Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20070401.htm
1 AND 2 CHRONICLES: GAINING DIRECTION OUT OF THE AIMLESSNESS OF APOSTASY
Part V: Gaining Direction From God's Work In The Rest Of Judah's Davidic Dynasty, 2 Chronicles 13-36
C. Learning To STAY Reliant On God ALONE To Escape Multiple Resulting Troubles
(2 Chronicles 17:1-19:4)
- Introduction
- Our last lesson in this series revealed from king Asa's life our need to need to rely on God alone versus human effort for God's blessing, cf. 2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14.
- Yet, that lesson becomes even more important if applied to the life of Asa's son, Jehoshaphat, for his life shows that staying reliant upon God versus using human effort lets us escape multiple resulting troubles!
- Learning To STAY Reliant On God ALONE To Escape Multiple Resulting Troubles.
- Asa's death brought his son, Jehoshaphat to the throne of Judah, 2 Chronicles 17:1a.
- However, instead of learning the lifelong lesson God sought to teach his father, Asa of trusting in the Lord alone instead of building up his own military might in human effort, Jehoshaphat fell into the trap of increasing his human military might against the Northern Kingdom of Israel, 2 Chronicles 17:1b-2:
- Jehoshaphat began to reinforce Judah militarily against Israel as had Asa his father, 17:1b-2; 16:1-5.
- Though this effort did not technically disobey God's command to kings in Deuteronomy 17:14, 16 not to enhance their military might by acquiring horses, it nevertheless violated the spirit of that command as it left Jehoshaphat relying on human military might where God wanted him to rely on the Lord!
- Now, initially, there appeared to be no harm in this military reinforcement effort, for God blessed him for Jehoshaphat's dedication to God and his effort to teach Judah to heed God's Word, 2 Chron. 17:3-6, 7-19.
- However, Jehoshaphat's resulting human military might attracted the attention of kings around Judah (as was seen in tribute being paid to him by the Philistines and Arabs, 2 Chron. 17:10-11; Bible Know. Com., O. T. , p. 633), including the respect of Israel's wicked, idolatrous king Ahab, 2 Chronicles 18:1-2.
- Ahab who trusted in human might then sought to get Jehoshaphat with his human military might to join him in recapturing Ramoth-Gilead that Gentile foes had taken from him, 2 Chron. 18:3a; 1 Kings 22:2-3.
- Yet, agreeing to unite with Ahab only led to Jehoshaphat's multiplying troubles for himself, 18:3b-19:4:
- His union with Ahab only exposed Jehoshaphat to spiritually harmful deception, 2 Chron. 18:3b, 4-28:
- After agreeing to join Ahab to take Ramoth-Gilead (2 Chron. 18:3b), Jehoshaphat asked Ahab to inquire of the Lord's prophets for insight for success in the coming battle effort, 2 Chronicles 18:4.
- In response, Ahab summoned 400 prophets, but these dishonest men only said what Ahab wanted to hear as he had paid them to do so, 2 Chron. 18:5: Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to 1 Kings 22:6.
- Jehoshaphat became suspicious of the validity of these many supporting prophets, and asked Ahab for another true prophet, so Ahab summoned the true prophet, Micaiah the son of Imla who claimed the other 400 prophets had lied by divine permission of a demon's influence in order to get Ahab to fight at Ramoth-Gilead so that he would lose the battle and his life, 2 Chronicles 18:7-22, 23-27.
- Nevertheless, by then Jehoshaphat was so vulnerable to being deceived that he heeded Ahab and his 400 false prophets, and joined Ahab to fight in the battle at Ramoth-Gilead, 2 Chronicles 18:28.
- Yielding to that deception led Jehoshaphat to heed misguidance that nearly killed him, 18:3b, 29-32:
- Ahab tried to counter Micaiah's prophecy by disguising himself and telling the deceived Jehoshapat to dress like Israel's king, a move that nearly cost Jehoshaphat his life, 2 Chronicles 18:3b, 29-31!
- However, God was merciful, and spared his life when Jehoshaphat cried out in fear, 18:31b-32.
- Being intimidated by that misguidance also left Jehoshaphat in military defeat and the death of his ally, wicked Ahab, 2 Chronicles 18:3b, 33-34 with 18:16-17. Jehoshaphat returned to Judah, his military might upon which he had put so much trust being seen as futile to his humiliation, 17:1b-19; 19:1!
- Finally, his union with Ahab left Jehoshaphat subject to God's judgment for an unholy alliance, 19:2-3.
Lesson: For failing to learn from his father's history his own need to rely on God alone, Jehoshaphat opened the door to multiple, costly trials of being deceived, misguided to where it nearly cost him his life, humiliating defeat and even discipline from God for an unholy alliance.
Application: (1) May we STAY reliant on God to avoid many woes! (2) May we "Jehoshaphats" KEEP heeding God's lessons that we see other "Asa's" before us FAILED to learn, cf. Proverbs 24:30-34.