Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20031026.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSINGS IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part XXIX: Blessing By Holding To Sanctified Associations
(1 Kings 22:41-50 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. God not only blesses us if we love and follow Him, but also if we separate from those who do NOT follow the Lord, but who do what is evil, 2 Tim. 2:20-22 with Hendriksen, I-II Timothy-Titus, p. 270-271!
    2. This holiness in our associations may seem divisive to many believers in today's Church, but God's will in the matter is illustrated in the life of Judah's king Jehoshaphat as follows:
  2. Blessing By Holding To Sanctified Associations, 1 Kings 22:41-50 et al.
    1. Judah's king Jehoshaphat was generally a good king: he did that which was right in God's eyes with the exception of keeping the high places free of er rant worship, cf. 1 Kings 22:41-43 with 2 Chronicles 17:6.
    2. Indeed, 2 Chronicles 17:1-19 records a spiritual revival that occurred in Jehoshaphat's reign, and 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 reports how he led the nation to trust the Lord to defeat an attack by Moab and Ammon without Judah having to fight by human effort!
    3. However, Jehoshaphat sometimes had unholy associations, thus incurring God's discipline:
      1. Jehoshaphat was disciplined by the Lord for his unholy association with wicked king Ahab:
        1. 1 Kings 22:44 reports Jehoshaphat made an alliance with wicked king Ahab of Israel: we know from our previous study of 1 Kings 22:1-33 this included Jehoshaphat's joining Ahab to fight at the battle of Ramoth-Gilead where Israel failed to retrieve the town from Syrian control.
        2. Well, following this infamous battle in which Ahab was judged by God to lose his life, God's prophet, Jehu the son of Hanani, met Jehoshaphat to announce a mixed message of blessing and discipline on Jehoshaphat for his mixed spiritual track record: (a) When Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem after the battle, God's prophet, Jehu met Jehoshaphat to complain that he had helped Ahab, the ungodly enemy of the Lord, 2 Chronicles 19:1-2b. (b) Because of his association with ungodly Ahab, Jehu claimed Jehoshaphat would suffer discipline from God, 2 Chronicles 19:2c. (c) On the other hand, since Jehoshaphat had removed the idolatrous Asherah and the male cult prostitutes from the land, and because he had prepared his heart to seek the Lord, Jehu announced God approved of Jehosphaphat to some degree, 2 Chronicles 19:3 with 1 Kings 22:46 ESV.
      2. Jehoshaphat was also disciplined by the Lord for his unholy association with wicked Ahaziah, the son of wicked Ahab, cf. 1 Kings 22:48 with 2 Chronicles 20:35-37:
        1. In order to obtain gold from Ophir, Jehoshaphat made an alliance with wicked king Ahaziah, Ahab's evil son, to build and sail ships from Ezion-geber on the coast of the Red Sea, 1 Kings 22:48a with 2 Chronicles 20:35-36.
        2. However, for not learning his previous lesson about avoiding such a bad association with Ahab when confronted by Jehu in 2 Chronicles 19:1-3, God sent the prophet Eliezer, the son of Dodavah of Mareshah to announce to Jehoshaphat that God would break his works, cf. 2 Chronicles 20:37a.
        3. Thus, Jehoshaphat's ships were broken by God before he could even set sail, 2 Chronicles 20:37b.
        4. Wicked Ahaziah then offered to have Jehoshaphat's men join his men in a later sailing effort to fulfill their initial venture plans, 1 Kings 22:49a.
        5. Well, having finally learned God did not tolerate his involvement in any ungodly associations for any kind of effort, Jehoshaphat REFUSED Ahaziah's second request, 1 Kings 22:49b.
Lesson: Though Jehoshaphat PREPARED his HEART to follow God (2 Chronicles 19:3b), though he also CLEANSED the land of FALSE IDOLS (2 Chronicles 19:3a; 1 Kings 22:46 ESV) and though he even LED his people to TRUST GOD for great victory over the enemy (2 Chronicles 20:1-30), his FAILURE to AVOID UNGODLY ASSOCIATIONS in VENTURES with evil kings Ahab and Ahaziah led to God's DISCIPLINE on Jehoshaphat HIMSELF!

Application: (1) We must know we can NOT justify UNGODLY ASSOCIATIONS by good deeds like preparing our hearts to follow God wholeheartedly, by living by faith and by standing against flagrant sin! FELLOWSHIP with those who OPPOSE GOD is SIN no matter HOW MUCH OTHER GOOD things we do! (2) May we thus SEPARATE from JOINT MINISTRIES with the UNGODLY!