As a result of Jeroboam’s – hang on, I think I’ve made a false start – these Biblical characters have names that are very nearly the same, or sometimes even actually the same but stated in different forms, that one easily gets confused, particularly when one is not a scholar well versed with languages of yore (or for that matter, languages of the present!). And memory is such an unreliable guide, obedient as it is more often than not to Murphy’s Law; it is best instead to go back to the Bible. Always.
So, check, check, check. There it is in 1 Kings 12:12-14; false start confirmed. So let’s start all over again…
As a result of Rehoboam’s smart alecky response to his interlocutors, the kingdom in Israel gets bifurcated post Solomon; Judah and Benjamin centre around Jerusalem and the rest of the tribes make Shechem in Samaria – which lies to the north of Jerusalem – their capital. Guess who takes up the reins there? Our old friend Jeroboam!
(credit: hookedonthe book.com) (credit:nthci.org)
(In the pictures above, one is Jeroboam and the other Rehoboam; do note the difference!)
We see kings coming and going both in the North and the South – some of them good, some bad and some definitely ugly, in so far as the extent to which they served (or did not serve) the living God and followed (or did not follow) His commandments.
In the narrative we are looking at, in passages presented mainly in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, there is a sharp contrast between the parallel kingdoms; Ahab in the North, the numero uno of the ugly kings (1 Kings 16:30, 1 Kings 16:33) and Jehoshaphat in the South, about the best since David (2 Chronicles 17:3).
A large part of Ahab’s problem sprung from a bad marriage. The Bible says “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up” (1 Kings 21:25). Now it is tempting to latch on to the last phrase and load all the blame on the wife, fully exonerating the husband. But the fact is, there was something inherently wicked deep down in Ahab’s heart as well, that Jezebel was quick to descry and spur to action; a marriage of like minds if you like, given her own predilection for a life of crime and wanton sin. Oh, what an awful combination! Husband and wife collaborating to conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity (Job 15:35).
More of that later.
(credit: seikokai.org)
It seems such a far cry but it still may be contextually relevant at this point to hold up the portrayal of Peter in 1 Peter 3:2 where he paints the possibility of the wife winning the soul of the husband by her “chaste conversation coupled with fear”.
Some questions pop up.
Is the person you are going to marry likely to lead you closer to God or away from Him? Or possibly you are cast in the role of the influencer for God; in which case do you see enough basic goodness embedded in him or her that will be eventually amenable to your godly impact?
Pertinent questions to ponder over.
But Ahab was not one to be bothered by troubling questions, whether pertinent or otherwise. “And it came to pass” ,the Bible says, “as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him” (1 Kings 16:31). He simply waded into wickedness.
Yes, there is – or there ought to be – a connection between what you believe in and how you behave, a correlation between whom you worship and what you are. Jezebel is a classic example. She came from a culture where Ashtoreth was goddess (1 Kings 11:5). I do not know how Baal connects with this latter figure, but it does defy definition of deity that there can be more than one distinct God (how do they handle turf wars, jurisdictional limits etc?). But somehow the two of them got along, with not a little help from the devilish duo.
Lest we miss a point, let’s go back to the words “took to wife” in 1 Kings 16:31. This statement conveys the message that Ahab was no victim of circumstances nor was he subjected to parental pressures. He made a choice. Willingly, volitionally he embraced evil and ran riot with his own unholy ideas (Proverbs 6:27).
There! We hit that verb: choose. The choices we make as we travel along in the journey of life reveal who we are at the very core, what we want to be and where we want to go. And the matter of life partner is one of the most crucial areas where one could exercise this privilege and responsibility.
Are our choices prayerful and wise or are they reckless and cavalier?
Ahab didn’t choose wisely.
But this ‘wonderful couple’ is not the subject of this article and it is only selectively will we look at its deeds when they intersect with our man of the moment, Jehoshaphat.
“Jehoshaphat” we read “was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi” . “And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord” (1 Kings 22:42,43)
Before we go any further, don’t forget to tip your hat to the parents: Asa and Azubah. How seminally different they are as a couple from Ahab and Jezebel! To be sure, there isn’t’t a great deal written about Azubah, but I imagine her to have been a strong, silent figure, standing solidly behind Asa as he went about the Lord’s business. A perfect foil to Asa, the activist king. Take a bow, Azubah!
And in describing our protagonist Jehoshaphat, one can hardly do better than to string together a couple of verses in 2 Chronicles, chapter 17 and let them speak for themselves:
“And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honor in abundance.”
One of the most notable things that Jehoshaphat did during his reign was to educate his subjects, in the ways of the Lord. He sent out teachers and preachers who expounded the book of the law, the word of God (2 Chr. 17:7-9}
(credit: graigflach.wordpress.com)
“Then” the Bible says “the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat” ( 2 Chronicles 17:10).
Wow! Get that. When the word of God is widely sown – or “embedded” in people’s hearts – there is peace all around! There is a distinct change in their conduct. There is less violence, less strife, less trouble; more understanding, more empathy, more fellow-feeling. It (the word of God) will not return void (Isa. 55:11)
So, teach your children well! (Graham Nash did well to title his song thus; was he inspired by Solomon? (Prov. 22:6))
It may also be relevant to cite Prov. 16:7 where it says: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him”.
Further
“Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats. Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah ( 2 Chronicles 17:11,12)
What a blessed regime!
But this heart-warming narrative that begins with the statement that Jehoshaphat strengthened himself against the northern kingdom of Israel in the early years of his reign(2 Chronicles 17:1) curiously ends with the intriguing information that he joined affinity with Ahab (2 Chronicles 18:1)
This is strange! How this happened is not explained in the Bible. All of a sudden righteousness and unrighteousness have mixed. Light and darkness began to commune. Unequally yoked! (2 Cor. 6:14)
A dangerous liaison!
“Beware of the leaven” (Matthew 16:6)
And it came to pass at this time that Ahab discovers that Ramoth in Gilead, long under Syrian or Aramese occupation actually belonged to Israel (1 Kings 22:3).And the king of Israel said unto his officials, ““Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?”
The kings in those days regarded it as their business to engage in war. They kind of felt restless and lost their sleep (Proverbs 4:16) if there is no war, with somebody or the other. And so it was that the king of Israel could bear it no more that there was peace between Syria and Israel for 3 loooong years !
Some folks do not know what is good for them. They just can’t let sleeping dogs lie. They must provoke; they must irritate, they must foment trouble. They take great pleasure in unearthing grudges long buried, dusting them cleanly, burnishing them brightly, petting them lovingly, caressing them kindly, nourishing them richly and watching them grow with undisguised pride; and they unleash them at opportune moments. They thrive in the chaos that follows and they enjoy the ensuing confusion.
After all, this was property long enjoyed by Aram, rightly or wrongly. Claiming such things always results in strife. Ahab doesn’t seem to believe in dialogue, negotiations, summits, nothing. Straightway war. Even if his contention were right, possibly he could have made a point in a missive and left it at that.
Sometimes it is indeed better to give up and let go, submitting the matter to God. That is, if you are interested in pursuing peace and harmony.
But Ahab? He was different.
Not content with the bright idea of recovering Ramoth Gilead, the king of Israel dons his thinking cap and comes up with an even better one: enlist Jehoshaphat’s assistance in the task; after all this guy was presiding over an army of over a million soldiers (2 Chr. 17: 14-19). Since God was with him, by default, God Jehovah gets involved in the project.
Brill!
It is then that Jehoshaphat makes his second mistake, when he replies to the king of Israel saying:
“I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” (1 Kings 22:4)
Bravo! Spoken like a soul mate!
Is this the effect of the sumptuous banquet thrown in his honour and the wine that no doubt flowed freely? Possibly. Even the best of us get carried away by overwhelming hospitality and fail to detect any underlying motive.
But this is also the problem with people who are too good. They do not know when and how to say no. They just go along with any proposal, any scheme, any venture presented by persons close to them without asking questions.
Or, is this a case of being “righteous over much” (Eccl. 7:16)?
Whatever the reason, here we see Jehoshaphat going to the extent of being self effacing. Come on Jehoshaphat, where is your identity? How can you subsume yourself and your people to the devious designs of the king of Israel? Have you never read Psalm 1 written by your illustrious forefather David? Hey, aren’t you the guy who taught the people?
It is good to learn from the distilled experience of your ancestors.
An intriguing drama is played out at this point.
Though Jehoshaphat spoke those words, I suspect they were not wholehearted. Sometimes, we say more than what we mean. We get swept off our feet by the mood of the moment – be it conviviality, sadness, joy or regret and utter more than we ought to, in a fit of rhetorical flourish, sometimes congratulating ourselves as we get carried away by our commendable verbal fluency.
On the other hand, it may also be that we feel obligated in some way to please the present company that we lower our standards and choose to run with the pack, keeping whatever reservations we may have, to ourselves.
Whatever it was, Jehoshaphat caught himself just in time. He gently pops the question, ‘But first, let’s find out what the Lord says “(2 Chr. 18:4).
First? Our man has already spoken and pledged his support. This is actually an afterthought. But let’s not be too hard on him. At least he had the good sense to ask Ahab to consult the Lord. The order may be somewhat mixed up, but you can’t fault the labeling.
Yes, we have to seek Him first (Matthew 6:33).
When he came to his senses, Jehoshaphat wasn’t shy about advising Ahab. How about us? Having made a mistake or two, do we allow ourselves to sink in the morass with pitiful abandon or do we remember who we are and redeem ourselves before it is too late.
So it was that the king of Israel gathers prophets, 400 of them, all of whom say with one voice ,” Go, God will give you victory”.
But Jehoshaphat was not impressed; I suspect the effect of the wine was wearing away and he begins to choose his words carefully now. “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here?” he questions, suggesting that the lot of prophets summoned by Ahab is false en masse.
How comforting it is to have ready access to amenable prophets who speak approvingly of your actions, motives, intentions. Clever soothsayers glibly bending God to fit your pet ideas. To have four hundred of them united in their sycophancy…….… my, what a heady feeling!
Just look at all those flex banners screaming:
Shechem Super King!
Rampant in Ramoth!
Sayonara Syria!
………………………
………………………..
and so on and so forth. Don’t miss the picture of a heavily garlanded Ahab smiling cherubically, his fingers making a victory sign, with Jezebel benevolently looming in the background.
It was quite a wrench therefore for the King of Israel to mention Micaiah at all, the guy who was upper most in his mind all along and he doesn’t fail to add that he always prophesies evil about him.
Here’s someone who has made himself so repulsive to God by his actions and he expects that God will have good things to say about him. This is rich! God will not call evil good and good evil. Check out Isaiah 5:20.
A spade was indeed a spade!
Now calling things by their correct names may be an admirable quality, but we have to ask if it is necessary to be also confrontational about it. If it won’t do to suggest that a faithful servant of God like Micaiah should sugar coat his bitter pronouncements making them easier to swallow, must he per force come across as an awfully in-your-face male cast in a brusque, brash, blunt mould – some one you’d rather not invite for breakfast?
Perhaps if you display a kinder, gentler image Micaiah, your acceptability rating might improve. The hint of spiritual pride now seen, isn’t helping matters at all.
But let’s get back to Ahab. If you do not know that being rebuked by the righteous can be beneficial for your life, you are headed down a slippery slope. “It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools” (Eccl. 7:5). Watch out Ahab!
Following a friendly remonstrance from Jehoshaphat along these lines, Micaiah arrives on the scene but not before a determined attempt by the messengers to get him to tailor his prophecy and join the mighty chorus as the 401st voice.
It is so easy to sing the chorus.
You only need to know the tune vaguely and somebody or the other will supply the words. No effort needed; as to the meaning – who cares? You just have to mingle with the crowd and mouth the lyrics. In this case, they went something like:
Go Ahab go
let the king of Aram know
That you won’t lie low, no
Horns you’ve got and more
That can push the enemy, gore
And keep him pinned down
Till you take away the crown
From that Aramese clown
Come on, Ramoth’s our town!
The group was going on in this vein ad nauseum, looped end to start until Micaiah showed up. It was left to the chorus leader Zedekiah to inject some life into the banal refrain with some drama of his own – with horns.
(credit: newministrynewpaths.blogspot.com)
But Micaiah? He stood alone. He wasn’t afraid to do the solo part. He knew his role well for God had revealed to him a scene from the heavenly realms concerning this very matter; and he proceeded to describe it in discomforting detail – much to the chagrin of his earthly audience. His soulful solo was somewhat different:
Go Ahab go
But do thou surely know
What the Lord doth show
Thou wilt certainly lie low
I am sorry to sound so stern
But you simply will not return
The assembly didn’’t like it.
If we pause but a moment to consider how our actions will be viewed in the realms beyond, perhaps we may do things differently. For, “nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13). One would have thought it would have a sobering effect on the king of Israel to catch a glimpse of the heavenly evaluation of his earthly actions and motives, but Ahab and his cronies were like: “Godly perspective? Seriously?”
Now Zedekiah gets upset that he is upstaged by Micaiah and causes a ruckus. A spat between two men of God (though one of them now stands exposed as a dud) is never a nice sight and here, we are talking about nothing less than a slugfest (2 Chr. 18:23).
Fighting in the name of God! And what are they fighting about? Over spiritual matters!
What a shame.
Let’s not forget that Zedekiah and his team too were prophets of the Lord – or more correctly, had been prophets of the Lord – before a lying spirit crept into them. The tragedy is they didn’t know it.
It is a bit like salt. If the salt loses its saltiness, you throw it out (Matt. 5:13) Likewise, if those who are called prophets do not any longer have the spirit of God, they are good for nothing. Worse, if they have the spirit of the evil one.
The problem is, false prophets do not look any different from the real ones. They do not carry a placard declaring themselves fake. On the other hand, they all look alike with beards and robes flowing, appearance pious, expressions lugubrious, eyes distant and tone sonorous. But be careful. All of them do not have the spirit of God and some of them may not even be aware of that. Oh, yes, some were powerful servants of God – at one time. But they are now carrying on with the momentum of the past and riding the memory and gullibility of the public. And there are also those who declare themselves to be prophets because their fathers were, but alas, have no steam of their own.
Living in past glory.
If you are a prophet yourself, you got to be on your spiritual toes as it were and seek fresh anointing from God frequently. It is not for nothing that Jesus taught us to pray saying “Give us this day our daily bread”.
“Has-beens” and false prophets beware! The Bible has some awful things to say about you:
“Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord. Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?” (Ezekiel 13:3-7)
The fakes are eventually exposed when their prophesies bomb but how do we tell the tares from the wheat in real time? We can’t do better than be guided by Jesus. He said: “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matt. 5:31). If you see prophecy uttered with undue exaggeration, drama, schmaltz, passion or emotion – they may be the signals, as indeed was the case with Zedekiah.
The sad part of this whole narrative is that the two kings proceed for battle even after hearing Micaiah out. Why do we need prophecy if we are hell bent on having our own way?
Caught between his self will and the dark prophesy from Micaiah, the king of Israel tries one more ruse – going incognito and suggesting that Jehoshaphat alone wear the kingly robes. And the latter agrees.
Under instructions from the king of Aram, only the king of Israel is targeted by the thirty two captains; so it was Jehoshaphat the sucker who feels the heat while Ahab is cleverly hidden among the ranks. But the Lord’s purposes can never be frustrated. He arranged for a “certain man” to “draw his bow” at “random” and lo and behold the arrow found its mark between the joints of the harness worn by the king of Israel (2 Chr. 18:33).
Imagine the probability of that happening when tens of thousands of arrows are flying around – infinitesimally small indeed. But not a single word of the Lord falls to the ground (1 Sam. 3:19). Events may appear to be happening at “random” to the indifferent reporter, but God is always in control; don’t reckon without Him.
(credit: jesusfootprints.wordpress.com)
The king of Israel dies the same evening, Micaiah is vindicated and the fool Jehoshaphat returns to Jerusalem – in peace, but learns from Jehu that his misadventure has consequences. Jehu makes it perfectly clear that Jehoshaphat had no business to get involved in Ahab’s schemes. Indeed all the prophecies – both false and true – completely ignored the king of Judah. In other words, Jehoshaphat simply was not in the picture, yet he over-enthusiastically put himself there.
Sometimes we are seen in places where we don’t belong.
It would have been better for Jehoshaphat to stay quietly at home, rather than go, side with somebody who is clearly not on God’s side. “Whoever is not with me is against me” says the Lord in Matthew 12:30.
Who are you with?
Jehoshaphat was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong man – in short, he was doing all the wrong things – but God in his mercy heard his cry for help and delivered him, because he was the right man (2 Chr. 18:31). Yes, “The righteous is delivered from trouble and the wicked walks into it instead” (Prov. 11:8).
Though God in His mercy bailed out Jehoshaphat when he yelped in the battle for Ramoth Gilead as the Aramean forces were closing in, there was a price to pay for his intransigence. These consequences may be late in coming, but they are appointed for us to learn the right lessons, lest we get the idea that we can walk away Scott free time and again and never straighten out. But again, were it not for the fact that God calibrates these consequences and designs them mercifully to allow for our growth, we may well be damned.
And so Jehu’s prophecy took a while coming to pass but when it did come, it looked so ominous that for the first time in his 25 year reign, Jehoshaphat experienced fear (2 Chr. 20:3); three nations ganged up against him with such a vast army that the million soldier man melted, shaken to the roots.
What does he do? What could he do?
Our man declares a fast throughout the land and prays the prayer of his life that would have made his forefather Solomon proud (1 kings 8:22-61) and concludes with those memorable words “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”(2 Chr. 20:12).
A rather irrational response to a real danger, what? Looking to an invisible God. Some might say, pathetic!
But God always steps in when we humble ourselves; “a bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench (Isaiah 42:3). The Spirit of the Lord descends soon enough with the promise that” the battle is not yours, but God’s. ……You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you”(2 Chr. 20:15-17).
On whom does the Spirit descend? Jahaziel. Ever heard of him before? Nope. Elijah, we know, the guy who brought the fire down. Elisha, yes, he cleaned up Naaman. Micaiah, we just met. But who is this dude?
Jehoshaphat wasn’t jealous that the Spirit bypassed him. He had prayed and was looking for an answer and he didn’t mind through whom it came.
God can use any body. He will use some body to speak to us in times of need. Why, you could be that person! Are you available? Do you look expectantly forward to God speaking or are you glibly indifferent to what He might say? Don’t look at the speaker and discount the message.
It is one thing to receive promises and quite another to claim, appropriate and actualize them. After all there are ever so many promises in the Bible; how many do we live by? You’ve got a role to play here brother; that’s the way to grow. The fulfillment of any promise requires some action on our part; and so it is in this case. We can pick out: a) Do not be afraid b) Take up your positions c) stand firm and d) Go out to face them.
An impromptu and spontaneous Praise and Worship session follows; Jehoshaphat takes charge as he exhorts Judah and the people of Jerusalem saying “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” (2 Chr. 20:20).
There are some things about Jehoshaphat that are difficult to understand. Here was a guy who in his early years had strengthened himself against Israel; yet, why ever did he make alliance with Ahab? Someone who was so zealous for the Lord and taught all of Judah – how did he fail to impart the right kind of values to his own son Jehoram so much so that the latter got enamoured of Iniquity (I concede, that may not have been her name, but it certainly represented her character), begotten by Ahab and Jezebel. As though one devil in the family wasn’t enough why did he also bring into the household the despicable Athaliah as another daughter in law? What went wrong with the upbringing of Jehoram that he exhibited such venom as to annihilate all his brothers in order to consolidate his regime? Why did he accompany Ahab for war over Ramoth, even after some pointedly forboding prophesy from Micaiah?
Disturbing questions
So, inspite of all his goodness and godliness, we might say that Jehoshaphat was a mixed bag. He had his failings. But the mettle of the man comes to the fore when the chips are down. If faith is the vehicle by which the promises of God travel from pronouncement to performance, Jehoshaphat drove a giant truck; he displayed plenty of faith when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. Not only did he hold on to the promise of God himself, he even succeeded in encouraging and inspiring his people, even as the enemy forces were marching towards them. Surely his finest hour.
Once he infused his people with confidence, he consults with them as to the strategy to be adopted. Here is a man who carries his people with him and does not function as a dictator. Nothing of the aspect of “Hey, I’ve got a message from God; now do what I tell you”. Rather, together as a team, they prayerfully decide on a course of action.
“After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army……” (2 Chr. 20:21)
A somewhat unusual array of their forces.
(credit:inkwellinspiration.com)
Many in the choir reported sick that day – sore throat, laryngitis, viral fever, whatever. Imagine walking right in the forefront, so exposed, so vulnerable. A singing duck. The only weapon
Praise!
saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever”(2 Chr. 20:21)
But the forces of the enemy tremble when God is glorified, when Hallelujahs rend the air. Note nothing is said of the quality of singing – the tone, the timbre, the dynamics, the harmony, the clarity, the complexity, the maintenance of pitch, breath control. But the results speak for themselves. When the singing begins, God starts to fight the enemy.
“As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (2 Chr. 20:22).
Singing is serious business, my friend. Let no one speak lightly of it. Voice training and learning music are all very well, but if you want to be effective in the business end of the domain, take a few tips from Jehoshaphat.
Serious about singing? How about fasting to start with? That’s the first thing Jehoshaphat proclaimed (2 Chr. 20:3)
Serious about singing? How about praying (2 Chr. 20:6)?
Serious about singing? How about being open and receptive to prophecy from any quarter, fully expecting God to respond to your prayer (2 Chr. 20:14-18)?.
Serious about singing? How about exhibiting faith? Jehoshaphat was quite a champion in this department (2 Chr. 20:20).
Serious about singing? How about starting with some praise numbers (2 Chr. 20:22)?
Well now, what kind of results can you expect with such serious singing?
Sorry choir, if you are looking for a standing ovation. The adversary who faced the music is absolutely floored , never to rise again! Isn’t that a smashing performance?
Now that’s a grand finale.
With due respect Jehoshaphat, aren’t you crazy to put the choir in the vanguard?