King Jehoshaphat
2 Chronicles 17:1-20:37

Jehoshaphat Rules in Judah

2 Chronicles 17:1-19

• The material in chapter 17 has no parallel in Kings. Much more space is devoted to Jehoshaphat in Chronicles than in Kings.
• Jehoshaphat became king. He strengthened the cities of Judah to stand against an attack from Israel. (v. 1)
• The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in the example of David. (v. 3-6)
• Note that David is always used as the measure of a king. If a king walked after his example, they prospered and were blessed. If not, they failed.
• In the third year of Jehoshaphat's reign, he sent teachers throughout the land to teach the people the ways of God. (v. 7-9)
• The fear of the Lord kept neighboring contries from attacking Judah. (v. 10-11)
• Jehoshaphat became powerful. He stored supplies and organized his army according to ancestral clans. (v. 12-19)
• Many of the men in Jehoshaphat's army were no doubt defectors from Israel.

Jehoshaphat and Ahab

2 Chronicles 18:1-8

• Jehoshaphat arranged for his son to marry the daughter of King Ahab and Jezebel. (v. 1)
• Jehoshaphat was invited to Israel and they had a great banquet. (v. 2)
• Ahab proposed an alliance against Ramoth-gilead and Jehoshaphat agreed. (v. 3)
• Jehoshaphat said they should ask the Lord before deciding to go to battle. (v. 4)
• Ahab summoned his prophets and they all replied that God will give them a great victory. (v. 5)
• Jehoshaphat asks specifically for a prophet of the Lord. (v. 6)
• Ahab says that there is one prophet of the Lord left, but that he doesn't like him. Jehoshaphat rebukes Ahab for speaking of the prophet like that. (v. 7)
• Ahab calls for Micaiah. (v. 8)

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

2 Chronicles 18:9-27

• Ahab and Jehoshaphat were listening to Ahab's prophets phrophesy. (v. 9)
• One of the prophets made some iron horns and proclaimed that they would gore th Arameans to death. (v. 10)
• All the other prophets agreed. (v. 11)
• The messenger who went to get Micaiah told him to agree with the other prophets. (v. 12)
• Micaiah replied that he would only say what the Lord tells him to say. (v. 13)
• When Micaiah arrived, Ahab asked him if they should go to war. Micaiah says to go ahead, that it will be a glorious victory. (He was pretending to go along with the other pophets.) (v. 14)
• The king rebuked him and demanded that Micaiah speak the truth. (v. 15)
• Micaiah told him that in a vision, he saw Israel scattered on the mountains, with their master killed. (v. 16)
• Ahab complains to Jehoshaphat that Micaiah only prophesies bad news for him. (v. 17)
• Micaiah continued discribing his vision: the Lord was sitting on his thrown with all the armies of heaven around him. The Lord asked who could entice King Ahab to go into battle so that he can be killed. A spirit approached the Lord and said he could do it by inspiring all of Ahab's prophets to speak lies. (v. 18-21)
• This is a troubling Old Testament story because it proposes that God sent a lying spirit. This can be at least partially explained by recognizing that the entire reign of King Ahab is a lie and that what is happening now is not a terribly significant extension of that lie.
• Micaiah concludes by telling Ahab that the prophesies of victory were lies. (v. 22)
• Micaiah gets slapped. (v. 23)
• Ahab orders Micaiah arrested. (v. 25)

The Death of Ahab

2 Chronicles 18:28-34

• King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat led their armies against Ramoth-gilead. (v. 28)
• Ahab disguises himself while Jehoshaphat goes into battle wearing his royal robes. Perhaps the prophet Micaiah had some effect on him. (v. 29)
• King Aram had given the order to attack only the King of Israel. When the warriors saw Jehoshaphat, they assumed him to be the king of Israel and went after him. Jehoshaphat cried to the Lord, who turned the attack away from him. (v. 30-32)
• King Ahab, however, was killed by a randomly shot arrow. (v. 33-34)

Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges

2 Chronicles 19:1-11

• Jehoshaphat arrived safely home in Jerusalem. (v. 1)
• Jehu asked why Jehoshaphat helped the wicked and loved those who hate the Lord, bringing the Lord's anger against him. (v. 2)
• Jehu does praise Jehoshaphat's efforts to removethe Asherah poles throughout the kingdom. (v. 3)
• Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem but toured the country and encouraged the people to return to the Lord. (v. 4)
• Jehoshaphat appointed judges throughout the kingdom and gave them instructions on how to be a good judge. (See Deut. 16:18-20 to see that this is a judicial system in accordance with the Mosaic Law.) (v. 5-7)
• Jehoshaphat also appointed Levites and priests and clan leaders in Isreal to serve as judges in Jerusalem. (v. 8-11)

War with Moab, Ammon, and Edom

2 Chronicles 20:1-30

• Moab, Ammon, and Edom declared war on Jehoshaphat. (v. 1)
• Jehoshaphat saught guidance from the Lord and gave orders that everyone observe a fast. (v. 2-4)
• Jehoshaphat prayed to the Lord for deliverance. This is the third "kings prayer" in 2 Chronicles. The other two are Solomon's prayer (chapter 6) and Asa's prayer (chapter 14:11). (v. 5-12)
• The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel who encouraged Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah to stand against the coming army and that the Lord would deliver them. (v. 13-17)
• Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah worshiped the Lord. (v. 18-19)
• Jehoshaphat and the army marched to battle. Jehoshaphat encouraged the army and appointed singers to sing the Lord's praise. (v. 20-21)
• The Lord caused the three enemy armies to begin fighting amongst themselves. (v. 22-23)
• Jehoshaphat and his army were able to plunder the remains of the enemy armies. (v. 24-26)
• They returned to Jerusalem and Jehoshaphat reigned in peace because the neighboring armies were afraid of the Lord. (v. 27-30)

Summary of Jehoshaphat's Reign

2 Chronicles 20:31-37

• Jehoshaphat reigned for 25 years. (v. 31)
• He was a good king, but failed to remove all traces of idol worship. (v. 32-33)
• Toward the end of Jehoshaphat's reign, he made an aliance with the evil King Ahaziah of Israel. (v. 35-37)