The other king
So Ahab died. . .
after so many events where GOD reached out to him, showed him the miraculous so he would "know that He is LORD", warned him ... warned him to the very end. So poignant ~ he was pierced and slain by a random arrow.
The theme song of his life ~ "If Only, If Only!"
But there was another king at that battle with Ahab: Jehoshaphat. It is quite a juxtaposition.
JUXTAPOSITION: an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.
The story of Jehoshaphat begins in 2 Chronicles with these words:
"Jehoshaphat (the son of Asa, who had been a very good,
God-fearing king) succeeded him as king and strengthened
himself against Israel. He stationed troops in all the fortified
cities of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and in the towns
of Ephraim that his father, Asa, had captured." (2 Chron. 17:1-2)
Then we are told that in the 3rd year of his reign he sent officials and Levites (men from the priesthood) throughout all of Judah to teach the people. The result? "The fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat." (2 Chron. 17:10) He was SO wise. Not only did he love and obey the LORD, but he "walked in the ways of his father David" {a phrase which means, not that David was is birth-father, but that he was like David -- a king who had a wonderful relationship with God. } So ~ how did this 'good guy' end up in that fateful battle? And ~ after starting his reign by strengthening himself against Israel ~ why did he go to war with Ahab?
We have to do some jumping around to get the timeline of the story, and to see what happened, and to see the result in Jehoshaphat's life ~ and to see why he is set in juxtaposition to Ahab -- and what I think we are supposed to learn.
OK --
1 Kings 22:41: "Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
1 Kings16:29: "In the thirty-eighth year of Asa, king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became in of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years."
So 17 to 18 years into Jehoshaphat's reign, he married into Ahab's family and went to war beside Ahab. If we skip over to 2 Chronicles 18:1-2, we read : "Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. Some years later, he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria." That is when the war happened where Ahab is slain.
So Jehoshaphat starts off 'wise'...and then it seems he tried to be 'smart'. "wise" / "smart" ~ different! He began his reign with wisdom, by fortifying his cities against Israel and seeing to it that the Word of God and the Law of God were taught to his people. Then he became powerful and wealthy ... and it seems that he felt like he had to protect himself and he thought it would be a 'smart' move to marry into Ahab's family so they would be allies. You know that he has not turned from God, and that his discernment is still healthy, because when he agrees to go to war with Ahab against Aram, he asks Ahab to get a Word from God first, and is not fooled by the 400 prophets who only tell Ahab what he wants to hear...and Jehoshaphat asks for a prophet of YHWH. Though his 'smart' idea turns out to be a stupid move, God protects him {2 Chronicles 18:31-32}. And now let's see the difference between Ahab and Jehoshaphat.
When Jehoshaphat returns home to Jerusalem, Jehu the prophet (not to be confused with the Jehu that will be king in Israel soon) comes to meet him. God has a message for him -- kind of like when you were young and in school, and you did some stupid thing at school, and you get home to see Mom and Dad waiting for you on the porch...with 'that' look on their face.
"Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this the wrath of the Lord is upon you. There is, however some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah pole and have set your heart on seeking God."
And how does Jehoshaphat respond? Does he become 'sullen and angry' like Ahab did when he was rebuked by God after he let Ben-Hadad live? (1 Kings 20:35-43) NO!!!! He responds wisely.
"Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers." (2 Chron. 19:4) This says to me that he realized that his actions ~ 'helping the wicked and loving those who hated the LORD' had consequences in the lives and hearts of his people, and he had to take responsibility for that and repair the damage he had done. WOW!
Then, "He appointed judges in the land...He told them, 'Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.' "
AND "In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priest and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the LORD and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. He gave them these orders: 'You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD. In every case that comes before you . . . you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD.' " (2 Chron. 19:8-10)
The difference between Ahab and Jehoshaphat is seen in how they respond to God.
God reaches out to Ahab and helps him and warns him, and send him prophets...but Ahab is a self-directed, childish, hedonistic man. We see one act of repentance ... when he puts on sackcloth and humbles himself before God in 1 Kings 21, after the Naboth's vineyard event. But it is his actions and his decisions that reveal his heart. Again and again we see Ahab turn to sin, Baal, his wife, and finally his own stupid cleverness -- but he never turns his heart to God. For me, even the 'sackcloth' of 1 Kings 21 is more like him saying, 'I am sorry that I got caught and that there will be that terrible punishment' than 'I repent and turn from my sin...and turn to God.'. But Jehoshaphat clearly turns back to God and walks out his repentance. We see this because he works diligently to turn his whole nation back to God too, setting up judges and priest and elders from the nation to teach his people! His response to the rebuke of God from the prophet is not to become 'sullen and angry, but to re-establish the fear of the LORD in his leaders and his people as the standard in the land. THAT IS REPENTANCE AND FAITH. Jehoshaphat is King David's 'son' not because he did not ever do anything stupid or wrong, but because, like David, when he was wrong and when he was rebuked by God, his repentance became action -- we can see that his repentance was genuine and his faith in God was alive because of what he DID.
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? . . . faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. . . . As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:14-26)
after so many events where GOD reached out to him, showed him the miraculous so he would "know that He is LORD", warned him ... warned him to the very end. So poignant ~ he was pierced and slain by a random arrow.
The theme song of his life ~ "If Only, If Only!"
But there was another king at that battle with Ahab: Jehoshaphat. It is quite a juxtaposition.
JUXTAPOSITION: an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.
The story of Jehoshaphat begins in 2 Chronicles with these words:
"Jehoshaphat (the son of Asa, who had been a very good,
God-fearing king) succeeded him as king and strengthened
himself against Israel. He stationed troops in all the fortified
cities of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and in the towns
of Ephraim that his father, Asa, had captured." (2 Chron. 17:1-2)
Then we are told that in the 3rd year of his reign he sent officials and Levites (men from the priesthood) throughout all of Judah to teach the people. The result? "The fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat." (2 Chron. 17:10) He was SO wise. Not only did he love and obey the LORD, but he "walked in the ways of his father David" {a phrase which means, not that David was is birth-father, but that he was like David -- a king who had a wonderful relationship with God. } So ~ how did this 'good guy' end up in that fateful battle? And ~ after starting his reign by strengthening himself against Israel ~ why did he go to war with Ahab?
We have to do some jumping around to get the timeline of the story, and to see what happened, and to see the result in Jehoshaphat's life ~ and to see why he is set in juxtaposition to Ahab -- and what I think we are supposed to learn.
OK --
1 Kings 22:41: "Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
1 Kings16:29: "In the thirty-eighth year of Asa, king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became in of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years."
So 17 to 18 years into Jehoshaphat's reign, he married into Ahab's family and went to war beside Ahab. If we skip over to 2 Chronicles 18:1-2, we read : "Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. Some years later, he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria." That is when the war happened where Ahab is slain.
So Jehoshaphat starts off 'wise'...and then it seems he tried to be 'smart'. "wise" / "smart" ~ different! He began his reign with wisdom, by fortifying his cities against Israel and seeing to it that the Word of God and the Law of God were taught to his people. Then he became powerful and wealthy ... and it seems that he felt like he had to protect himself and he thought it would be a 'smart' move to marry into Ahab's family so they would be allies. You know that he has not turned from God, and that his discernment is still healthy, because when he agrees to go to war with Ahab against Aram, he asks Ahab to get a Word from God first, and is not fooled by the 400 prophets who only tell Ahab what he wants to hear...and Jehoshaphat asks for a prophet of YHWH. Though his 'smart' idea turns out to be a stupid move, God protects him {2 Chronicles 18:31-32}. And now let's see the difference between Ahab and Jehoshaphat.
When Jehoshaphat returns home to Jerusalem, Jehu the prophet (not to be confused with the Jehu that will be king in Israel soon) comes to meet him. God has a message for him -- kind of like when you were young and in school, and you did some stupid thing at school, and you get home to see Mom and Dad waiting for you on the porch...with 'that' look on their face.
"Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this the wrath of the Lord is upon you. There is, however some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah pole and have set your heart on seeking God."
And how does Jehoshaphat respond? Does he become 'sullen and angry' like Ahab did when he was rebuked by God after he let Ben-Hadad live? (1 Kings 20:35-43) NO!!!! He responds wisely.
"Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers." (2 Chron. 19:4) This says to me that he realized that his actions ~ 'helping the wicked and loving those who hated the LORD' had consequences in the lives and hearts of his people, and he had to take responsibility for that and repair the damage he had done. WOW!
Then, "He appointed judges in the land...He told them, 'Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.' "
AND "In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priest and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the LORD and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. He gave them these orders: 'You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD. In every case that comes before you . . . you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD.' " (2 Chron. 19:8-10)
The difference between Ahab and Jehoshaphat is seen in how they respond to God.
God reaches out to Ahab and helps him and warns him, and send him prophets...but Ahab is a self-directed, childish, hedonistic man. We see one act of repentance ... when he puts on sackcloth and humbles himself before God in 1 Kings 21, after the Naboth's vineyard event. But it is his actions and his decisions that reveal his heart. Again and again we see Ahab turn to sin, Baal, his wife, and finally his own stupid cleverness -- but he never turns his heart to God. For me, even the 'sackcloth' of 1 Kings 21 is more like him saying, 'I am sorry that I got caught and that there will be that terrible punishment' than 'I repent and turn from my sin...and turn to God.'. But Jehoshaphat clearly turns back to God and walks out his repentance. We see this because he works diligently to turn his whole nation back to God too, setting up judges and priest and elders from the nation to teach his people! His response to the rebuke of God from the prophet is not to become 'sullen and angry, but to re-establish the fear of the LORD in his leaders and his people as the standard in the land. THAT IS REPENTANCE AND FAITH. Jehoshaphat is King David's 'son' not because he did not ever do anything stupid or wrong, but because, like David, when he was wrong and when he was rebuked by God, his repentance became action -- we can see that his repentance was genuine and his faith in God was alive because of what he DID.
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? . . . faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. . . . As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:14-26)
Reminds me of Aristotle and the oak tree. The oak tree is gnarled and knotted and some of its branches are broken off but Aristotle discovers it's the very image of "telios" perfect because it produces an acorn that falls to the ground and takes root producing another oak tree that produces an acorn and on the process goes. Jehoshaphat epitomizes this in what he does.
ReplyDelete