminent peril, and yet came home in peace. Whenever we return in peace to our houses we ought to acknowledge God’s providence in preserving our going out and our coming in. But, if we have been kept through more than ordinary dangers, we are in a special manner bound to be thankful. There was but a step perhaps between us and death, and yet we are alive. (2.) That he fared better than he deserved. He was out of the way of his duty, had been out upon an expedition which he could not well account for to God and his conscience, and yet he returned in peace; for God is not extreme to mark what we do amiss, nor does he withdraw his protection every time we forfeit it. (3.) That he fared better than Ahab king of Israel did, who was brought home slain. Though Jehoshaphat had said to Ahab, I am as thou art, God distinguished him; for he knows and owns the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Distinguishing mercies are very obliging. Here were two kings in the field together, one taken and the other left, one brought home in blood, the other in peace.
2. In sending him a reproof for his affinity with Ahab. It is a great mercy to be made sensible of our faults, and to be told in time wherein we have erred, that we may repent and amend the error before it be too late. The prophet by whom the reproof is sent is Jehu the son of Hanani. The father was an eminent prophet in the last reign, as appeared by Asa’s putting him in the stocks for his plain dealing; yet the son was not afraid to reprove another king. Paul would have his son Timothy not only discouraged, but animated by his sufferings, 2Ti 3:11; 2Ti 3:14. (1.) The prophet told him plainly that he had done very ill in joining with Ahab: “Shouldst thou, a godly man, help the ungodly, give them a hand of fellowship, and lend them a hand of assistance?” Or, “Shouldst thou love those that hate the Lord; wilt thou lay those in thy bosom whom God beholds afar off?” It is the black character of wicked people that they are haters of God, Rom. i. 30. Idolaters are so reputed in the second commandment; and therefore it is not for those that love God to take delight in them or contract an intimacy with them. Do I not hate those, says David, that hate thee?Psa 139:11; Psa 139:21. Those whom the grace of God has dignified ought not to debase themselves. Let God’s people be of God’s mind. (2.) That God was displeased with him for doing this: “There is wrath upon thee from before the Lord, and thou must, by repentance, make thy peace with him, or it will be the worse for thee.” He did so, and God’s anger was turned away. Yet his trouble, as recorded in the next chapter, was a rebuke to him for meddling with strife that belonged not to him. If he be so fond of war, he shall have enough of it. And the great mischief which his seed after him fell into by the house of Ahab was the just punishment of his affinity with that house. (3.) Yet he took notice of that which was praiseworthy, as it is proper for us to do when we give a reproof (v. 3): “There are good things found in thee; and therefore, though God be displeased with thee, he does not, he will not, cast thee off.” His abolishing idolatry with a heart fixed for God and engaged to seek him was a good thing, which God accepted and would have him go on with, notwithstanding the displeasure he had now incurred.
II. The return of duty which Jehoshaphat made to God for this favour. he took the reproof well, was not wroth with the seer as his father was, but submitted. Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness. See what effect the reproof had upon him. 1. He dwelt at Jerusalem (v. 4), minded his own business at home, and would not expose himself by paying any more such visits to Ahab. Rebuke a wise man, and he will be yet wiser, and will take warning, Pro 9:8; Pro 9:9. 2. To atone (as I may say) for the visit he had paid to Ahab, he made a pious profitable visitation of his own kingdom: He went out through the people in his own person from Beersheba in the south to Mount Ephraim in the north, and brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers, that is, did all he could towards recovering them. (1.) By what the prophet said he perceived that his former attempts for reformation were well pleasing to God, and therefore he revived them, and did what was then left undone. It is good when commendations thus quicken us to our duty, and when the more we are praised for doing well the more vigorous we are in well-doing. (2.) Perhaps he found that his late affinity with the idolatrous house of Ahab and kingdom of Israel had had a bad influence upon his own kingdom. Many, we may suppose, were emboldened to revolt to idolatry when they saw even their reforming king so intimate with idolaters; and therefore he thought himself doubly obliged to do all he could to restore them. If we truly repent of our sin, we shall do our utmost to repair the damage we have any way done by it to religion or the souls of others. We are particularly concerned to recover those that have fallen into sin, or been hardened in it, by our example.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
2Ch 19:1
Second Chronicles – Chapter 19
Author’s Note: The events recorded by Jehoshaphat’s reign ,in Judah as related here in Second Chronicles, chapter 10 and 20, are not found in the Kings account. They are discussed here [in the 1st edition Hardbound Commentary] in their chronologically consecutive position.
Jehoshaphat Rebuked – Verses 1-3
As Jehoshaphat was returning from his defeat in battle, along with Ahab, king of Israel, at Ramoth-gilead, God was sending His rebuke by His prophet. Several things may be concluded from the account: 1) Jehoshaphat was returning in peace, the Syrian king did not follow up his victory by an attack on Judah; 2) the Lord was displeased with Jehoshaphat’s participation in the affair; 3) Jehoshaphat seems to have demonstrated that David-like quality of repentance when he was shown to be in the wrong.
The prophet had evidently been around for a long time, bearing the Lord’s message. !t was Jehu who some twenty years earlier had denounced Baasha, the wicked successor of Jeroboam (1Ki 16:1; 1Ki 16:7). His message to Jehoshaphat began with a question calculated to make the king do some serious soul-searching. The moral question of Jehoshaphat’s involvement with Ahab has already been examined in this commentary. The Lord emphasized the impropriety of helping the ungodly and loving those who hate the Lord. For this the Lord was angry with Jehoshaphat. However, He would continue His blessing on the king of Judah because of his moral reformation in his kingdom, and because it was the intent of his heart to serve God.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
THE SECOND BOOK OF CHRONICLES
IN discussing the First Book of Chronicles we called attention to the fact that according to Usshers chronology, the two Books, not reckoning the table of genealogy, covered a space of 468 years of history; the First Book only 41 of these, and this second, 427. As to the authorship of these Books, Ezra is commonly accepted.
The analysis of any book is largely the presentation of a personal view. One man divides this Second Book of Chronicles into two portions: The Reign of Solomon, chapters 1 to 9, and The Kings of Judah, chapters 10 to 36.
Scofield in his reference Bible, says of this Book: It falls into eighteen divisions, by reigns, from Solomon to the captivities; records the division of the kingdom of David under Jeroboam and Rehoboam, and is marked by an ever growing apostasy, broken temporarily by reformations under Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah, and Josiah.
It is our purpose to follow neither of these divisions, however natural they may be, but to discuss the volume under three heads: Solomon and the Temple; Rehoboam and the Division, and the History of Judah.
SOLOMON AND THE TEMPLE
The Book opens with a declaration concerning the new king, And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly (2Ch 1:1).
The history that follows gives occasion to say several things concerning this marvelous man of immortal reputation:
First, Solomons kingship enjoyed an auspicious beginning. The man who ascends the throne under the favor of the Lord necessarily begins a reign of promise. If, as in Solomons case, he sensibly recognizes his responsibility and seeks wisdom from the only sufficient source, he adds greater certainty to his success. When, in addition to this, his objectives are high and God-honoring, the glory of his kingdom advances accordingly. Certainly, Solomons preparation to build the temple was not only a noble objective, but one in line with his kingly fathers purpose and prayers, and the great Heavenly Fathers will for him.
The interesting history here of gathering materials and appointing men for this marvelous construction is made more interesting still by the kings personal supervision and spiritual interest. It takes some courage to conduct war, and we believe it takes almost more courage and even a clearer sense of God, to build sanctuaries, make their appointments according to the Divine pleasure, and call the people to worship within the spacious rooms of the same. Yet, when you have read but five chapters of this Book, you find such a work complete, and are not in the least amazed or even surprised to read, The glory of the Lord had filled the house of God (2Ch 5:14).
It is doubtful whether any company of men have done more for the establishment of spirituality in the earth and for the strengthening of the souls of their fellows, than have those who brought sanctuaries into existence and led congregations of people to a genuine worship of the most high God.
The on-going of this Book reveals Solomons conscious dependence. When the altar was erected he stood by it with outstretched hands (2Ch 6:12). That is the attitude of prayer and possibly of adoration. When his lips parted to speak, he says,
O Lord God of Israel, there is no God tike Thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto Thy servants that walk before Thee with all their hearts:
Thou which hast kept with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him; and spakest with Thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with Thine hand, as it is this day.
Now therefore, O Lord God of Israel, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in My sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in My Law, as Thou hast walked before Me (2Ch 6:14-16).
Now then, O Lord God of Israel, let Thy Word be verified, which Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant David (2Ch 6:17).
Then follows an appeal that Gods eyes should be open upon their house day and night; that His ears should hearken to the prayers made in that place, and if sin were committed, that forgiveness should be granted, and if the people fail before the face of the enemy because of sin that they also should be pardoned; that if heaven be shut up on the same ground, upon repentance the dearth should end.
Then he concludes in a more personal petition to Him:
Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all Thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:
Then hear Thou from Heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive (2Ch 6:29-30).
These are only samples of the long petition that followed the dedicatory sermon. They wind up with a sentence like this: O Lord God, turn not away the face of Thine anointed: remember the mercies of David Thy servant (2Ch 6:42). It is a model prayer; it is the petition of a sincere soul; it is the cry of one who knows that the mercy and love of God are the only grounds of hope.
The further text records Solomons fame and death. That fame was based upon Solomons wisdom, accentuated doubtless by the magnificence of the temple, but made more honorable still in the extent of his organization, the luxury of his court and the wealth of his treasury.
Evidently, among the rulers of the earth, the queen of Sheba held conspicuous place, and when the fame of Solomon reached her, she came to prove him with her questions, and impress him with her own riches and glory. The difficult questions were satisfactorily answered, the temple was adequately shown, the table of the king groaned with its good meats, the apparel of the servants was profoundly impressive, and the queen said to the king,
It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:
Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.
Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, winch stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God (2Ch 9:5-8).
The compliment to the king is followed with a statement of Solomons annual income, the magnificence of his throne, the rich appointments of the palace, the extensive commercial importance of his kingdom, and the willing tributes of the earths lesser lords.
Then, as if the task of telling all was too great, we have this record,
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead (2Ch 9:29-31).
It is a surprising end, and yet strangely true to human history. How many men spend all their days in preparing to live, and when the preparation seems almost complete, proceed to die? The last enemy is no respecter of persons. His bow is drawn against the great as well as the humble, the rich as well as the poor, the wise as well as the ignorant. Death respects neither thrones nor kings; he holds the key to the palace room, and even to the throne room. Kings may command their humbler fellows, and even counsel their equals; but where death calls, they also obey.
REHOBOAM AND THE DIVISION
The emptying of a throne is forever fraught with perils. The eternal and pertinent question is this, Who shall come after the king? The tenth chapter answered that concerning the throne of Israel. The answer was an ill omen! Rehoboams tyrannical spirit split the kingdom. When Jeroboam and all Israel came to him, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee (2Ch 10:4), they delicately referred to the increased taxation to which the luxurious court and the personal orgies of Solomon had given rise. They thought, as people commonly do, that the new rule would prove the peoples friend. Their hope was in vain.
The old men, former counselors of Solomon, advised kindness and compassion; but the young bloods, spoiled by their fellowship with royalty, counseled increased oppression; and under their influence he said,
My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions (2Ch 10:14).
It was enough. The war was on; and that war has never ended until this day, for Israel and Judah are not yet one. A man who divides brethren and sets them to battle, little understands the infinite reach of his mischief. The father of Modernism in America, when he fell asleep at a comparatively early age, little dreamed that he had set influences to work that would divide every denomination on the continent, destroy the fellowship of men who loved one another as twins are commonly supposed to love, wreck schools and churches by the thousand, and start a war that may easily exceed the famous Hundred Year War of history.
Israel and Judahblood brothersbecame the bitterest of enemies. For some reason Second Chronicles pays little attention to Israel, but proceeds to trace Judahs history to the year of Cyrus, king of Persia, or through a period of almost a half millennium. The family feud occasionally projects itself into the record, but for the most part, Israel is forgotten, and the doings of Judah are recorded in detail.
The explanation of this is found in the circumstance that Jeroboam rejected the worship of Jehovah (2Ch 11:14-15). When God is once put away, when Gods priest is disposed of, and His minister is heard no more, then degeneracy compels a declining record.
Unitarianism three quarters of a century ago denied the Lord. Its history has amounted to little; and if it were recorded, it would simply prove, as the Jeroboam movement, a breeding place of apostasy; and yet this record regards not one apostasy only, but two.
The man of many favors may forget God.
When Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the Law of the Lord, and all Israel with him (2Ch 12:1).
What a sad commentary on the uncertainty and unstability of human nature! The explanation of Rehoboams failure has fitted thousands, yea millions of cases. He did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord (2Ch 12:14). Of all disappointments, none exceed thisto begin well and end badly; to give promise and create disappointment; to be the subject of Divine favor, and become the slave of Gods adversary.
THE HISTORY OF JUDAH
Chapters 11 to 36 contain the roster of kings. The fortunes of the country answer accurately and inevitably to the characters of their rulers. On the whole, the history is a down-grade. In that respect, it runs true to form. The doctrine of evolution may find an illustration in national life if it goes from the simple to the complex, but in so far as it contends for improvement, history fails to illustrate it. Degeneracy of nations has more often taken place than has social and moral progress.
The foundations of Judah were laid under David; the kingdoms glory appeared under Solomon. From that moment until this, one word expresses Judahs coursedecline.
Africa was once an advanced nation, now a heathen one; Italy once ruled the world, now she holds an inconspicuous place; Greece once represented the climax of physical and mental accomplishment, now she boasts neither. The reasons for decline are varied, but in Judah they were one the God who had made her great was too often forgotten, too willingly offended. When the nations neglect the source of their strength, weakness naturally ensues. Judahs strength was in the Lord, and when her kings forgot Him, despised His Word, entered into unholy alliances that were followed by the people, her fame declined, and her land fainted.
The mixed social condition manifested her sinfulness. We have a phrase, Like people, like priest. We can paraphrase that, Like princes, like people. The study of these kings results in no compliment to human nature. Some of them were utterly evil; most of them were a mixture of the good and bad; two or three of them were sound. Among the utterly evil ones, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, Manasseh, Amon and Jehoiakin held first place. The ones that represent a mixture of good and bad were Jeroboam, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jehoiakim; while the truly good consisted of Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah. In all probability the reign of each of these good kings was profoundly affected and made spiritually fruitful by the ministry of Isaiah, the greatest preacher among Old Testament Prophets. It is perhaps a fact of history that no rulers have ever proven faithful to God without the stimulating and salutary influence of the Gospel ministry.
The judgments and mercies of Second Chronicles alike vindicate Jehovah. In this record wickedness does not go unpunished; and yet it is a marvelous revelation of Divine mercy.
There is never the least sign of penitence on the part of the ruler and the people without an immediate and generous response from Jehovah.
When Jehoshaphat declined in his loyalty and effected a sinful coalition with Ahab, judgment fell; but instantly upon his repentance, mercy was shown. Judgment is always and everywhere Gods strange work, the work in which He takes no pleasure. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Eze 33:11).
Mercy is His nature, His essential character, for to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy (Pro 28:13).
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
CRITICAL NOTES.] This chapter is entirely additional to Kings, and of great interest. It deals with three matters only, the rebuke addressed to Jehosh. by the profit Jehu (2Ch. 19:1-3); the personal efforts of Jehosh. to effect a religious reformation (2Ch. 19:4); and his reform of the judicial system (2Ch. 19:5-11) [Speak. Com.].
2Ch. 19:1-3.The Rebuke of Jehosh. In peace, without capture or pursuit; a fulfilment of prophecy (ch. 2Ch. 18:16). Jehu, son of Hanani (2Ch. 20:34), of Northern Kingdom in time of Baasha (1Ki. 16:1). Went out (2Ch. 15:2). Help, make common cause with Ahab. Wrath, God angry, and caused expedition to fail, or may be in the invasion of kingdom about to happen. 2Ch. 19:4. Rebuke mild, good things (cf. 2Ch. 12:12; 1Ki. 14:13). Groves, stocks of trees representing Ashtoreth (2Ch. 14:3; 2Ch. 17:4-6).
2Ch. 19:4-11.The Reforms of Jehosh. Went, turned and went out. Again, efforts for instruction resumed, and secured full complement of teachers from the tribe of Levi now fixed in Judah. 2Ch. 19:5-7. Instructions to judges. Jehosh. appointed fresh judges, enlarged their staff and number; limited to fenced cities, by concentrating power in the hands of a few, or creating superior courts. 2Ch. 19:6. Judge not at dictation or in compliance with wishes of men, but for Jehovah (Deu. 1:17; Deu. 16:18-20). In judgmenti.e., in your decisions. 2Ch. 19:7. Iniquity of inequality or undue leaning to one side (cf. Deu. 10:17; Deu. 16:19). 2Ch. 19:8-11.Instructions to the priests and Levites. 2Ch. 19:8. Chief, great patriarchal chiefs, heads of great houses or clans. It is interesting to find that such persons were now admitted to share in the judicial office, which seems in Davids time to have been confined to the Levites [Speak. Com.]. Judgment of the Lord. Disputes in religious matters, payments to temple, offerings for firstborn, &c. Controversies, ordinary civil cases. Jerusalem, seat of supreme tribunal (Exo. 18:19; Deu. 17:8-13), which was composed of three classes, to review appellate cases from inferior courts in two divisions, ecclesiastical and civil affairs. Decisions of provincial judges might be carried to Jerusalem as a court of appeal [cf. Speak. Com.]. 2Ch. 19:10. Blood, case of murder or homicide as to degree of blood-guiltiness (Exo. 21:12-23). Law and command, when a conflict of laws, clashing one with another. Warn, admonish them to abstain from wrong, and avoid Gods vengeance on the nation. 2Ch. 19:11. A chief, high priest, president of court in religious concerns. Zeb., in civil or criminal affairs. Levites, superintending managers, assistants, and servants about court. The good, God with upright judges (cf. 2Ch. 5:6; 2Ch. 15:2-6). Deal, take courage and act.
HOMILETICS
THE STERN REBUKE.2Ch. 19:1-3
Alliance between two kingdoms against a common enemy, substitution of friendship for hatred and distrust, wise steps to worldly politicians. But one thing against it. Ahab, an idolator, had introduced a new religion of most degraded type. Jehosh. did not reject this alliance. As Hanani rebuked Asa for league with Ben. (ch. 2Ch. 16:7), so his son instructed to rebuke Jehosh. for league with wicked Ahab. Military success from Jehovah; unlawful alliance, if persisted in, will forfeit this blessing.
I. In a timely season. J. went out to meet him, at earliest possible moment, when king had been preserved, and returning in peace. Hence in fit mind to listen. Rebuke should be timely, in due season, then it comes down upon the heart like rain upon the new-mown grass.
II. In faithful words. Jehu direct and faithful. Thou hast helped the ungodly, and loved them that hate the Lord. No toning down, nor mincing matters. Mans reproofs sometimes undeserved, implying guilt which exists not. Divine reproofs truthful, needful, and attested by conscience. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
III. In mitigating circumstances. Nevertheless, there are good things found in thee (2Ch. 19:3). God displeased, but overlooks not good things,; in wrath remembers mercy; withholds judgments, and waits to see how Jehosh. will act in future. In the Church at Ephesus all that God can find to approve put foremost, and only afterwards notes shortcomings (Rev. 2:2-4). Then (2Ch. 19:6) returns to praise and console. We should have more pleasure in commending than in fault-finding.
I. The friendship of wicked men one of the most dangerous temptations to which Christians are subjected. Modern life in cities illustrates this with special force.
1. The wealth of the world is largely in the hands of men who are not friends of Christ.
2. In many communities intelligence and culture are possessed mainly by the irreligious.
3. Interests of business sometimes create similar peril.
4. In a higher circle of life professional success often tempts young men of aspiring mind to seek to ally themselves with those who love not God. II. Of this trial of Christian principle, it may be said that the Christian religion requires no narrow or ascetic seclusion from the world. The thing which Christian principle forbids is seeking worldly friendships and alliances for selfish ends and to the peril of religious usefulness and religious character. III. The irreligious friendships of religious men violate the ruling spirit of the Scriptures. It is a policy of life which starts wrong; therefore threatens catastrophe in the end. IV. Entangling alliances with the world often involve immense sacrifice of Christian usefulness. V. Christian alliances with the wicked do not command the respect of the very men for whose favour they are formed. VI. Loving those that hate God inflicts a wound of great severity on the feelings of Jesus Christ. It is from Calvary that the voice comes to each in our solitude, Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord? [A. Phelps, O.T. a Living Bk.].
THE REFORMING TOUR.2Ch. 19:4-7
While Jehosh. sought to maintain alliance, he was careful to show that he had no sympathy with idolatry, and determined to keep his people from it. Hence a second tour to reform what had gone wrong and complete what was wanting.
I. The noble design of the tour. Not to strengthen defences, revive trade, or relieve distress.
1. To administer justice. He set judges in the land, in centres convenient and accessible.
2. To bring the people back to God. Many perhaps revolted to idolatry when they saw the king familiar with idolators. Hence to counteract our bad influence and restore the fallen.
II. The vast extent of the tour. Personal inspection through the whole kingdom from the extreme south to extreme north, from Beer-sheba to Mount Ephraim. No place should be overlooked, no enemy spared in religious reforms.
III. The beneficent results of the tour. Personal and thorough, results encouraging.
1. Local courts established. Existed before; Jehosh. the first king to modify them according to requirements of kingdom. Fixed in fortified cities the provincial capitals of the districts (cf. Deu. 16:18-20).
2. Judicial administration purified. Special instruction to judges, high and lofty motives put before them. Soldiers must not abuse their power by violence and wrong; magistrates must not degrade their character by injustice and partiality. All duties to be performed to God, not to man (2Ch. 19:6).
THE SUPREME TRIBUNAL.2Ch. 19:8-11
This institution or Metropolitan Court founded on Exo. 18:19-26; Deu. 7:8-13. Notice
I. Its representative character. Three classesLevites, priests, and chief of fathers; persons learned in law, eminent for wisdom, and of mature age and experience. Peers of the realm.
II. Its presiding officers. Amariah, high priest over religious causes. In all matters of the Lord. Zebadiah supreme in civil court. To assist both, the Levites were a kind of counsellors.
III. Its executive powers. Appeal made from inferior courts to this. Pleas for the crown and for religious observances in one division. In other division common pleas. Controversies between party and party; differences of blood, manslaughter or accidental murders, or consanguinity, settlement of inheritance and family claims. Civil affairs between law and commandments. Conflicts between moral rites and precepts of law, &c. Without good and wholesome laws no nation can be prosperous, and vain are the best laws if they be not judiciously and conscientiously administered. The things of God and the things of the king should never be confounded in the administration of justice. Amariah the priest, and Zebadiah the ruler, should ever have their distinct places of jurisdiction [A. Clarke].
A TONIC PROMISE.2Ch. 19:11
Explain what is meant by good. The melancholy fact that all men are not good. The promise of the text justifies three inquiries:
(1) Why should the good be fearful? They that be with us, &c.
(2) How can bad designs finally prevail?
(3) How are men to know that God is surely with them? The answer involves character. It is not the Lord shall be with the great, the rich, the old, &c., but with the good. God identifies himself with all that is good in thought as well as in act; in purpose as well as in service. This is the security of the world. Even when the godly man ceaseth, God will maintain the cause that is good.
This promise, like all the promises of God, is designated not as a sedative, but a stimulant. Deal courageously! See how the text might have read: The Lord shall be with the good, therefore sit still; the Lord shall be with the good, therefore let wickedness have all its own way in the world; the Lord shall be with the good, therefore pay no attention to self-discipline. The text reads contrariwise. The Lord shall be with the good, therefore deal courageously. Goodness is not to be merely passive, it is to be active, aggressive, defiant of all evil, sublime in patience [Dr. Parker, City Temple].
HOMILETIC HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
2Ch. 19:1-3. Jehoshaphats connection with Ahab. I. What is that intimacy with the ungodly which God forbids?
1. An alliance with them.
2. A conformity with them.
3. An unnecessary association with them. II. Why is it so displeasing to God?
1. On account of the state of mind it implies.
2. On account of its pernicious tendency.
3. On account of its opposition to his revealed will [Dr. Chapin].
2Ch. 19:7. Gods Justice.
1. God just and righteous in himself. On justice all his proceedings are based and regulated. He is the Just One, Most just, Just and right is he (cf. Deu. 10:17; Deu. 16:19; Deu. 32:4).
2. Just and righteous in the gift of just laws to mankind. Laws adapted to their natures, powers, and condition. The moral code so right and benevolent as to require no proof. Supreme love to God and true regard to our neighbour.
3. Just and righteous in the administration of these lawsstrictly and impartially here. No favouritism, conniving at guilt, or overlooking sin. In Christ justice and holiness displayed, and God the justifier of him that believeth. At last no iniquity nor respect in the bestowment of rewards and punishments.
2Ch. 19:6-7. Address to Judges 1. In office they represent God, act worthy of God, represent not his law, express not his will as crooked and corrupt. Ye judge not for man, but for the Lord.
2. In spirit the must fear God. Fear to offend One who sees and knows all.
3. In decisions be impartial and just. Give sentence deliberately in conformity with truth. Judges, ministers, all in high position should be remarkable for integrity, and free from bribery and corruption.
Be just and fear not.
Let all the ends thou aimst at be thy countrys,
Thy Gods, and truths [Shakes.].
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
5. THE REIGN OF JEHOSHAPHAT (1721:3)
TEXT
2Ch. 17:1. And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel. 2. And he placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken. 3. And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the Baalim, 4. but sought to the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. 5. Therefore Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat tribute; and he had riches and honor in abundance. 6. And his heart was lifted up in the ways of Jehovah: and furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
7. Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even Ben-hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8. and with them the Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. 9. And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Jehovah with them; and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.
10. And the fear of Jehovah fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11. And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for tribute; the Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he-goats. 12. And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and cities of store. 13. And he had many works in the cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14. And this was the numbering of them according to their fathers houses: Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him mighty men of valor three hundred thousand; 15. and next to him Jehohanan the captian, and with him two hundred and fourscore thousand; 16. and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto Jehovah; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor. 17. And of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; 18. and next to him Jehozabad, and with him a hundred and fourscore thousand ready prepared for war. 19. These were they that waited on the king, besides those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
2Ch. 18:1. Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he joined affinity with Ahab. 2. And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and moved him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead. 3. And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah. Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.
4, And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray thee, for the word of Jehovah. 5. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the hand of the king. 6. But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, that we may inquire of him? 7. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah: but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good concerning me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. 8. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla. 9. Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron and said, Thus saith Jehovah, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed. 11. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king.
12. And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth: let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. 13. And Micaiah said, As Jehovah liveth, what my God saith, that will I speak. 14. And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper; and they shall be delivered into your hand. 15. And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah; 16. And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and Jehovah said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace. 17. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? 18. And Micaiah said, Therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19. And Jehovah said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner. 20. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before Jehovah, and said, I will entice him. And Jehovah said unto him. Wherewith? 21. And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also: go forth, and do so. 22. Now therefore, behold, Jehovah hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets; and Jehovah hath spoken evil concerning thee.
23. Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of Jehovah from me to speak unto thee? 24. And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. 25. And the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the kings son; 26. and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace. 27. And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, ye peoples, all of you.
28. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went into the battle. 30. Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel. 31. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they turned about to fight against him: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Jehovah helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. 32. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 33. And a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the armor: wherefore he said to the driver of the chariot, Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore wounded. 34. And the battle increased that day? howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even; and about the time of the going down of the sun he died.
2Ch. 19:1. And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. 2. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate Jehovah? for this thing wrath is upon thee from before Jehovah. 3. Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and hast set thy heart to seek God.
4. And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to the hill-country of Ephraim, and brought them back unto Jehovah, the God of their fathers. 5. And he set judges in the land throughtout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, 6. and said to the judges, Consider what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for Jehovah; and he is with you in the judgment. 7. Now therefore let the fear of Jehovah be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with Jehovah our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes.
8. Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites and the priests, and of the heads of the fathers houses of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah, and for controversies. And they returned to Jerusalem. 9. And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of Jehovah, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. 10. And whensoever any controversy shall come to you from your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, ye shall warn them, that they be not guilty towards Jehovah, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not be guilty. 11. And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Jehovah; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the kings matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and Jehovah be with the good.
2Ch. 20:1. And it came to pass after this, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Syria; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (the same is En-gedi). 3. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto Jehovah; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4. And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek help of Jehovah: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.
5. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new court; 6. and he said, O Jehovah, the God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and in thy hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee. 7. Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? 8. And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 9. If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee (for thy name is in this house), and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save. 10. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir. whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not; 11. behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 12. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 13. And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14. Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of Jehovah in the midst of the assembly; 15. and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king of Jehoshaphat: Thus saith Jehovah unto you, Fear not ye, neither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but Gods. 16. To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, nor be dismayed: to-morrow go out against them; for Jehovah is with you. 18. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, worshipping Jehovah. 19. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah, the God of Israel, with an exceeding loud voice.
20. And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in Jehovah your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21. And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them that should sing unto Jehovah, and give praise in holy array, as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto Jehovah; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever. 22. And when they began to sing and to praise, Jehovah set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, that were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 23. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
24. And when Judah came to the watch-tower of the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none that escaped. 25. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26. And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berach; for there they blessed Jehovah: therefore the name of that place was called The valley of Berach unto this day. 27. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them to rejoice over their enemies. 28. And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of Jehovah. 29. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Jehovah fought against the enemies of Israel. 30. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet; for his God gave him rest round about.
31. And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem: and his mothers name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32. And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah. 33. Howbeit the high places were not taken away; neither as yet had the people set their hearts unto the God of their fathers. 34. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in the book of the kings of Israel.
35. And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel; the same did very wickedly: 36. and he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
2Ch. 21:1. And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. 2. And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3. And their father gave them great gifts, of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the first-born.
PARAPHRASE
2Ch. 17:1. Then his son Jehoshaphat became the king and mobilized for war against Israel. 2. He placed garrisons in all of the fortified cities of Judah, in various other places throughout the country, and in the cities of Ephraim that his father had conquered. 3. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in the good footsteps of his fathers early years, and did not worship idols. 4. He obeyed the commandments of his fathers Godquite unlike the people across the border in the land of Israel. 5. So the Lord strengthened his position as king of Judah. All the people of Judah cooperated by paying their taxes, so he became very wealthy as well as being very popular. 6. He boldly followed the paths of Godeven knocking down the heathen altars on the hills, and destroying the Asherim idols.
7, 8, 9. In the third year of his reign he began a nationwide religious education program. He sent out top government officials as teachers in all the cities of Judah. These men included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. He also used the Levites for this purpose, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; also the priest Elishama and Jehoram. They took copies of The Book of the Law of the Lord to all the cities of Judah, to teach the Scriptures to the people.
10. The fear of the Lord fell upon all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them declared war on King Jehoshaphat. 11. Even some of the Philistines brought him presents and annual tribute, and the Arabs donated 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. 12. So Jehoshaphat became very strong, and built fortresses and supply cities throughout Judah. 13. His public works program was also extensive, and he had a huge army stationed at Jerusalem, his capital. 14, 15. Three hundred thousand Judean troops were there under General Adnah. Next in command was Jeho-hanan with an army of 280,000 men. 16. Next was Amasiah (son of Zichri), a man of unusual piety, with 200,000 troops. 17. Benjamin supplied 200,000 men equipped with bows and shields under the command of Eliada, a great general. 18. His second in command was Jehozabad, with 180,000 trained men. 19. These were the troops in Jerusalem in addition to those placed by the king in the fortified cities throughout the nation.
2Ch. 18:1. But rich, popular King Jehoshaphat of Judah made a marriage alliance (for his son) with (the daughter of) King Ahab of Israel. 2. A few years later he went down to Samaria to visit King Ahab, and King Ahab gave a great party for him and his aides, butchering great numbers of sheep and oxen for the feast. Then he asked King Jehoshaphat to join forces with him against Ramoth-gilead.
3, 4, 5. Why, of course! King Jehoshaphat replied. Im with you all the way. My troops are at your command! However, lets check with the Lord first. So King Ahab summoned 400 of his heathen prophets and asked them, Shall we go to war with Ramoth-gilead or not? And they replied, Go ahead, for God will give you a great victory! 6, 7. But Jehoshaphat wasnt satisfied. Isnt there some prophet of the Lord around here too? he asked. Id like to ask him the same question. Well, Ahab told him, there is one, but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything but evil! His name is Micaiah (son of Imlah). Oh, come now, dont talk like that! Jehoshaphat exclaimed. Lets hear what he has to say. 8. So the king of Israel called one of his aides. Quick! Go and get Micaiah (son of Imlah), he ordered. 9. The two kings were sitting on thrones in full regalia at an open place near the Samaria gate, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10. One of them, Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah), made some iron horns for the occasion and proclaimed, The Lord says you will gore the Syrians to death with these! 11. And all the others agreed. Yes, they chorused, go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the Lord will cause you to conquer.
12. The man who went to Micaiah told him what was happening, and what all the prophets were sayingthat the war would end in triumph for the king. I hope you will agree with them and give the king a favorable reading, the man ventured. 13. But Micaiah replied, I vow by God that whatever God says is what I will say. 14. When he arrived before the king, the king asked him, Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth-gilead or not? And Micaiah replied, Sure, go ahead! It will be a glorious victory! 15. Look here, the king said sharply, how many times must I tell you to speak nothing except what the Lord tells you to? 16. Then Micaiah told him, In my vision I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountain as sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, Their master has been killed. Send them home. 17. Didnt I tell you? the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. He does it every time. He never prophesies anything but evil against me. 18. Listen to what else the Lord has told me, Micaiah continued, I saw him upon his throne surrounded by vast throngs of angels. 19, 20. And the Lord said, Who can get King Ahab to go to battle against Ramoth-gilead and be killed there? There were many suggestions, but finally a spirit stepped forward before the Lord and said, I can do it! How? the Lord asked him. 21. He replied, I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all of the kings prophets! It will work, the Lord said; go and do it. 22. So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, when actually he has determined just the opposite of what they are telling you!
23. Then Zedekiah (son of Chenaanah) walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. You liar! he yelled. When did the Spirit of the Lord leave me and enter you? 24. Youll find out soon enough, Micaiah replied, when you are hiding in an inner room! 25. Arrest this man and take him back to Governor Amon and to my son Joash, the king of Israel ordered. 26. Tell them, The king says to put this fellow in prison and feed him with bread and water until I return safely from the battle! 27. Micaiah replied, If you return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me. Then, turning to those around them, he remarked, Take note of what I have said.
28. So the king of Israel and the king of Judah led their armies to Ramoth-gilead. 29. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Ill disguise myself so that no one will recognize me, but you put on your royal robes! So that is what they did. 30. Now the king of Syria had issued these instructions to his charioteers: Ignore everyone but the king of Israel! 31. So when the Syrian charioteers saw King Jehoshaphat of Judah in his royal robes, they went for him, supposing that he was the man they were after. But Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord to save him, and the Lord made the charioteers see their mistake and leave him. 32. For as soon as they realized he was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him. 33. But one of the Syrian soldiers shot an arrow haphazardly at the Israeli troops, and it struck the king of Israel at the opening where the lower armor and the breastplate meet. Get me out of here, he groaned to the driver of his chariot, for I am badly wounded. 34. The battle grew hotter and hotter all that day and King Ahab went back in, propped up in his chariot, to fight the Syrians, but just as the sun sank into the western skies, he died.
2Ch. 19:1. As King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home, uninjured. 2. the prophet Jehu (son of Hanani) went out to meet him. Should you be helping the wicked, and loving those who hate the Lord? he asked him. Because of what you have done, Gods wrath is upon you. 3. But there are some good things about you, in that you got rid of the shame-idols throughout the land, and you have tried to be faithful to God.
4. So Jehoshaphat made no more trips to Israel after that, but remained quietly at Jerusalem. Later he went out again among the people, traveling from Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim to encourage them to worship the God of their ancestors. 5. He appointed judges throughout the nation in all the larger cities, 6. and instructed them: Watch your stepI have not appointed youGod has; and he will stand beside you and help you give justice in each case that comes before you. 7. Be very much afraid to give any other decision than what God tells you to. For there must be no injustice among Gods judges, no partiality, no taking of bribes.
8. Jehoshaphat set up courts in Jerusalem, too, with the Levites and priests and clan leaders and Judges 9. These were his instructions to them: You are to act always in the fear of God, with honest hearts. 10. Whenever a case is referred to you by the judges out in the provinces, whether murder cases or other violations of the laws and ordinances of God, you are to clarify the evidence for them and help them to decide justly, lest the wrath of God come down upon you and them; if you do this, you will discharge your responsibility. 11. Then he appointed Amariah, the High Priest, to be the court of final appeal in cases involving violation of sacred affairs; and Zebadiah (son of Ishmael), a ruler in Judah, as the court of final appeal in all civil cases; with the Levites as their assistants. Be fearless in your stand for truth and honesty. And may God use you to defend the innocent, was his final word to them.
2Ch. 20:1. Later on, the armies of the kings of Moab, Ammon, and of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. 2. Word reached Jehoshaphat that a vast army is marching against you from beyond the Salt Sea, from Syria. It is already at Hazazon-tamar (also called Engedi). 3. Jehoshaphat was badly shaken by this news and determined to beg for help from the Lord; so he announced that all the people of Judah should go without food for a time, in penitence and intercession before God. 4. People from all across the nation came to Jerusalem to plead unitedly with him.
5. Jehoshaphat stood among them as they gathered at the new court of the Temple, and prayed this prayer: 6. O Lord God of our fathersthe only God in all the heavens, the Ruler of all the kingdoms of the earthyou are so powerful, so mighty. Who can stand against you? 7. O our God, didnt you drive out the heathen who lived in this land when your people arrived? And didnt you give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8. Your people settled here and built this Temple for you, 9. truly believing that in a time like thiswhenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, disease, or faminewe can stand here before this Temple and before youfor you are here in this Templeand cry out to you to save us; and that you will hear us and rescue us. 10. And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You wouldnt let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so we went around and didnt destroy them. 11. Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land which you have given us. 12. O our God, wont you stop them? We have no way to protect ourselves against this mighty army. We dont know what to do, but we are looking to you. 13. As the people from every part of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children,
14. the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing thereJahaziel (son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Je-iel, son of Mattaniah the Levite, who was one of the sons of Asaph). 15. Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat! he exclaimed. The Lord says, Dont be afraid! Dont be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but Gods! 16. Tomorrow, go down and attack them! You will find them coming up the slopes of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17. But you will not need to fight! Take your places; stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem! Dont be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you! 18. Then king Jehoshaphat fell to the ground with his face to the earth, and all the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 19. Then the Levites of the Kohath clan and the Korah clan stood to praise the Lord God of Israel with songs of praise that rang out strong and clear.
20. Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and called them to attention. Listen to me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem, he said. Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall have success! Believe his prophets, and everything will be all right! 21. After consultation with the leaders of the people, he determined that there should be a choir leading the march, clothed in sanctified garments and singing the song His Lovingkindness Is Forever as they walked along praising and thanking the Lord! 22. And at the moment they began to sing and to praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to begin fighting among themselves, and they destroyed each other! 23. For the Ammonites and Moabites turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. And when they had finished that job, they turned against each other!
24. So, when the army of Judah arrived at the watchtower that looks out over the wilderness, as far as they could look there were dead bodies lying on the groundnot a single one of the enemy had escaped. 25. King Jehoshaphat and his people went out to plunder the bodies and came away loaded with money, garments, and jewels stripped from the corpsesso much that it took them three days to cart it all away! 26. On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, as it is called today, and how they praised the Lord! 27. Then they returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, full of joy that the Lord had given them this marvelous rescue from their enemies. 28. They marched into Jerusalem accompanied by a band of harps, lyres, and trumpets and proceeded to the Temple. 29. And as had happened before, when the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God fell upon them. 30. So Jehoshaphats kingdom was quiet, for his God had given him rest.
31. A thumbnail sketch of King jehoshaphat: He became king of Judah when he was thirty-five years old, and reigned twenty-five years, in Jerusalem. His mothers name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 32. He was a good king, just as his father Asa was. He continually tried to follow the Lord, 33. with the exception that he did not destroy the idol shrines on the hills, nor had the people as yet really decided to follow the God of their ancestors. 34. The details of Jehoshaphats reign from first to last are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
35. But at the close of his life, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, went into partnership with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who was a very wicked man. 36. They made ships in Ezion-geber to sail to Tarshish. 37. Then Eliezer, son of Dodavahu from Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, telling him, Because you have allied yourself with King Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your work. So the ships met disaster and never arrived at Tarshish.
2Ch. 21:1. When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried in the cemetery of the kings in Jerusalem, and his son Jehoram became the new ruler of Judah. 2. His brothersother sons of Jehoshaphatwere Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. 3, 4. Their father had given each of them valuable gifts of money and jewels, also the ownership of some of the fortified cities of Judah. However, he gave the kingship to Jehoram because he was the oldest. But when Jehoram had become solidly established as king, he killed all of his brothers and many other leaders of Israel.
COMMENTARY
Asas son, Jehoshaphat, sat on the throne in Judah. Jehoshaphats name means Jehovah is judge. He was one of the best kings of the southern kingdom.[60] A continual condition of civil strife persisted between Judah and Israel. Jehoshaphat concerned himself with necessary fortifications to protect the territory of Judah. This involved strengthening several villages in Judah and in the territory on the border of Ephraim. Judahs king opposed every form of Baalism. In every matter pertaining to the kingdom he sought Jehovahs counsel. Jehovah was with him. The southern kingdom enjoyed a period of prosperity and Jehoshaphat was held in high honor as king. The lifting up of the heart sometimes meant boastful and foolish pride; however, Jehoshaphat boasted in Jehovah and gave his people strong spiritual leadership.
[60] Oehler, Grustave F., Theology of the Old Testament, p. 403
Jehoshaphat was deeply concerned that his people be trained in the word of God. He appointed princes, Levites, and priests to travel throughout the borders of Judah to teach the people out of the book of the law of Jehovah. He wanted all of his people to be involved in religious education. In this matter he approximated the ideal in Deu. 17:18-19 which stated that the king should rule by the law of God. This is the only mention in the Bible of these particular princes of the Levites. They filled an important place of service in the days of Jehoshaphat.
This course of action chosen by Judahs king brought great blessings upon the king and the people. Judah enjoyed an era of comparative peace. The Philistines brought tribute. Arab tribes in the environs of Judah brought great numbers of rams and goats. Store cities were built throughout the kingdom and much attention was given to improving social conditions. In addition to all of his peaceful pursuits, Jehoshaphat maintained a standing army of considerable proportions. Seven hundred eighty thousand warriors were numbered in Judah and three hundred eighty thousand warriors were numbered in Benjamin. They manned the fortified cities and helped the king in any assigned tasks. We do not know anything else about the captains or mighty men who are named in connection with Jehoshaphats army.
LESSON NINETEEN 1820
JEHOSHAPHAT AND AHAB WAR WITH MOAB AND AMMON
5. THE REIGN OF JEHOSHAPHATContinued (1721:3)
INTRODUCTION
Judahs alliance with Ahab of Israel displeased Jehovah. The prophets were mistreated. Jehoshaphat worked diligently to bring his people back to God. He activated the priestly high court. The Moabites and Ammonites were defeated in Jehoshaphats day.
TEXT
(Scripture text in Lesson Eighteen)
PARAPHRASE
(Scripture text in Lesson Eighteen)
COMMENTARY
Jehoshaphats relation with the northern kingdom was not entered into with a view to weakening the southern kingdom. The king of Judah probably wanted to share some of the prosperity of his kingdom with Ahab. Jehoshaphats reign extended over a period of twenty five years. His peaceful overtures toward the northern kingdom probably came during the first half of his reign. The affinity with Ahab was effected in the marriage of Jehoshaphats son, Jehoram, with Athaliah, daughter of Ahab. As there had been a Jezebel in Samaria, there would be an Athaliah in Jerusalem. There were state visits between the royal houses. On such an occasion Ahab made lavish provisions for Jehoshaphat. The Syrians had set a great army against Ramoth-gilead, a village thirty miles southeast of the southern tip of the Sea of Chinnereth. Ahab needed military assistance. Jehoshaphat agreed to bring Judahs army into this conflict. Certainly in these matters Judahs king failed to seek Jehovahs will.
Jehoshaphat knew that Ahab did not serve Jehovah. On the occasion when Judahs king agreed to go to battle against Syria with Ahabs army, Jehoshaphat suggested that they determine Jehovahs will in this matter. Ahab proceeded to ask counsel of the four hundred heathen prophets of Israel.[61] They advised him to go to war and assured him of victory through God (Elohim). Jeroboam had set up calf worship in convenient places in the northern kingdom at the beginning of his reign. His successors to the throne maintained these centers of worship. Ahab had married Jezebel, the Phoenician princess. She had brought Baalism out of her country into the northern kingdom. Ahab had completely committed himself to this heathen worship and had forsaken Jehovah. We marvel that these heathen prophets would presume to speak for Israels God. Jehoshaphat loved Jehovah. He was not satisfied with the word of Ahabs false prophets. Upon inquiring as to whether or not a prophet of Jehovah was available, the king of Judah was informed about a man named Micaiah. This true prophet had declared Jehovahs word to Ahab on previous occasion and had condemned Ahab for his heathenism. Ahab told Jehoshaphat that he hated Micaiah. The king of Judah urged Jehoshaphat to weigh his words. Micaiahs location wasnt exactly known. He may have been imprisoned at the time. While the officer was sent to bring Micaiah to the court, the two kings held court at the gate of Sainaria. Ahabs prophets continued their formal worship and stoutly maintained that Ahab should go to battle. One of the false prophets, Zedekiah, put on a mask fashioned like the head of a bull and equipped with iron horns. He moved among his fellow prophets and before Ahab and Jehoshaphat like an attacking animal. Zedekiah claimed that Jehovah had told him that Israel would be victorious. Whenever Zedekiah spoke, he was fully supported by the four hundred Baalists.
[61] Beecher, Willis, J., The Prophets and the Promise, p. 55
The officer who was sent to bring Micaiah tried to condition the prophet to say an agreeable word when he stood before the kings. Micaiah asserted his independency in relation to other prophets and his dependency upon God. He said, What my God saith, that will I speak. In the presence of the kings in a sarcastic manner Micaiah told Ahab to join the battle and anticipate victory. Ahabs own conscience convicted him in this matter. Micaiahs attitude and manner of expression revealed to Ahab that the prophet had a true message from Jehovah. Since Micaiah had bound himself by Jehovahs name to declare Gods will and since Ahab bound Micaiah under oath to reveal the truth, Micaiah said that Israel was a scattered flock without a shepherd. Ahabs army should be dismissed. In wrath Ahab interrupted Micaiah and contended that Micaiah ought not to have been called for advice. Micaiah described his vision of Jehovah. Ahab had hardened his heart. A lying spirit from Jehovah moved the false prophets to advise Ahab to go to battle.
Zedekiah humiliated Micaiah by striking him in the face and challenging him to identify the spirit that had prompted this insulting gesture. Zedekiah was informed that his own life would be in jeopardy at the hands of Israels enemies (most likely, the Syrians). Ahab consigned Micaiah to prison where he would be sustained only by bread and water. The kings order was that Micaiah should be imprisoned until he returned from the battle front in peace. He may have intended to kill the prophet at that time. Even though he was under this sentence, Micaiah insisted that Ahab would not return in peace. Ahab, himself, was under the sentence of death.
This would have been the proper time for Jehoshaphat to withdraw himself and his army from the northern kingdom. In spite of this demonstration of Jehovahs will, the two kings went to war with Syria at Ramoth-gilead. Ahab was so confident that he could win the battle that he had no hesitancy to join the ranks of the fighting men. He knew that as king of Israel, he would be a special prize to the enemy. So he disguised himself. Jehoshaphat was especially vulnerable because he wore robes identifying himself as a king. In the heat of the battle when the king of Judah was recognized by the enemy, he was miraculously spared. Somewhere on the battle-field a Syrian soldier shot an arrow toward the army of Israel.[62] He did not aim at any particular Hebrew soldier. Jehovah guided that Syrian arrow in its flight and it penetrated Ahabs armor striking a vital organ in the kings body. In mortal pain Ahab withdrew from the battle and died at the close of the day.
[62] Spence, H. D. M., The Pulpit Commentary, II Chronicles, p. 216
After these tragic experiences with Ahab, Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem. His alliance with wicked Ahab did not go unrebuked. A prophet named Jehu stood in Jehoshaphats presence and condemned him. Judahs king was also informed that Jehovah approved his efforts to rid his land of Baalism. With renewed determination Jehoshaphat visited all of his people from Beersheba in the south to Ephraim in the north encouraging them to worship Jehovah. He set up a system of judges and courts throughout his kingdom charging these officials to fear the Lord and not respect persons or accept bribes. He also re-established the high court at the Temple in Jerusalem in which the priests passed judgment on very serious matters which the lesser courts could not handle (Deu. 17:8-13). Amariah, the high priest, was in charge of the Temple court and all of the matters of business that were associated with Gods House. Jehoshaphats alliance with Ahab had not completely turned him from Jehovah.
Later in Jehoshaphats reign the Moabites, Ammonites, and some Edomites (Meunim) rebelled against the southern kingdom. Reports were brought to Judahs king to the effect that a great army was moving around the southern end of the Dead Sea and organizing for attack at Hazazon-tamar or Engedi on the west coast of the Dead Sea. In this crisis once more Jehoshaphat turned to Jehovah. He asked all of his people to fast and to pray for Gods help. The people were called to Jerusalem. There in the court of the priests the king plead with Jehovah for mercy and deliverance. The content of Jehoshaphats prayer is worth careful study. Jehovah is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is ruler over all kingdoms. He gave Palestine to Abrahams seed. The Temple is in Jerusalem. As Solomon had said in his prayer (1 Kings 8), if the Hebrews would pray toward this house, Jehovah would hear. Jehoshaphat reminded God that Israel had been prohibited from attacking Moab and Ammon when Moses brought Israel through that territory. Now, these very people who were spared rise up to attack Jehovahs people. Jehoshaphat said that he and his people were not able to defend themselves, so they cast themselves completely upon Gods mercyour eyes are upon Thee.
When the king had prayed, Jahaziel, a Levite, was filled with the Spirit of Jehovah. He declared the word that the people longed to hear. Dont be afraid of the enemy. The battle is not your concern; it is Gods. The army of Jehoshaphat was to be drawn up against Moab, Ammon, and Edom. The place called Ziz is difficult to locate, but it is believed to have been in the vicinity of Engedi. The Hebrews were told that they would not have to fight. They were to come to the battle-field, stand still, and wait for Jehovah to act. Jehoshaphat and his people received the news gladly and they worshipped God.
The next morning the king of Judah moved his army toward Tekoa, southeast of Bethlehem about six miles. As the army moved, the king encouraged his people. Believe in Jehovah. Believe His prophets. The soldiers sang as they marched, Give thanks unto Jehovah (Psa. 106:1; Psa. 136:1). The ancient strategy of ambush was used. Jehovah was in complete control. The result of the ambush was that the Ammonites and Moabites supposed that the Edomites had turned upon them. So the enemies of Israel fought among themselves. The complete overthrow of the enemy is described in 2Ch. 20:24-30. Somewhere beyond Tekoa in the vicinity of the Dead Sea the battlefield was covered with the corpses of the fallen enemy soldiers. Jehoshaphats warriors stripped the dead and carried off much booty. They called the place Beracah, which means blessing. Jehoshaphats people returned to Jerusalem praising Jehovah for this miraculous deliverance.
The total picture of Jehoshaphats reign leaves a good impression. His reign extended through twenty five years. The leadership provided by this king is compared with that of his father, Asa. In the days of the Judges every man did that which was right in his own eyes (Jdg. 21:25). Judahs king did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah (2Ch. 20:32). The reforms of Jehoshaphat were not complete, probably because idolatry had been rooted so deeply in the southern kingdom. In spite of the kings devotion to Jehovah, it was difficult to secure the same commitment on the part of his people. The prophet Jehu (1Ki. 16:1) was used by Jehovah as a writer of history. An account of Jehoshaphats reign was written by Jehu and incorporated in a larger book.
Sometime after Jehoshaphat had been humiliated in his alliance with Ahab he covenanted with Ahaziah, son of Ahab and king of Israel. This venture involved building and equipping ships like those used on the Mediterranean by the Phoenicians for the Tarshish trade. Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah intended to use Ezion-geber at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba for their home port. They would send the vessels to Ophir which was far to the South and from there extend their trade to the East. The project was disastrous because Jehovah sent a prophet named Eliezer to condemn Jehoshaphat for his renewed alliance with Israel. The ships were ruined by a terrible storm before they ever left the home port.
LESSON TWENTY 2123
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JEHORAM
THE REIGN OF AHAZIAH.
ATALIAHS DEATH. THE CORONATION OF JOASH.
5. THE REIGN OF JEHOSHAPHAT-Continued (17:121:3)
INTRODUCTION
Jehorams marriage to Athaliah brought serious trouble to Judah. Ahaziahs death at the hands of Jehu led Athaliah to murder all possible candidates for Judahs throne. Joashs rescue and Athaliahs death proved that Jehovah still directed affairs in Judah.
TEXT
(Scripture text in Lesson Eighteen)
PARAPHRASE
(Scripture text in Lesson Eighteen)
COMMENTARY
A brief summary note on Jehoshaphats life is added in chapter 2Ch. 21:1-3. Upon his death he was accorded a very honorable burial in the royal cemetery in Jerusalem. The sons of Jehoshaphat were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. Two of these sons were called by the same name, Azariah. The Hebrew names show a slight variation. One son is called Azarihu. In addition to these six sons, Jehoram is named as successor to his fathers position. Jehoram is identified as the first-born son. These princes received splendid gifts from their father and held positions of authority in the kingdom.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(1) Jehoshaphat . . . returned to his house in peace.A contrast with the fate of Ahab is suggested. (Comp. 2Ch. 18:27; 2Ch. 18:34; and ibid. 16.)
In peace.In wholeness, soundness, i.e., unhurt.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
JEHOSHAPHAT REBUKED BY JEHU, 2Ch 19:1-3.
1. Jehoshaphat returned to his house in peace That is, safe, personally uninjured in the battle in which Ahab lost his life.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jehoshaphat Reproved by the Seer Jehu
v. 1. And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, v. 2. And Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him, v. 3. Nevertheless, there are good things found in thee, v. 4. And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again through the people from Beersheba,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
The matter of this chapter is preserved for us by the writer of Chronicles alone, and is of much significance. After glancing at the moment’s outward “peace” (2Ch 19:1), which Jehoshaphat had on his return to Jerusalem, the narrative, leaving in deep oblivion all he must have thought and felt and may have spoken of the end of his brother-king, and of his own late private intimacy and public alliance with him, tells how he was reined up by Jehu, the son of Hanani the seer (2Ch 19:2, 2Ch 19:3); and thereupon how he wisely revisited his kingdom, as it were through its length and breadth, sought to “bring them back to the Lord God of their fathers,” remodelling and reviling the various offices of the judges, priests, and Levites (2Ch 19:4-11), and earnestly exhorted them.
2Ch 19:1
In peace. Compare the use of the phrase in verses 16 and 26, 27 of last chapter. The only peace in which it could be reasonably supposed Jehoshaphat returned to his house and the metropolis was that of freedom from war, and of present “assurance of his life.”
2Ch 19:2
And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. For Hanani, the faithful father of a faithful son, see 2Ch 16:7-10, where we read that he “came to Asa King of Judah,” etc. Also for Jehu, see 1Ki 16:1-4, where we read of his commission at the word of the Lord to rebuke Baasha the King of Israel, at a date upwards of thirty years before the present; and see 2Ch 20:34, which would lead us to infer, though not with certainty, that he outlived Jehoshaphat. The book called by his name, however, was not necessarily finished by him. It is evident that neither the word of the Lord nor the messengers and prophets of the Lord were bound by the orthodox limits of the divided kingdom. The powerful character and the moral force of the true prophet is again seen in the way in which he was wont to go out to meet the evil-doer, though he were a king. We are accustomed to set the whole of this down to the account of the special inspiration of the prophet of old; yet that was but typical of the intrinsic force that truth faithfully spoken should wield in its own right in later times. Religion is established in the nation and people that know and do this, by the accredited teachers of it, vie. the plain rebuke of the wrong. Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord? Strong suspicion must attend upon Jehoshaphat, that he had been not a little misled by answering to some personal fascination in Ahab. The prophet’s rebuke is not that Jehoshaphat helped both Israel and therein Judah also against a common foe, but that he helped the ungodly, etc. Therefore wrath upon thee, etc. The significance of this sentence was probably not merely retrospective, glancing at the fact that Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem minus the victory for which he had bid, but was probably an intimation of troubles that should ripen, were already ripening for Jehoshaphat, in the coming invasion of his own kingdom (2Ch 20:1-3).
2Ch 19:3
Nevertheless; Hebrew, one of the few particles that were affirmative in the earlier Hebrew (Gen 42:21), but adversative in the later (2Ch 1:4; Dan 10:7, Dan 10:21). It may be well rendered, “on the other hand.” The expression here recalls the less favourable “notwithstanding” of Rev 2:20. There are good things found in thee (see 2Ch 17:1-9).
2Ch 19:4
From Beershsba to Mount Ephraim. The length of the good land is not to be quoted, as of old, the undivided “Dan to Beersheba,” but Beersheba to Mount Ephraim (2Ch 13:16-19). Jehoshaphat makes another conscientious and vigorous endeavour to reform his own kingdom, to keep it steadfast in the worship of God, and free from idolatry. It is to be noticed that he does not turn away his ear from the rebuke which had been given him, but turns his heart to it. As it does not appear that he broke with Israel and Israel’s kings (2Ch 20:35, 2Ch 20:37; 2Ki 3:7, 2Ki 3:14, 2Ki 3:24), it is possible, especially in view of verse 37 in our 2Ch 20:1-37; that the severity of the Divine rebuke was understood to apply to the occasions which found Jehoshaphat in alliance with a king notably bad, and for some supposed chance of advantage to himself. This last element of consideration will difference sufficiently the two cases just cited, to wit, the case in which Jehoshaphat joined himself with Azariah, and is sternly “prophesied against,” and that in which he helped Jehoram, and through Elisha’s intervention gained him the day.
2Ch 19:5
Judges fenced cities. Jehoshaphat proceeds from direct religious reforms to that which is of importance only second in the life of a nationreform in the matter of civil administration of justice. The skeleton here given of what should be the character of a judge, and why, harmonizes well with the uniform stress laid in Scripture upon “justice and judgment.” It is hard indeed to see, rather impossible, upon what foundation a sure structure of civil growth and stability can be laid, except on that of positive religion. Note the positions and the succinct arguments of verses 6, 7; and how unequivocally they are based upon faith in a personal God, and upon his revealed character. It can scarcely be that this was the first time of judges being set in the cities of Judah but possibly the meaning intended to be conveyed with emphasis is, that now, looking well round his kingdom, he took care that all the cities should be properly provided with the necessary judges, while of late some had been, and some had not, and some, though they had been officered with judges, had found them not what judges ought to be. The immense majority of the “six thousand” Levite “officers and judges” of David’s regulation (1Ch 23:4; 36:29) had, with their superiors, kings and prophets, gone astray. With our present passage may be compared Deu 16:18-20, where the original enactment of judges and officers is narrated. Fenced cities. Hebrew for “fenced,” ; kal passive part. plur. The word occurs twenty-six times from the Book of Numbers to the Book of the Prophet Zechariah, and is rendered in the Authorized Version “fenced” or “defenced” twenty-two times, “walled” twice, “strong” once, and “mighty” once. The “gates” of the original institution in Deuteronomy are now (probably still the gates of) fenced cities.
2Ch 19:6, 2Ch 19:7
The statement of the Divine principles laid down in these verses for the foundations of the “kingdom of heaven” on earth, and the doing of God’s “will on earth, even as it is in heaven,” stretch from Moses and Job (Le Job 19:15; Deu 1:17; Deu 10:17; Deu 16:19; Job 34:19) to SS. Paul and Peter (Act 10:34; Rom 2:11; 1Pe 1:17).
2Ch 19:8
This and the following three verses close the immediate subject by stating with some emphasis the reform in the metropolis itself, of the “supreme tribunal,” as it has been called (Exo 18:19, Exo 18:20, Exo 18:26; Deu 17:9, Deu 17:10, Deu 17:12), composed of Levites, priests, and chief of the fathers of Israel; i.e. probably heads of the whole family that went by the same name. Of course every father was head of his own family, but only one (such as in modern times by primogeniture the eldest son) the representative head of the entire family, and under this expression is no doubt naturally set forth only those families that were of some relative consideration or distinction. For the judgment of the Lord, and for controversies. Considering the plainer distinction in the language of vex. 11, there can be no doubt that the words, “for the judgment of the Lord,” do not intend simply to describe godly judgment, but point to dues payable to the Lord in some religious aspect: “Render to Caesar and to God the things that are God’s”; while the words, “and for controversies,” point to the mutual strifes of the people. When they returned; Hebrew, “and they returned.” It has been proposed to remove this clause so as to begin the next verse with it (and so the Revised Version shows as a clause by itself, “And they returned to Jerusalem”), and, to make this fit the better, the word did in the first line of the verse is changed into “had.” It is, however, possible to render the clause, “And they dwelt in Jerusalem,’ which would make a far mere coherent sense, and would mark the permanence and stationariness of this chief court.
2Ch 19:10
Come of your brethren in their cities. These words confirm our foregoing note, and point to the appeal character of the Jerusalem court. Note also the clear connection of the verse with Deu 17:8, Deu 17:10, Deu 17:11; Exo 21:12-27. Law commandment, statutes judgments. It might sometimes need to be shown how the particular commandment flowed from main and essential law; and the written statute is easily distinguishable from those judgments, which were more like “judge-made” law. Ye shall not trespass; Revised Version, more correctly, ye shall not be guilty.
2Ch 19:11
Amariah. Probably the Amariah of 1Ch 7:11. To the priest plainly the sacred causes are entrusted. Zebadiah is not known elsewhere. Officers (see Exo 5:10). The Lord shall be with the good (see 2Ch 15:3, 2Ch 15:4).
HOMILETICS
2Ch 19:1-11
The third chapter in Jehoshaphat’s career.
In this chapter, regarded for the time in the light of a third chapter in the biography of Jehoshaphat, we are enabled to gauge, not altogether unsatisfactorily, his character as respects the measure of right and wrong in it, and of good and evil in himself. And we are reminded that
I. THERE IS SUCH A THING, MOST UNDENIABLY, AS THE PEACE OF PRESENT SAFETY, WITHOUT THAT WHICH FLOWS FROM CONSISTENT RECTITUDE, UNFALTERING INTEGRITY, THE INNER APPROVAL OF CONSCIENCE, AND THE CONVICTION OF GOD‘S OWN APPROVAL.
II. THERE WAS ONE REDEEMING FEATURE IN THE CONDUCT OF ,JEHOSHAPHAT, A SLENDER TRIBUTARY THAT MAY COUNT FOR SOMETHING IN THE WHOLE SCENE, VIZ. THE ABSENCE OF ALL PRETENCE OF SELF–DEFENCE, OF EXCUSE, OF EXTENUATION OF WHAT WAS WRONG, AND EVEN OF REPLY. We do not hear of penitence, of confession, or of repentance in so many words, but this last we certainly do argue from the fresh devotion of Jehoshaphat to the right, and to the religious teaching of his people; and the former two we may in/or in turn from this.
III. THERE IS THE SURELY STILL CONTINUING STREAM, FLOWING CALM, FULL, DEEP, OF THAT “MERCY WITH GOD” WHICH SUSTAINS AND FEEDS “THE FEAR” OF HIM IN PLACE OF DESTROYING IT. There are, perhaps, few greater or more striking contrasts between Divine and human methods than that herein to be noted. If hope is wrecked, practically all in any man’s life and character is too certainly wrecked also. The threats, denunciations, immediate and peremptory proceedings of men towards offending fellow-men, even in the clearest cases of wrong possible, work too often either callousness or recklessness. But God’s forbearing methods, his pitying compassion, his patient long-suffering, and sweet disposition of “mercy enduring for ever,” preserve and just save the Continuity of (what is sometimes a very brittle thread) human hope. How much of human life, of reason itself, and of encouragement to moral reformation, depends on this one feature of the Divine administration, this one grand attribute of God!
IV. THERE IS A STEADY, CONSISTENT PRESERVING OF THE PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE AND OF MORAL GOVERNMENT ON THE PART OF GOD. The guilty is not treated as the innocent”therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord” (2Ch 19:2)or as though innocent. Sometimes there is one solution of the crucial difficulty involved in this, sometimes another. Sometimes the penalty, whatever it may be, is paid, suffering endured, and punishment gone through; sometimes the “way of escape is found, and under the pressingness of the case is distinctly provided for the guilty, but under safeguards which both indicate and sufficiently guarantee the moral aspects necessary.
V. GRIEVOUS FAULTS AND SINS OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD ARE INDEED GRIEVOUS BLOTS ON THEIR ESCUTCHEON; BUT SO FAR FROM SHUTTING UP THEIR WORK FOR GOD, AND SHUTTING OUT HOPE FROM THEMSELVES, THEY MAY BE MADE, BY WARNING AND REPENTANCE, THE VERY DATE OF A NEW DEPARTURE OF REDOUBLED DEVOTION. It was manifestly so with Jehoshaphat (2Ch 19:4-11). Except on some such suggestion as is offered above, we must remain in much uncertainty as to why there is no word recorded of the working of the inner thoughts of Jehoshaphat, either as he went wrong, or as he was restored to the ways of righteousness. Very different measure is given us in the disclosures of Scripture in other instances, such as that of David and a host besides. But instead of most painful uncertainty (as in the history, for instance, of Solomon and many another man) as to the facts succeeding a fall, the case of Jehoshaphat is not less clear than that of St. Peter, though in matter so different. Jehoshaphat’s tears, self-upbraidings, confession, and vows are not told. It would have been interesting to know them, and our curiosity is no doubt stimulated by the taciturnity and remarkable reticence of the historian respecting them. But what is most to the point is communicated in Scripture’s own best way. The king left off to do evil; did not repeat it; learned to do well “again” (2Ch 19:4) himself; with redoubled energy urged the same on the people (2Ch 19:6, 2Ch 19:7, 2Ch 19:9, 2Ch 19:11); and kept a good record, as may be seen in the next and last chapter of his life, to that life’s end.
HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON
2Ch 19:2
Friendship with man and faithfulness to God.
The Apostle John fleeing from the baths because he saw the enemy of Christ entering, is a familiar picture. But how far are we to carry such unwillingness to be associated with the ungodly or the unbelieving? Jehoshaphat is here strongly rebuked for his intimacy with Ahab and the help he had been giving that wicked monarch. Let us consider
I. HOW FAR OUR FREEDOM EXTENDS. It surely extends to:
1. The interchange of common courtesies. “Be courteous” is a maxim that will apply to every one. “Civility brings no conclusions,” and may be shown to all people, without implying any sanction of their heresies or immoralities.
2. Fidelity in service and equity in negotiation. It was once thought right to take advantage of a man if he were a Jew or an infidel. But unrighteousness can never be anything but hateful to God and injurious to man, and justice and fair-dealing can never be otherwise than commendable. Moreover, the Christian servant or slave was urged by the apostle to show a right spirit “not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward” (1Pe 2:18).
3. Succour to those who are in need. Pity for those who are in distress, and the helping hand stretched out to those that are “ready to perish,” can never be contrary to the mind and the will of Jesus Christ.
4. Alliance for the promotion of a good common end. Here it may be objected that this would justify Jehoshaphat in his “offensive alliance” with Ahab, as they were seeking the lawful common object of crippling Syria. But it must be remembered that by helping to sustain the kingdom of Israel Jehoshaphat was perpetuating the division between the twelve tribes, the dismemberment of the country; and he was sustaining a power which was recreant to its high mission, and was positively and seriously hostile to sacred truth, to the kingdom of God. We may lawfully associate with ungodly men as fellow-citizens who are united in such rightful objects as saving life, as promoting health, as providing food, as extending trade and commerce. In so doing we are not in any way compromising principle or sustaining wrong; we are not “helping the ungodly” or “loving them that hate the Lord.”
II. WHERE THE LINE OF PROHIBITION IS DRAWN. We have clearly no right to ally ourselves with sinful men when by so doing:
1. We advance the cause of unrighteousness or ungodliness. Better sacrifice anything we have at heart, better leave our personal preferences or our temporal interests entirely disregarded, than do that which will give an impetus to the cause of infidelity or immorality. In such a case we should certainly draw down God’s displeasure; we need no prophet to say to us, “Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.”
2. When we show ourselves indifferent to the honour of our Divine Saviour. Jehoshaphat’s ostentatious companionship with such an enemy of God as Ahab amounted to a tacit intimation that he could, when he wished to do so, be forgetful whose servant he was; he laid by that consideration to serve his momentary purpose. There may be some one who is a very pronounced enemy of Jesus Christ who seeks our friendship. To be very intimate with him is to put a slight upon our attachment to our Lord; it is to put him in the second place. Then fidelity to Christ will keep us at home; will lead us to seek other intimacies, to find our friendships with those who do not “hate the Lord.”
3. When we expose our own character to serious risk. For one who is of a weaker mind and will to be associated intimately and for any length of time with an enemy of the Lord, can have but one result. It must issue in spiritual degeneracy; it may, indeed, end in spiritual ruin. Let those who contemplate the formation of a lifelong friendship beware how they trust their souls to any one who can be called “ungodly,” how they “love them that hate the Lord.” A sensitive, yielding spirit had better be “drowned in the midst of the sea” than be immersed in an atmosphere of worldliness or of unbelief, where all true piety and all living faith are daily being weakened and are constantly withering away.C.
2Ch 19:4
A royal mission which is a heavenly one.
Of the many things said in favour of Jehoshaphat, perhaps nothing is more highly commendatory than this, that “he went out again through the people and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers.” He could not have done anything worthier of himself, or more likely to result in permanent good to the people over whom he reigned.
I. THE ROYAL MISSION. Possibly, as Matthew Henry suggests, the tie which bound the people to Jehovah had been somewhat relaxed by their observance of the familiarity between their sovereign and the idolatrous court at Jezreel; if this were so, Jehoshaphat, after Jehu’s rebuke (verse 2), would feel constrained to do everything in his power to strengthen the attachment of his subjects to the living God. But whatever may have prompted him, he did well to
(1) interest himself personally in this vital subject;
(2) to take vigorous practical measures to effect his purpose; and
(3) to go through his self-appointed task with the energy and the thoroughness which command success. He “brought back,” etc. It was a royal mission that reflected great honour on the later years of his reign.
II. THE HEAVENLY MISSION of which it may be said to be a hint. Jesus Christ “came to seek and to save that which was lost” He saw mankind separated by a sad spiritual distance from the heavenly Father, from the living God; he laid upon himself the holy and heavenly task of “bringing him back unto the Lord.” For this noblest, Divinest purpose he
(1) stooped to creaturedom, to our poor humanity, to poverty, to utmost humiliation;
(2) “endured amazing loss,” pain, sorrow, spiritual agony;
(3) died upon the cross. By so doing he
(a) made the way open for man’s return;
(b) provided the spiritual force which is lifting a degraded nature to heights of holiness and wisdom.
In this heavenly mission is he now engaged, bringing back to God the race that has left his side and lost his likeness and forfeited his favour.
III. A MISSION WORTHY OF ALL IMITATION. This deliberate action of leading men back to God was royal; it is heavenly, Divine; it may be common to every Christian man.
1. Around us are those who have left the God of their fathers. It may be that they are of those who have been long estranged and have determinately refused to hear his fatherly invitation to return; or it may be that they have sought and found reconciliation with him and have wandered into half-hearted service, or into indifference, or into some positive transgression.
2. These are within our knowledge and our reach. They may be beneath the roof under which we dwell, or worshippers in the sanctuary where we bend the knee in prayer, or nominal workers in the field where we are labouring; or they may be where we shall find them if we seek them, as Jehoshaphat found the objects of his royal care as he “went out through the people from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim.” But they are where we can find them, and can lay the kind, arresting hand of holy love upon them.
3. To such we can render an inestimable service. We can bring to bear upon them a gracious, winning influence. We can make an earnest, brotherly appeal to them. We can urge them to return to the Lord God of their fathers on every ground; on the ground
(1) that he, their Father and their Friend, is grieved with their obduracy or their defection, and is longing for their return;
(2) that they are remaining where their life is a long disobedience, a continued sin and wrong;
(3) that their return will issue in a peace and a joy, in a spiritual blessedness, the depth and duration of which they cannot measure or imagine;
(4) that if they do thus return they will give boundless satisfaction to the fathers whose God they have forsaken or neglected, to all those human friends and kindred whose love is true and deep, who will welcome them with fullest joy to the fold of Christ, to the kingdom of heaven.C.
2Ch 19:5-9
Ennobling the earthly, or making sacred the secular.
Jehoshaphat made his reign over Judah a continuous act of Divine service. For while that reign was not without blemish and mistake, the king was evidently ruling “in the fear of the Lord,” and was trying to bring his people into willing and loyal subjection to their Divine Sovereign. In taking the measure be now took he acted with great intelligence. For nothing would be so likely to lead the people to discontentment and rebellion against the existing order as a sense of prevailing injustice, of wrongs unredressed, of rights that could not be realized; nothing, on the other hand, was so fitted to infuse a spirit of loyalty to the administration and to Jehovah himself as a well-regulated system of justice, extending over the whole land. The piety which Jehoshaphat was thus illustrating he exemplified in detail by giving the instructions he delivered to the judges (2Ch 19:6, 2Ch 19:7, 2Ch 19:9, 2Ch 19:10). In these he showed that the ordinary act of judgment in secular matters might and should be made a true and sacred service rendered unto God, an act of piety. For he charged them to do everything in their courts, as we should do everything in our homes and in our houses of business
I. UNTO THE LORD. They were to do all “in the fear of the Lord” (2Ch 19:9); they were to judge “not for man, but for the Lord” (2Ch 19:6). This is an anticipation of the instruction given by Paul in his letter to the Church at Colosse, where he bids the slaves serve their masters “not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;” whatsoever they do, doing it “heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men“ (Col 3:22, Col 3:23). There is nothing in which we are engaged, of the humblest kind and in the lowliest sphere, which we may not do and which we should not do “for the Lord” or “unto the Lord,” by acting “faithfully and with a perfect heart,” in such wise as we are assured he will approve, and with the distinct view of pleasing and honouring him; thus doing we “make drudgery Divine,” as George Herbert tells us.
II. WITH HIS FELT PRESENCE AND HIS DIVINE AID. The Lord “is with you in the judgment” (2Ch 19:6); “the Lord shall be with the good” (2Ch 19:11). If we can but feel that God is “with us,” that our Divine Master is by our side, with his sympathizing and sustaining presence, then we are satisfied, then we are strong. The position we occupy may be very humble, the situation may be a lonely or a perilous one, the opponents may be numerous and their opposition may be severe, the duties may be very onerous; but Christ is with us, his smile is upon us, his arm is working with us and for us, his reward is in his hand; we will go happily and cheerily on our way.
III. IN HIS OWN WAY. “For there is no iniquity with the Lord our God” etc. (2Ch 19:7). They were to judge even as God himself did, in the same spirit and on the same principles; as impartially, as righteously, as he did. And our Lord calls upon us to elevate our earthly life, to make every part of it sacred and noble, by introducing into everything the spirit and the principles which are Divine. “Be ye perfect,“ he says, “even as your Father in heaven is perfect, “Be ye holy, for I am holy;” “As I have loved you, that ye also love one another;” “Follow thou me.” It is, indeed, a very excellent and positively invaluable enlargement and ennoblement of this human life that every hour and every act of it may be spent and wrought as God is spending his eternity and is ruling in his Divine domain. The very same principles of purity, righteousness, and equity, the very same spirit of unselfishness and love, of gentleness and considerateness, which he displays in his government of the universe, we may be manifesting in the lowliest paths in which we walk from day to day. As he is, so may we be. His life we may be living. There need be nothing mean or small about us, for we may be everywhere and in everything “the children of our Father who is in heaven” (Mat 5:45). In every walk of life we may be closely following Christ.C.
HOMILIES BY T. WHITELAW
2Ch 19:1-3
The sovereign and the seer.
I. UNDESERVED MERCY TO THE SOVEREIGN. (2Ch 19:1.)
1. Jehoshaphat returns from Ramoth-Gilead. Having gone thither without the Divine sanctionindeed, against the Divine willhe might have been left there and not permitted to return. But God preserves the going out and coming in of his people (Psa 121:8), even when they walk not in his ways.
2. Jehoshaphat returns to Jerusalem. Having left his capital and kingdom on an errand to which he was not called, he might have found both taken from him and barred against him on his return. But Jehovah, always better to his people than they deserve, had watched over both while Jehoshaphat was absent.
3. Jehoshaphat returns to his house in peace. Very different might his home-coming have been (Isa 59:8); not alive and in safety, as Micaiah had predicted (2Ch 18:20), but as Ahab was brought to Samaria, dead; shot by an arrow from a Syrian bow like the King of Israel, or smitten by the Syrian charioteers as himself nearly was, and certainly would have been had Jehovah not interposed. But, again, God is faithful to his covenant, even when his people are not faithful to their duty (Psa 111:5; 2Ti 2:13; Heb 10:23).
II. DESERVED REBUKE FROM THE SEER. (2Ch 19:2, 2Ch 19:3.)
1. A severe reprimand. Charged by Hanani’s son Jehu with a twofold offence:
(1) Helping the ungodly. Aiding the wicked in their necessities or enterprises, when these are not sinful, never was a crime against Jehovah in Old Testament times (Le 19:18, 34; Deu 22:1; Job 22:29; Zec 7:9), and is not prohibited but commanded in the gospel (Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14; Jas 2:8); but then, as now, sympathizing with them in their wicked thoughts, joining with them in their wicked ways, and assisting them in their wicked projects, is interdicted to all who profess to be followers of God and of Christ (Psa 1:1; Psa 24:4; Psa 141:4; Rom 13:12; Eph 5:11; 2Ti 2:19, 2Ti 2:21, 2Ti 2:22; 1Pe 2:11, 1Pe 2:12).
(2) Loving them that hate God. This also permissible in the sense in which God himself and Christ loved and still loves sinners, pitying their misery, compassionating their frailty, grieving over their iniquity, and seeking their recovery and salvation. But in the sense of extending affection and confidence, sympathy and support, to such as are private and public enemies of God, despisers of his religion, deserters from his worship, violators of his commandments, oppressors of his people, opponents of his cause, is a stretch of charity which neither then was nor now is allowable. Rather among Hebrew saints to hate Jehovah’s enemies was accounted the supreme virtue (Psa 139:21, Psa 139:22). If Christian saints may not hate the persons, they are still enjoined to hate the works and ways of the Lord’s enemies (2Co 12:21; Eph 4:26; Php 3:18). (On Hanani, see 2Ch 16:7.)
2. An alarming sentence. “Wrath from before Jehovah” should come upon Jehoshaphat certainly and speedily. This was inevitable, since Jehovah, as a jealous God (Exo 20:5; Deu 4:24), could by no means allow such declension to pass without some manifestation of displeasure. Besides, Jehovah, by covenant engagement with David, had expressly bound himself to chastise with rods any defection on the part of David’s successors (2Sa 7:14; Psa 139:1-24 :30). In the same way, though God, for Christ’s sake, forgives the transgressions of believers, so that they shall not come into ultimate condemnation, he does not in every instance exempt them from suffering on account of their offences, but rather, as a rule, causes them, when they go astray, to feel such inward rebukes upon their consciences, and such outward inflictions upon their persons or estates, as to make them sensible of his holy anger, if not against their souls, against their sins (Act 14:22; Rom 5:3; 1Co 11:32; Heb 12:11). Already at Ramoth-Gilead Jehoshaphat had experienced a foretaste of Jehovah’s wrath (2Ch 18:31). Additional evidence thereof was soon to follow, in a Moabitish invasion (2Ch 20:1, etc.).
3. A merciful mitigation. While condemning the king’s sins, Jehu did not forget to make candid acknowledgment of the king’s virtues. To praise another for good qualities is not so easy as to blame another for bad ones. In others, faults are more readily discerned than favourable points; in ourselves, the latter more quickly than the former. Happily, the great Heart-searcher, while noting his people’s shortcomings, overlooks not their well-doings. If Jehoshaphat’s conduct in contracting alliance with Ahab was denounced, his behaviour in removing the groves from his land and preparing his heart to seek Jehovah was not forgotten. So of Christians, “God is not unrighteous to forget their work and labour of love” (Heb 6:10), even though obliged to correct them for doing wrong (Heb 12:10); while Christ, sending his messages to the Churches in Asia, with one exception never omits to notice in each case excellences worthy of commendation (Rev 3:1-22; Rev 4:1-11.).
LESSONS.
1. Gratitude for mercy.
2. Submission to rebuke.
3. Repentance for sin.
4. Watchfulness in duty.
5. Charity in judging others.W.
2Ch 19:4-11
A royal reformer.
I. AN OLD WORK RESUMED. The reformation of religion (2Ch 19:4).
1. The reformer. Jehoshaphat. Whether the work was done by special plenipotentiaries, as in the former instance (2Ch 17:7, 2Ch 17:8), or by the king in person, or, as is most probable, by both, the mainspring of this movement, as of the former, was Jehoshaphat; and for a sovereign of Judah it was certainly much more becoming occupation than feasting with Ahab or fighting with Benhadad. Such as are kings and priests unto God should study to walk worthy of their name and vocation (Eph 4:1; Php 1:27), and, for them, furthering the interests of religion amongst themselves and others, at home and abroad, is nobler employment (1Co 15:58; Gal 6:9; Tit 3:1; 3Jn 1:8) than revelling and drunkenness, chambering and wantonness, strife and jealousy (Rom 13:14), after the example of the world.
2. The reformed. The people from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim. The king’s efforts, though doubtless beginning at, were not limited to Jerusalem, but extended through the whole country from its southern to its northern limit. So Christ commanded his apostles, though beginning at Jerusalem (Luk 24:47), to go into all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature (Mar 16:15).
3. The reformation. A return to the worship of Jehovah, the God of their fathers. This work, auspiciously begun some time before (2Ch 17:3-9), but interrupted by the Ramoth-Gilead expedition, was now resumed by the humbled, presumably also enlightened and repentant, monarch. A good work in itself, it was likewise a right work, since he and his people were pledged by covenant to worship Jehovah (2Ch 15:12); a necessary work, if the kingdom was to be established and prosper; and a work which should neither be interrupted nor delayed, but completed with convenient speed.
II. A NEW WORK BEGUN. The establishment of courts of justice in the laud (2Ch 19:5-11).
1. Provincial courts.
(1) The seats of the judges. The fortified cities throughout the land, because these were “the central points for the traffic of the districts in which they were situated” (Bertheau).
(2) The work of the judges. To administer justice, not for man, but for Jehovah, i.e. to dispense not merely what man might reckon equity, but what was truly such in God’s sightcases submitted to them to decide, not at man’s dictation, or in compliance with man’s wishes, but “in the name and according to the will of the Lord” (Keil).
(3) The duty of the judges. To act conscientiously, as in Jehovah’s sight, having the fear of Jehovah and the dread of offending him constantly upon their spirits (Exo 18:21; 2Sa 23:3), especially shunning injustice and corruption, remembering that with Jehovah is no respect of persons or taking of bribes (Deu 10:17; Job 8:3; Job 34:19; Eph 6:9; 1Pe 1:17).
(4) The Keeper of the judges. Jehovah. As the judgment they should give should be practically his judgment (Pro 29:26), it must be beyond suspicion, commend itself to all who heard it as righteous (Psa 129:1-8 :137), and be accepted by them to whom it was delivered as final (Rom 3:4; Rom 9:14; Rev 16:5; Rev 19:2). Hence, if they entered on their duties in a right spirit, Jehovah would be with them to guide them in forming, speaking, and maintaining their judgments (Psa 25:9; Psa 46:5; Pro 2:8; Pro 3:6).
2. A supreme tribunal.
(1) Its locality. Jerusalem, the capital of the country, the proper seat of such a court.
(2) Its object. For the judgment of the Lord and for controversies (2Ch 19:8), or for “all matters of Jehovah,” and “for all the king’s matters” (2Ch 19:11); i.e. for the hearing of appeals, and the settlement of disputes referred to it from the lower courts concerning religious or ecclesiastical affairs, as e.g. causes depending on decisions “between law and commandment, statutes and judgments,” or on the interpretation and application of the laws of Moses; and, again, for similar verdicts in purely civil cases, as e.g. cases of murder and manslaughter, of consanguinity and inheritance, etc; all of which may be included in the phrase “between blood and blood.”
(3) Its constitution. Three orders of membersLevites, priests, heads of fathers’ houses. Its courts twoan ecclesiastical, or religious, and a civil. Its presidents twoin the ecclesiastical court, Amariah the high priest, “described in 1Ch 5:1-26 :37 as the fifth high priest from Zadok, the contemporary of David” (Bertheau), though this is doubtful (Keil); in the civil court, Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the prince of the house of Judah, i.e. the tribal prince of Judah. Its assistants and servants, the Levites, i.e. such of them as had not been elected judges.
(4) Its working. When a cause came before the judges, these were to warn the litigants not to trespass against Jehovah (which would practically be the same thing as putting them on oath to tell the truth), lest by sinning against Jehovah they should bring wrath upon themselves and their brethren; whilst the judges were themselves to dispense judgment in the fear of the Lord, or reverentially, faithfully, with a perfect heart or sincerely, and courageouslyfour qualities indispensable for an ideal judgein which case the Lord would be with them to uphold their verdicts.
Learn:
1. The precedence that belongs to religion even in a commonwealth. Jehoshaphat cuts down idol-groves before he erects courts of law.
2. No administration of justice can be trusted that is not based on religion and the fear of God.
3. He that sits in a judicial chair should be sage, saint, and soldier, learned, devout, and courageous, all in one.
4. No system of dispensing equity can command confidence that does not admit of appeal from inferior to superior courts.
5. Judges should remember that they themselves also must one day be judged.
6. How much the jurisprudence of modem times is indebted to the Bible!W.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
d. Jehoshaphat: the Prophets Michah Son of Imlah and Jehu Son of Hanani.Ch. 1720
. Jehoshaphats Measures for the external and Internal Defence of his Kingdom: 2Ch 17:1-9
2Ch 17:1.And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel. 2And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and placed garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which 3Asa his father had taken. And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat; for he walked in the former ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim. 4But sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in His commandments, 5and not after the doing of Israel. And the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought presents to Jehoshaphat; and he had riches and honour in abundance. 6And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord; and, moreover, he took away the high places and Asherim out of 7Judah. And in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, Benhail,1 and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethaneel, and Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. 8And with them the Levites, Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth,2 and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests. 9And they taught in Judah, and had with them the book of the law of the Lord, and went round all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.
. The Effects of these Measures: Jehoshaphats increasing Power: 2Ch 17:10-19
10And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that 11were around Judah, and they warred not with Jehoshaphat. And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver in abundance; the Arabs also brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and 12seven thousand and seven hundred he-goats. And Jehoshaphat became ever greater to the highest degree; and he built in Judah castles and cities with stores. 13And he had much store in the cities of Judah: and men of war, 14mighty men of valour, in Jerusalem. And this was the muster of them after their father-houses: of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the chief, 15and with him mighty men of valour three hundred thousand. And at his hand Jehohanan the chief, and with him two hundred and eighty thousand. 16And at his hand Amasiah son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the Lord; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valour. 17And of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valour, and with him, armed with bow 18and shield, two hundred thousand. And at his hand Jehozabad, and with 19him a hundred and eighty thousand equipped for the war. These were they who ministered to the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fenced cities in all Judah.
. Jehoshaphats Affinity with Ahab, and the War against Ramoth-gilead: 2 Chronicles 18
2Ch 18:1 And Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined 2affinity with Ahab. And in the course of years he went down to Ahab to Samaria: and Ahab killed for him, and the people that were with him, sheep and oxen in abundance; and he persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead. 3And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he said to him, I am as thou, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war. 4And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Ask now this day the 5word of the Lord. And the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; and God will give it into the hand 6of the king. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we may ask of him? 7And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he never prophesied good to me, but always evil: that is Michah son of Imlah: and Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
8And the king of Israel called a chamberlain, and said, Fetch quickly Michah3 son of Imlah. 9And the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, sat each on his throne, clothed in robes, and they sat in a floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 10And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made him iron horns, and said, Thus saith the Lord, With these thou shalt push Syria, until they are consumed. 11And all the prophets prophesied so, and said, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; and the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
12And the messenger that went to call Michah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets are with one mouth good for the king: let now thy 13word then be as one of them, and speak thou good. And Michah said, As 14the Lord liveth, what my God saith, that will I speak. And he came to the king; and the king said unto him, Michah, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand. 15And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee, that thou speak nothing to me but truth in the 16name of the Lord? And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace. 17And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good to me, but evil?
18And he said, Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord; I saw the Lord sitting upon His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right 19hand and on His left. And the Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said4 this, 20and another said that. And the spirit came forth, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him: and the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? 21And he said, I will go forth, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets: and He said, Thou shalt entice, and shaft also prevail: go forth, and do so. 22And now, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy 23prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee. And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah drew near, and smote Michah on the cheek, and said, Which way 24went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak with thee? And Michah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou goest from chamber to chamber 25to hide thyself. And the king of Israel said, Take ye Michah, and carry him 26back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the kings son. And say ye, Thus saith the king, Put him in the prison, and let him eat bread of trouble, 27and water of trouble, until I return in peace. And Michah said, If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me: and he said, Hear, all ye people.
28And the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Disguised I will go into the battle; but thou put on thy robes: and the king of Israel disguised 30himself, and they went into the battle. And the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, but only with the king of Israel. 31And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, This is the king of Israel; and they compassed about him to fight; and Jehoshaphat cried out, 32and the Lord helped him, and God turned them away from him. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king 33of Israel, that they turned from after him. And a man drew a bow in his simplicity, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: and he said to the charioteer, Turn thy hand,5 and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. 34And the battle went up in that day, and the king of Israel was standing in the chariot against Syria until the evening; and he died at the time of the sun setting.
. Judgment of Jehu the Prophet on the Covenant of Jehoshaphat with Ahab: 2Ch 19:1-3
2Ch 19:1.And Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned home in peace to Jerusalem. 2And Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Must we help the wicked, and shouldst thou love them that 3hate the Lord? and for this is wrath upon thee from the Lord. Yet good things are found with thee; for thou hast destroyed the Asherim out of the land, and thou hast directed thy heart to seek God.
. Jehoshaphats further Reforms of Worship and Law: 2Ch 19:4-11
4And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back to the 5Lord God of their fathers. And he appointed judges in the land, in all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city. 6And said to the judges: See what ye do; for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord; and He is with you in judgment. 7And now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do ye; for with the Lord our God is neither iniquity, nor respect of persons, 8nor taking of gift.And also in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed of the Levites and priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment 9of the Lord, and for pleading; and they returned to Jerusalem. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, with 10truth and a perfect heart. And in6 every plea that cometh before you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall advise them, that they trespass not against the Lord, so that wrath come upon you and your brethren: thus shall ye do, and not trespass.7 11And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you for every matter of the Lord; and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for every matter of the king; and the Levites are officers before you: take courage, and do ye, and the Lord will be with the good.
. Jehoshaphats Victory over the Moabites, Ammonites, and other Nations of the East: 2Ch 20:1-30
Ch. 20. .And 1it came to pass after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, and with them of the Meunites,8 came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2And they came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh against thee a great multitude from beyond the sea, from Syria; and, behold, they are at 3Hazezon-tamar, that is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat was afraid,9 and set his 4face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast over all Judah. And the Jews assembled to seek the Lord: even from all the cities of Judah came they to seek the Lord. 5And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, 6in the house of the Lord, before the new court. And said, Lord God of our fathers, art not Thou God in heaven, and ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and in thy hand are strength and might, and none is with Thee 7to withstand Thee. Hast not Thou, our God, driven out the inhabitants of this land before Thy people Israel, and given it to the seed of Abraham Thy friend for ever? 8And they dwelt therein, and built Thee a sanctuary therein 9for Thy name, saying: If evil come upon us, sword, judgment, or pestilence or famine, we shall stand before this house, and before Theefor Thy name is in this houseand shall cry unto Thee out of our affliction: then Thou wilt hear and help. 10And now, behold, the sons of Ammon, and Moab, and mount Seir, whom thou wouldst not let Israel invade, when they came out of the 11land of Egypt, but they departed from them, and destroyed them not. And, behold, they requite us by coming to cast us out of Thy possession which 12Thou hast given us. Our God, wilt Thou not judge them? for in us is no might against this great multitude that cometh against us; and we know not what we shall do: but our eyes are upon Thee. 13And all Judah stood before the Lord, and their little ones, their wives, and their sons.
14And upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation. 15And he said, Attend ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat; Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed before this great multitude; 16for the battle is not yours, but Gods. To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they go up by the hill of Haziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17Ye shall not have to fight here: step forth, stand ye, and see the help of the Lord who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear ye not, nor be dismayed; to-morrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you. 18And Jehoshaphat bowed his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, to worship the Lord. 19And the Levites of the sons of Kohath, and of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with an exceeding loud voice.
20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, Hear ye me, Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and ye shall be established; believe in His prophets, and ye shall prosper. 21And he advised the people, and appointed men singing unto the Lord, and praising in holy beauty, when they go out before the armed men, and saying, 22Give thanks to the Lord; for His mercy endureth for ever. And at the time when they began with song and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and 23they were smitten. And the sons of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, to cut off and destroy them; and when they had ended with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24And Judah came to the watch-tower in the wilderness, and looked to the multitude; and, behold, they lay as corpses on the earth, and none escaped. 25And Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, and they found with them in abundance, goods and corpses,10 and costly vessels; and they stripped off for themselves more than they could carry; and they were three days taking the spoil, for it was great. 26And on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of blessing; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore they 27called the name of the place the valley of blessing unto this day. And they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, to return to Jerusalem with gladness; for the Lord had made them glad over their enemies. 28And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries, and harps, and trumpets, unto the house of the Lord. 29And the fear of God was upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord fought against 30the enemies of Israel. And the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet; for his God gave him rest round about.
. End of the Reign of Jehoshaphat: 2Ch 20:31-37
31And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem and his mothers name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi. 32And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and departed not from it, so that he did that 33which was right in the sight of the Lord. Only the high places were not taken away, and the people had not yet directed their heart to the God of their fathers.
34And the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the words of Jehu son of Hanani, which are inserted in the book of the kings of Israel.
35And afterwards Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah 36king of Israel: he was wicked in his doing. And he allied himself with him, 37to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made ships in Ezion-geber. And Eliezer, son of Dodavah11 of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast allied thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy work: and the ships were wrecked, and were not able to go to Tarshish.
EXEGETICAL
Besides the report in 2 Chronicles 18 of the unsuccessful campaign of Jehoshaphat and Ahab against Ramoth-gilead, agreeing almost literally with 1Ki 22:2-35 and the closing section 2Ch 20:30-37, which coincides partly in matter and partly in form with 1Ki 22:41-51, the Chronist presents in this enlarged history of the reign of Jehoshaphat only original matter, serving to supplement the books of Kings, and that on the basis of those words or records of Jehu ben Hanani, which he himself names as his source in 2Ch 20:34.
1. Jehoshaphats Measures for the Internal and External Defence of the Kingdom: 2Ch 17:1-9.Strengthened himself against Israel, endeavoured to defend and secure himself against attack on the side of Israel (comp. 2Ch 1:1). This was obviously in the first part of his reign, before he formed affinity with Ahab (2Ch 18:1), and so long as the recollection of Baashas attack on his predecessor Asa operated.
2Ch 17:2. Placed garrisons in the land;, military posts, as 1Ch 9:16. On b, comp. 2Ch 15:8.
2Ch 17:3. For he walked in the former ways of his father David, not in the later ways of David, which were characterized by his crimes regarding Uriah and Bathsheba, by the foolish step of numbering the people, etc.Sought not unto Baalim.here and in the following verse is nota accusativi, after the later usage. The Baalim (comp. Jdg 2:11) comprise all kinds of idolatry, even that finer kind, consisting in the worship of Jehovah under certain animal forms, which is designated in the following verse as the doing of Israel that was avoided by Jehoshaphat.
2Ch 17:5. And the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand; comp. 2Ki 14:5. On the following , gift (= , Psa 110:3), comp 2Ch 17:11, where the term denotes the tribute of a subject people. On riches and honour in abundance, see 2Ch 18:1, also 1Ch 29:28; 2Ch 1:12.
2Ch 17:6 ff. The Internal Defence of the Kingdom by the Extirpation of Idolatry and the Instruction of the People in the Law.And his heart was lifted up. in the ways of the Lord, showed a heightened courage to proceed in a godly walk; here, otherwise than in 2Ch 26:16, 2Ch 32:25, etc., not in the bad sense of an ungodly pride, but sensu bono. The following and moreover () points back to 2Ch 17:3. For the high places and Asherim, comp. on 2Ch 14:2.
2Ch 17:7. And in the third year of his reign; according to Hitzigs not improbable conjecture (Geschichte, pp. 9 ff., 198 f.), a jubilee year, and indeed the year 912 b.C. The five princes, nine Levites, and two priests named in the following verse are otherwise unknown.
2Ch 17:9. And they taught in Judah, on the basis of the presently named book of the law of the Lord, the religious and civil enactments of which, on the occasion of this solemn ecclesiastical visitation of Jehoshaphat (Starke and other ancients), were brought to the recollection and impressed anew on the attention of the Jews. This mention of the book of the law under Jehoshaphat, almost 300 years before Josiahs renewed inculcation and vindication of its authority, is of no small apologetic importance. It shows that, if not the whole Pentateuch in its present form, yet a work already approaching to its present compass, was already extant in the tenth century b.C. (comp. also on 2Ch 15:13). And indeed the concrete, detailed, and definite nature of the present notice leaves no doubt of this, that not merely the Chronist living after the exile, but his much older voucher, contemporary with the recorded fact (probably Jehu ben Hanani), bears this testimony to the existence of the Torah at so early a date.
2. The Effects of these Measures: Jehoshaphats increasing Power: 2Ch 17:10-19.And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands (almost literally so, 2Ch 20:29; comp. also 2Ch 14:13; 2Ch 12:8, etc.). Rightly Rambach observes: Erat hoc prmium pietatis Josaphati, quod vicini satisque potentes hostes non auderent adversus ipsum hiscere. On the contrary, Berth. perverts the theocratic causal nexus set forth clearly enough by the writer, when he remarks on this passage: Jehoshaphat had time to attend to the instruction of his people, because the neighbouring nations did not then venture to make war on Judah.
2Ch 17:11. And some of the Philistines brought. is subject (with partitive ).And silver in abundance, literally, and silver a load; comp. 2Ch 20:25. Falsely the Vulg., which assigns to the term , load, the meaning tribute (vectigal).The Arabs also ( = ; see 2Ch 21:16, 2Ch 22:1), the Beduin tribes of north-western Arabia, perhaps those whom Asa had subdued by the victory over Zerah (comp. 2Ch 14:14.).
2Ch 17:12. And Jehoshaphat became ever greater. The construction according to Ew. 280, b; , as in 2Ch 16:12.And he built in Judah castles., plur. of (= ) a Syrian form occurring only here and 2Ch 27:4. Cities with stores, as 2Ch 8:4.
2Ch 17:13. And he had much store. So rightly Luther, Starke, Keil, Kamph., etc. Of the same signification is , Exo 22:7-10. Otherwise (Vulg. opera magna, Clericus, Berth., Neteler, etc.): much labour, great preparations, to which, however, b does not suit; comp. also 2Ch 11:11.
2Ch 17:14. And this was the muster of them, the result of the muster, or also their order; comp. 1 Chron. 24:49.Of Judah, the captains of thousands, leaders, field-marshals. The following statement of the three Jewish divisions of the army under Adnah, Jehohanan, and Amasiah, and of the two divisions of Benjamin under Eliada and Jehozabad (2Ch 17:15-18), is certainly historical, if we only mark the concrete form, bearing the stamp of direct historical truth, of the notice concerning Amasiah: who willingly offered himself unto the Lord, and also the circumstance that the kind of armour worn by the Benjamites agrees with earlier statements (comp. 1Ch 8:40; 2Ch 14:7). But the exceedingly high numbers, which give for Judah alone 780,000, for Benjamin 380,000, and thus for both tribes together the total of 1,160,000 warriors, form no inconsiderable difficulty; comp. the Evangelical and Ethical Reflections.
2Ch 17:19. These were they who ministered to the king., these, refers to the five generals or commanders, not to the thousands of warriors. Likewise the following clause: whom the king had placed in the fenced cities in all Judah, refers to other officers besides those five, not to other troops besides those already enumerated.
3. Jehoshaphats Affinity with Ahab: the Campaign against Ramoth-gilead: 2 Chronicles 18 Comp. 1Ki 22:2-35, and Bhr on this passage. Here are only the statements peculiar to the Chronist to be expounded.And Jehoshaphat . . . joined affinity with Ahab, in this way, that he gave his son Joram in marriage to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel; see 2Ch 21:6.12 This affinity, which occasioned the subsequent visit of Jehoshaphat to Ahab, and the participation in his unfortunate campaign, is here clearly mentioned as something mischievous, attended with destructive effects, as the first link of a chain of misfortunes (comp. 2Ch 19:2); the before has accordingly, as it were, an adversative force, and the verse expresses this thought: Although Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, yet he was so foolish as to make affinity with Ahab. Comp. S. Schmidt, Josaphatus, cetera dives et gloriosus, infelicem adfinitatem cum Achabo, rege Israeli-tarum, contrahit, etc. See, for the rest, Evangelical and Ethical Reflections.
2Ch 18:2. And in the course of years, nine years, as the comparison of 1Ki 22:2; 1Ki 22:41 with 2Ki 8:26 shows; the affinity of Jehoshaphat with Ahab by the marriage of Joram and Athaliah must, according to these passages, have fallen in the eighth, and the death of Ahab, in the campaign against Ramoth, in the seventeenth, year of Jehoshaphats reign.And he persuaded him, partly by the great banquets and hospitalities which he prepared in his honour (comp. , entice, tempt, in such places as Jdg 1:14; Job 2:3; Deu 11:7, etc.). In 1Ki 12:3, instead of this persuasive influence on Jehoshaphat, is set forth rather the political motive of Ahab to begin the war against the Syrians in Ramoth-gilead; our author is silent on this, because on principle he does not wish to recount anything of the deeds or enterprises of the northern king.
2Ch 18:5. Gathered the prophets, four hundred men. 1 Kings: about 400 men, which is the more correct, as the number is obviously a round one.Shall we go; in 1 Kings: Shall I go, in harmony with the following , or shall I forbear. Inversely in 1 Kings (2Ch 18:14) both verbs are plural.
2Ch 18:7. Prophesied . . . always evil, literally, all his days (), a phrase emphasizing the opposition, which is wanting in 1 Kings.
2Ch 18:9. And they sat in a floor. The , superfluous on account of the preceding , is wanting in 1 Kings.
2Ch 18:14. And they shall be delivered into your hand. Instead of this very definite prediction (which is certainly ironical), the parallel text in 1 Kings has, more indefinitely: And the Lord shall deliver it into the kings hand.
2Ch 18:19. See the Crit. Notes.
2Ch 18:23. Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me? Instead of this circumstantial (comp. 1Ki 13:1; 2Ki 3:8), 1Ki 22:24 has the simpler and shorter .
2Ch 18:26. Let him eat bread of trouble, and water of trouble. Possible is also the translation proposed by Kamph. with reference to Psa 60:5 : Let him eat as bread of trouble, etc.
2Ch 18:30. And the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots. In 1 Kings the number of these captains (thirty-two) is also given, by reference to the earlier war, 1Ki 20:24.
2Ch 18:31. And the Lord helped him, and God turned them away from him. This religious reflective remark is wanting in 1Ki 22:32, but is by no means a hindrance to the connection, as Berth, thinks, but rather a very seasonable enunciation of that which, to the writer, necessarily formed the point and force of the whole narrative.
2Ch 18:34. And the king of Israel was standing in the chariot. Instead of the partic. Hiph. holding himself upright, 1Ki 22:35 has, less distinctly, the Hoph. held upright. The close of the whole narrative, containing accounts of the return of the defeated army, and the more particular circumstances of the death of Ahab (1Ki 22:36-39), is omitted by our author, because it belongs properly to a history of the northern kingdom.
4. The Prophet Jehus Judgment on the Covenant with Ahab: 2Ch 19:1-3.And Jehoshaphat . . . returned home in peace to Jerusalem, so that the prophecy of Michah (2Ch 18:16) was fulfilled in him.
2Ch 19:2. And Jehu the son of Hanani . . . went out to meet him: the same prophet who, 1Ki 16:1, had acted under Baasha in the northern kingdom; perhaps a son of that Hanani whom Asa in wrath had ordered into prison (2Ch 16:7 ff.).Must we help the wicked, and shouldst thou love them that hate the Lord? The construction is as in 1Ch 5:1; 1Ch 9:25 ( with the infin.). It is to be supposed that the words are spoken in earnest indignation, but they turn with their displeasure rather against the idolatrous tyrant Ahab than against Jehoshaphat, who only for a season walked by his side.And for this is wrath upon thee from the Lord; camp. 1Ch 27:24, and with the simpler 2Ch 32:26. The words point prophetically to the soon after occurring dangerous invasion of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Meunites, and also to the unfortunate sea-voyage from Ezion-geber, 2 Chronicles 20 :
2Ch 19:3. Yet good things are found with thee, things worthy of praise; comp. 2Ch 12:12; 1Ki 14:13. For b (where the fem. appears instead of the usual plur. masc.), comp. 2Ch 17:4 f., 2Ch 12:14.
5. Jehoshaphats further Reforms of Worship and Law: 2Ch 19:4-11.And he went out again among the people, literally, and he turned and went. Reference is made to the former going out, 2Ch 17:7 ff. The following statement of the south and north boundary of the kingdom of Judah; from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim, is copied after the similar formula: from Dan to Beersheba, which refers to the whole land of Israel; comp. Jdg 20:1; 2Sa 3:10; 2Sa 17:11; 1Ki 5:5.And brought them back to the Lord, made them return; comp. 2Ch 24:19.
2Ch 19:5. City by city, or in every city ( ; comp. 1Ch 26:29), according to he legal precept, Deu 16:18.
2Ch 19:6. Not for man, but for the Lord, in Gods name, and according to His holy will, as , Rom 13:4; comp. also Pro 16:11.And he is with you in the judgment, in the judicial decision, in passing sentence; comp. Deu 17:9, also 2Ch 1:17; Exo 21:6; Exo 22:7, etc. The supplying of as subject to is indispensable, as the failure of all attempts to explain it without this supplement, for example, that of the Vulg. (et quodcunque judicaveritis, in vos redundabit), shows.
2Ch 19:7. And now let the fear of the Lord be upon you in a preserving way, that ye may beware of judging unjustly. For the phrase, comp. 2Ch 17:10.Take heed, and do ye, do it in a heedful, conscientious way, cum diligentia cuncta facite (Vulg.). On the following words, comp. Deu 10:17; Deu 16:19; Psa 89:7; Act 10:34.
2Ch 19:8-11. The Supreme Tribunal instituted by Jehoshaphat in Jerusalem,an institution resting on Exo 18:19; Exo 18:26, Deu 17:8-13; comp. Keil, Bibl. Archol. ii. 250 ff.And also in Jerusalem, not merely in the various fenced cities (2Ch 19:5), where judges of inferior instance were appointed. That besides Levites and priests, laymen, of the chiefs of the fathers of Israel, tribe-chiefs out of the rest of the people, are named as appointed by Jehoshaphat to be judges, involves no contradiction of 1Ch 23:4; 1Ch 26:29, according to which David had appointed 6000 Levites as judges and officers (); for that these Levites should exclusively administer the law was not there asserted.For the judgment of the Lord, and for pleading. Synonymous with stands, 2Ch 19:11, , for every matter of the Lord; and synonymous with that passage gives for every matter of the king or the state; so that the sense of the whole is: for all matters relating to religion or polity. As examples of the former, Berth. well adduces disputes concerning the release of the first-born, dues to the temple, the clean and the unclean, etc.And they returned to Jerusalem; Jehoshaphat and the commission accompanying him returned from their journey through the country and the fenced cities of Judah to Jerusalem; comp. 2Ch 19:4. As this statement would have been more suitable before 2Ch 19:8, and as any reference of it to others than Jehoshaphat and his companions (for example, to the Levites, priests, and chiefs nominated for the new supreme court, as Rambach, Starke, and others think) is inadmissible, the change proposed by Kamph. of into and they dwelt in Jerusalem (the supreme judges just nominated), appears not inappropriate.
2Ch 19:9. Thus shall ye do, as is fully stated in 2Ch 19:10. On , with undivided heart, comp. 2Ch 15:17, 2Ch 16:9; 1Ki 8:61.
2Ch 19:10. And in every plea. stands before as cas. absol.; the before is explicative; comp. Grit. Note. As brethren who dwell in their cities those are designated who bring appeals from the country or the smaller cities of Judah and Benjamin before the supreme court at Jerusalem, and demand its higher decision; comp. Deu 17:8.Between blood and blood, in criminal cases which involve murder and homicide (comp. Exo 21:12 ff.). The following phrase: between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, applies to a dispute concerning the import or application of certain laws, or a doubt according to what legal enactment the case in point is to be decided (comp. Deu 17:8).Ye shall advise them, by imparting instruction concerning the decisions of the law, admonish (, as in Exo 18:20; Ecc 12:12), that they may not err by the theoretical or practical abuse of the law, and thereby bring guilt () upon the whole people.
2Ch 19:11. And, behold, Amariah the chief priest, scarcely different from the fifth high priest after Zadok, mentioned 1 Chron. 5:37 (see on the passage). The ruler of the house of Judah, Zebadiah son of Ishmael, is not otherwise known.And the Levites are officers before you,, in 1Ch 23:4; 1Ch 26:29.The Lord will be with the good; is here a future, scarcely an optative: the Lord be with the good. Comp. besides, 2Ch 20:17. The good are the judges who discharge their office fitly and well.
6. Jehoshaphats Victory over the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites: 2Ch 20:1-30.And it came to pass after this, after the events related in 2Ch 18:19, which fall perhaps six or seven years before the death of Jehoshaphat, and of which the death of Ahab almost certainly falls in the year 897 b.C. A still more exact date for the present war results from the monument of victory of the Moabitish King Mesha, discovered three years ago, which must have been erected very soon after Ahabs death, and shortly before the outbreak of the present war, and therefore about 896 b.C. See Schlottmann, Der Moabiterknig Mesa, Stud. u. Krit. 1871, p. 587 ff., especially p. 610 ff.; and comp. beneath, Evangelical and Ethical Reflections, No. 4.And with them of the Meunites. can scarcely mean, as many of the ancients, and even Hengst. (Gesch. d. Reiches Gottes. ii. 2, 211), think, nations beyond the Ammonites; for even if , according to 1Sa 20:22; 1Sa 20:37, could have the sense beyond or remote from, yet 2Ch 20:10; 2Ch 20:22 f. point distinctly to a people inhabiting mount Seir. Accordingly we must read, as of the Sept. indicates (comp. 1Ch 4:41), rather , and think of the Meunites (Meinites, 1Ch 4:41, Kethib) inhabiting the city Maon () near Petra as their capital. If in the following verse (with Calmet, Keil, and others) were read instead of the difficult , every scruple against this assumption (proposed by Hiller, Onomast. p. 285, and supported by nearly all the moderns) must vanish. But even without this further emendation, it possesses a high degree of probability; for, according to Josephus, Antiq.ix. 1, 2, they were Arabs, and probably inhabitants of Arabia Petra, who, in alliance with the Ammonites and Moabites, undertook the expedition against Jehoshaphat; and in 2Ch 26:7 Meunites are named along with Philistines and Arabs as a southern tribe subdued in war by Uzziah.
2Ch 20:2. From beyond the sea, from Syria. For must apparently be read , from Edom or Iduma for only this determination of the starting-point agrees with , beyond the sea (the Dead Sea); and the Syr. seems to have read , while the remaining old versions certainly confirm the Masoretic text. If we adhere to it, Aram or Syria must at all events be taken in a very wide sense (= North Arabia); comp. Hengst. as quoted.And, behold, they are at Hazezon-tamar, that is Engedi (comp. Gen 14:1; Jos 15:62; Son 1:14; Robinson, Pal. ii. 439 f.), where Ain Jidy now lies, at the middle of the west shore of the Dead Sea, about fifteen hours from Jerusalem. The army of the allied foes had, it appears, reached this place through a marsh surrounding the south end of the Dead Sea, or by crossing the south ford of this sea (between the eastern peninsula Lisan and the opposite point of the west shore, not far from the valley Engedi; comp. Hoffmann, Blicke in die frheste Gesch. des Gelobten Landes, 2.26 f.).
2Ch 20:3-13. Jehoshaphat and the People seek the Help of the Lord.And Jehoshaphat set his face, = ; comp. Jer 42:15; Dan 9:8. On the proclaiming of a fast over all Judah, comp. Jdg 20:26; 1Sa 7:6; Joe 2:15.
2Ch 20:5. Before the new court, the outer or great court (see 2Ch 6:9), that might have been built or repaired in Asas or Jehoshaphats time, and therefore is here called new. The place before this court, from which Jehoshaphat offered his prayer, was perhaps at the entrance of the inner or priests court.
2Ch 20:6. Lord God of our fathers. Jehoshaphat thus addresses God, to remind him of his former benefits to his people, to which is then annexed a reference to his absolute omnipotence; comp. Psa 115:3, and on None is with Thee, to withstand Thee, Psa 94:16; 1Ch 29:12; 2Ch 14:10, and like passages.
2Ch 20:7. Comp. Exo 23:20 ff.; Jos 23:9; Jos 24:12; also Gen 13:15 f., 2Ch 15:18.
2Ch 20:9. If evil come upon us, sword, judgment ( only here in this sense), or pestilence, etc. The cases enumerated in Solomons prayer at the dedication of the temple (2Ch 6:22-39) are here summarily recapitulated.
2Ch 20:10. The sons of Ammon and Moab . . whom Thou wouldst not let Israel invade, from whom our ancestors in the time of Moses and Joshua peacefully withdrew, without attacking them; comp. Num 20:14 ff.; Deu 2:4; Deu 2:9; Deu 2:19; Deu 2:29; Jdg 11:17 f.
2Ch 20:11. And behold = yea, behold.Possession which Thou hast given us, made us possess, , as in Jdg 11:24; Ezr 9:12.
2Ch 20:12. For in us is no might against this great multitude, before, in the face of this great multitude; comp. 2Ch 14:9, etc. For the following expression of confidence: our eyes are upon Thee, comp. Psa 25:15; Psa 123:2; Psa 141:8. On 2Ch 20:13 (and their little ones), comp. Jon 3:5.
2Ch 20:14-17. Gods Answer by the Prophet Jahaziel.And upon Jahaziel the Levite of the sons of Asaph. The ancestor in the fifth degree of this Jahaziel is said to be Mattaniah, possibly the same son of Asaph who is called, 1Ch 25:2; 1Ch 25:12, Nethaniah (as and in the formation of nom.propr. are often interchanged). An identity with Mattaniah the son of Heman, 1Ch 25:4; 1Ch 25:16, is not to be thought of.
2Ch 20:15. The battle is not yours, but Gods; comp. 1Sa 17:47; Neh 4:14; also Mat 10:20.
2Ch 20:16. Behold, they go up by the hill of Haziz, perhaps the Wady el Hasasah on the north border of the wilderness of the same name, which stretches from the Dead Sea to Tekoa, and no doubt corresponds to the here-named wilderness of Jeruel. With this reference to El Hasasah corresponds the rendering of the name by in the Sept., whereas certainly Josephus renders the name by (Antiq. ix. 1, 2), and thus conceives it as if it were (with the article; were this view, the necessity of which is by no means established (comp. Ew. Gesch. 2d edit. iii. p. 475), confirmed, the hill of Ziz would have to be identified with the steep pass over Ain Jidy (Robinson, ii. 438, 446).
2Ch 20:17. Ye shall not have to fight here. , in this conflict with so great a multitude of foes; comp. 2Ch 20:15.
2Ch 20:18-19. Thanksgiving of Jehoshaphat and the People for the encouraging Promise by the Prophet.And the Levites of the sons of Kohath and of the Korhites. The second before may be only explicative, as the Korhites descended from Kohath, 1Ch 6:18; 1Ch 6:22.
2Ch 20:20-23. The divine promise is fulfilled by an unexpected self-destruction of the foemen.And as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood up, probably in the gate by which the warriors went forth (the valley or dung-gate, at all events one of those facing the south). On the words: believe, and ye shall be established, comp. Isa 7:9; Isa 28:16; Deu 1:32.
2Ch 20:21. And he advised the people, busied himself as a sound adviser (), by exhorting to confidence in God; in a similar sense stands in 2Ki 6:8.And appointed men singing unto the Lord ( in as nota genitivi), and praising in holy beauty: , otherwise 1Ch 16:29; Psa 29:2; Psa 110:3.
2Ch 20:22. And at the time . . . the Lord set an ambush. signifies insidiatores, insidi (Vulg.), as in Jdg 9:25. By these waylayers .cannot be meant angels sent by God (Piscat. and other ancients, Ew., Kamph., Berth.doubtful H. Schultz, Theol. des A. T. ii. 322); for such an interference of supernatural powers, good or evil, must have been clearly indicated (as in 2Ki 6:17; 2Ki 19:35). As little can the be waylaying Jews, because the Jews, according to 2Ch 20:15; 2Ch 20:17; 2Ch 20:24, were merely spectators of the bloody encounter between their opponents. The waylaying without doubt was done by a part of the confederates themselves, probably some of the Meunites, the inhabitants of mount Seir, who, being eager for booty, had laid the crafty ambush, on whose sudden assault the Ammonites and Moabites must have regarded their Meunite allies as traitors, and thereupon opened the wild game of the self-slaughter of their army. Thus in the main, by comparison with the partly similar event in Jdg 7:22 ff., J. H. Mich., Cler., Calm., etc., and recently Keil and Hengst. (Gesch. des R. G. ii. 2, 213 f.), the latter of whom appears inclined to find in an allusion to the name Arabs (the predatory swarms, he thinks, of the tribes of Arabia Petra and Deserta might have joined the Idumans), and to lay down a hypothesis similar to that of K. H. Sack (Theol. Aufsatze, Gotha 1871), who wishes to make Arabs () also of the ravens () of Elijah, 1Ki 17:6. Comp. also Schlottmann, p. 611, who endeavours to make out the fanaticism of the Ammonites and Moabites, as heathenish polytheistic opponents of the monotheistic Edomites, to be one of the causes of the massacre, but overlooks the fact that the Edomites had properly no part in the affair.
2Ch 20:23. And when they had ended with the inhabitants of mount Seir, had completely massacred them in the affray that arose; comp. Dan 11:44. On the words: they helped to destroy one another, comp., for the substantive 22:4; Eze 5:16; Dan 10:8.
2Ch 20:24-30. The Impression of the Event on the Jews and their Neighbours.And Judah came to the watch-tower in the wilderness, to an elevated point, a rising ground not far from Tekoa, whence the wilderness of Jeruel (2Ch 20:16) might be surveyed.And none escaped: so at least it appeared. The statement is to be understood as ideal, and not strictly real.
2Ch 20:25. And they found with them in abundance, goods and corpses, and costly vessels. Intermediate between , goods, and , costly vessels (comp. Dan 11:38), are named corpses, obviously very surprising. The reading , garments, should therefore at once receive the preference; comp. Jdg 8:25 f.And they stripped off for themselves more than they could carry, literally to nothing of carrying: comp. Num 4:24.
2Ch 20:26. And on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of blessing. This vale of blessing (Emek-berachah) must be sought near the field of battle. It is evidently the present Wady Bereikut, west of Tekoa, near the road leading from Jerusalem to Hebron, in which pretty broad and open valley the ruins of a place of the name of Bereikut are still preserved (Robinson, Phys. Geogr. p. 106); comp. the Caphar Baruka of Jerome in the Vita S. Paul, with its outlook on the Dead Sea. It is inadmissible, with Thenius and Hitzig (on Joel 4:2, 12, and Gesch. p. 199), to make this valley of blessing the same with the Kidron or the valley of Jehoshaphat. For though Joel 4:11 f. names the site of the present battle the valley of Jehoshaphat, it does not follow from this poetico-prophetical designation that he had in view the upper valley of Kidron afterwards so called, which bears this name first in Eusebius, but nowhere in the sacred Scriptures of the Old and New Testament (see Berth. on this passage).
2Ch 20:27. For the Lord had made them glad over their enemies; comp. Ezr 6:22; Neh 12:43.
2Ch 20:29. And the fear of God was upon all the kingdoms of the countries bordering on Judah. On the fear of God, comp. 2Ch 17:10; on the last words, 2Ch 15:15, 2Ch 14:4.
7. End of the Reign of Jehoshaphat: 2Ch 20:31-37. Comp. 1Ki 22:41-51, a section which there forms the whole account of the reign of Jehoshaphat, but is therefore amplified with some notices that are wanting here1. With the statement that Jehoshaphat had peace with the king of Israel, 1Ki 22:45 (which appeared superfluous here on account of 1Ki 18:1 ff.); 2. With a passing reference to Jehoshaphats might and great deeds, 1Ki 22:46 (which is wanting here in the corresponding 2Ch 20:34, because the most important of these great deeds have been here recorded at length in 1 Kings 17-20); 3. With a remark on the removal of the rest of the Sodomites out of the land, 1Ki 22:47 (which is wanting here, because in the time of Asa, 16, no notice is taken of these Sodomites who are mentioned in 1Ki 15:12); 4. With the notice that Edom had no king, but only a deputy, ver 48 (which is here omitted as unimportant). To these enlargements, as exhibited in the account in 1 Kings compared with our own, are added some partly formal, partly material, deviations, which are set forth in the sequel.
2Ch 20:33. The people had not yet directed their heart. For this 1Ki 22:44 has: the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places (comp. 2Ki 12:4; 2Ki 14:4; 2Ki 15:4, etc.).
2Ch 20:34. The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat . . . are written in the words of Jehu son of Hanani. Comp. on this citation, for which in 1 Kings we find merely the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah, Introd. 5, No. 2.
2Ch 20:35. And afterwards Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahaziah: he (Ahaziah, not Jehoshaphat, as Berth, thinks) was wicked in his doing. This introduction, containing an unfavourable judgment on the covenant with Ahaziah (similar to that pronounced on the affinity with Ahab, xviii. 1), to the narrative of the unfortunate sea-voyage from Ezion-geber, is wanting in 1 Kings. The points only in general to the time after the victory over the Ammonites, Moabites, and Meunites. The date of the present undertaking follows more exactly from this, that Ahaziah came to the throne in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, 897 or 896, and reigned two years, that is, till about 894 b.C.
2Ch 20:36. To make ships to go to Tarshish. On the contrary, 1Ki 22:49 has: Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold. The easiest solution of this difference is the assumption of an error on the part of the Chronist, who made out of the ships of Tarshish ships going to Tarshish; comp. Introd. 6, p. 25. But if we must rather harmonize the two accounts, we must assume eithera. a Tarshish in the direction of Ophir, and thus to the east or south-east, different from the Spanish Tarsis-Tartessus (with. Seetzen and others; comp. excursus on 2 Chronicles 8, No. 1), or b. that the confederates had designed both a voyage to Ophir in the east and a voyage to Tarsis in the west, for the latter of which either a circumnavigation of Africa round the Cape of Good Hope or a crossing of Lower Egypt by the canal of Seti (between the Sin. Heroopolitanus and the Nile) must have been contemplated.
2Ch 20:37. And Eliezer son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied, a prophet only named here and known by the present utterance. On the name Dodavahu, see Crit. Note; for Mareshah, on 1Ch 11:8.Were not able to go to Tarshish. , as 2Ch 13:20, 2Ch 14:10, and elsewhere. On the repeated invitation of Ahaziah to Jehoshaphat to prosecute the undertaking, when it failed at first through this mishap and Jehoshaphats refusal, our author says nothing; otherwise 1Ki 22:50.
Evangelical And Ethical Reflections, Homiletic And Apologetic Observations, On Ch. 1720
1. The history of Jehoshaphat, as our author relates it, certainly exceeds that which is recorded of him in the book of Kings in the richness and multiplicity of its details. But it furnishes no exhaustive or complete picture of that which Jehoshaphat did in war and peace during the twenty-five years of his reign (915891), as is manifest from this, that the campaign against Mesha of Moab, undertaken in conjunction with Joram of Israel (2 Kings 3), that fell probably in one of the later years of his reign (at least after the erection of the monument of Mesha, as Schlottmann has shown, Stud. u. Krit. 1871, p. 614 ff.), is altogether omitted. But with the completeness, a simple, well-grounded homogeneous form is wanting in the present description. The varied sources used gleam forth throughout; the accounts of war and peace alternate without internal organic connection; the whole by no means bears the character of a narrative produced at a single casting (comp. Berth, p. 350). Yet a certain plan and an overruling simple principle cannot be unobserved in the present sketch. It is obviously the aim of the author to draw in the reign of Jehoshaphat the picture of a government richly blessed of God, and internally, as well as externally, powerful from the good old times of the yet unimpaired theocracy. The fundamental thought which seems to bind the narrative together he expresses in the twice repeated sentence, that a terror of God came over all the kingdoms of the countries, with which he accompanies first the rule of Jehoshaphat as prince of peace (2Ch 17:10), and next the great discomfiture of the confederate nations, Moab, Ammon, and Edom (2Ch 20:29). It is the possession of a power far-ruling, spreading on all sides great fear and awe, solid, and resting on purely theocratic sentiment and organic development of the inner powers of the theocratic constitution, not on tyranny and conquest, which our author finds to admire and celebrate in Jehoshaphat. Hence he industriously sets forth, along with his orthodox reform of religion, and his endeavours to raise as high as possible the defensive and military power of the Jewish state (2Ch 17:2; 2Ch 17:14 ff.), that also which was undertaken by him for the upholding of the administration of justice, in particular the institution of a supreme court of judicature at Jerusalem (2Ch 19:8-11). He therefore relates of his military undertakings chiefly those which were either accompanied with decisive consequences, or in which at least Gods protective power and gracious help were realized to him on account of his theocratic inclination; thus, of the two wars which, according to 1Ki 22:2 ff., 2Ki 3:1 ff., he undertook as confederate of the northern kingdom, the former, that issued more fortunately for him (that against the Syrians in Ramoth-gilead, 18), is described at full length, and with all the characteristic traits found in the source common to him and the author of the book of Kings; whereas he makes no mention of the second, waged along with Joram against Mesha of Moab, probably on account of its less favourable or at least nearly barren issue.13 Finally, on account of the wish to depict in Jehoshaphat the representative of the Jewish state developed to its full power before the captivity, he expressly places him on a par with David his father (forefather); he makes him therefore enjoy the favour and help of Jehovah, because he walked in the former ways of David, that is, he worshipped God, in the main at least, and irrespective of the worship still tolerated here and there on the high places, in a theocratically pure and lawful way (2Ch 17:3). With Solomon, of whom Jehoshaphat likewise reminds us as a prince of peace, as a wise and circumspect father of his country, and as an upholder of the administration of justice, he does not compare him, probably because, first, a characteristic element of the reign of Solomon, its great pomp and splendid wealth, appears to have been wanting in the kingdom of Jehoshaphat, and secondly, notwithstanding his endeavours after peace, his reign had taken a far less peaceful course than that of the great Shelomoh (peaceful).
2. Jehoshaphat is the glorious, pious, and mighty David of the southern kingdom: to this result points the whole narrative of our author. From this point of view also will the prodigious numbers be estimated which he gives in describing the disposable forces of Judah and Benjamin under his reign. The there mentioned 780,000 Jews and 380,000 Benjamites can scarcely be accepted as literally true. Their near approach to the numbers resulting from the census taken by David (1Ch 21:5) seems intended to convey the idea that the kingdom of Judah alone had under Jehoshaphat, the alter David, attained a strength which almost matched the power of the twelve still united tribes under the first David (1,100,000 Israelites and 470,000 Jews), that Judah by itself alone had now developed a number and power which surpassed that of the northern tribes at that earlier period. If this be the meaning of those numbers, the less objection needs be made to their surprising magnitude; their ideal character is also plain from the whole connection; and there is as little need to have recourse to the assumption of some error in the transcribing of the numbers or numeral letters,an expedient, besides, which seems scarcely admissible, on account of the proportionality of the numbers in the several divisions of the troops, as to that of legendary extravagance or arbitrary fiction, whether it be that of the Chronist or of his older voucher (perhaps the prophet Jehu, 2Ch 20:34).14
3. How far, therefore, the author was from imparting to the here and there ideally-coloured picture which he drew of the great heroic king the form of a panegyric legend or a fabulous eulogium; how true, on the contrary, lie remained to his office as a historian,is shown by the circumstance that here also, as in the case of David, Asa, etc.,. he adds the shade to the light, and by no means passes over in silence a series of less favourable traits of the administration of Jehoshaphat. Especially his affinity with Ahab, the idolatrous king of Israel, is duly set forth as a fatal deviation from the path of theocratic purity and strictness (comp. Ezr 9:1 ff; Ezr 10:1 ff.; Neh 9:2; Neh 13:23 ff.) to the slippery ground of international friendship or affinity with idolatrous neighbours (comp. Solomons Egyptian spouse, 2Ch 8:11 f.). On account of this step, and the consequent often going hand in hand with Israel in warlike expeditions, the king had repeatedly to undergo censure by the mouth of God-inspired prophets, first by the stout Jehu ben Hanani, who directly charged him with helping the wicked, and loving them that hate the Lord (2Ch 19:2), afterwards by Eliezer ben Dodavah, who places the failure of the voyage from Ezion-geber under the character of a divine correction for drawing in one yoke with the unbelieving (2Ch 20:37). On the part of two other prophets, indeed, who are introduced in our section, he encounters no such rebuke: Michah son of Imlah treats him when standing out beside Ahab in the favourable light of a relatively theocratic prince, with mild forbearance, and favours him with the promise of a return in peace from the defeat and dispersion of the sheep of the house of Israel (2Ch 18:16); and so what the Levite Jahaziel says, before setting out to the war with the eastern nations, includes nothing but admonitions to take courage, and promises of deliverance by the strong hand of the Lord (2Ch 20:14-17). But certainly the critical situations to which these prophetic words refer are in and of themselves sufficiently serious and menacing: they are crises introduced by the fault of the king, by his inconsiderate entering into ungodly alliances and relations, feeble preludes of that which the unhappy marriage of his son with the daughter of Jezebel should afterwards bring down in heavy judgments on his house and people. On this account, in the dangerous posture of affairs introduced in this way, along with solemn rebuke, comforting encouragement was in place; the certainly guilty king, deserving of punishment, but not in the same degree as the sovereigns of Israel, was yet one with whom, as the rough Jehu acknowledged, good things were found (2Ch 19:3). He deserved along with reproving instruction also strengthening encouragement, that he might continue to walk in the ways of his fathers David and Asa (2Ch 17:3, 2Ch 20:32). He was worthy to be aroused to abide in the path of theocratic righteousness, that at least under his rule the inevitable evil effects of that affinity with an idolatrous house might be restrained as far as possible, and the people retained in that moderate state of piety and morality which is indicated (2Ch 20:33) by the sentence: the people had not yet directed their heart to the God of their fathers. What he himself says and does, also, in conformity with such encouraging and strengthening words of the prophets, bears the stamp of true repentance, humble acknowledgement of his guilt, and firm continuance in the path of tighteousness. As the reproof of Jehu appears to have wrought in him the counter-part of that which Asa had once done on the occasion of a similar announcement from Hanani his father (Comp. 2Ch 19:4 ff.), so his address in the campaign against the eastern nations to the people, or rather in the name of the people to the Lord (2Ch 20:6-11), vies with the following prophetic utterance of Jahaziel in realizing firm confidence in God and triumphant faith. It is, however, a confidence in God resting on the ground of penitent and believing confession of sin which he here expresses; it is a truly penitent and believing resignation to the divine grace working all in all, an essentially evangelical experience of salvation, whence his subsequent admonition to his warriors: Believe, and ye shall be established (2Ch 20:20), springs, a monitory and prophetic word, in which he himself becomes a prophet, a prophetic type, and a presumptive prophetic source, from which the greatest of the Old Testament seers for a century and a half afterwards, in all probability, drew their almost literally coinciding words (see on this passage). At all events, the assumption that Isaiah, the seer of Davidic princely blood, consciously rested on this believing word of a royal ancestor, that might have been early celebrated on account of the divine blessing attending it, is a good deal more natural than either the assertion of an only accidental dependence of the similar phrases, or than the easy expedient of a thoughtless hyper-criticism, according to which the Chronist made his royal hero speak after the manner of Isaiah, or use a play of words borrowed from this prophet.
4. It is, before all, the antique, thoroughly fresh, and concrete characteristic, foreign likewise to the tone of mythical legend or arbitrary invention in the sources, as they lie clearly discernible at the ground of our author narrative, which must be set forth in an apologetic respect, and maintained with all emphasis against such doubts as that above indicated, with respect to the originality of Jehoshaphats address, 2Ch 20:20; or as Grambergs and Credners conjecture (expressed on Joel 4:11), that the whole narrative 2Ch 20:1-30 is nothing but a free, half-poetical remodelling of the short statement in 2Ki 3:23 f. With regard to the character of our chapter, as supported throughout by definite historical traditions and solid sources, Movers and Bertheau have already made striking remarks; comp. the latter, p. 349 ff.: 1. In the accounts of Jehoshaphats institutions, which were designed to spread the knowledge of the law and secure to his people an orderly administration of justice, the many details and names (among others, that of the high priest Amariah, 2Ch 19:11, who was also in other accounts a contemporary of Jehoshaphat) are a sure proof of this, that our historian found exact statements in his sources, if he also elaborated the historical material in his own way. 2. This applies also to the reports of the defensive preparations and the division of the army, 2Ch 17:15 to 2Ch 19:3. In the remarkable narrative of the battle in which the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites destroyed one another (2Ch 20:1-30), we discern, indeed, throughout the mode of thought and style peculiar to our author, but we discover also very distinct historical recollections: the localities are exactly described, 2Ch 20:16-20; the designation new court is found only in 2Ch 20:5 (it must be taken from a source in which the new building was mentioned); the series of the forefathers of Jahaziel, 2Ch 20:14, is a proof that he had already drawn the attention of the older writers to him, who were in a position to give an account of his forefathers. This battle of extermination was before the mind of the prophet Joel when he called the place of the divine decision the valley of Jehoshaphat (comp. on 2Ch 20:26). The statement in 2Ki 3:23 refers to a quite different situation; and as it might have presented the starting-point and the historical ground for the reports in 2 Chronicles 20, it is not to be overlooked. 4. Finally, our author must have found reports of the action of the prophets Jehu (2Ch 19:2 f.) and Eliezer (2Ch 20:37), since he tells of the contents of their speeches in their own words. The brief report also in 1Ki 22:41-51 seems to point to the contents of several narratives of Chronicles: 1Ki 22:47 refers to the extirpation of idolatry (2Ch 17:3-6); 1Ki 22:46 speaks of the military force of Jehoshaphat, of which 2Ch 17:2; 2Ch 17:10-19 treats more fully, and so forth. To the arguments for its authenticity here set forth, mostly taken from the internal value of the sources of our section, with which are to be compared the apologetic discussions of Kleinert (Das Deuteronomium, etc., p. 141) respecting the law reform of Jehoshaphat in its relation to Deuteronomy 17, is to be added a weighty, if only indirect and extra-biblical, testimonythe recently – discovered inscription of Mesha king of Moab, a highly-important monumental document for the history of one of the neighbouring states of the kingdom of Jehoshaphat, which serves to confirm, at least in general, the historical relations as our section represents them, and, especially in a chronological respect, in so far as it proceeds most probably from the time between the campaign described in 2 Chronicles 18 and that in 2 Chronicles 20, fits well into the series of events here described; comp. Schlottmann, as quoted, especially p. 621 ff.
Footnotes:
[1]For the Sept. (and Syr.) appears to have read ; for they translate appellatively, . But the word is certainly a proper name; comp. , 1Ki 4:10, and similar names.
[2]The Kethib; is a mere mistake for , the Keri.
[3] Kethib: . Keri: .
[4]The redundant after is perhaps inserted by a mistake of the tramscriber, and therefore, according to 1Ki 22:20, to be erased.
[5] Kethib: . Keri: .
[6] before is wanting in the Sept. and Vulg., but if taken explicatively it involves no difficulty.
[7]Kethib: . Keri: .
[8]Instead of is undoubtedly to be read , as the of the Sept. shows.
[9]Kethib: . Keri: .
[10]Instead of , four mss. in Kennic. and three in de Rossi, likewise some old editions (Complut., Brix., Bomberg. a. 1518, 21, Mnst.), read ; so also the Vulg. (vestes), and apparently also the Sept., as well as several recent expositors, Dathe, Berth., and Kamph.
[11]For the Sept. has , after which Berth., without sufficient reason, would write . Comp. rather such names as Hodaviah, Joshaviah.
[12]There also concerning Hitzigs hypothesis (founded on 2Ki 8:26 and 2Ch 22:2), that Athaliah was not the daughter, but the sister, of Ahab.
[13]The passage 2Ki 3:27 b imports in any case an issue of the war with Moab not quite favourable to Joram and Jehoshaphat even though we understand the expression: and there was great indignation concerning Israel, only of the displeasure and abhorrence of the human sacrifice offered by the king of Moab, and the consequent retreat from the country of the enemy (as also Bhr on the passage]. But the question is, whether Schlottmann (p. 618 f.) is not right in thinking of a divinely sent calamity, such as a plague, by which the united army of Israel and Judah was forced to a speedy retreat under heavy losses. In this case the Chronist would have had so much the more ground for the omission of this record.
[14] Moreover, that which Neteler adduces (p. 212 f.) in support of their numbers in their literal sense deserves attention. 1. The tribe of Simeon at this time belonged to the tribe of Judah (2Ch 19:4?), by which the number of warriors of the latter, amounting to almost 800,000 men, is
explained; 2. The Philistines (?) and the Edomites, who were tributary to Judah, may have been compelled to add their contingent to his force; 3. If we reckon the auxiliary troops of Simeon, Philistia, and Edom at 200,000 men, of the remaining 600,000 Jewish troops, on an average, 20,000 men were due to each of the 120 cities which belonged to the tribe (Joshua 15), which does not seem unnaturally high, as numerous villages belonged to each of these cities; 4. An increase of 130,000 men fit to bear arms since the census of David, in a period of three generations, is nothing wonderful, especially with the accession of many from the other tribes to the southern kingdom, if we consider the extraordinary fertility of the land, the small means of subsistence required in the south, and the industrial productivity of the Jews at that time. A somewhat satisfactory account would thus be furnished with regard to the 780,000 Jewish troops. But how stands it with the 380,000 warriors whom the small rocky and mountainous territory of Benjamin had to produce ?
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
We have related in this Chapter a further account of the reign of Jehoshaphat. He returns to his kingdom after the battle of Ramoth-gilead. He sets judges over the land.
2Ch 19:1
No doubt the peace which is here spoken of, means the sense he had of the Lord’s goodness in preserving his life in so critical a moment of danger at the battle. It is probable that by this time the mind of the king had been led to consider that he had been out of the path of duty, and therefore the mercy he had received was a double mercy, and being so widely distinguished from the fate of Ahab, he could not but return to his house and family in peace.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Our Friendships
2Ch 19:2
This is a most important and searching question, asked of a good man, a shining example among the rulers of his time of purity, truth, and goodness of character. An earnest reformer, faithful to Jehovah from the beginning to the end of his reign, was Jehoshaphat.
It is the more distressing, therefore, to discover his defects. There are few things in life more distressing than the faults of good men. Faults which are the more conspicuous and glaring because they are entirely contrary to the general trend of the life.
Jehoshaphat was the anointed of the Lord. He owed all the strength and peace and prosperity of his kingdom to Jehovah, and Ahab had set himself against Jehovah and against His prophets. Surely the position which Jehoshaphat should have assumed was to insist firmly that before he could become an ally of Ahab, that man must repent of his wickedness and reverse the whole policy of his government.
I. It may seem a harsh ruling to give, that godly persons and those who have avowedly confessed themselves believers in Jesus, and followers of Him should never enter into intimate relations of friendship with careless, indifferent, unbelieving, and ungodly people; it may seem like bigotry to insist upon it, it may seem uncharitable, it may seem that if only persons are amiable, kindly, and moral, the question of religious conviction and belief should not come up. But if we are earnest followers of Christ, and not merely nominal Christians, it is bound to come up. For to an earnest and wholehearted disciple religion is the first thing. It is not merely a matter of custom and opinion, it touches the deepest springs of life, it enters into every department of life.
There are circumstances in life where there is no choice, where men are compelled to be in close touch with those who care for none of these things. Where, like Charles Lamb in the South Sea Office, the lament may be, ‘Nobody reads the New Testament here’. Young men and young women with noblest enthusiasm may find themselves set down in lodgings or in a house of business where all around them are irreligious. Life is awfully lonely, there is a deep hunger for friendship, but unless a friendship of the right sort can be found, you had far better keep to yourself.
II. We may learn some searching lessons from the consequences of the alliance which Jehoshaphat formed with Ahab and Ahab’s son.
1. In the battle into which Jehoshaphat went, he barely escaped with his life. He was mistaken for Ahab, and he the better man will often be confounded with the worse, where he has made a friendship with him only escaped as by a miracle.
2. Further, the friendship of these two men issued in the marriage of the son of Jehoshaphat with the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and the cursing of both kingdoms with their pernicious influence, and the undoing of all the work of reform which Jehoshaphat had done.
We must have contact with unbelieving and irreligious men, but it need not, it must not, be the contact of close friendship and companionship. Our relation to our dear Lord, whose sacrifice they slight, Whom they refuse to follow, forbids it. If there is to be an alliance, it can never be at the sacrifice of principle; it must be by the embracing of principle. They must come over to our side, or rather to His ‘whose we are, and Whom we serve’; whose claims they do not yield to, but to Whom we dare not be disloyal.
C. Brown, Light and Life, p. 181.
References. XIX. 2. A. Phelps, The Old Testament a Living Book for All Ages, p. 55. XIX. 11. Reuen Thomas, Christian World Pulpit, vol. 1. 1896, p. 188. J. Stalker, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lxi. 1902, p. 150. XX. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. li. No. 2923. XX. 1. R. B. Brindley, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lv. 1899, p. 106. XX. 4. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. li. No. 2923. XX. 12. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture 2 Kings, Chronicles, etc., p. 170. XX. 15. C. Drayton Thomas, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lx. 1901, p. 7. XX. 15, 17. A. Phelps, The Old Testament a Living Book for All Ages, p. 21. XX. 20. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture 2 Kings, Chronicles, etc., p. 176. XX. 21. J. M. Neale, Sermons Preached in Sackville College Chapel, vol. iv. p. 228.
Bible Valleys
2Ch 19:1-4
1. And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem [A contrast with the fate of Ahab is suggested. (Comp. chap. 2Ch 18:27 , 2Ch 18:34 ; and ibid. 2Ch 18:16 )].
2. And Jehu, the son of Hanani the seer [the seer whose father had suffered for his reproof of Asa (chap. 2Ch 16:7-10 ), and who had himself already witnessed against Baasha, king of Israel ( 1Ki 16:1-7 )], went out to meet him [unto his presence (1Ch 12:17 ; chap. 2Ch 15:2 )], and said to king Jehoshaphat [the prophets never shrank from facing the highest representatives of earthly power (comp. 1Ki 21:20 )], Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? [And haters of Jehovah lovest thou?] therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord [See the same phrase in 1Ch 27:24 . In the case of David, the divine wrath was embodied in pestilence; with regard to Jehoshaphat the following chapters show that his land suffered invasion and his fleet shipwreck; his posterity was evil, and came to an evil end].
3. Nevertheless [“Yet the divine wrath will not pursue thee to destruction, for there are good things found in thee.” (So chap. 2Ch 12:12 ; comp. also 1Ki 14:13 )], there are good things [chap. 1Ch 17:4 , 1Ch 17:6 ] found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves [thou hast consumed ( or exterminated) the Asherahs. (Deu 13:6 ; 2Ki 23:24 .) So Asa had done (chap. 2Ch 17:4 )] out of the land, and hast prepared [ or directed. The contrary was said of Rehoboam (chap. 2Ch 12:14 )] thine heart to seek God.
4. And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again [ Heb. he returned and went out] through the people from Beersheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers.
Faithful Expostulations
“AND Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace,” not in peace of soul, or in contentment of mind, but, literally, in wholeness; or, as we should say in English, safe and sound: he had been engaged in an unholy war in alliance with a most wicked man; that wicked man had been slain in the battle, but Jehoshaphat returned in peace, in wholeness, without scar or wound or mark of injury. It is important to mark this distinction, lest we should imagine that a man can go out and fight with whom he pleases, and carry out all his own will, and come back with the seal of divine peace impressed upon his mind and heart. This is only a physical wholeness, a bodily immunity from danger. Jehoshaphat did not figure well in the war; he was thought to be the king of Israel, and the soldiers of the opposing king had received instructions not to think of great or small, but to fight only with the king, so they gathered around the chariot of Jehoshaphat, and in the moment of supreme danger he cried out, and he was sent away, coming to Jerusalem in peace, without having sustained any bodily injury. A whole skin after a war is about the worst medal a soldier can wear. Let Jehoshaphat have his little enjoyment, and we shall see what came of it
“And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him” ( 2Ch 19:2 ).
How comfortably we should proceed but for these seers! If there were no religion in the world, how admirably we could get along! If we did not strike our feet against the altar we might walk straightforwardly on courses of selfishness and worldliness. If suddenly the whole cloud outlook did not take the shape of a great white throne we could preserve a completer equanimity. But there are prophets, there are religious critics, there are spiritual censors, and we cannot bribe them into silence. They are not afraid of kings. A truly spiritual man should not be afraid of anybody. Religion should never give way; true spiritual feeling, high spiritual illumination, should always be at the front. The man who can pray as he ought to pray should never feel the blush of shame upon his cheek, or the trembling of weakness in his knees, in the presence of earth’s mightiest sons. What has this man to fear? Nothing. Why does Jehoshaphat listen to him? Because he cannot help it. We are bound sometimes to be our best selves. Occasionally conscience will assert its dominion, and the least attentive ears must incline themselves in an attitude of listening. If there were no Sabbath day, how we could riot in all manner of evil, and have a whole seven days’ week at it! If there were no church, no sanctuary, no stone finger pointing upwards eternally to brighter and higher things, we could do better behind the counter, in the way of business, in the calculated relationships which are dignified by the name of society. Why will seers meet us? Why will Jehu always come when we do not want to see him? He may not be a speaking man, he is a looking man. Christ said some of his most eloquent things by looking them. Sometimes he had a grief which could not be expressed in words, but could only be written in the scorching fire of an indignant countenance. Once he broke a man’s heart by looking at him. There are looks that have yet to come upon us, and they will burn us like hell. So it would be more comfortable if there were no affliction, no loss, no fluctuation of fortune, if every time we went out we brought sheaves back. Yet sometimes we come loaded with darkness, and when we seek our profit we thrust our eager fingers into nothingness.
How critical are these prophets! We cannot put them off with general phrases; they will take our words to pieces, they are gifted in moral as in literal analysis; they hold each syllable up between their eyes and the sun that the light may shine well through what they are looking at. A wave of the hand will not dismiss them, or if they be dismissed in grief or in anger the sound of their retreating footsteps is itself a judgment, a thing that the memory cannot shake off, a sound hollow as the grave. They are not only so critical, they are so audacious; they are not afraid of a millionaire, of a king, of all kings, of a congregated body. They will assail us as we are sitting down to the feast, they like to choke our hunger; they will speak to us over the frothing flagon, and intoxicate with a deadlier alcohol. They will not be shut out by our folding doors, by our guards, constabulary, or military; they will whisper to the king as he goes to his throne, and say, “Thou hast offended God.” Could we but get rid of these pests! If there were no preachers to listen to, and no prophets who preached to themselves, if we could have nothing but music and dancing and profit and health and sunshine, what a changed world it would be! But such is not the constitution of things; we are constrained therefore to look at facts and realities of the grimmest kind, we are compelled to own that life is a tragedy. Even if there were no religion, there would remain conscience in a certain degree or form; if even there were no preacher there would be an internal monitor, saying to us now and again, What doest thou? and these monitors call them prophets, seers; call them by abstract names, as conscience, reason, judgment will insist upon following us all through life and meddling with everything. We live under criticism. Blessed is that man who hears his own inward voice, and listens to it; he may have to blanch before the accuser, he may have to end his terror in prayer. If there were no such hindrances on the way, the lawyer might go home and quietly smile over his misled and impoverished client; the merchant might go home congratulating himself that he had taken the purse of some other man along with him; the liar might return to his rest, praising his eloquent falsehood; the base man, who has taken advantage of the weak, the helpless, the homeless, might say, Who knows? Who cares? I only am master, there is no God, no death, no judgment, no hell, I will do tomorrow as I have done to-day. But we cannot take our food quietly, thankfully, and enjoyingly, because there is a demon whispering over the shoulder, there is a spectre touching the throat as we swallow the gluttonous viands, and there is in the air something that spoils the feast. God has set these things about us for our education, for our control; he has tethered us to certain centres, and given us permission of a limited kind, which we call freedom, but which in reality is but an enlarged enslavement.
“And Jehu said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord?” ( 2Ch 19:2 ).
We know the kind of man with whom Jehoshaphat had been allied. Baser man probably never lived; in some respects he prefigured the Iscariot of a later day: There was nothing too bad for that king to do. The reference therefore here is not to difference of opinion, but to difference of character. “What communion hath Christ with Belial?” None; not because there is some intellectual difference between them, but because they do not belong to the same moral zone. “The liar,” said a zealous saint in Old Testament times, “shall not dwell in my presence.” We are to have nothing to do with men who delight in wickedness. Find a man who is given to injustice, and we are called upon to hate his injustice as an unpardonable offence against right and against society. Find a man who is the victim of his passions, and we are bound to hate his sensuality. Thus we are warned in the direction of character, not in the direction of opinion. Besides, coming to this matter of opinion, whose is right? How long will it be right? Opinion has a history, and that history has proved beyond all things that opinion develops, enlarges, purifies itself, corrects its judgments, enlarges its outlooks, and reverses its verdicts. Your opinion to-day about many things is not what it was a quarter of a century ago. Who is right in opinion? Who has any authority in opinion? Who can say to another, You must follow my judgment and not your own? Blessed be God, there is no man who is charged with that wicked and foolish authority. But find a man who breaks the commandments, who violates all social sanctities, who laughs at morality, who tramples virtue under foot, and we are called upon, whatever our opinion may be, to repel him, to dissociate ourselves from him by the breadth of an immeasurable chasm.
“Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord” ( 2Ch 19:2 ).
Jehoshaphat was punished because of his wicked alliances: his land was invaded, his fleet was wrecked, his posterity was of an evil kind. We cannot understand why this should be so, except we have this doctrine to guide us, that God must in some way at some point get hold of the human race. The question is infinitely larger than can settled by our judgment. When actions are lifted up into a judicial sphere, and are treated by God in his judicial capacity, God is not dealing with the individual or the individual family alone, he is exemplifying the morale of his government before all ages. Better for us not to sit in judgment upon things we have never seen, quantities we cannot comprehend, and issues and consequences we cannot measure. Men can find their rest only in this sublime doctrine, that when all comes to all it will be found that God is love. We are not asked now to empanel ourselves and constitute ourselves into a jury; all the parties are not before us, all the questions cannot be expounded to us, all the perplexities cannot be disentangled; we therefore happily escape the responsibilities of juryship, and accept the rock-doctrine, the granite-foundation, that he who has made so beautiful a universe will not belie himself by moral confusion, but at the end his righteousness shall outshine the sun’s, and as for his love, it shall be softer, purer, tenderer than all the dewy morning, than all the rain that ever baptised the tender herb.
“Nevertheless, there are good things found in thee” ( 2Ch 19:3 ).
Here is an instance of the compassion and tender criticism of God. The criticism of heaven is never ruthless; that is to say, it is never inconsistent with reason, and justice, and fairness, of every kind. The Lord will analyse a man’s disposition and a man’s character, and will assign to him all that is due. “There are good things found in thee”: what man is wholly bad? Surely in the very worst of men there are excellences, and it ought to be our delight to consider these, and, where possible, with due regard to justice, to magnify them, and to call the man’s attention to them. A man may take heart when he sees some of his best points, and he may fail in hope when nothing is held before him but his infirmity and his blameworthiness. Here is a lesson for parents, here also is a lesson for magistrates, and here is instruction for teachers and monitors of every name and position. Tell a boy that he has done something well. We are too much afraid of what we call flattery, forgetting that flattery is a lie: but we are called upon simply to state the truth, and to state it with affection and emphasis, that it may become an encouragement to hearts that are very easily cast down. Recognise everything that is good in a man, and tell him that if he can be good up to this point it is perfectly possible for him to be good up to the further point, and urge him by tender appeal to attempt the higher grade; and he may take heart when you speak to him thus with apostolic hopefulness and Christlike sympathy. Suppose the character of a man to be divisible into seven parts; it is perfectly possible for six of those parts to be what is called by the seer “good.” Is a man whose character is good to the extent of six-sevenths to be pronounced a bad man? Is there not a spiritual arithmetic which looks into majorities and minorities of a moral kind? Will God then at last drive away from him men who have had six good points out of seven? From which point will he begin his judgment? That is a solemn question. We may be helped by a reference to our own action in the matter. It would seem a cruel issue that a man who has six good points out of seven should be driven into outer darkness because of the lack of the seventh excellence. Will God count us, attribute by attribute, excellence by excellence, and will he set the evil on one side, and the good upon the other, and strike an average, and report to us the balance of his audit? How do we do? As business men suppose a man be recommended to you in these terms: This man has seven qualities, and six of them are really admirable; the only thing about him is that you cannot trust him with money; he has excellent temper, wonderful patience, great kindness, his energy is hardly to be surpassed, and as for his quickness of apprehension and rapidity of execution too much cannot be said; but he is a thief. Would you take him? Six points are good out of seven: Will you go by the majority or by the minority? Another man is also good in six points, admirable; the only fault he has is that you cannot believe a word he says; you think that it is hard for a man to be condemned because of one point when six are good. Will you take him into your business? There is a minority greater than any majority can be. That is the doctrine which we have omitted when we have been criticising eternal providence and wondering about the issues of human action. Whatever is done on a human plane cannot of course measure what is done upon the eternal disc, the infinite line, but we get peeps of God through our humanity: “Like as a father… so the Lord” is an analogical argument, which is not only permitted but employed in inspired writ. So we may put the question to ourselves, whether we would admit to our confidence a man who has six good qualities out of a sum-total of seven when the seventh quality strikes at the very root of things, and is needful to the very cohesion of society. One thing is certain God will be just. Sometimes good things are mere accidents in a man’s character; they come to him through birth, they are part of his education, he has never seen anything but courtesy, civility, and unselfishness, and he has been called upon from his earliest days to display certain virtues and certain graces: but let him live his life, and he will show you where his vulnerable point is. Achilles had a heel not dipped in the all-protecting stream. No man is stronger than his weakest point. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Amongst ourselves it is right that we should say of one another, “He is a good man, take him on the whole.” But what is the meaning of the reservation? What is it that is reserved? Is it a grace, a posture that may be taught by a hired master? Or is it a morality the want of which turns the whole being into a bog on which you cannot rest with sense of security? What is it that is wanting? must be our continual question. On the other hand, let us never forget that God does not allow a single excellence of character to escape his attention.
Then comes the great vital doctrine that we are not to be changed in points. Human character is not a question of isolated aspects, of self-complete phases; human character is a spiritual entity, a spiritual reality, and according to its central quality will be all the circumference which touches society at a thousand points. Better be right at the soul, than be conventionally right and socially acceptable, either because of negativeness or simple inoffensiveness. A man is what he is in his soul. Has God touched your soul? Have you asked him to touch it? How does God touch soul? By soul. How can spirit be born again? By Spirit. Not by education? Never by education. Education is a temptation, education is a mockery, education is a tribute to your vanity; it may be the mischief and the ruin of your life. The great change is mysterious, subjective, internal, of the mysterious nature of God’s own Spirit: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Your little excellences are like jewels which you can take off and lay down and resume again tomorrow, but a man’s soul, by which is meant a man’s character, his real disposition, that must be a recreation of God. So let us go to our Father with a heart-prayer, and say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” And let us understand by what agency all this is done not merely intellectually comprehend it, but let us know of a surety that there is only one way revealed in the Scriptures by which a man can become a new man. Is it possible for a man to throw off his old self and become a new creature in Christ Jesus? That is the miracle which the gospel was sent not only to proclaim but to accomplish. No man can come into vital connection with Christ Jesus without throwing off his old self. It is impossible to approach the cross, and yet keep our selfishness, our love of sin, our ignorance, and our folly: To want to see and touch the cross is the beginning of the new life. If you propose to yourselves to analyse the metaphysics of regeneration, I cannot assist you. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” This is partially true of intellectual birth, intellectual emancipation: we cannot tell when the meaning of words really came to us; it is impossible in many cases to put down upon a record the moment at which we said, Eureka! We found the blessing, the liberty, the new life, so suddenly as to do away with the encumbrance and weight of time. Let every man take heart therefore in this, that if he wants to be good he is beginning to be good; and there is no need to be ashamed of saying that every upward desire we form is a creation of the Holy Spirit of the living God. Why not? The Holy Spirit is everywhere. Every flower that opens in the springtime is a creation of the divine energy, a signification of the divine presence, a pledge of some further revelation. What is there to be ashamed of in saying that every upward look, every heavenward desire, is the gift of God, the work of the Spirit, the miracle of the Holy Ghost? And what is there to be ashamed of in saying that having tried to get rid of sin we never succeeded in the spiritual endeavour, but at the moment we saw the cross and felt its power sin died, and our whole life was filled with the ineffable grace and the unutterable peace of God? I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Cease to think of your little moralities as sufficient, cease to count the beads of your good-doing, as if you were laying on virtue before God, and remember that character is not a question of good things, numerable, and distinct, and valuable, but is a question of the soul. As the soul is the man is. And none can touch the soul redeemingly, regeneratingly, but God the Holy Ghost.
Prayer
Almighty God, there is none like thee; other rocks are not as our Rock, our enemies themselves being judges. Thou doest as thou wilt in the armies of heaven and among the children of men; none can stay thine hand. Mercy and judgment belong unto the Lord our God. Our song is tremulous because we remember the mercies of heaven, and noble because we remember the judgments of God. Our song shall be of judgment and mercy; unto thee, O Lord, will we sing. Thou dost cause a light to arise in darkness to them that are upright; thou leadest the blind by a way that they know not; thou findest bread where men expected to die of hunger, and thou openest deep rock-springs in places where men said there was no water. Thy miracles are daily. The signs and the tokens of God are written upon the whole heaven and upon the whole earth. Give us eyes to see; give us ears to hear; give us hearts to understand; then shall the whole space around us be living with the divine Presence, radiant with the divine light, a very sanctuary and temple of God. We bless thee for the morning; its dew is pure, its light is full of hope, it brings new strength to bear upon new duties. May we be early with God in the opening day, high on the mountain-top ere the sun is well-risen; and thus rising a great while before day, may we rule the time with a master’s hand, distributing its affairs skilfully, and perceiving its engagements and duties with the keenness of an apt mind. We bless thee for sleep, because it makes labour easy; we thank thee for rest, because we can toil the better after sitting a while; we bless thee for sanctuary hours, because they make the sun stand still and the moon to pause until life’s great battles be brought to victory. The Lord keep us, seal us with his own signature, and preserve us in Christ, Son of God, Son of man, the atoning, redeeming, priestly Christ, and acknowledge us amid the universe in the great time of judgment, so that we, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, may enter into holy habitations. Amen.
V
THE REIGN OF JEHOSHAPHAT, KING OF JUDAH
2 Chronicles 17-20; 1Ki 22:1-53
The reader will observe that I omitted in the last chapter any special reference to the contemporaneous affairs in Israel, in the close of the reign of Asa, and do now limit this chapter to the record in 2 Chronicles 17-20. This limitation is to secure unity in the discussion of the two great kings of Judah: Asa and Jehoshaphat; and for the same purpose two or three later chapters will be devoted exclusively to the great house of Omri in Israel, and its battle royal with Elijah, the Tishbite.
I pause here to remark that there are some matters so very critical in this section, that I am not willing to trust myself in an offhand statement of the meaning, and so every word of this chapter is written out beforehand, just as I want it to stand verbatim, et liberatum, et punctuatim.
The glorious seventeeenth chapter of 2 Chronicles has no parallel in Kings, and well illustrates the valuable supplementary character of the later history. The history opens with Jehoshaphat devising military measures of defense against Israel. He placed regular garrisons in all the fortified cities of Judah, established and garrisoned new military posts in all the territory captured from Ephraim by his father, Asa, and grandfather, Abijah. This was the very beginning of his reign.
His moral measures of defense are far more sublime. They constitute a great lesson worthy of study in all subsequent ages. On this section, therefore, we must place our greatest emphasis. What, then, were these moral measures of defense adopted by Jehoshaphat?
(1) “He walked in the first ways of his father David” David, the ideal king, not Solomon, was his model. And the first ways of David are followed, not the last. Thus, his pattern was his lost illustrious ancestor, the man after God’s own heart, and he at his best, not at his worst. We would do well while finding a perfect ideal in Jesus, to select some human model that reflects our highest ideals of manhood or womanhood. For instance, how many young preachers say in their hearts, “I will keep my eyes on William Carey, or on Adoniram Judson, or on Charles Spurgeon”?
(2) “He sought not unto Baalim” that is the Hebrew plural, like Seraph Seraphim; cherub cherubim; so Baal Baalim. “He sought not unto Baalim, but sought unto the God of his fathers.” He whom one worships is more important than whom he makes his model. To him Jehovah alone was God. He counted as nothing Baalim, that is, the male and the female deities. Baalim being plural) that signified Baal, the male) and Astoreth the female. Astoreth has its own plural, Astoroth, and is about the same as the Venus of the Romans, or the Aphrodite of the Greeks. Baal and Ashtoreth, under some name or form, represented the world’s debased and sensual idolatry.
(3) The record tells us that he refused to find in Israel an example for his people, which under the house of Omri, turned to these infamous Phoenician deities, the Baalim-Baal and Ashtoreth.
(4) The record says that his heart was lifted up in the ways of Jehovah. That is a strong expression in the original. It is not a perfunctory service; he gloried in it; his heart exulted in it; his fervor glowed like a furnace.
(5) In such a spirit and zeal there could be no compromise; hence the record says, “He took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.” “The high places,” that is, the top of the hills, even when Jehovah was the object of worship, detracted from the central place of worship in Jerusalem with its holy Temple, and its glorious unifying services and feasts. The Asherim were symbolized in wooden columns that sometimes stood like groves, as when Gideon went out and cut down a grove of them in one night. The Asherim stood as a perpetual temptation to superstition and idolatry.
(6) He made abundant and systematic provision for the instruction of the people of God in the Pentateuch, “The book of the law of Jehovah.” Princes, priests, and Levites, were constituted as itinerant teaching corps. Up and down, to and fro, through all the land this great traveling faculty carried and taught the one great textbook, the Law of Moses. The word of God was not bound. Its precepts were brought by the mightiest and most honorable in the land into every village and home. And as the priests and Levites of all the tribes were assembled into one tribe, magnifying the teaching force of that tribe, Judah, under this itinerant system of instruction) became one great religious university an itinerant theological seminary.
(7) He established a graded judicial system for the determination and enforcement of civil, criminal, and ecclesiastical law (10:5-8) and here is his charge to the judges of the lower courts: “Consider what ye do; for ye judge not for man, but Jehovah; and he is with you in the judgment you render. Now, therefore, let the fear of Jehovah be upon you; take heed and do it; for there is no iniquity with Jehovah our God, nor respect of persons nor taking of bribes.” I would like to read that to all the judges of the lower courts of the United States. Here is what he says in his charge to the Supreme Court, the head of the judicial system in Jerusalem: “In the fear of Jehovah ye shall do faithfully, and with a perfect heart. And whensoever any controversy shall come to you from your brothers that dwell in the villages and cities, between blood and blood [that is, if it is a murder case], between the law [in its principles] and [their expression in] commandments) statutes, and ordinances, ye shall warn them that they be guilty toward Jehovah and so wrath come upon you [the judges] and your brethren [the appellants]. This do ye and ye shall not be guilty. Deal courageously and Jehovah be with the good in your judgment.” (2Ch 19:6-9 ). I would like to read that to our state and national supreme courts.
I pause here to remark, first, that the civil and criminal code of Moses surpasses the codes of Lycurgus, Solon, Justinian, or Napoleon, and as a foundation it underlies all of the best of modern law among the most civilized nations. I was boarding once with a very brilliant lawyer, and he asked if I could give him a digest of the Mosaic law, civil and criminal. I told him he would find it in Hitchcock’s Analysis, and I made him a present of the book. I said to him, “Now, when you read this let your quick mind answer this question as you go over its constitution, the decalogue, or each statute. How much of your law does the principle of this statute underlie?” When he got through he said, “I find that all the best of our laws, at least in their principle, come from Moses.”
Now, imagine the effect of such a trained force of teachers going over Judah teaching that law, and then such a judicial system interpreting and enforcing that law. I repeat again that mere human law, separated from the idea of responsibility to God, can never challenge respect nor be righteously enforced. The most shameful thing of modern civilization is that we cannot get Juries to render a verdict according to the law given by the judge and the evidence given by the witnesses. To this add the law’s delay, the wrangling of the paid attorneys, and the wonder is explicable that the people dread the courts more than anything else. A man in Fort Worth recently remarked to his family: “If ever I am murdered I charge you to ask the grand jury not to indict the murderer; don’t you have anything to do with the prosecution. For, if the murderer is never prosecuted, murder is all that comes to me. But if you put the case in the courts with the lawyers trying to justify the murderer, there will not be a shred of my reputation left. Not content with murdering my body, they will murder my good name.”
(8) He did not isolate himself from his people, living luxuriously in a palace and leaving subordinates to watch over the affairs of the kingdom. But the text says that “he dwelt at Jerusalem, and went out again among the people from Beersheba [the most southern part] to the hill country of Ephraim [the most northern part] and brought them back unto Jehovah the God of their fathers.” When kings become missionaries like that, and the princes become itinerant teachers like that, happy is the land.
(9) He organized and trained a vast militia corps, or war reserve, not indeed as a standing army, but ready at all times to respond to a call to arms in any emergency. Judging from the muster roll given in the record, it must have included like the German Landwehr, all the male population capable of bearing arms. There were three army corps from Judah, numbering respectively 300,000, 280,000, and 200,000: total from Judah 780,000. There were two corps from Benjamin, respectively, 200,000 and 180,000: total from Benjamin, 380,000: grand total from the two, 1,160,000 men, and all of them with a full quota of officers. The world never saw anything like the German system of war, as developed in 1870, between Germany and France. The very minute that Emperor William I signed his name to the declaration of war, that minute Von Moltke, the commander-in-chief, touched a button that rang a bell, and over a million men responded to it in twenty-four hours: and every man knew his company, colonel, regiment, major general, his division, his starting point, his line of travel) the system was so perfect.
Murphy’s Commentary on Chronicles thus explains this immense number of Jehoshaphat’s militia. He says, “First, every man fit to bear arms is enumerated. Second, Judah at this time included Simeon, part of Dan, and the auxiliaries from the Philistines and Arabs who were tributary; and Benjamin included the cities of Ephraim that were annexed to the Southern Kingdom. Third, many Israelites had, on religious grounds, attached themselves to the kingdom of Judah (2Ch 15:9 ). Hence, there were three captains, or marshals, in Judah: one for Judah proper, one for Dan and the auxiliary Philistines, and one for Simeon and the auxiliary Arabs. There were two for Benjamin, one for Benjamin proper and one for the annexed part of Ephraim. Moreover, in the text (2Ch 15:16 ) Amasiah is described as a volunteer in the service of the Lord, and had under his command, no doubt, a body of volunteers from the north.” The explanation by Murphy is very plausible in view of the context.
Now, that this 1,160,000 was a militia reserve is evident from the fact that it is contradistinguished from the regular army garrisoning the fortified cities.
The glorious results of these measures are thus set forth in the text: first, Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, and established his kingdom; second, fear of Jehovah fell on all the kingdoms that were round about Judah, so they made no war on Jehoshaphat; third, all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat tribute; fourth, some of the Philistines brought to Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute; fifth, the Arabs brought him flocks of 15,400 rams and goats; sixth, and Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and waxed great exceedingly, and built in Judah castles and cities of stone, and he had many works in the cities of Judah.
If just here the record ended with “And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers,” we would have before us a faultless monarch; but as no man is perfect, fidelity to history requires that we pluck three roses from his wreath of glory, to wit:
First, beginning with 2Ch 18 the record says that “he made affinity” with the infamous Ahab, king of Israel. Thus by marrying his son and successor to Athaliah, the murderous daughter of Ahab and the wicked Jezebel, which led his son into idolatry, and into the shame that denied him burial with his fathers, and, as I think, into the loss of his soul, he later corrupted the kingdom of Judah and brought the seed of David down to one helpless baby, and helped to bring the kingdom of God nearer to destruction than at any period since the flood. That will be evident when we come to discuss Elijah the Tishbite.
Second, this marriage led him to visit Ahab (2Ch 18 ) in Samaria, where he was beguiled to join Ahab in his disastrous war, that did not concern Judah, against the king of Syria. That war is set forth from 2Ch 18:2-19:1 .
Third, later in his reign he joined himself with Ahaziah, the wicked son of the wicked Ahab, to build ships at Eziongeber, “to go,” as the text says, “to Tarshish” (but I say, “to go to Orphir”), thus seeking to revive the old commerce of Solomon (2Ch 20:35-37 ).
I here raise this question on 2Ch 20:35-37 : Why build a fleet at Eziongeber to reach Tarshish? Eziongeber is at the head of the gulf of Akaba, a part of the Red Sea. Tarshish is in Spain, and to reach Spain the fleet would have to circumnavigate Africa to reach Tarshish from Eziongeber. Jonah took shipping at Joppa to reach Tarshish (Jon 1:3 ). Solomon reached Tarshish from the Phoenician ports of Tyre and Sidon. The explanation of this difficulty is that “Tarshish” is a model of a ship called Tarshish and the text in 2Ch 20:36 is corrupted, it should read, “Ships of Tarshish” instead of “Ships to go to Tarshish.”
These three acts of Jehoshaphat, which were the three roses plucked from the wreath of his fame, all deserve special treatment. The disastrous marriage, the most important one, will be considered in a later chapter on Elijah the Tishbite. The other two evils will be considered now. RAMOTH-GILEAD
The second evil was accepting the invitation of Ahab to visit him in Samaria. He was there beguiled into making an alliance with Ahab to go to war against Benhadad, the king of Syria, for the recovery of Ramothgilead, a town east of the Jordan.
I will relate now a part of the history which precedes this (but which we have not yet treated, as I am reserving the history of the house of Omri for a special chapter), that Ahab had captured the king of Syria and ought to have killed him, but let him go on the pledge that he would give up Ramothgilead, which he had stolen from Ahab. But when free he would not give it up, and now Ahab is considering the reconquest. We will now continue the discussion of 2Ch 18 .
While royally entertained in Samaria by Ahab, the host embarrassed his guest by proposing joint action in the recovery of Ramoth-gilead, still held against treaty stipulations by the king of Syria. On the impulse of the moment the enticed guest responded) “I am as thou art, and my people as thy people, and we will go with thee in this war.” Sober reflection, however, imposed a condition which is stated in the next verse: “Inquire, first I pray thee, for the word of Jehovah,” i.e., “I will go with you if Jehovah says so; inquire for the word of Jehovah.” We must put this condition to the credit of the beguiled but pious Jehoshaphat.
What followed is most difficult to understand in several particulars, greatly perplexing the commentators, and calls for careful exposition. The reader should read attentively the whole paragraph of 2Ch 18:4-27 , and then note:
(1) Jehoshaphat demands an inquiry for the word of Jehovah, not for the word of Baal.
(2) Then, of course, the prophets who respond must be the prophets of Jehovah, not Baal’s prophets.
(3) Four hundred prophets, assembled by Ahab, when asked: “Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle or shall we forbear?” unanimously responded, “Go up; for God will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
(4) Jehoshaphat is not satisfied: the promptness of assembling 400 prophets, the readiness and the unanimity of their response, or something in their bearing, awakened suspicion on his part that something was wrong. Hence his question: “Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, that we may inquire of him?” Now, does he imply by that question that the 400 are not Jehovah’s prophets at all, or does the “besides” mean that they were Jehovah’s prophets, but that he wants another one?
(5) Ahab’s reply evidently claims that the 400 are Jehovah’s prophets, but admits that there is one there in the city whom he hates, because he uniformly prophesies evil and not good against Ahab.
(6) Jehoshaphat’s rejoinder, “Let not the king say so,” plainly intimates his continued dissatisfaction, and he insists on hearing this other prophet, Micaiah, the son of Imlah. In the meanwhile, while waiting for Micaiah to be brought, Zedekiah, the leader of the 400 prophets recalled the famous promise of Moses concerning Joseph (Deu 33:17 ), and put on the symbolic horns promised there, and acted out the manner in which the Syrian king would be gored to death, with all the other prophets shouting, “Go up to Ramothgilead and prosper.” This dramatic action must have made an impression. Now the reader must not take my word for the horns promised by Moses, but let him turn back and read what Moses said. Evidently Zedekiah takes what Moses said concerning the children of Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim, to show that he is giving a true prophecy; he puts on those iron horns and shows just how the Ephraim bull will gore the Syrian king to destruction. It must have been a funny scene.
(7) The method of sending for Micaiah and disposing of him after he is heard, implies that he was in prison in the city at the time, and is remanded back to prison because he would not prophesy smooth things to Ahab.
(8) The officer hinted to him, while bringing him before the king, to conform his reply to that of the four hundred like I have known sheriffs, when bringing in a witness, to whisper how he had better testify; to make a confession and to imply what he is going to say with what the 400 said, clearly shows how this officer, at least, was aware that the prophets around Ahab must prophesy as the king wished. It seems to place Ahab’s conception of the prophetic office on a line with Balak’s when he sent for Balaam to come and curse Israel: that a king’s money or a king’s favor could get just what he wanted from the subservient oracle. Or, it is on a line with any fortuneteller, who will gauge his forecast of the fortunes according to the fee, or according to his fear of the inquirer.
(9) We find it hard to reconcile Micaiah’s grand reply to the officer, that he would not prophesy anything except as Jehovah gave it, I say, we find it difficult to harmonize that grand reply to the officer with his first reply to Ahab, which is exactly in harmony with what the 400 advised. Now, was that first reply to Ahab sarcasm, and meant to be so understood? Did it mean: “You do not want to hear the truth, and you know it; you want to hear only what is pleasing, and I give it to you”? Or, does it mean that when a man incorrigibly insists upon being deluded, then Jehovah sends him a delusion? The last seems to be the true explanation and puts his reply in harmony with his reply to the officers. But Ahab evidently understands it according to the first explanation) and so he presumptuously demands Jehovah’s true attitude toward the proposed expedition. Thus adjured, Micaiah turns a flood of light on the whole situation. He commences by recounting a vision of all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. Ahab’s side remark to Jehoshaphat did not stay him. He draws a vivid heaven counterpart over the earth scene. On earth, as our text tells us, the throned kings are sitting in the open space in the gates of Samaria, surrounded by a throng of courtiers, and inquiring, “Shall we go up to Ramothgilead?” Now, above this the prophet’s vision sees Jehovah and his session of angels considering what answer to the question shall heaven inspire, and the means of that inspiration. More than once I have taught my students two great lessons, both illustrated right here: First, that evil angels, including Satan himself, must at intervals attend the convocations of angels on the summons of Jehovah, and must report at Jehovah’s inquisition where they have been and what they have seen and done in regard to God’s people, and must limit their deeds to what Jehovah permits (see Job 1:6-12 ; Job 2:1-7 ).
What then do they directly, since it is by the permission of God, he does indirectly. Second, that when Pharaoh continues to harden his heart, then will Jehovah himself harden it; that when men continue to shut their eyes to the truth, then Jehovah afflicts them with judicial blindness; and when men incorrigibly prefer delusion to the truth, then Jehovah sends them a strong delusion that they may believe a lie and be damned (see 2Th 2:11 ; Isa 66:4 ).
Now, in this convocation of angels Jehovah inquires for an angelic messenger, who will delude Ahab to his ruin. A lying angel responds, “I will inspire Ahab’s prophets to answer him in a way that will destroy him,” and Jehovah tells him to go and do it. Yes, the 400 prophets were inspired, but they were inspired of Satan to say, “Go up to Ramothgilead and prosper.” Had these 400 been faithful to their prophetic office, and not subservient to Ahab’s wishes, they would not have become the dupes of Satan; they would have tried the spirits attempting to inspire them, and would have been able to discern the evil kind. Micaiah thus exposes the source of the spiritual suggestion governing Zedekiah and the 400. They were conscious that an outside spirit was telling them to say what they said, and they supposed it to be Jehovah, but Micaiah shows from whom that inspiration comes.
QUESTIONS
1. What was the length of Jehoshaphat’s reign?
2. Why in the latter part of Asa’s reign and all of Jehoshaphat’s does the author omit temporarily all scriptures that relate exclusively to Israel?
3. At the beginning of his reign, what were Jehoshaphat’s measures of defense against Israel?
4. State in order the moral measures of defense.
5. Give an account of his militia organization and Murphy’s explanation.
6. Give in order the glorious results of that measure.
7. What the meaning of 2Ch 18:1 , “he made affinity with Ahab”?
8. What, then, were the three acts of his life, condemned of Jehovah and which detract from his glory?
9. What were the results of the first act?
10. Tell how he was beguiled into the second act.
11. What condition did Jehoshaphat exact?
12. Were the 400 subservient prophets of Ahab prophets of Baal or of Jehovah?
13. Did they speak by inspiration?
14. What promise had Moses made concerning the tribes of Joseph, and how did Zedekiah act out what seemed to be a fulfilment?
15. Judging from Ahab’s hatred of Micaiah, what must have been his conception of the prophetic office?
16. Where was Micaiah when sent for?
17. What suggestion did the officer make to him while conducting him before Ahab and what does this prove?
18. What was his reply to the officer and how do you harmonize it with his first reply to Ahab?
19. When adjured to give Jehovah’s attitude toward the proposed expedition what his reply?
20. What two great truths concerning God’s supreme rule have been diligently taught by the author and what the Scripture proof and application of both to Micaiah’s revelation?
21. Who then inspired the 400 and why permitted?
22. Give dramatic setting of the earth scene and the heaven scene.
23. May men now be inspired by an evil spirit?
24. What is the condition of mind that makes one susceptible to such inspiration as evidenced in the 400?
25. What is the New Testament provision that enables a Christian to discern between an evil and a good inspiration?
VI
THE REIGN OF JEHOSHAPHAT, KING OF JUDAH (CONTINUED)
In the preceding chapter we considered the marvelous prophecy of Micaiah, the son of Imlah, explaining how the 400 prophets of Ahab were deluded. The difficulties of that partakelar paragraph are so great that many commentaries skip it altogether they do not try to expound it. Even the “Speaker’s Bible” commentary, merely gives the text but does not give a word of exposition. Even my great favorite, Hengstenberg, from whom I supposed that I could get some help, passes it with a single allusion. Now, to me, there do not appear such great difficulties.
The questions of difficulty are these: Were these 400 men really the prophets of Jehovah? They were the prophets of Jehovah in the sense that they represented the calf worship in Israel: they pretended under the calf worship to still worship Jehovah. Another difficulty is Jehovah’s permitting and even directing an evil spirit to inspire these 400 men to bring about the ruin of Ahab, a moral difficulty that is more seeming than real. It is on par with the existence of all evil in the world. A little child, for instance, asked the question: “Mama, is God greater than the devil?” “Yes.” “Then why doesn’t he kill the devil?” In other words, it is simply the inquisition into Jehovah’s permission of moral evil in the world, and his inclusive government over everything, good and bad, in which he makes the wrath of man to praise him, and overrules the evil of both men and demons.
There are some other difficulties graver to my mind in the section before us. One is, to reconcile the text of certain places in Kings with the corresponding text in Chronicles. That appears in the records of events near the end of Jehoshaphat’s reign. And a still greater difficulty is to reconcile the text of both of them with the Septuagint Version. The Septuagint Version is not inspired, and it follows its own sweet will every now and then in dealing with matters. Sometimes it makes marvelously good hints and sometimes it simply follows Jewish legends and traditions.
We are now to consider the effect of Micaiah’s exposure of Zedekiah, the leader of the 400 prophets, on Ahab and on Jehoshaphat. We have Zedekiah’s effort to break the force of Micaiah’s exposure and that prophet’s response, as follows: “Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee?” i.e., “since you say that an evil spirit inspired us, and that Jehovah inspired you, I put it to the test by this blow. Which way went the spirit of Jehovah from me and to you?” In other words, “Here are 400 of us, all conscious of inspiration, knowing that we speak from some impulse outside of ourselves. You stand up there by yourself and say that a lying spirit inspired us, and that Jehovah inspired you.” To that Micaiah says, “Behold, thou shalt see on the day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.” That means: “You wait until after the battle is over, and the army is defeated and Ahab is slain, and you are running to hide, and then you will know which one of us is speaking from Jehovah.” All this seemed to have little effect on Ahab and Jehoshaphat.
Josephus accounts for the little effect of Micaiah’s exposure on Ahab and Jehoshaphat (for we see they went right ahead into the war, both of them, notwithstanding Micaiah’s marvelous representation of the scene in heaven on this day) thus: “When Zedekiah smote Micaiah he challenged his credentials by calling for a sign: If you represent Jehovah, paralyze my hand that smote your cheek, as the prophet of God dried up the hand of Jeroboam at the altar. And if you cannot accredit what you say by a miracle of that kind, then it is because you are false and we are true.’ ” Of course, I do not know where Josephus gets his information about that, certainly not from the Bible. But it is interesting to know that this is the way this Jewish writer accounts for it, and Josephus is following the tradition of his people in thus accounting for it. What he says at least accounts for Jehoshaphat’s disregard of Micaiah. What Ahab said to Micaiah and his response are as follows: “And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with the water of affliction, until I come in peace.” So Ahab did not believe what Micaiah said because he did not want to believe it. Micaiah made this noble response: “If thou returneth at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me.” He appeals to the old prophetic test: If a prophet shall foretell an event and it does not come to pass, then that prophet is a lying prophet, but if his word is fulfilled, then he is a true prophet.
A certain clause is wanting in the Septuagint and a conjecture is based on it in view of Mic 1:2 . This is the clause that is not in the Septuagint: “And he said, Hear, ye peoples, all of you.” That is, Micaiah appeals to both the men of Israel and to the men of Judah to listen to the text. Now, these words were not in the Septuagint, but they are in the Hebrew of both Chronicles and Kings. The conjecture based on it is exceedingly idle. Mic 1:2 uses precisely these words: “Hear, ye peoples, all of you,” and so the conjecture is that Micah the prophet, whose book we have, is the same as the Micaiah here. But Micah the prophet belongs to a much later date. It was customary for the prophets to appeal to the people to bear witness to what they said.
There seems to have been no effect on Jehoshaphat. It was at his instance that Micaiah was called in; now he had heard Micaiah, but notwithstanding what he says, he goes right on to the war with Ahab. He must have been influenced by Zedekiah’s smiting Micaiah. So Jehoshaphat leads a force of Judab into this battle, but I do not see a word anywhere that tells us just what that force was. There is certainly no summons to any of the tribes of Judah. It may be that Jehoshaphat simply took with him into the battle the guard that he had with him when he came to make this visit and in the absence of any historical notice I suppose that this is so. Ahab made a proposition to Jehoshaphat before they went into the battle. The text says this: “And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go into the battle, and put thou on thy robes.” Now, the Septuagint says, “put thou on my robes.” And I think the Septuagint is right. And the Septuagint in a later verse says (where these captains center on Jehoshaphat), “it seemed to them that it was the king of Israel.” Now the seeming could be only by external uniform; they would not have any other way of knowing. So, then his proposition was: “I will go into the battle disguised, and you put on my robes . . . you seem to be Ahab.”
Readers of romance will recall in Scott’s famous novel, Quentin Durward , that when the Wild Boar of Ardennes had captured the city of Ghent, and the Duke of Burgundy and Louis of France were coming to oust him, he disguised himself and had a number of men put on his garb, and also had a number of others put on the garb of the noted French knight, Dunoia, in order to make the Burgundians think that the French were fighting against them instead of with them. Readers of Shakespeare will recall that when Henry IV fought his battle with “Hotspur” Percy and Douglas, a number of men had on the armor of Henry IV, and that Douglas killed several of them, thinking he was killing the king. Now, that was Ahab’s expedient, and I think Jehoshaphat was a very simple fellow to agree to it.
There are at least two reasons why Ahab disguised himself: First, there seemed to be a lingering fear that maybe Micaiah was right, and that the result of this battle would be that Israel would be without a shepherd, and he thought to thwart that prophecy, and in disguise thought to lessen the danger. And the other reason appears immediately after, as follows: “Now, the king of Syria had commanded the two and thirty captains of his chariots, saying, Fight with neither small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.” Ahab had doubtless learned that special directions had been given to the Syrian officers to single him out. Jehoshaphat did not know it, but Ahab did. “Now, brother Jehoshaphat, my ally, put on my robe, and go into the fight; I will disguise myself.”
The king of Syria had made an improvement in his army since the last battle with Ahab. We have not had that part of the history yet because we have not considered the house of Omri particularly, and I will say this: that in the first battle in which he was defeated by Ahab, the Syrian king let the thirty-two subsidiary kings command their own forces, and kings are not necessarily good captains. Anyway, they turned tail and fled, and lost him the battle. So this time he substituted war men to command these troops. At the beginning of all wars we may notice that favorites have positions, but after they lose a few battles, and matters get desperate, the success of the war demands that only real generals be put in command. So, instead of thirty-two kings, he has thirty-two real soldiers commanding.
The result, then, to Jehoshaphat of this expedient of Ahab was that it put him in extreme danger. These thirty-two captains of the chariots turning not to the right nor to the left, struck at nobody else but Jehoshaphat, supposing him to be Ahab the king of Israel.
In 2Ch 18:31-32 of the Chronicles account, it is said that when the Syrian captains centered on Jehoshaphat, “He cried out” and they turned away. Now, on that account there are two questions: First, what was his cry and to whom; and second, what caused those captains to turn away from him? Was it an impulse from Jehovah, as 2Ch 18:31 gives it, or was it the mere fact that they perceived that the man they were after was not the king of Israel, as the next verse says? One commentator says, “When he saw them coming around him he cried out, I am not your man,” or that he cried out, “Rally around me, men of Judah.” But that was not his cry. My own answer is that he cried to God, and Jehovah’s response is recorded in 2Ch 18:31 : “But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.” They themselves were not conscious of that divine impulse, and they turned away because they believed that this was not the man they were after, as the next verse says. We frequently see these two forces combined: God overruling, and the natural human impulse governing at the same time.
The Vulgate, the Latin Version made in the fourth century, A.D., by Jerome, says that Jehoshaphat cried unto Jehovah. It says, “clamavit ad Dominum,” “He cried out to the Lord,” and certainly the context supports the Latin Version.
The text says that the expedient of Ahab failed to save him: “And a certain man drew his bow at a venture and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness, wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand and carry me out of the host; for I am sore wounded.”
May we attribute Ahab’s death to chance, fate, or providence? That is, to chance because the man that shot did not know he was shooting at him, but drew his bow at a venture? Or, may we attribute it to fate, as Josephus says, “Fate, the inevitable, found Ahab out without his robes”? Or, may we attribute it to providence because of Micaiah’s words in 2Ch 18:16 ; 2Ch 18:19 ? Micaiah said the result of that battle would be that Israel would be without a shepherd; and 2Ch 18:19 represents Jehovah as saying, “Who will go and entice him to Ramothgilead that he may fall?”
Now, this question probes all the philosophies of the world as to the cause of things. The Epicureans say, “Chance” that the world itself is the result of a fortuitous concourse of atoms. This is also the theory of modern evolution as expounded by such radicals as Haeckel and others all design eliminated. Zeno, the stoic, says that everything happens according to fate, inexorable fate. The Bible says that with God, there is neither chance nor fate, but that providence overrules all things. So far as the archer himself is concerned he, in his simplicity, shot an arrow in the battle; we might say that it was an accident, so far as he was concerned, that he killed Ahab; but it was no accident so far as God was concerned, and it was not blind, inexorable fate; it was all according to the great purpose of God, who had foreseen it and foretold it.
There is a connection of providence with this death of Ahab, as shown by a previous prophecy, and by the history of the fulfilment of that prophecy, and there is an additional degradation which this imposes on the dead Ahab. Elijah the Tishbite, as we will show in a subsequent discussion, when he met Ahab in Naboth’s vineyard (Naboth through false testimony, having been put to death in order that Ahab might obtain possession of his property) said to Ahab, that as the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, so would they lick up his blood at the very same place. A passage from 1 Kings gives the fulfilment: “So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood: (now the harlots washed themselves there;) according unto the word of the Lord which he spake.” That parenthetical remark is the additional degradation: “Now the harlots washed themselves there” those obscene women that worshiped Ashtaroth; that was their place of bathing. Now, in this place, in the very pool, where these women bathed, shall your blood go, and the dogs shall lick up your blood. So, there is evident connection between that and the man drawing the bow at a venture, the arrow striking Ahab between the breastplate and the lower part of his armor. The history says that his blood ran down into the chariot, and that he stayed there in the chariot until the evening, when he died, and they took him, dead, in that chariot back to Samaria, and after he was taken out of the chariot they drove it to Naboth’s vineyard, where this pool was, and the dogs came and licked up his blood, and the blood ran into the very pool in which the harlot worshipers of Ashtaroth bathed. That recalls the question, Did he die by chance, or by fate, or by providence?
Jehovah announced his displeasure at this alliance of Jehoshaphat with Ahab: “And Jehu the son of Hanani the Seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate the Lord? for this thing wrath is upon thee from before the Lord. Nevertheless, there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast put away the Ashtaroth out of the land, and hast set thine heart to seek God.” So God disapproved that alliance.
This wrath was fulfilled. In the same connection we see that the Moabites revolted against Israel when Israel lost the battle of Ramothgilead, and counting Israel a negligible quantity in view of this defeat, they warred with Judah. A conspiracy was made between the Moabites, the Ammonites, and other tribes beyond the Ammonites, reaching into the Arabian Desert all those wild hordes of people. A confederacy was made to strike secretly at Jehoshaphat; they became an ally of the house of Israel. That is the way the wrath came.
Now, in 2Ch 20:1 we have this statement: “And it came to pass after this, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.” Now, we must account for the “and with them some of the Ammonites,” after just saying “the children of Ammon.” That is a corruption of the text. In one manuscript it reads: “The children of Moab, the children of Ammon, and others besides the Ammonites,” and in another verse of that chapter it says, “The children of Moab, the children of Ammon, and the children of Mount Sier,” which would mean the Edomites.
The story of that wrath is intensely interesting. This Ammonite confederacy, coming south of the Dead Sea where their approach would not be observed, had gained the western shore of the Dead Sea at Engedi, and before anybody knew they were at hand, they were within a few miles of Jerusalem. Whereupon Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast, got all the people to come up before Jehovah and pray, and one of the most remarkable prayers in the world is the prayer of Jehoshaphat to Jehovah to avert this wrath. He appealed to God as the ruler of the universe. He then appealed to him as the friend of Abraham (that is the first place in the Bible where Abraham is called the friend of God, though we find it in the New Testament and in Isaiah). He then appealed to God on the score of the covenant with David. He piles up the reasons. He then appealed because they had built him this Temple for his service, and this vast confederacy is formed to come and take away the place that God had given to these people in the land of Canaan. Then he adds, “When we would come into this country you would not let us smite the children of Edom and of Ammon and of Moab, and now they are manifesting their gratitude by turning on us.” It was a great gathering. One of the sons of Asaph, Jahaziel, answered for Jehovah. He says, “You will be delivered: it will not be your battle, you will not have to strike a blow. You simply stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Do not go out like you are going to battle, but put your singers in front, and let them go singing praises to God. Go to a certain point, and you will overlook the destruction of this great host.” The destruction of the host is accounted for by an ambush that some of the Edomites, tributary to Judah, had laid. While some of the Edomites were working with the king of Moab, others of them still faithful to Judah, laid the ambush and when they attacked, the Moabites and the Ammonites thought the same ones in their army would be against them, and they killed all of them. And when they had killed the Edomites in their own army, they began killing one another. It was a regular “Kilkenny cat fight,” like an Irish wake. They turned their hands against each other until the whole army was destroyed, and Judah simply stood on the hill singing praises to God. The spoils that they gathered from the battle were immense, and when they came back they came back praising God. It was a marvelous demonstration of divine power. Psa 83 commemorates this alliance with Moab and Ammon and these other nations. The Moabite Stone furnishes a remarkable confirmation of the Scripture story. It tells of this very king of Moab, and how he revolted against Israel, and how many cities he captured from Israel.
QUESTIONS
1. What can you say of the treatment of the difficulties in the account of Micaiah and the 400 prophets by the commentaries?
2. What are the questions of difficulty here and what is the solution of each respectively?
3. How did Micaiah expose Zedekiah, the leader of the 400 prophets, and what was the effect on Ahab and Jehoshaphat?
4. How does Josephus account for the little effect on Ahab and Jehoshaphat and what do you think of his account?
5. What did Ahab say to Micaiah and what was his response?
6. What clause is wanting in the Septuagint, what conjecture is based upon it in view of Mic 1:2 and what was the reply to such conjecture?
7. What was the effect on Jehoshaphat and what force did he lead into the battle?
8. What proposition did Ahab make to Jehoshaphat before they went into battle, what light from the Septuagint and what illustrations from profane history and literature?
9. Why did Ahab disguise himself?
10. What improvement had the king of Syria made in his army since the last battle with Ahab and what the result of this in view of the expedient of Ahab?
11. Explain Jehoshaphat’s cry in 2Ch 18:31 and the result of this cry.
12. What light on this from the Vulgate?
13. How did the expedient of Ahab fail to save him?
14. May we attribute the death of Ahab to chance, fate, or providence? Discuss.
15. What was the connection of providence with the death of Ahab as shown by a previous prophecy and the fulfilment of it and what the additional degradation imposed on the dead Ahab?
16. How did Jehovah show his displeasure at this alliance of Jehoshaphat with Ahab?
17. In what event was this wrath fulfilled?
18. Who were the “Ammonites” of 2Ch 20:17 ? Explain.
19. Tell the story of the averted wrath of God here.
20. What psalm commemorates the alliance of Moab and Ammon with the other nations?
21. What testimony of the Moabite Stone?
2Ch 19:1 And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.
Ver. 1. And Jehoshaphat returned to his house in peace.] He looked upon himself as “a brand pulled out of the fire”; and having seen another ship wrecked, he resolveth to look better to his tackling. His soul had escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers, as a dove out of the claws of a hawk, or talons of an eagle.
2 Chronicles Chapter 19
So it is in this case then. Jehoshaphat having formed this league comes into nothing but trouble through it; though, apparently, there might be an outward prosperity. A messenger is sent to him (2Ch 19 ) who warns him solemnly but in vain. He suffers the consequence of it. The king of Israel was smitten. The king of Judah returns and dwells at Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles
‘A MIRROR FOR MAGISTRATES’
2Ch 19:1 – 2Ch 19:11 Jehoshaphat is distinguished by two measures for his people’s good: one, his sending out travelling preachers through the land 2Ch 17:7 – 2Ch 17:9; another, this provision of local judges and a central court in Jerusalem. The former was begun as early as the third year of his reign, but was probably interrupted, like other good things, by his ill-omened alliance with Ahab. The prophet Jehu’s plain speaking seems to have brought the king back to his better self, and its fruit was his going ‘among the people,’ from south to north, as a missionary, ‘to bring them back to Jehovah.’ The religious reformation was accompanied by his setting judges throughout the land. Our modern way of distinguishing between religious and civil concerns is foreign to Eastern thought, and was especially out of the question in a theocracy. Jehovah was the King of Judah; therefore the things that are Caesar’s and the things that are God’s coalesced, and these two objects of Jehoshaphat’s journeyings were pursued simultaneously. We have travelled far from his simple institutions, and our course has not been all progress. His supreme concern was to deal out even-handed justice between man and man; is not ours rather to give ample doses of law? To him the judicial function was a copy of God’ s, and its exercise a true act of worship, done in His fear, and modelled after His pattern. The first impression made in one of our courts is scarcely that judge and counsel are engaged in worship.
There had been local judges before Jehoshaphat-elders in the villages, the ‘heads of the fathers’ houses’ in the tribes. We do not know whether the great secession had flung the simple old machinery somewhat out of gear, or whether Jehoshaphat’s action was simply to systematise and make universal the existing arrangements. But what concerns us most is to note that all the charge which he gives to these peasant magistrates bears on the religious aspect of their duties. They are to think themselves as acting for Jehovah and with Jehovah. If they recognise the former, they may be confident of the latter. They are to ‘let the fear of Jehovah be upon you,’ for that awe resting on a spirit will, like a burden or water-jar on a woman’s shoulder, make the carriage upright and the steps firm. They are not only to act for and with Jehovah, but to do like Him, avoiding injustice, favouritism, and corruption, the plague-spots of Eastern law-courts. In such a state of society, the cases to be adjudicated were mostly such as mother-wit, honesty and the fear of God could solve; other times call for other qualifications. But still, let us learn from this charge that even in our necessarily complicated legal systems and political life, there is room and sore need for the application of the same principles. What a different world it would be if our judges and representatives carried some tincture of Jehoshaphat’s simple and devout wisdom into their duties! Civic and political life ought to be as holy as that of cloister and cell. To judge righteously, to vote honestly, is as much worship as to pray. A politician may be ‘a priest of the Most High God.’
And for us all the spirit of Jehoshaphat’s charge is binding, and every trivial and secular task is to be discharged for God, with God, in the fear of God. ‘On the bells of the horses shall be Holiness unto Jehovah.’ If our religion does not drive the wheels of daily life, so much the worse for our life and our religion. But, above all, this charge reminds us that the secret of right living is to imitate God. These peasants were to find direction, as well as inspiration, in gazing on Jehovah’s character, and trying to copy it. And we are to be ‘imitators of God, as beloved children,’ though our best efforts may only produce poor results. A masterpiece may be copied in some wretched little newspaper blotch, but the great artist will own it for a copy, and correct it into complete likeness.
The second step was to establish a ‘supreme court’ in Jerusalem, which had two divisions, ecclesiastical and civil, as we should say, the former presided over by the chief priest, and the latter by ‘the ruler of the house of Judah.’ Murder cases and the graver questions involving interpretation of the law were sent up thither, while the village judges had probably to decide only points that shrewdness and integrity could settle. But these superior judges, too, received charges as to moral, rather than intellectual or learned qualifications. Religiously, uprightly, ‘with a perfect heart,’ courageously, they were to act, ‘and Jehovah be with the good!’ That may be a prayer, like the old invocation with which heralds sent knights to tilt at each other, and with which, in some legal proceedings, the pleas are begun, ‘God defend the right!’ But more probably it is an assurance that God will guide the judges to favour the good cause, if they on their parts will bring the aforesaid qualities to their decisions. And are not these qualities just such as will, for the most part, give similar results to us, if in our various activities we exercise them? And may we not see a sequence worth our practically putting to the proof in these characteristics enjoined on Jehoshaphat’s supreme court? Begin with ‘the fear of the Lord’; that will help us to ‘faithfulness and a perfect heart’; and these again by taking away occasions of ignoble fear, and knitting together the else tremulous and distracted nature, will make the fearful brave and the weak strong.
But another thought is suggested by Jehoshaphat’s language. Note how this court does not seem to have inflicted punishments, but to have had only counsels and warnings to wield. It was a board of conciliation rather than a penal tribunal. Two things it had to do-to press upon the parties the weighty consideration that crimes against men were sins against God, and that the criminal drew down wrath on the community. This remarkable provision brings out strongly thoughts that modern society will be the better for incorporating. The best way to deal with men is to get at their hearts and consciences. The deeper aspect of civil crimes or wrongs to men should be pressed on the doer; namely, that they are sins against God. Again, all such acts are sins against the mystical sacred bond of brotherhood. Again, the solidarity of a nation makes it inevitable that ‘one sinner destroyeth much good,’ and pulls down with him, when God smites him, a multitude of innocents. So finely woven is the web of the national life that, if a thread run in any part of it, a great rent gapes. If one member sins, all the members suffer with it. And lastly, the cruellest thing that we can do is to be dumb when we see sin being committed. It is not public men, judges and the like, alone, who are called on thus to warn evil-doers, but all of us in our degree. If we do not, we are guilty along with a guilty nation; and it is only when, to the utmost of our power, we have warned our brethren as to national sins, that we can wash our hands in innocency, ‘This do, and ye shall not be guilty.’
in peace. In contrast with Ahab’s return (2Ch 18:33, 2Ch 18:34, 2Ch 18:37).
This time let’s turn to II Chronicles, chapter 19.
We are dealing at the present time in this area of scripture with the reign of Jehoshaphat, king over Judah. For the most part, Jehoshaphat was a good king. He did develop many spiritual reforms. There was one aspect about his reign that was not good, and that was his desire to develop an affinity and friendship with Ahab, who was the king over the tribes of Israel in the north. Ahab was probably one of the most wicked of all of the kings over Israel. And Jehoshaphat had some kind of a fascination and an endeavor to create an affinity and a friendship with him.
Now the Bible says, “Know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” ( Jas 4:4 ) And if anybody represented the world and the worldly system, it would have been Ahab. So why Jehoshaphat, a righteous king, would ever seek to develop some kind of a friendship or relationship with this ungodly king of Ahab is difficult to understand. And the consequences, ultimate consequences of it were quite disastrous. Not to Jehoshaphat himself, but in the result of his son. And we’ll get to that when we get to chapter 21.
So Jehoshaphat had gone on up, visited with Ahab, was invited by Ahab to come to watch the battle against the Syrians in Ramothgilead where Ahab was killed in battle.
And so Jehoshaphat has now returned to Jerusalem ( 2Ch 19:1 ).
Chapter 19.
And Jehu the son of Hanani who was a prophet went out to meet him, and he said to him, Should you help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD ( 2Ch 19:2 ).
So here he has been rebuked by the prophet of God. The rebuke, of course, coming from God for his help for the ungodly and his love for those that hate the Lord. The Bible says, “What fellowship hath light with darkness? What communion hath Christ with Belial?” ( 2Co 6:14-15 ) And it warns about seeking to develop an unequal yoke with an unbeliever. And so the king is severely rebuked for this endeavor on his part. And it would seem that he was initiating it, going on up to visit and all, and initiating this kind of a friendship and an aid program. When Ahab said, “Would you like to go out with me to battle?” He said, “My troops are as yours, you know, I’m like you. We’re brothers and all.” And so it was a thing where he was helping the ungodly. He was seeking to create an alliance with an ungodly king.
Nevertheless, [the prophet said,] there are good things found in thee, in that you have created these spiritual reforms by the destroying of the idols of the false gods that had been set up there in the land ( 2Ch 19:3 ).
So at the word of the prophet Jehoshaphat, again, just sort of sought to re-establish a spiritual work within the kingdom of Judah. He took some priests and he went around to the various cities of Judah. There was sort of an evangelistic campaign. And he would go into a city, they would gather together the people, and the priests would again lay out the law of the Lord to the people. They would establish judges that they might judge righteous judgment within the cities of Judah. And it was actually further spiritual reforms as they traveled through the land seeking to turn the hearts of the people unto the Lord.
So they went around and the charge that they put to the people was,
Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, with a perfect heart. And what cause soever shall come to you of your brothers ( 2Ch 19:9-10 )
I mean, this is what they said to the judges when they set up the judges. And I wish that every judge would have to face this kind of an admonition at the beginning of his judgeship, or even should have it on the wall of his chamber everyday. This is what God requires of a judge. That he judges in the cases in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a complete heart.
“
2Ch 19:1-3
2Ch 19:1-3
REBUKED BY THE PROPHET; JEHOSHAPHAT DOES BETTER;
JEHU THE SEER REBUKES JEHOSHAPHAT
“And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace in Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate Jehovah? for this thing wrath is upon thee from before Jehovah. Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and hast set thy heart to seek God.”
In the appraisal of Jehoshaphat’s reign, it was, in a general sense, approved, despite the serious, even sinful, mistakes, one of which was that marriage with the daughter of Ahab which he arranged for his heir and successor to the throne.
Also, note that nothing is said here about the removal of the high places, despite the fact that 2Ch 17:6 states that he took away the high places, indicating that the citizens had, in the meanwhile, rebuilt them. This was done many times in the history of Judah.
E.M. Zerr:
2Ch 19:1. Ahab was a wicked man and deserved being defeated in the battle with the Syrians. Jehoshaphat was unwise to become an ally of such a sinful person, yet he was a good man and the Lord favored him. After the conflict with the Syrians he was permitted to return in peace to hi: own capital in Jerusalem.
2Ch 19:2. Wrath is from a word other-wise translated anger or rage. There was no special action threatened against Jehoshaphat, neither wilt anything of the kind come to him. The prophet Jehu was sent to him to give him a “scolding” for his folly in associating with such a wicked man as Ahab, a man who hated the Lord. However, since the alliance had not actually injured the cause of God in Judah, this rebuke was the worst that was done to him.
2Ch 19:3. The good traits of Jehoshaphat were acknowledged, and he was given credit for having a right kind of heart.
Returning to Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat was rebuked by Jehu, the son of Hanani, in words which it would be well for all of us perpetually to bear in mind: “Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate the Lord?”
Evidently Jehoshaphat realized his wrong, and showed his repentance in a new mission, to bring his people back to Jehovah and to establish the internal administration of the kingdom in righteousness.
His words addressed to the judges are full of value, and of perpetual application. Those who are called on at any time and in any way to administer justice are acting for God, and not for man. They are not seeking to serve men, but to maintain the strict cause of justice, which is to be measured only’ by divine standards. With God there is no iniquity, no respect of persons, no taking of bribes. So must it be with those who act as judges. Thus, and thus only, are the true interests of men served. To seek to please men is to be unjust to men. To seek to please God is to be just to men.
2Ch 19:2
I. The friendship of wicked men is one of the most dangerous social temptations to which Christians are subjected. Modern life in cities illustrates it with special force. (1) The wealth of the world is very largely in the hands of men who are not the friends of Christ. (2) In many communities intelligence and culture also are possessed mainly by the irreligious. (3) The interests of business sometimes create a similar peril. (4) In a higher circle of life professional success often tempts a young man of aspiring mind to seek to ally himself with those who love not God.
II. Of this trial of Christian principle, it should be further said that the Christian religion requires no narrow or ascetic seclusion from the world. The thing which Christian principle forbids is the seeking of worldly friendships and alliances for selfish ends, and to the peril of religious usefulness and religious character.
III. The irreligious friendships of religious men violate the ruling spirit of the Scriptures. It is a policy of life which starts wrong; therefore it threatens catastrophe in the end.
IV. Entangling alliances with the world often involve an immense sacrifice of Christian usefulness.
V. Christian alliances with the wicked do not command the respect of the very men for whose favour they are formed.
VI. Loving those that hate God inflicts a wound of great severity on the feelings of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is from Calvary that the voice comes to each one of us in our solitude, “Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord?”
A. Phelps, The Old Testament a Living Book, p. 55.
2Ch 19:11
The promise of the text justifies three inquiries: (1) Why should the good be fearful? (2) How can bad designs finally prevail? (3) How are men to know that God is surely with them? The answer involves character. God identifies Himself with all that is good in thought as well as in act, in purpose as well as in service. This is the security of the world. Even when the godly man ceaseth, God will maintain the cause that is good. This promise, like all the promises of God, is designed, not as a sedative, but as a stimulant. Deal courageously. Goodness is not to be merely passive; it is to be active, aggressive, defiant of all evil, valiant in fight, sublime in patience.
Parker, City Temple, vol. i., p. 8.
References: 2Ch 19:11.-Preacher’s Monthly, vol. v., p. 257. 2Ch 20:4.-Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes: Genesis to Proverbs, p. 104. 2Ch 20:12.-Congregationalist, vol. vii., p. 321.
CHAPTER 19 Rebuke and Restoration
1. The rebuke by the prophet (2Ch 19:1-3)
2. Further revival and restoration (2Ch 19:4-11)
At sun-down Ahab, the King of Israel died, while his ally Jehoshaphat, saved through the mercy of God, returned to his home in peace in Jerusalem. Then Jelin, the son of Hanani, met him. Asa, the father of Jehoshaphat, had been rebuked by Hanani, and had put him in prison for it. The son of Hanani rebukes Jehoshaphat. We read no answer from the king, but his actions show that the rebuke went home to his conscience. He must have repented of the unholy alliance with the enemy of the Lord. Jehu said to him, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. This principle is the same in the New Testament. Gods people are a separated people. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2Co 6:14). And the Lord acknowledged the good Jehoshaphat had done and his attitude, a heart prepared to seek God.
Graciously had Jehovah restored the king who had failed and dishonored Him. He had returned in peace, bowed before the divine rebuke and dwelt in Jerusalem. Then he went out again to do service for the Lord. He became at once active in bearing testimony and helping Gods people, bringing them back to the fear of the Lord. He caused judgment and righteousness to be executed in the land. Notice how in this revival the Lord is before Jehoshaphat; eight times in verses 4-11 the Lord is mentioned.
am 3108, bc 896
in peace: 2Ch 18:31, 2Ch 18:32
Reciprocal: 2Ch 18:1 – joined affinity 2Ch 28:9 – he went out
2Ch 19:1-3. Jehoshaphat returned to his house in peace Safe, being miraculously delivered from imminent danger, as has just been related. And Jehu, the seer Of whom see 1Ki 16:1-2; went out to meet him Sent by God for that purpose. And said to Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly? Give them a hand of fellowship, and lend them a hand of assistance? And love them that hate the Lord? Be in a state of intimacy with those that are at enmity with God, and under his wrath and curse? Was it agreeable to the love and duty which thou professest to God and godliness, to enter into so strict an alliance and friendship with wicked Ahab, Gods sworn enemy, and to give him such assistance? Therefore is wrath come upon thee, &c. God is angry with thee, and will chastise thee for this miscarriage. Which he did, partly by stirring up the Moabites and others to invade him, chap. 20.; partly by permitting his eldest son Jehoram to kill all his brethren, 2Ch 21:4; and principally by bringing that almost general destruction upon his grand-children by Jehu, (2Ki 9:27; and 2Ki 10:13-14,) which was the fruit of his alliance with Ahab. And hast prepared thy heart to seek God , hachinota, hast disposed, directed, or set thy heart; that is, thou hast sought and served God with all thy heart, and not feignedly, as many others do. And this work of preparing or directing the heart, which is elsewhere attributed to God, (Pro 16:1; Php 2:13,) is here ascribed to Jehoshaphat, because it is mans action, though performed by Gods grace, preventing, enabling, and inclining him to it.
REFLECTIONS.Wisdom is well bought, if it be not bought too dear. Jehoshaphat returned from the battle at Ramoth-gilead, beaten indeed by the Assyrians, but more so by the reproaches of his own mind. He reflected bitterly on himself for marrying his son with Athaliah, and for going to battle expressly against the word of the Lord by Micaiah. What a mercy that he returned with his life!
No sooner did he approach his capital than he was met by Jehu the prophet, who boldly demanded on the part of heaven, whether he had done right to help the wicked, and to love them that hate the Lord? Sinners may be assured that whenever God speaks, he will speak as their own conscience.
The reproof on the ear, was accompanied with grace on the heart. Jehoshaphat took the admonition well, and he availed himself of the prophets advice, to perfect his repentance and repair his fault. He broke off all intimate connection with Ahab; for no man can with safety make covenants of a moral and family nature with those who are out of covenant with God. He visited Samaria no more; but devoted his life to cultivate the vineyard God had given him to keep.
His first object was to reform the courts of justice, for these, like the sword they bear, are apt with time to acquire rust. The royal interposition is now and then requisite to purify the civil courts; and the charge he delivered to the new judge is peculiarly fine, and calculated to inspire those who fill the bench with every sentiment of dignity and impartial justice. He tells them that the Judge of heaven and earth is present to revise every decision, and that with him there is no respect of persons, nor acceptance of gifts.
From the civil he proceeded to the ecclesiastical courts, which were managed by the priests and levites. Hence from Zebadiah minister of state, to the lowest officer of levites, he made arrangements for order and government: and it is incredible how much regulations contribute to the morals and happiness of a nation. But the order that Christ hath set in his church, both in heaven and earth, is most to be admired, and ever to be revered. Judgment and justice are the habitation of his throne.
2Ch 19:1-3. Jehu the prophet reproves Jehoshaphat for having allied himself with Ahab. These verses are mainly from the Chronicler, but see 1Ki 16:1 ff.
2Ch 19:4-11. This section, a kind of midrash on the name Jehoshaphat (= Yahweh judgeth), is also from the Chronicler; he imagines the judicial arrangements of his own day to have been already in existence in much earlier times. The section is, in a sense, analogous to 2Ch 17:7-9.
JEHOSHAPHAT REPROVED
(vv.1-3)
Jehoshaphat’s experience with Ahab ought to have been enough to speak deeply to him as to the folly of bad associations, but God knew he needed more than experience, so he sent Jehu the son of Hanani to meet Jehoshaphat and to ask him, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? (v.2). Jehoshaphat surely knew the answer to this was “‘No,” and Jehu adds, “Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you.” If believers become involved in wrong associations, they can only expect to incur the anger of the Lord. This is certainly as true in the New Testament as it was in the Old, as 2Co 6:14-18 insists: “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
Though the Lord reproved Jehoshaphat’s being friendly with Ahab, yet at the same time He commended the good things that Jehoshaphat had practised, in removing wooden images from the land and preparing his heart to seek God (v.3). For God delights to encourage godly character, though He must reprove what is contrary to this. Evidently Jehoshaphat received this message without resentment, in contrast to the bad response of his father to Hanani in putting him in prison (ch.16:7-10).
JEHOSHAPHAT’S REFORMS
(vv.4-11)
Jehoshaphat’s dwelling was in Jerusalem, but he went out to all Judah and Benjamin as far north as the border of Ephraim, with such a message that brought the people back to recognise the God of their fathers (v.4). “Then he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah” (v.5). He gave them good instruction, urging them to remember they were to judge for God, not for man. They were to be thoroughly impartial, refusing bribes (w. 6-7). All history has shown the obnoxious tendency of judges to stoop to taking bribes to pervert justice.
In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests as judges in regard to controversies that might arise among the people. Again his instruction to them was vitally important, that they should act in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and with a loyal heart (vv.8-9). If any case of wrongdoing arose, these men were to be quick to discern the evil and to warn the people against it, that they might not be guilty of allowing it to spread and cause the wrath of God to fall (v.10). Also Jehoshaphat called upon the priests and Levites to recognise the authority of Amariah the chief priest and Zebadiah, the ruler of the house of Judah. How important is this matter of recognising proper authority and submitting to it. Israel has suffered from the lack of this recognition and the Church has suffered too from this ailment. Jehoshaphat finished his instructions with the encouraging words, “Behave courageously, and the Lord will be with the good” (v.11).
4. Jehoshaphat’s appointment of judges ch. 19
Even though God had spared Jehoshaphat’s life in the battle, his close brush with death was the result of an unwise decision to help ungodly Ahab. A prophet rebuked him for this alliance (2Ch 19:2).
"A Christian’s attachment to God is necessarily expressed in the kind of atmosphere in which he prefers to live and move and have his being. Company, pursuits, ambitions will all bear upon them the mark of a love of God. This is by no means to put an embargo upon normal social intercourse with those who are not basically like-minded. It has to do with the sort of life-pattern which one chooses to construct. The task of construction is no easy one, and the temptation is to model oneself upon the ’architects’ about us. This was Jehoshaphat’s fault, and his error calls us to consistency in exhibiting the characteristics which are truly Christian. (See further Rom 12:1 f.; Gal 5:16-26.)" [Note: McConville, pp. 188-89.]
Jehoshaphat sought to help the upright and to punish the wicked by appointing judges in Judah. Perhaps Jehu’s words encouraged Jehoshaphat’s decision to appoint judges (2Ch 19:2). The king instructed the judges to remember that they were acting in God’s place when they judged. Therefore they needed to be fair (2Ch 19:6-7).
Jehoshaphat’s judges not only made legal decisions, they instructed the people in God’s ways. In this, Jehoshaphat followed Moses’ example (Exo 18:17-26). As in Israel’s earlier history, there were both local judges and a supreme court of appeals in Jehoshaphat’s day (2Ch 19:5; 2Ch 19:8; 2Ch 19:11). The king himself became actively involved in judging and teaching the people. Evidently the Israelites had failed to continue the judicial policy that Moses had established, and Jehoshaphat revived it.
"One of the greatest sadnesses of Christians who have been in positions of responsibility within the Church, but who have become burdened by guilt because of some sin, is a sense that they are no more qualified to serve. The author of the greatest penitential Psalm feared as much. Yet in the throes of his prayer for restoration he gains the assurance that he shall again ’teach transgressors thy ways’ (Psa 51:13). The experience of Jehoshaphat proves the point." [Note: Ibid., pp. 189-90.]
JEHOSHAPHAT-THE DOCTRINE OF NONRESISTANCE
2Ch 17:1-19; 2Ch 18:1-34; 2Ch 19:1-11; 2Ch 20:1-37
ASA was succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat, and his reign began even more auspiciously than that of Asa. The new king had apparently taken warning from the misfortunes of Asas closing years; and as he was thirty-five years old when he came to the throne, he had been trained before Asa fell under the Divine displeasure. He walked in the first ways of his father David, before David was led away by Satan to number Israel. Jehoshaphats heart was lifted up, not with foolish pride, like Hezekiahs, but “in the ways of Jehovah.” He sought the God of his father, and walked in Gods commandments, and was not led astray by the evil example and influence of the kings of Israel, neither did he seek the Baals. While Asa had been enfeebled by illness and alienated from Jehovah, the high places and the Asherim had sprung up again like a crop of evil weeds; but Jehoshaphat once more removed them. According to the chronicler, this removing of high places was a very labor of Sisyphus: the stone was no sooner rolled up to the top of the hill than it rolled down again. Jehoshaphat seems to have had an inkling of this; he felt that the destruction of idolatrous sanctuaries and symbols was like mowing down weeds and leaving the roots in the soil. Accordingly he made an attempt to deal more radically with the evil: he would take away the inclination as well as the opportunity for corrupt rites. A commission of princes, priests, and Levites was sent throughout all the cities of Judah to instruct the people in the law of Jehovah. Vice will always find opportunities; it is little use to suppress evil institutions unless the people are educated out of evil propensities. If, for instance, every public-house in England were closed tomorrow, and there were still millions of throats craving for drink, drunkenness would still prevail, and a new administration would promptly reopen gin-shops.
Because the new king thus earnestly and consistently sought the God of his fathers, Jehovah was with him, and established the kingdom in his hand. Jehoshaphat received all the marks of Divine favorer usually bestowed upon good kings. He waxed great exceedingly; he had many fortresses, an immense army, and much wealth; he built castles and cities of store; he had arsenals for the supply of war material in the cities of Judah. And these cities, together with other defensible positions and the border cities of Ephraim occupied by Judah, were held by strong garrisons. While David had contented himself with two hundred and eighty-eight thousand men from all Israel, and Abijah had led forth four hundred thousand, and Asa five hundred and eighty thousand, there waited on Jehoshaphat, in addition to his numerous garrisons, eleven hundred and sixty thousand men. Of these seven hundred and eighty thousand were men of Judah in three divisions, and three hundred and eighty thousand were Benjamites in two divisions. Probably the steady increase of the armies of Abijah, Asa, and Jehoshaphat symbolizes a proportionate increase of Divine favor.
The chronicler records the names of the captains of the five divisions. Two of them are singled out for special commendation: Eliada the Benjamite is styled “a mighty man of valor,” and of the Jewish captain Amaziah the son of Zichri it is said that he offered either himself or his possessions willingly to Jehovah, as David and his princes had offered, for the building of the Temple. The devout king had devout officers.
He had also devoted subjects. All Judah brought him presents, so that he had great riches and ample means to sustain his royal power and splendor. Moreover, as in the case of Solomon and Asa, his piety was rewarded with freedom from war: “The fear of Jehovah fell upon all the kingdoms round about, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.” Some of his weaker neighbors were overawed by the spectacle of his great power; the Philistines brought him presents and tribute money, and the Arabians immense flocks of rams and he-goats, seven thousand seven hundred of each.
Great prosperity had the usual fatal effect upon Jehoshaphats character. In the beginning of his reign he had strengthened himself against Israel and had refused to walk in their ways; now power had developed ambition, and he sought and obtained the honor of marrying his son Jehoram to Athaliah the daughter of Ahab, the mighty and magnificent king of Israel, possibly also the daughter of the Phoenician princess Jezebel, the devotee of Baal. This family connection of course implied political alliance. After a time Jehoshaphat went down to visit his new ally, and was hospitably received. {2Ch 18:1-3}
Then follows the familiar story of Micaiah the son of Imlah, the disastrous expedition of the two kings, and the death of Ahab, almost exactly as in the book of Kings. There is one significant alteration: both narratives tell us how the Syrian captains attacked Jehoshaphat because they took him for the king of Israel and gave up their pursuit when he cried out, and they discovered their mistake; but the chronicler adds the explanation that Jehovah helped him and God moved them to depart from him. And so the master of more than a million soldiers was happy in being allowed to escape on account of his insignificance, and returned in peace to Jerusalem. Oded and Hanani had met his predecessors on their return from victory; now Jehu the son of Hanani met Jehoshaphat when he came home defeated. Like his father, the prophet was charged with a message of rebuke. An alliance with the Northern Kingdom was scarcely less reprehensible than one with Syria: “Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate Jehovah? Jehovah is wroth with thee.” Asas previous reforms were not allowed to mitigate the severity of his condemnation, but Jehovah was more merciful to Jehoshaphat. The prophet makes mention of his piety and his destruction of idolatrous symbols, and no further punishment is inflicted upon him.
The chroniclers addition to the account of the kings escape from the Syrian captains reminds us that God still watches over and protects His children even when they are in the very act of sinning against Him. Jehovah knew that Jehoshaphats sinful alliance with Ahab did not imply complete revolt and apostasy. Hence doubtless the comparative mildness of the prophets reproof.
When Jehus father Hanani rebuked Asa, the king flew into a passion, and cast the prophet into prison; Jehoshaphat received Jehus reproof in a very different spirit: he repented himself, and found a new zeal in his penitence. Learning from his own experience the proneness of the human heart to go astray, he went out himself amongst his people to bring them back to Jehovah; and just as Asa in his apostasy oppressed his people, Jehoshaphat in his renewed loyalty to Jehovah showed himself anxious for good government. He provided judges in all the walled towns of Judah, with a court of appeal at Jerusalem; he solemnly charged them to remember their responsibility to Jehovah, to avoid bribery, and not to truckle to the rich and powerful. Being themselves faithful to Jehovah, they were to inculcate a like obedience and warn the people not to sin against the God of their fathers. Jehoshaphats exhortation to his new judges concludes with a sentence whose martial resonance suggests trial by combat rather than the peaceful proceedings of a law-court: “Deal courageously, and Jehovah defend the right!”
The principle that good government must be a necessary consequence of piety in the rulers has not been so uniformly observed in later times as in the pages of Chronicles. The testimony of history on this point is not altogether consistent. In spite of all the faults of the orthodox and devout Greek emperors Theodosius the Great and Marcian, their administration rendered important services to the empire. Alfred the Great was a distinguished statesman and warrior as well as zealous for true religion. St. Louis of France exercised a wise control over Church and state. It is true that when a woman reproached him in open court with being a king of friars, of priests, and of clerks, and not a true king of France, he replied with saintly meekness, “You say true! It has pleased the Lord to make me king; it had been well if it had pleased Him to make some one king who had better ruled the realm.” But something must be allowed for the modesty of the saint; apart from his unfortunate crusades, it would have been difficult for France or even Europe to have furnished a more beneficent sovereign. On the other hand, Charlemagnes successor, the Emperor Louis the Pious, and our own kings Edward the Confessor and the saintly Henry VI, were alike feeble and inefficient; the zeal of the Spanish kings and their kinswoman Mary Tudor is chiefly remembered for its ghastly cruelty; and in comparatively recent times the misgovernment of the States of the Church was a byword throughout Europe. Many causes combined to produce this mingled record. The one most clearly contrary to the chroniclers teaching was an immoral opinion that the Christian should cease to be a citizen, and that the saint has no duties to society. This view is often considered to be the special vice of monasticism, but it reappears in one form or another in every generation. The failure of the administration of Louis the Pious is partly explained when we read that he was with difficulty prevented from entering a monastery. In our own day there are those who think that a newspaper should have no interest for a really earnest Christian. According to their ideas, Jehoshaphat should have divided his time between a private oratory in his palace and the public services of the Temple, and have left his kingdom to the mercy of unjust judges at home and heathen enemies abroad, or else have abdicated in favor of some kinsman whose heart was not so perfect with Jehovah. The chronicler had a clearer insight into Divine methods, and this doctrine of his is not one that has been superseded together with the Mosaic ritual.
Possibly the martial tone of the sentence that concludes the account of Jehoshaphat as the Jewish Justinian is due to the influence upon the chroniclers mind of die incident which he now describes.
Jehoshaphats next experience was parallel to that of Asa with Zerah. When his new reforms were completed, he was menaced with a formidable invasion. His new enemies were almost as distant and strange as the Ethiopians and Lubim who had followed Zerah. We hear nothing about any king of Israel or Damascus, the usual leaders of assaults upon Judah; we hear instead of a triple alliance against Judah. Two of the allies are Moab and Ammon; but the Jewish kings were not wont to regard these as irresistible foes, so that the extreme dismay which takes possession of king and people must be due to the third ally: the Meunim we have already met with in connection with the exploits of the children of Simeon in the reign of Hezekiah; they are also mentioned in the reign of Uzziah, and nowhere else, unless indeed they are identical with the Maonites, who are named with the Amalekites in Jdg 10:12. They are thus a people peculiar to Chronicles, and appear from this narrative to have inhabited Mount Seir, by which term “Meunim” is replaced as the story proceeds. Since the chronicler wrote so long after the events he describes, we cannot attribute to him any very exact knowledge of political geography. Probably the term “Meunim” impressed his contemporaries very much as it does a modern reader, and suggested countless hordes of Bedouin plunderers; Josephus calls them a great army of Arabians. This host of invaders came from Edom, and having marched round the southern end of the Dead Sea, were now at Engedi, on its western shore. The Moabites and Ammonites might have crossed the Jordan by the fords near Jericho; but this route would not have been convenient for their allies the Meunim, and would have brought them into collision with the forces of the Northern Kingdom.
On this occasion Jehoshaphat does not seek any foreign alliance. He does not appeal to Syria, like Asa, nor does he ask Ahabs successor to repay in kind the assistance given to Ahab at Ramoth-gilead, partly perhaps because there was no time, but chiefly because he had learnt the truth which Hanani had sought to teach his father, and which Hananis son had taught him. He does not even trust in his own hundreds of thousands of soldiers, all of whom cannot have perished at Ramoth-gilead; his confidence is placed solely and absolutely in Jehovah. Jehoshaphat and his people made no military preparations; subsequent events justified their apparent neglect: none were necessary. Jehoshaphat sought Divine help instead, and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah; and all Judah gathered themselves to Jerusalem to ask help of Jehovah. This great national assembly met “before the new court” of the Temple. The chronicler, who is supremely interested in the Temple buildings, has told us nothing about any new court, nor is it mentioned elsewhere; our author is probably giving the title of a corresponding portion of the second Temple: the place where the people assembled to meet Jehoshaphat would be the great court built by Solomon. {2Ch 4:9}
Here Jehoshaphat stood up as the spokesman of the nation, and prayed to Jehovah on their behalf and on his own. He recalls the Divine omnipotence; Jehovah is God of earth and heaven, God of Israel and Ruler of the heathen, and therefore able to help even in this great emergency:-
“O Jehovah, God of our fathers, art Thou not God in heaven? Dost Thou not rule all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in Thy hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee.”
The land of Israel had been the special gift of Jehovah to His people, in fulfillment of His ancient promise to Abraham:-
“Didst not Thou, O our God, dispossess the inhabitants of this land in favor of Thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham Thy friend forever?”
And now long possession had given Israel a prescriptive right to the Land of Promise; and they had, so to speak, claimed their rights in the most formal and solemn fashion by erecting a temple to the God of Israel. Moreover, the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the Temple had been accepted by Jehovah as the basis of His covenant with Israel, and Jehoshaphat quotes a clause from that prayer or covenant which had expressly provided for such emergencies as the present:-
“And they” (Israel) “dwelt in the land, and built Thee therein a sanctuary for Thy name, saying, If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before Thee (for Thy name is in this house), and cry unto Thee in our affliction; and Thou wilt hear and save.”
Moreover, the present invasion was not only an attempt to set aside Jehovahs disposition of Palestine and the long-established rights of Israel: it was also gross ingratitude, a base return for the ancient forbearance of Israel towards her present enemies:-
“And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom Thou wouldest not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them and destroyed them not-behold how they reward us by coming to dispossess us of Thy possession which Thou hast caused us to possess.”
For this nefarious purpose the enemies of Israel had come up in overwhelming numbers, but Judah was confident in the justice of its cause and the favor of Jehovah:-
“O our God, wilt Thou not execute judgment against them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee.”
Meanwhile the great assemblage stood in the attitude of supplication before Jehovah, not a gathering of mighty men of valor praying for blessing upon their strength and courage, but a mixed multitude, men and women, children and infants, seeking sanctuary, as it were, at the Temple, and casting themselves in their extremity upon the protecting care of Jehovah. Possibly when the king finished his prayer the assembly broke out into loud, wailing cries of dismay and agonized entreaty; but the silence of the narrative rather suggests that Jehoshaphats strong, calm faith communicated itself to the people, and they waited quietly for Jehovahs answer, for some token or promise of deliverance. Instead of the confused cries of an excited crowd, there was a hush of expectancy, such as sometimes falls upon an assembly when a great statesman has risen to utter words which will be big with the fate of empires.
And the answer came, not by fire from heaven or any visible sign, not by voice of thunder accompanied by angelic trumpets, nor by angel or archangel, but by a familiar voice hitherto unsuspected of any supernatural gifts, by a prophetic utterance whose only credentials were given by the influence of the Spirit upon the speaker and his audience. The chronicler relates with evident satisfaction how, in the midst of that great congregation, the Spirit of Jehovah came, not upon king, or priest, or acknowledged prophet, but upon a subordinate minister of the Temple, a Levite and member of the Temple choir like himself. He is careful to fix the identity of this newly called prophet and to gratify the family pride of existing Levitical families by giving the prophets genealogy for several generations. He was Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, of the sons of Asaph. The very names were encouraging. What more suitable names could be found for a messenger of Divine mercy than Jahaziel-“God gives prophetic vision” – the son of Zechariah-“Jehovah remembers?”
Jahaziels message showed that Jehoshaphats prayer had been accepted; Jehovah responded without reserve to the confidence reposed in Him: He would vindicate His own authority by delivering Judah; Jehoshaphat should have blessed proof of the immense superiority of simple trust in Jehovah over an alliance with Ahab or the king of Damascus. Twice the prophet exhorts the king and people in the very words that Jehovah had used to encourage Joshua when the death of Moses had thrown upon him all the heavy responsibilities of leadership: “Fear not, nor be dismayed.” They need no longer cling like frightened suppliants to the sanctuary, but are to go forth at once, the very next day, against the enemy. That they may lose no time in looking for them, Jehovah announces the exact spot where the enemy are to be found: “Behold, they are coming by the ascent of Hazziz, and ye shall find them at the end of the ravine before the wilderness of Jeruel.” This topographical description was doubtless perfectly intelligible to the chroniclers contemporaries, but it is no longer possible to fix exactly the locality of Hazziz or Jeruel. The ascent of Hazziz has been identified with the Wady Husasa, which leads up from the coast of the Dead Sea north of Engedi, in the direction of Tekoa; but the identification is by no means certain.
The general situation, however, is fairly clear: the allied invaders would come up from the coast into the highlands of Judah by one of the wadies leading inland; they were to be met by Jehoshaphat and his people on one of the “wildernesses,” or plateaus of pasture-land, in the neighborhood of Tekoa.
But the Jews went forth, not as an army, but in order to be the passive spectators of a great manifestation of the power of Jehovah. They had no concern with the numbers and prowess of their enemies; Jehovah Hiresell would lay bare His mighty arm, and Judah should see that no foreign ally, no millions of native warriors, were necessary for their salvation: “Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; take up your position, stand still and see the deliverance of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem.”
Thus had Moses addressed Israel on the eve of the passage of the Red Sea. Jehoshaphat and his people owned and honored the Divine message as if Jahaziel were another Moses; they prostrated themselves on the ground before Jehovah. The sons of Asaph had already been privileged to provide Jehovah with His prophet; these Asaphites represented the Levitical clan of Gershom: but now the Kohathites, with their guild of singers, the sons of Korah, “stood up to praise Jehovah, the God of Israel, with as exceeding loud voice,” as the Levites sang when the foundations of the second Temple were laid, and when Ezra and Nehemiah made the people enter into a new covenant with their God.
Accordingly on the morrow the people rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa, ten or twelve miles south of Jerusalem. In ancient times generals were wont to make a set speech to their armies before they led them into battle, so Jehoshaphat addresses his subjects as they pass out before him. He does not seek to make them confident in their own strength and prowess; he does not inflame their passions against Moab and Ammon, nor exhort them to be brave and remind them that they fight this day for the ashes of their fathers and the temple of their God. Such an address would have been entirely out of place, because the Jews were not going to fight at all. Jehoshaphat only bids them have faith in Jehovah and His prophets. It is a curious anticipation of Pauline teaching. Judah is to be “saved by faith” from Moab and Ammon, as the Christian is delivered by faith from sin and its penalty. The incident might almost seem to have been recorded in order to illustrate the truth that St. Paul was to teach. It is strange that there is no reference to this chapter in the epistles of St. Paul and St. James, and that the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews does not remind us how “by faith Jehoshaphat was delivered from Moab and Ammon.” There is no question of military order, no reference to the five great divisions into which the armies of Judah and Benjamin are divided in chapter 17. Here, as at Jericho, the captain of Israel is chiefly concerned to provide musicians to lead his army. When David was arranging for the musical services before the Ark, he took counsel with his captains. In this unique military expedition there is no mention of captains; they were not necessary, and if they were present there was no opportunity for them to show their skill and prowess in battle. In an even more democratic spirit Jehoshaphat takes counsel with the people-that is, probably makes some proposition, which is accepted with universal acclamation.
The Levitical singers, dressed in the splendid robes in which they officiated at the Temple, were appointed to go before the people, and offer praises unto Jehovah, and sing the anthem, “Give thanks unto Jehovah, for His mercy endureth forever.” These words or their equivalent are the opening words, and the second clause the refrain, of the post-Exilic Psa 106:1-48; Psa 107:1-43; Psa 118:1-29; Psa 136:1-26. As the chronicler has already ascribed Psa 106:1-48 to David, he possibly ascribes all four to David, and intends us to understand that one or all of them were sung by the Levites on this occasion. Later Judaism was in the habit of denoting a book or section of a book by its opening words.
And so Judah, a pilgrim caravan rather than an army, went on to its Divinely appointed tryst with its enemies, and at its head the Levitical choir sang the Temple hymns. It was not a campaign, but a sacred function, on a much larger scale a procession such as may be seen winding its way, with chants and incense, banners, images, and crucifixes, through the streets of Catholic cities.
Meanwhile Jehovah was preparing a spectacle to gladden the eyes of His people and reward their implicit faith and exact obedience; He was working for those who were waiting for Him. Though Judah was still far from its enemies, yet like the trumpet at Jericho, the strain of praise and thanksgiving was the signal for the Divine intervention: “When they began to sing and praise, Jehovah set liars in wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Self.” Who were these liars in wait? They could not be men of Judah: they were not to fight, but to be passive spectators of their own deliverance. Did the allies set an ambush for Judah, and was it thus that they were afterwards led to mistake their own people for enemies? Or does the chronicler intend us to understand that these “liars in wait” were spirits; that the allied invaders were tricked and bewildered like the shipwrecked sailors in the Tempest; or that when they came to the wilderness of Jeruel there fell upon them a spirit of mutual distrust, jealousy, and hatred, that had, as it were, been waiting for them there? But, from whatever cause, a quarrel broke out amongst them; and they were smitten. When Ammonite, Moabite, and Edomite met, there were many private and public feuds waiting their opportunity; and such confederates were as ready to quarrel among themselves as a group of Highland clans engaged in a Lowland foray.
“Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir utterly to slay and destroy them.” But even Ammon and Moab soon dissolved their alliance; and at last, partly maddened by panic, partly intoxicated by a wild thirst for blood, a very Berserker frenzy, all ties of friendship and kindred were forgotten, and every mans hand was against his brother. “When they had made an end of the inhabitants of Self, every one helped to destroy another.”
While this tragedy was enacting, and the air was rent with the cruel yells of that death struggle, Jehoshaphat and his people moved on in tranquil pilgrimage to the cheerful sound of the songs of Zion. At last they reached an eminence, perhaps the long, low summit of some ridge overlooking the plateau of Jeruel. When they had gained this watchtower of the wilderness, the ghastly scene burst upon their gaze. Jehovah had kept His word: they had found their enemy. They “looked upon the multitude,” all those hordes of heathen tribes that had filled them with terror and dismay. They were harmless enough now: the Jews saw nothing but “dead bodies fallen to the earth”; and in that Aceldama lay all the multitude of profane invaders who had dared to violate the sanctity of the Promised Land: “There were none that escaped.” So had Israel looked back after crossing the Red Sea and seen the corpses of the Egyptians washed up on the shore. {Exo 14:30} Set when the angel of Jehovah smote Sennacherib, –
“Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.”
There is no touch of pity for the wretched victims of their own sins. Greeks of every city and tribe could feel the pathos of the tragic end of the Athenian expedition against Syracuse; but the Jews had no ruth for the kindred tribes that dwelt along their frontier, and the age of the chronicler had not yet learnt that Jehovah had either tenderness or compassion for the enemies of Israel.
The spectators of this carnage-we cannot call them victors-did not neglect to profit to the utmost by their great opportunity. They spent three days in stripping the dead bodies; and as Orientals delight in jewelled weapons and costly garments, and their chiefs take the field with barbaric ostentation of wealth, the spoil was both valuable and abundant: “riches, and raiment, and precious jewels more than they could carry away.”
In collecting the spoil, the Jews had become dispersed through all the wide area over which the fighting between the confederates must have extended; but on the fourth day they gathered together again in a neighboring valley and gave solemn thanks for their deliverance: “There they blessed Jehovah; therefore the name of that place was called the valley of Berachah unto this day.” West of Tekoa. not too far from the scene of carnage, a ruin and a wady still bear the name “Bereikut”; and doubtless in the chroniclers time the valley was called Berachah, and local tradition furnished our author with this explanation of the origin of the name.
When the spoil was all collected, they returned to Jerusalem as they came, in solemn procession, headed, no doubt, by the Levites, with psalteries, and harps, and trumpets. They came back to the scene of their anxious supplications: to the house of Jehovah. But yesterday, as it were, they had assembled before Jehovah, terror-stricken at the report of an irresistible host of invaders; and today their enemies were utterly destroyed. They had experienced a deliverance that might rank with the Exodus; and as at that former deliverance they had spoiled the Egyptians, so now they had returned laden with the plunder of Moab, Ammon, and Edom. And all their neighbors were smitten with fear when they heard of the awful ruin which Jehovah had brought upon these enemies of Israel. No one would dare to invade a country where Jehovah laid a ghostly ambush of liars in wait for the enemies of His people. The realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, not because he was protected by powerful allies or by the swords of his numerous and valiant soldiers, but because Judah had become another Eden, and cherubim with flaming swords guarded the frontier on every hand, and “his God gave him rest round about.”
Then follow the regular summary and conclusion of the history of the reign taken from the book of Kings, with the usual alterations in the reference to further sources of information. We are told here, in direct contradiction to 1Ch 17:6 and to the whole tenor of the previous chapters, that the high places were not taken away, another illustration of the slight importance the chronicler attached to accuracy in details. He either overlooks the contradiction between passages borrowed from different sources, or else does not think it worth while to harmonize his inconsistent materials.
But after the narrative of the reign is thus formally closed the chronicler inserts a postscript, perhaps by a kind of after-thought. The book of Kings narrates {1Ki 22:48-49} how Jehoshaphat made ships to go to Ophir for gold, but they were broken at Ezion-geber; then Ahaziah the son of Ahab proposed to enter into partnership with Jehoshaphat, and the latter rejected his proposal. As we have seen, the chroniclers theory of retribution required some reason why so pious a king experienced misfortune. What sin had Jehoshaphat committed to deserve to have his ships broken? The chronicler has a new version of the story, which provides an answer to this question. Jehoshaphat did not build any ships by himself; his unfortunate navy was constructed in partnership with Ahaziah; and accordingly the prophet Eliezer rebuked him for allying himself a second time with a wicked king of Israel, and announced the coming wreck of the ships. And so it came about that the ships were broken, and the shadow of Divine displeasure rested on the last days of Jehoshaphat.
We have next to notice the chroniclers most important omissions. The book of Kings narrates another alliance of Jehoshaphat with Jehoram, king of Israel, like his alliances with Ahab and Ahaziah. The narrative of this incident closely resembles that of the earlier joint expedition to Ramoth-Gilead. As then Jehoshaphat marched out with Ahab, so now he accompanies Ahabs son Jehoram, taking with him his subject ally the king of Edom. Here also a prophet appears upon the scene; but on this occasion Elisha addresses no rebuke to Jehoshaphat for his alliance with Israel, but treats him with marked respect: and the allied army wins a great victory. If this narrative had been included in Chronicles, the reign of Jehoshaphat would not have afforded an altogether satisfactory illustration of the main lesson which the chronicler intended it to teach.
This main lesson was that the chosen people should not look for protection against their enemies either to foreign alliances or to their own military strength, but solely to the grace and omnipotence of Jehovah. One negative aspect of this principle has been enforced by the condemnation of Asas alliance with Syria and Jehoshaphats with Ahab and Ahaziah. Later on the uselessness of an army apart from Jehovah is shown in the defeat of “the great host” of Joash by “a small company” of Syrians. The positive aspect has been partially illustrated by the signal victories of Abijah and Asa against overwhelming odds and without the help of any foreign allies. But these were partial and unsatisfactory illustrations: Jehovah vouchsafed to share the glory of these victories with great armies that were numbered by the hundred thousand. And, after all, the odds were not so very overwhelming. Scores of parallels may be found in which the odds were much greater. In the case of vast Oriental hosts a superiority of two to one might easily be counterbalanced by discipline and valor in the smaller army.
The peculiar value to the chronicler of the deliverance from Moab, Ammon, and the Meunim lay in the fact that no human arm divided the glory with Jehovah. It was shown conclusively not merely that Judah could safely be contented with an army smaller than those of its neighbors, but that Judah would be equally safe with no army at all. We feel that this lesson is taught with added force when we remember that Jehoshaphat had a larger army than is ascribed to any Israelite or Jewish king after David. Yet he places no confidence in his eleven hundred and sixty thousand warriors, and he is not allowed to make any use of them. In the case of a king with small military resources, to trust in Jehovah might be merely making a virtue of necessity; but if Jehoshaphat, with his immense army, felt that his only real help was in his God, the example furnished an a fortiori argument which would conclusively show that it was always the duty and privilege of the Jews to say with the Psalmist, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of Jehovah our God.” {Psa 20:7} The ancient literature of Israel furnished illustrations of the principle: at the Red Sea the Israelites had been delivered without any exercise of their own warlike prowess; at Jericho, as at Jeruel, the enemy had been completely overthrown by Jehovah before His people rushed upon the spoil; and the same direct Divine intervention saved Jerusalem from Sennacherib. But the later history of the Jews had been a series of illustrations of enforced dependence upon Jehovah. A little semi-ecclesiastical community inhabiting a small province that passed from one great power to another like a counter in the game of international politics had no choice but to trust in Jehovah, if it were in any way to maintain its self-respect. For this community of the second Temple to have had confidence in its sword and bow would have seemed equally absurd to the Jews and to their Persian and Greek masters.
When they were thus helpless, Jehovah wrought for Israel, as He had destroyed the enemies of Jehoshaphat in the wilderness of Jeruel. The Jews stood still and saw the working out of their deliverance; great empires wrestled together like Moab, Ammon, and Edom, in the agony of the death struggle: and over all the tumult of battle Israel heard the voice of Jehovah, “The battle is not yours, but Gods; set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the deliverance of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem.” Before their eyes there passed the scenes of that great drama which for a time gave Western Asia Aryan instead of Semitic masters. For them the whole action had but one meaning: without calling Israel into the field, Jehovah was devoting to destruction the enemies of His people and opening up a way for His redeemed to return, like Jehoshaphats procession, to the Holy City and the Temple. The long series of wars became a wager of battle, in which Israel, herself a passive spectator, appeared by her Divine Champion; and the assured issue was her triumphant vindication and restoration to her ancient throne in Zion.
After the Restoration Gods protecting providence asked no armed assistance from Judah. The mandates of a distant court authorized the rebuilding of the Temple and the fortifying of the city. The Jews solaced their national pride and found consolation for their weakness and subjection in the thought that their ostensible masters were in reality only the instruments which Jehovah used to provide for the security and prosperity of His children.
We have already noticed that this philosophy of history is not peculiar to Israel. Every nation has a similar system, and regards its own interests as the supreme care of Providence. We have seen, too, that moral influences have controlled and checkmated material forces; God has fought against the biggest battalions. Similarly, the Jews are not the only people for whom deliverances have been worked out almost without any co-operation on their own part. It was not a Negro revolt, for instance, that set free the slaves of our colonies or of the Southern States. Italy regained her Eternal City as an incidental effect of a great war in which she herself took no part. Important political movements and great struggles involve consequences equally unforeseen and unintended by the chief actors in these dramas, consequences which would seem to them insignificant compared with more obvious results. Some obscure nation almost ready to perish is given a respite, a breathing space, in which it gathers strength; instead of losing its separate existence, it endures till time and opportunity make it one of the ruling influences in the worlds history: some Geneva or Wittenberg becomes, just at the right time, a secure refuge and vantage-ground for one of the Lords prophets. Our understanding of what God is doing in our time and our hopes for what He may yet do will indeed be small, if we think that God can do nothing for our cause unless our banner flies in the forefront of the battle, and the war-cry is “The sword of Gideon!” as well as “The sword of Jehovah!” There will be many battles fought in which we shall strike no blow and yet be privileged to divide the spoil. We sometimes “stand still and see the salvation of Jehovah.”
The chronicler has found disciples in these latter days of a kindlier spirit and more catholic sympathies. He and they have reached their common doctrines by different paths, but the chronicler teaches non-resistance as clearly as the Society of Friends. “When you have fully yielded yourself to the Divine teaching,” he says, “you will neither fight yourself nor ask others to fight for you; you will simply stand still and watch a Divine providence protecting you and destroying your enemies.” The Friends could almost echo this teaching, not perhaps laying quite so much stress on the destruction of the enemy, though among the visions of the earlier Friends there were many that revealed the coming judgments of the Lord; and the modern enthusiast is still apt to consider that his enemies are the Lords enemies and to call the gratification of his own revengeful spirit a vindication of the honor of the Lord and a satisfaction of outraged justice.
If the chronicler had lived today, the history of the Society of Friends might have furnished him with illustrations almost as apt as the destruction of the allied invaders of Judah. He would have rejoiced to tell us how a people that repudiated any resort to violence succeeded in conciliating savage tribes and founding the flourishing colony of Pennsylvania, and would have seen the hand of the Lord in the wealth and honor that have been accorded to a once despised and persecuted sect.
We should be passing to matters that were still beyond the chroniclers horizon, if we were to connect his teaching with our Lords injunction, “Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Such a sentiment scarcely harmonizes with the three days stripping of dead bodies in the wilderness of Jeruel. But though the chroniclers motives for non-resistance were not touched and softened with the Divine gentleness of Jesus of Nazareth, and his object was not to persuade his hearers to patient endurance of wrong, yet he had conceived the possibility of a mighty faith that could put its fortunes unreservedly into the hands of God and trust Him with the issues. If we are ever to be worthy citizens of the kingdom of our Lord, it can only be by the sustaining power and inspiring influence of a like faith.
When we come to ask how far the people for whom he wrote responded to his teaching and carried it into practical life, we are met with one of the many instances of the grim irony of history. Probably the chroniclers glowing vision of peaceful security, guarded on every hand by legions of angels, was partly inspired by the comparative prosperity of the time at which he wrote. Other considerations combine with this to suggest that the composition of his work beguiled the happy leisure of one of the brighter intervals between Ezra and the Maccabees.
Circumstances were soon to test the readiness of the Jews, in times of national danger, to observe the attitude of passive spectators and wait for a Divine deliverance. It was not altogether in this spirit that the priests met the savage persecutions of Antiochus. They made no lame attempts to exorcise this evil spirit with hymns, and psalteries, and harps, and trumpets; but the priest Mattathias and his sons slew the kings commissioner and raised the standard of armed revolt. We do indeed find indications of something like obedience to the chroniclers principles. A body of the revolted Jews were attacked on the Sabbath Day; they made no attempt to defend themselves: “When they gave them battle with all speed, they answered them not, neither cast they a stone at them, nor stopped the places where they lay hid and their enemies rose up against them on the sabbath, and slew them, with their wives, and their children, and their cattle, to the number of a thousand people.” No Divine intervention rewarded this devoted faith, nor apparently did the Jews expect it, for they had said, “Let us die all in our innocency; heaven and earth shall testify for us that ye put us to death wrongfully.” This is, after all, a higher note than that of Chronicles: obedience may not bring invariable reward; nevertheless the faithful will not swerve from their loyalty. But the priestly leaders of the people looked with no favorable eye upon this offering up of human hecatombs in honor of the sanctity of the Sabbath. They were not prepared to die passively; and, as representatives of Jehovah and of the nation for the time being, they decreed that henceforth they would fight against those who attacked them, even on the Sabbath Day. Warfare on these more secular principles was crowned with that visible success which the chronicler regarded as the manifest sign of Divine approval; and a dynasty of royal priests filled the throne and led the armies of Israel, and assured and strengthened their authority by intrigues and alliances with every heathen sovereign within their reach.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary