Today in God’s Word

Today in God's Word—February 2023

East Tallassee Church of Christ

February 28, 2 Chronicles 18

Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. - 2 Chronicles 18:1

It's certainly happened to me and I suspect it has happened to you as well. We somehow find ourselves in a difficult situation or maybe even a dangerous one, and we ask ourselves, "How in the world did I get into this mess?" We’re not alone in troubling circumstances where it is not immediately clear to us how we got there. I wonder if Jehoshaphat might have asked himself the same question in the dangerous place we found him in today's chapter.

Ahab, king of Israel persuaded Jehoshaphat to go to Ramoth-gilead with him to fight against the Syrians. The Syrian soldiers were chasing him, and Jehoshaphat was running for his life. The Syrians had changed their course and started chasing him as soon as they saw the robes he was wearing. The soldiers were closing the gap between themselves and Judah's king. Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord, and the Lord helped him. God drew the Syrians away from Jehoshaphat, and the king escaped. Well, one king escaped.

Ahab used Jehoshaphat as a decoy. He sent him into the battle dressed as a king, while Ahab disguised himself and went to the battle in the garb of an ordinary soldier. But the ruse did not work. As soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not Ahab they were chasing, they turned away from him. Meanwhile, a Syrian soldier fired an arrow at nothing or no one in particular. That arrow found its way into the gap between Ahab's scale armor and breastplate. Israel’s King Ahab died, just as Micaiah prophesied that he would.

This chapter offers some answers as to why Jehoshaphat had to flee for his life from the Syrian soldiers. Perhaps if we can see some mistakes Jehoshaphat made, we could find some help to avoid getting ourselves into

another situation that makes us wonder how we got there.

The first misstep Jehoshaphat made that led to his near-death experience was an alliance with Ahab. God had blessed the king of Judah with both riches and honor for his obedience. He did not need the alliance with the evil Ahab and idolatrous Israel. But he made it anyway, sealing the deal by marrying his son Jehoram to Ahab's daughter Athaliah.

The marriage alliance opened the door for the next foolish compromise he made with Ahab. He agreed to go to war with Israel's king. When Jehoshaphat went to Samaria to visit the in- laws, Ahab asked him to join him in the war. Jehoshaphat answered, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war." Jehoshaphat kept that pledge, and it led to him running for his life. Even worse, a few years later few years later, Athaliah (Ahab's daughter who married Jehoram) almost succeeded in a plot to exterminate the entire Davidic line.

Then, after Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet of God to give an answer about the question of going to war, he ignored the ominous warming that Micaiah delivered. The prophet told Ahab he would not come home alive, but Ahab went right ahead toward destruction.

Jehoshaphat even agreed to the foolish plan that made him a decoy while Ahab hid among his own troops. He put himself at great risk by going along with a plan that made him a target. What was he thinking?

Finally, Jehoshaphat realized he had put himself into a situation where his only hope was to plead with God for direct intervention and assistance. God answered the desperate prayer, and Jehoshaphat narrowly avoided death. Ahab died anyway, just as God said he would.

Let's remember that it is very foolish and dangerous to form alliances and partnerships

with ungodly people. Did your mother warn you about certain people and forbid you to associate with them? Mine surely did. Let's also think about the possible consequences of our actions and choices. We may not be able to foresee what could go wrong, but it might be wise to see if there's some obvious and likely problem coming as a result of doing a questionable thing. Jehoshaphat's dangerous dilemma should teach us to pay attention to warnings. When God's word confronts us, we should not ignore it or think it won't happen to us.

For all the negative things we've noted about Jehoshaphat here, let's give him credit for crying out and getting God's help when he made that series of foolish mistakes. Even when we've done something that puts us in peril, we should remember that God is much bigger and stronger than we are. He is not threatened by what terrifies us. Call on him. Humbly acknowledge the wrong you've done and plead for his merciful intervention. He may be pleased to deliver you as he delivered Jehoshaphat. We may or may not escape the consequences of our foolish behavior. But God is willing and eager to forgive those who turn from their folly and return to him.

Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.