And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel.
Jehoshaphat takes the throne after his father Asa. The first thing recorded of him is not a building project or a conquest. It is a defensive move against the northern kingdom of Israel. That one choice shaped his best years. It also sets up the sad turn of a man who later dropped the very guard he began with.
Israel here means the northern kingdom, which had given itself to idol worship. The main danger it posed was not military.
He strengthened his kingdom against Israel, an enemy more dangerous by their example than by their strength. When something claims to be connected with God and to acknowledge Him, there is only one safe path. You must judge it with spiritual judgment, and such judgment comes only from a true sense of God's honour. Make no terms with what merely claims to be connected with Him. Treat it as an enemy. Jehoshaphat did this at first. Because he did not walk in the ways of Israel, Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand.
So the guard was against influence, not invasion. Firmness like this is what brings quiet.
The real way to be at peace with the adversary is to organize effective resistance against him. From that moment on, Satan leaves us in peace, but we must never treat him as anything other than an adversary. Jehoshaphat's later history teaches us that he did not always keep this attitude, and it did him great harm. Being at peace with the king of Israel while still defending yourself against him is very different from seeking an alliance with him. Jehoshaphat later sought that alliance, to his own shame.
What he fortified himself against at the start is where he later fell.
Jehoshaphat's first act was to "strengthen himself against Israel." This is worth noticing. Israel and Israel's king were always a snare to the heart of Jehoshaphat. But at the start of his course, in his early freshness, he was able to fortify his kingdom against the power of Israel. We often see the same thing in the history of Christians. The evils that later in life become their greatest snares are the ones they watched against most carefully at first.
Watchfulness should grow as we learn more about ourselves.
It is a happy thing when our watchfulness grows as we learn more about what our hearts lean towards and what they are capable of. Sadly, this is not always how it goes. Instead, how often do we find Christians of some years indulging in things their consciences would once have shrunk from... Think of a conscience that now lets pass without a word the very things it once shrank from. There is much reason to fear that it is no longer under the action of the truth of God. It is under the hardening influence of the deceitfulness of sin.
The verse says only that he reigned in his father's place. One writer reads the whole chapter to see how he got there.
2 Chronicles 17 brings Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, before us. In this chapter we find God, in His grace, establishing His servant in the kingdom, and the people of God acknowledging him as king.
His fortifying was done before any attack came. Commentators read this as a pattern for believers.
But as Asa had done, Jehoshaphat prepared for war by placing troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and the cities of Ephraim that Asa had conquered. Again, this is a reminder to us that, while we have time we should prepare for the conflict that must be met sometime, by storing up the Word of God in our hearts.
The determined stand of the opening verses did not last, and the record names the cause.
He began his reign with a determined opposition to the idolatrous northern kingdom. This was in the fourth year of Ahab. A few years later all this opposition stops, and we read, "Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel" (1 Kings 22:44). This peace clearly came about through the marriage of Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and of the notorious Jezebel. It was a sad thing for Jehoshaphat and his descendants that he ever agreed to this unholy alliance.
Another writer points to prosperity as what loosened his grip.
Jehoshaphat walked in the first ways of his father and of David, and Jehovah was with him, so he became very great. When he had riches and honour in abundance, he tied himself by marriage to Ahab's family... How often, when outward circumstances prosper, the heart shows worldliness and forgetfulness of God! What a blessing it often is to be kept poor and low.
- Placed. God, in grace, set Jehoshaphat in the kingdom, and the people of God acknowledged him as king.
- Guarded. His first act was defensive. He strengthened himself against Israel — an enemy more dangerous by its example than by its strength.
- Quiet. Firm resistance is what buys peace. Keep treating the adversary as an adversary, and he leaves us alone.
- Slipped. The guard he set up first is where he later failed. Riches and honour softened it into alliance with Ahab, and the cost reached his own family.
And he placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had taken.
Jehoshaphat begins his reign with a military move, not a religious reform. He posts troops and garrisons, including in towns his father Asa had taken from the north. Why was a good king's first recorded act a defence against fellow Israelites? And why did the very thing he guarded against later ruin him?
The word behind "garrison" carries a double sense.
A place made strong for a short war, or made strong for the long term to protect the country. The same word also names the soldiers who guarded such places.
So the verse describes settled policy, not a passing alarm. Jehoshaphat also held on to ground he had not won himself — the cities of Ephraim came to him from Asa — and he added to them.
Jehoshaphat not only keeps the conquests of his father Asa. He also goes on to extend the interests of his kingdom by his own hard work. All is well ordered.
Israel here means the northern kingdom. Commentators see the danger as moral, not military. The threat lay in what it claimed to be.
He strengthened his kingdom against Israel, an enemy more dangerous by its example than by its strength. Something may claim to be connected with God and to acknowledge Him. Then there is no safety except in judging it with a spiritual judgment. Only a true sense of God's honour can form such a judgment. It makes no terms with what merely claims to be connected with Him, and treats it as an enemy.
Peace with an adversary is one thing. Joining hands with him is another.
The true way to be at peace with the adversary is to organize an effective resistance against him. From that moment on, Satan leaves us in peace. But we must never treat him as anything other than an adversary. Jehoshaphat's later history teaches us that he did not always keep this attitude, and it did him great harm. To be at peace with the king of Israel while still defending yourself against him is quite different from seeking an alliance with him, as Jehoshaphat later did, to his own shame.
No war had started yet. Commentators read the timing as a lesson for quiet seasons.
This is a reminder to us that while we have time, we should prepare for the conflict that must be faced at some point. We do that by storing up the Word of God in our hearts.
The strength here did not last. Within a few years the policy reversed.
The first thing recorded of Jehoshaphat is that he "strengthened himself against Israel." … He began his reign with firm opposition to the idol-worshipping northern kingdom. … A few years later all this opposition stops, and we read, "Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel" (1 Kings 22:44). This peace clearly came about through the marriage of Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and of the notorious Jezebel.
The attack, when it came, went around everything this verse describes. Ahab never marched on Judah's walls.
We have already seen Jehoshaphat fortifying his kingdom. But the enemy comes at him in a way he does not seem to have prepared for. He does not attack his kingdom; he attacks his heart. He comes not as the lion, but as the serpent. … Jehoshaphat's kingdom stands guarded against Ahab's attacks, but his heart lies open to Ahab's enticements.
- Garrison. A place made strong for war, and the men who hold it. Jehoshaphat's first act was settled policy, not a panic measure.
- Guard. The northern kingdom was dangerous by its example more than by its armies. Make no terms with what only pretends to be connected with God.
- Grow. He kept the towns Asa had taken and added more. Ground you inherit still costs personal effort to hold.
- Get ready. He posted the troops while peace still held. Store up the Word of God before the conflict arrives.
- Guard the heart. The walls held; the heart did not. What Jehoshaphat shut out of his kingdom he later welcomed into his family.
And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, for he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the Baals;
Jehoshaphat became king of Judah after his father Asa. Scripture ties God's presence with him to the way he walked, which raises two questions: why David's earlier ways and not his whole life, and whether a start this good can last.
Jehoshaphat's first act was to strengthen himself against Israel, the northern kingdom next door. One writer sees more than military caution here. The danger lay more in Israel's example than in its strength.
Jehoshaphat, his son, succeeds him and begins his reign by walking faithfully with God. He strengthened his kingdom against Israel, an enemy more dangerous by their example than by their strength. When something claims to be connected with God and to acknowledge Him, there is only one safe course: to judge it with a spiritual judgment. Such judgment can only come from a true sense of God's honour. It makes no terms with what only claims to be connected with Him, and treats it as an enemy. This is what Jehoshaphat did at first. Because he did not walk in the ways of Israel, Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand.
David's life was not uniformly bright, and the verse does not pretend it was. One writer reads "earlier" as pointing to the part of David's walk that came before his great sin.
Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, began his reign by strengthening himself against Israel. The Lord was with him, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, which means David's faithful walk before his great sin. The Lord greatly blessed him by establishing his kingdom and in giving him riches and honour in abundance. The Lord kept all His promises.
Why point back to what came first? One writer answers from David's own place at the head of Israel's kings.
David was the first king really chosen by God. Despite serious defects, he held to the worship of God. He was not turned aside after the other gods, which later crept in among both the kings and the people. What was first in the history of God's dealings with Israel's kings was the purer thing.
The same writer follows the pattern into the New Testament. There the Lord tells a church to go back to what it did at first.
The same feature meets us in Revelation 2:4. Here the question is love, not faith. And the Lord is examining a church, not separate people. By the end of the first century the church at Ephesus had left its "first love." The next verse shows that this had affected its works. So they are told to recognise how they had fallen, to repent, and to do "the first works."
Jehoshaphat refused the Baals, the other gods that drew kings and people away. One writer looks past the record to the man himself.
Jehoshaphat his son reigns. And here we find very beautiful grace and piety. I would say that piety in particular is what marks this good son. He was a man, too, whose heart was toward the Lord.
The very thing Jehoshaphat guarded against at the start later became his snare.
Jehoshaphat's first act was to "strengthen himself against Israel." This is worth noticing. Israel and Israel's king were always a snare to the heart of Jehoshaphat. But at the start of his course, while he was still fresh, he was able to fortify his kingdom against the power of Israel. We often see this in the lives of Christians. The evils that become their greatest snares later in life are the very ones they watched against most closely at first.
It was success, not hardship, that loosened his guard.
Jehoshaphat walked in the first ways of his father and of David, and Jehovah was with him; so he grew very great. When he had riches and honour in abundance, he joined himself by marriage to Ahab. How often outward prosperity leaves the heart worldly and forgetful of God! What a blessing it often is to be kept poor and low.
- First — the cause. God was with Jehoshaphat for a stated reason: he walked in the earlier ways of David and refused the Baals.
- First — the standard. "Earlier ways" means David's walk before his great sin. Even a godly example is only worth copying in part.
- First — the principle. Across Scripture, what God gives at the beginning is the purer thing; later additions adulterate, and the call is back to "the first works."
- First — the heart. Behind the record stands a man whose heart was toward the Lord, not just a king with sound policy.
- First — the fragility. The enemy he resisted hardest at the start became his later snare. Prosperity, not trouble, loosened his guard.
but he sought the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
Verse 4 sums up how Jehoshaphat began: he sought his father's God, kept His commandments, and refused to copy the northern kingdom of Israel. Two questions follow: what made his seeking real, and how did he end up tied to Ahab, Israel's idol-worshipping king, one chapter later?
Jehoshaphat's obedience had a book behind it. One writer ties his blessing to the law he obeyed and sent out through Judah.
It is recorded that king Jehoshaphat sought the Lord God of his fathers. He walked in His commandments. He also sent teachers who taught in Judah, and they had the book of the law of Jehovah with them. His blessing then was so tied to obedience to the written word that on the battlefield he said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe His prophets, and you will succeed." We know how remarkably God's blessing was with him.
The words "not according to the practices of Israel" point to a danger of example, not of strength. Israel still claimed God's name, and that is what made its example so dangerous.
He strengthened his kingdom against Israel, an enemy more dangerous by their example than by their strength. Sometimes a thing claims to be connected with God and to acknowledge Him. The only safety is to judge it with spiritual judgment. Such judgment comes only from a true sense of God's honour. It makes no terms with what claims to be connected with Him, and treats it as an enemy. This is what Jehoshaphat did at first; and, as he did not walk in the ways of Israel, Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand.
The verse describes a beginning, not a whole life. One writer notes that the evil Jehoshaphat guarded against here became his snare in later years.
Jehoshaphat's first act was to "strengthen himself against Israel." This is worth noticing. Israel and Israel's king were always a snare to Jehoshaphat's heart. But at the opening of his course, in the season of his early freshness, he was able to fortify his kingdom against the power of Israel. One often sees this in the history of Christians. The evils that prove their greatest snares in later life are the ones they watch against most closely at first.
Refusing Israel's practices is one thing. Refusing a partnership with Israel's king is another. Jehoshaphat did the first but not the second, and his own words to Ahab show the gap.
Yet this good king "made a marriage alliance with Ahab" (2 Chr. 18:1). He was so faithful, yet he had not learned the truth of separation, or that association with evil defiles… Ahab was king of Israel, but he was an idolater. In character he was no better than the king of Syria. Indeed his state was worse, for he had turned from the LORD and had made Israel to sin. This made Jehoshaphat's association with Ahab a very grievous sin in the sight of the LORD. How very solemn were Jehoshaphat's words, "I am as you are, and my people as your people." Was Jehoshaphat a wicked man like Ahab? Were his people not worshippers of the true God, and Ahab's worshippers of Baal? Yet this good man was led into that dreadful statement because he had not learned that association with evil defiles… It is not enough to be personally free from evil. We can be defiled by association with the evil of others.
Why does such a glowing account stand here at all? One writer answers from the purpose of the book of Chronicles.
But these verses 3 to 6 teach us yet another truth, in harmony with the character of Chronicles. This book emphasizes grace as the only means of keeping the royal line. At the time of the kingdom's complete decline, it always highlights the good which grace has produced, even if it lasted only a moment. It shows that grace covers a multitude of sins. It is different when it is a matter of responsibility, as in the book of Kings.
- Sought — Jehoshaphat turned to his father's God. That turning, not his throne, is what the record praises first.
- Walked — he kept God's commandments and sent the law out through Judah. Blessing followed the written word.
- Refused — Israel's practices were the greater threat because Israel still claimed God's name. Safety lay in making no terms with it.
- Established — he did not walk in Israel's ways, so the LORD settled the kingdom in his hand. Obedience and stability moved together.
- Guarded — the evil a believer watches hardest at the start can become the snare of later years. Jehoshaphat's alliance with Ahab proved it. Yet Chronicles still keeps the record of the good that grace produced in him.
And Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave gifts to Jehoshaphat; and he had riches and honour in abundance.
One sentence sums up Jehoshaphat's early reign: God settles the kingdom, the nation brings gifts, and wealth and honour pile up. Two questions follow. Where did all this come from, and what did it do to the man who received it?
reason: clearer label, active
The verse opens with "Therefore." Writers tie the establishing of the kingdom back to Jehoshaphat's faithfulness.
Here God singles out Jehoshaphat's faithfulness and brings it into view. He does this not only to exalt His own grace, but also to show us what faithfulness and returning to God lead to. Strength and rest were the outcome at the beginning of Asa's reign. The establishment of the kingdom, peace, riches, and honour were the outcome of Jehoshaphat's faithfulness (v. 5).
What he refused mattered as much as what he sought. He would not walk in the ways of Israel, the northern kingdom, and Darby ties the secure throne to that refusal.
Something may claim to be connected with God and to acknowledge Him. Then there is no safety except in judging it with a spiritual judgment. Only a true sense of God's honour can form that judgment. It makes no terms with what claims to be connected with Him, and it treats that thing as an enemy. This is what Jehoshaphat did at first. Since he did not walk in the ways of Israel, the LORD established the kingdom in his hand.
The establishing and the gift-bringing are not the same act. One comes down from God; the other comes up from the nation.
2 Chronicles 17 brings Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to our notice. In this chapter we find God, in His grace, establishing His servant in the kingdom, and the people of God acknowledging him in it.
The ESV says "tribute" here; older translations say "presents." The gifts move in one direction only, and the custom points ahead to something larger.
Presents went from someone lower to someone higher (2 Chr. 9:24; 2 Chr. 17:5, 11). They also took the form of tribute, an acknowledgement of submission… This is a picture of Christ's kingdom set up on earth. Then all nations will send presents to the Lord Jesus as willing tribute (Ps. 45:12; Ps. 72:10, 15; Isa. 60:9).
The book of Kings tells about the same king in a different tone. Rossier explains the difference by the purpose of each book.
This book presents grace as the only means of keeping the royal line going. At a time when the kingdom was in complete decline, it always highlights the good that grace has produced, even if that good lasted only a moment. It shows that grace covers a multitude of sins. It is different when responsibility is the subject, as in the book of Kings. There God reveals the evil in its full extent and shows us why judgment had to be carried out.
This abundance returns at the start of chapter 18. There it leads into Jehoshaphat's alliance with Ahab, the wicked king of Israel.
How often outward prosperity goes with a heart full of worldliness and forgetfulness of God! What a blessing it often is to be kept poor and low. The Lord knew the seductive power of worldly prosperity, and He said, "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" God sends a prophet, who rebukes Jehoshaphat: "Should you help the wicked?" In helping Ahab he almost lost his life. Yet neither the danger nor the prophet's rebuke kept him from repeating the same error.
Darby rates this reign highly, and then marks the turn.
In many respects this is a more beautiful picture than anything we have yet read in the history of the kings. But this prosperity becomes a snare to him. It bore very bitter fruit at a time when his real piety was not there to balance it.
Later Jehoshaphat looked for wealth in a partnership with Ahab. God had already given him plenty.
What need did he have of riches bought at the price of an alliance with the leader of a people whose judgment was already settled… Had the Lord not given him plenty of riches at the faithful beginning of his career (2 Chron. 17:5; 2 Chron. 18:1)? Why did he want to draw from another source? Poor Jehoshaphat! He was poor in God's sight, because he neither appreciated nor valued the riches that God gives. He was poor enough to covet the riches that God did not give!
- Cause. Jehoshaphat sought God and refused Israel's ways. A settled kingdom, peace, riches and honour followed that faithfulness.
- Gift. His own strength did not secure the throne. God in His grace established His servant, and the people acknowledged him.
- Reach. The gifts were tribute from lesser to greater. They picture the day when all nations bring willing tribute to the Lord Jesus.
- Record. Chronicles lifts up the good that grace produced, even when it lasted only a moment. Kings shows the evil in full, and why judgment had to come.
- Result. The abundance of this verse became his snare. He valued God's riches so little that he chased riches God never gave.
And he took courage in the ways of Jehovah; moreover, he removed the high places and Asherahs out of Judah.
Jehoshaphat is newly settled on the throne, honoured by his people and rich. At that very moment the verse turns to his heart. The ESV says it "was courageous in the ways of the LORD"; older translations read "lifted up." Either way, something happened inside the king — and the high places came down.
The phrase sounds dangerous to us today. Here it means encouragement, not pride. One writer ties it to what Jehoshaphat could see God doing around him:
The Lord kept all His promises. When Jehoshaphat saw the evidences of divine blessing, his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord. This does not mean that he was puffed up, but that he became encouraged to go on in the good way he was following.
The chapter lists riches, gifts, honour and a settled kingdom. One writer traces all of it to one thing, and it is not the king's skill:
Here was the true secret of his prosperity: "His heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord." When the heart is lifted up like this, everything goes well.
The older wording, "lifted up," turns up again about King Uzziah, and there it ends in ruin. What matters is not the phrase but what the heart is lifted up in. Jehoshaphat's heart rose in the ways of the Lord. Uzziah's rose in his own strength:
When Uzziah was strong (his strength being in his own resources), his heart became "lifted up"... A heart that is "lifted up" is in a dangerous state, and almost always on the eve of a fall.
Hilltop shrines might look like a small issue next to idol worship. One writer explains why God objected even when people used them to worship Him:
But all the high places, whatever the motives of those who set them up, were offensive in His sight. They expressed a self-will that invents its own worship — hearts not subject to His commandments.
There is a puzzle here. This verse says Jehoshaphat took the high places away; 1 Kings 22:43 says they stayed. Commentators offer two answers. The first separates one kind of shrine from another:
This last statement does not contradict 1 Kings 22:43. He removed the high places and groves used in the worship of Baal; still, "the high places (dedicated to Jehovah) were not taken away."... He put an end to idolatry, but no one could bring the people to see that offering sacrifices anywhere except at Jerusalem was unlawful and dangerous.
The second answer looks at the gap between a king's order and a nation's obedience:
The work was not completely done. He himself wanted to see it accomplished and commanded that it be done, but the people failed to carry out his wishes fully.
One writer traces the failure to the gap between the king's heart and his people's:
It was said of Jehoshaphat that he had prepared his heart to seek God, but no one could say that of his people... Had he prepared his heart to teach "statutes and judgments" like Ezra, there might have been some preparation of heart in those who heard.
Jehoshaphat's next move met that very lack:
Another work he did was the sending out of teachers to instruct in the knowledge of the LORD... It was a revival in teaching and in the study of the Word. No true revival can take place unless it is connected with the Word.
- Encouraged, not proud. A heart courageous in the ways of the Lord is made bold by seeing God keep His promises. That is encouragement, not self-importance.
- Direction decides everything. The same words describe Uzziah's ruin. Lifted up in God's ways builds; lifted up in your own strength stands "on the eve of a fall."
- Courage clears ground. The lifted-up heart did something: the high places came down. Real encouragement shows itself in removing what God has not authorised.
- Self-will is the sin. High places offended God even when people used them to worship Him. They came from hearts choosing their own worship instead of obeying His.
- Hearts must follow. The king's zeal outran his people's. Commentators differ on which shrines survived, but both trace the failure to hearts that were not ready. So he sent out teachers with God's Word.
And in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, Ben-hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethaneel, and Micah, to teach in the cities of Judah;
Early in his reign, Jehoshaphat sent five of his own officials out to teach in the towns of Judah. Why would a king make teaching the work of his government?
The verses before this one tell what Jehoshaphat tore down. This verse tells what he built.
But Jehoshaphat does not stop at separating himself from evil. He wants to establish what is good, and that can only happen through understanding the mind of God. The law, the Word of God, had to be taught in every place, and the people had to become familiar with it. Princes, Levites, and priests threw themselves into this work with great zeal everywhere.
Jehoshaphat's reforms hit a limit. The limit was not in his orders but in what the people understood.
He abolished idolatry. But no one could get the people to see that offering sacrifices anywhere except Jerusalem was against the law and dangerous. Deuteronomy 12 condemned the practice. He probably started the model teaching tour described in 2 Chronicles 17:7-9 to instruct the people about this and similar matters.
The reform did not hold. One writer says why.
At the start of his reign Jehoshaphat set out to abolish the high places, and he kept this up himself. But the people quickly fell back into these idolatrous practices, because their consciences had never been reached.
The verse lists five names and tells us nothing else about the men. The names themselves say something.
Another work he did was sending out teachers to instruct in the knowledge of the LORD. Their names are interesting: Ben-hail, "son of strength"; Obadiah, "servant of the Lord"; Zechariah, "the Lord remembers"; Nethaneel, "gift of God"; Michaiah, "Who is like the Lord?" He also sent priests and Levites.
The king sent out teaching. One writer contrasts that with how people try to stir up interest in God today.
Jehoshaphat also did a positive, good work. He sent five leaders, seven Levites and two priests to teach the Book of the Law in all the cities of Judah. This of course includes the five books of Moses. There are many efforts today to revive interest in spiritual things. But the emphasis falls on personal goodness rather than on teaching the Word of God. The Word is of the greatest importance, the only guide to spiritual blessing.
The same principle appears elsewhere in a comment on a later revival: where teaching does not follow an awakening, the awakening does not last.
A period of revival that is not followed by scriptural teaching will be short-lived. It will die out, leaving no other trace than souls saved one by one and brought to the knowledge of Christ.
The teaching had an effect beyond Judah's borders.
There was greater faithfulness than before. They taught in Judah, and went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. It was a very important thing. "And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah." It produced a great moral effect.
Israel itself was not won over, but the surrounding nations were. One writer explains why.
Israel, with its mixed religion, does not seem to have been won over by the understanding of the law it saw in Judah. The same thing happens all the time. It is harder to convince people who have kept a few scraps of truth in the middle of their error. That understanding, muddled as it is, keeps up their illusion that they already have the truth. The nations, on the other hand, had no ties or relationship with the people of God. The power the Word has convinces them, and they submit.
- Establish, don't only clear. Jehoshaphat did not stop at cutting out evil. He set out to build what is good, and that comes only through understanding the mind of God.
- Establish by teaching. He had the Word taught everywhere until the people knew it. One writer warns that efforts today push personal goodness instead.
- Establish through named men. Officials, Levites and priests carried the book. Their names — son of strength, servant of the Lord, the Lord remembers, gift of God, Who is like the Lord? — read like the message itself.
- Establish where hearts are reachable. Judah learned the law. Israel held scraps of truth inside a mixed religion and was hardest to convince. Outsiders bowed to the power of the Word.
- Establishment lasts only as long as teaching does. Where consciences went untouched, the old practices came back. Where teaching stops, revival dies out.
and with them the Levites Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah, Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.
This list of names belongs to a teaching tour. Nine Levites and two priests went with the princes Jehoshaphat had already sent out, carrying the book of the law through the cities of Judah. Why did a king who had just torn down idols send out teachers next? And what did God do in response?
Tearing down what was wrong was only half the work. One writer explains what Jehoshaphat still wanted, and how it could come.
But Jehoshaphat does not stop at separating himself from evil. His heart is set on establishing what is good. That can only come through understanding the mind of God. The law, the Word of God, had to be taught in every place, and the people had to become familiar with it. Princes, Levites, and priests busied themselves in this with great zeal everywhere.
The team mixed leaders, Levites and priests. Counts of the Levites differ: this writer says seven, while the verse lists nine names. He also warns about what passes for renewal today.
Jehoshaphat also did a positive, good work. He sent five leaders, seven Levites and two priests to teach the Book of the Law in all the cities of Judah. This of course includes the five books of Moses. There are many efforts today to revive interest in spiritual things. But the emphasis is on personal goodness rather than on teaching the Word of God. Teaching the Word is of the greatest importance, the only guide to spiritual blessing.
Jehoshaphat's reforms had not reached every corner. One writer names the problem the tour had to fix.
He abolished idolatry. But he could not get the people to see the point. Offering sacrifices anywhere other than Jerusalem was unlawful and dangerous. Deuteronomy 12 condemned the practice. He probably set up the model travelling ministry described in 2 Chronicles 17:7-9. His aim was to teach the people about this and related matters.
The tour's key item was a book. One writer follows the written word from this teaching tour to the battlefield.
The record says that king Jehoshaphat sought the LORD, the God of his fathers, and walked in His commandments. He also sent teachers who taught in Judah, and they had the book of the law of the LORD with them. In his case, present blessing was closely tied to obedience to the written word. So on the battlefield he said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed." We know how remarkably God's blessing was with him.
That book raises a further question. How old was it? One writer reasons back from this verse.
That book which existed in the days of Jehoshaphat must have existed before. It could not have been new. It could not have been made up in the days of Ahaziah or Jehoram, and must therefore have existed in the days of Asa.
What followed the teaching? One writer runs through the results in order.
Blessed by the LORD, he takes away the high places and the groves. He seeks with much faithfulness and zeal to teach the people the true knowledge of the Lord. The LORD keeps him from war, and some of the nations even pay tribute to him because of his power.
The team was small. One writer weighs it against an army.
This little band of princes, Levites and priests numbered sixteen in all. Through them Jehoshaphat did more to impress the surrounding nations with a sense of his power than the largest and best-equipped standing army could have done.
Jehoshaphat's story does not end with peace. One writer shows how the enemy changed his method against this well-defended king.
We have already seen Jehoshaphat fortifying his kingdom. But the enemy comes at him in a way he does not seem to have prepared for. He does not attack his kingdom, he attacks his heart. He comes not as the lion, but as the serpent... Jehoshaphat's kingdom stands fortified against Ahab's attacks, but his heart lies open to Ahab's charms.
- Clear out, then teach. Tearing down the high places was only half the work. Establishing what is good needed the mind of God taught in every city.
- Teach the Book, not just better behaviour. Push personal goodness and leave the Word untaught, and you miss the only guide to spiritual blessing.
- Named and sent. Sixteen men went out together — princes, Levites and priests — and took the law to the cities where people lived.
- Carried, not invented. The teachers carried a written book. One writer argues it must have existed long before Jehoshaphat's reign.
- Taught, then at rest. Teaching brought peace, tribute and a strong kingdom. Yet this same king later left his heart open to Ahab.
And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of Jehovah with them; and they went about through all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.
Jehoshaphat's teachers carry a book with them, and they take it to town after town in Judah. Is real reform about removing what is wrong, or about planting what God has said?
The king had already turned away from evil. One commentator shows why that alone was not enough.
But Jehoshaphat does not stop at separating himself from evil. His heart is set on establishing what is good, and this can only come through understanding the mind of God. The law, the Word of God, had to be taught in every place, and the people had to become familiar with it. Princes, Levites, and priests busied themselves in this with great zeal everywhere (vv. 7-9). … Faithfulness to the Word of God brought about the establishment of Jehoshaphat's kingdom.
The teachers carried a book. One writer contrasts that with much of what passes for renewal today.
Jehoshaphat also did a positive, good work. He sent five leaders, seven Levites and two priests to teach the Book of the Law in all the cities of Judah (vv. 7-8). This of course includes the five books of Moses. There are many efforts today to revive interest in spiritual things. But the emphasis is on personal goodness instead of teaching the Word of God. Teaching the Word matters most, for it is the only guide to spiritual blessing.
"All the cities of Judah" means a whole country. One writer measures the size of what the king took on.
A difficult enterprise, the reformation of a lapsed nation, lay before him. He tried, and he succeeded. The land was full of idols, and the people lived in deep ignorance. His task was to spread the word of God and restore His worship. He formed his plan, chose his agents, and set to work. It was a plan to teach the whole nation. It was built on God's revealed truth, and it was put to work among a people who were ignorant and worshipped idols. The good king never stopped until he finished the work.
The men sent out carried what was already written. One commentator uses this verse to explain the work of Samuel, who served as a young Levite.
In the days of the kings, Jehoshaphat sent out Levites to teach in all Judah, and they had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them (2 Chron. 17:9). So also in the days of king Hezekiah, the Levites "taught the good knowledge of the Lord" (2 Chron. 30:22). … [Samuel] probably went about in circuit, from place to place, urging the people to obey the Lord's law. He sought to encourage them and win them back to loyalty to Him.
The teachers carried a written book, so this verse is also evidence about Scripture itself. One writer traces the book back through the reigns and argues it cannot have been new. Commentators differ on the number of Levites sent: one counts seven, the next nine.
In 2 Chron. 17:7-9 we read that Jehoshaphat sent five princes, nine Levites, and two priests to travel through the cities of Judah and teach the people. They had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. … But there was a collection of Mosaic laws in the days of Joash, only thirty years from this time. So it is very unlikely that it was different from the one taught to the people at Jehoshaphat's command. That book which existed in the days of Jehoshaphat must have existed before. It could not have been new. It could not have been made up in the days of Ahaziah or Jehoram, and must therefore have existed in the days of Asa.
- Heart first. Jehoshaphat was not content to clear away evil. He wanted good established, and that comes only through understanding the mind of God.
- Then the book. His teachers carried the Book of the Law, which includes the five books of Moses. The people got Scripture itself, not a programme of personal improvement.
- Then every city. He formed his plan, chose his workers, and set to work. The teaching went town by town through a land full of idols.
- Then the people. The teachers urged ordinary people to obey the Lord's law, and the king never stopped until he finished the work.
- Then the result. Faithfulness to the Word of God established Jehoshaphat's kingdom.
And the terror of Jehovah was upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat had just sent princes, Levites, and priests through every city of Judah with the book of the law. This verse reports what followed. Why should teaching Scripture at home bring quiet on the borders? And can a peace won that way last?
The law taught across Judah moved the outside nations, but not Israel next door. One writer explains why:
Israel, with its mixed religion, apparently was not won over by the grasp of the law that it saw in Judah, and in fact the same thing happens all the time. People who have kept a few scraps of truth inside their error are harder to convince of the truth, because that mixed-up understanding keeps alive their illusion that they already have the truth. The nations, on the other hand, had no ties or relationship with the people of God. The power the Word has convinces them, and they submit to him... In the same way, when the Corinthians prophesied, you could see unbelievers falling on their faces and admitting that God was truly among them in the assembly (1 Cor. 14:25).
One writer traces the quiet borders back to a promise God had already made:
And the results soon came. The fear of the LORD fell upon the surrounding kingdoms. They were afraid to touch a people blessed like this. The Philistines brought presents and tribute silver; the Arabians immense herds of cattle. It was all a fulfillment of Deut. 11:22-25. Judah grew enormously. Without doubt this chapter shows one of the best scenes in the kingdom of Judah.
One writer finds the same pattern in other reigns, and sets the opposite case beside it:
"When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7). Asa proved this, and so did Jehoshaphat his son. Both kings had quiet and rest on every side, because they did the will of God (2 Chron. 14:7; 2 Chron. 15:15; 2 Chron. 20:30). Sadly, about Solomon we read, "And the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite"; also, "God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada" (1 Kings 11:14-23).
But this rule is not a guarantee. Commenting on the same proverb, one writer adds:
Verse 7 states a general rule... Of course there are exceptions to this rule. A person may be persecuted while doing what pleases the Lord — Stephen, for example, in Acts 6 and 7.
No nation dared attack Jehoshaphat — and that turned out to be the danger. The very next chapter shows the enemy changing tactics:
We have already seen Jehoshaphat fortifying his kingdom. But the enemy comes at him in a way he seems not to have prepared for. He does not attack his kingdom; he attacks his heart. He comes not as the lion, but as the serpent. Ahab's "sheep and oxen" prove more suitable and effective than Ahab's soldiers. If Ahab had declared war on Jehoshaphat, it would only have thrown him back on the Lord; but he does not. Jehoshaphat's kingdom is fortified against Ahab's attacks, but his heart lies open to Ahab's enticements.
The same words return at the close of Jehoshaphat's reign, after his failures. Older translations word both verses alike — "the terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands" — and one writer weighs the difference:
Note also that we find the very same words at the beginning and at the end of Jehoshaphat's reign: "And the terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands" (2 Chron. 17:10; 2 Chron. 20:29). At the start this terror was the fruit of the king's faithfulness, and that fruit could not last. At the end it is the fruit of God's faithfulness, when everything on man's side has failed, and this fruit lasts forever.
- Word first. The fear on the nations follows the teaching tour of verses 7-9. The power of the Word itself won over outsiders who had no tie to the people of God.
- Promise kept. One writer sees the untouched borders as God keeping His promise in Deuteronomy 11:22-25, not as luck.
- Rule, not contract. Proverbs 16:7 held true for Asa and Jehoshaphat. Solomon met adversaries God raised up. And Stephen shows the rule has exceptions.
- Serpent, not lion. Walls kept armies out, but not Ahab's sheep and oxen. The peace of this verse set the stage for the snare of the next chapter.
- Two terrors. The fear that came from the king's faithfulness could not last. At the end of his reign the same fear rested on God's faithfulness — and that fruit lasts forever.
And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and tribute-silver. The Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams, and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats.
Jehoshaphat's reign reaches a high point here. Old enemies send gifts instead of armies — but why, and what does such wealth do to the king who receives it?
The tribute of verse 11 is not an accident of politics. It comes after the fear of the Lord falls on the kingdoms around Judah. One writer ties it back to a promise in Deuteronomy:
And the results soon came. The fear of the LORD fell upon the surrounding kingdoms. They were afraid to touch the people God had blessed like this. The Philistines brought presents and tribute silver. The Arabians brought huge herds of cattle. It was all a fulfillment of Deut. 11:22-25. Judah grew at an amazing rate. Without doubt this chapter presents one of the best scenes in the kingdom of Judah.
Earlier in the chapter, Jehoshaphat sought the Lord. He sent teachers with the book of the law through every city of Judah, and God established his kingdom. The blessing in verse 11 follows that obedience.
Philistines and Israel had a long history of war. Here some of them arrive with silver instead of swords:
Even some of the Philistines recognized the value of Jehoshaphat's reign, because of the kind of man he was. They chose to bring presents to him as tribute, and the Arabians brought flocks of rams and goats.
Proverbs states the principle behind the change. One writer finds it in Jehoshaphat's father too, and finds the opposite in Solomon:
"When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7). So Asa proved, and Jehoshaphat his son. Both these kings had quiet and rest all around them, because they did the will of God (2 Chron. 14:7; 2 Chron. 15:15; 2 Chron. 20:30). But of Solomon we read, "The LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite." We also read, "God raised up as another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada" (1 Kings 11:14-23).
The word covers more than a friendly gift. One reference work sorts the Bible's gifts by direction. It places this verse with gifts sent upward, then looks ahead:
From an inferior to a superior. 2 Chr. 9:24; 2 Chr. 17:5, 11. Gifts like these also took the form of tribute, a way of admitting submission… When Solomon reigned supreme, "all the earth" came to Solomon to hear his wisdom and brought presents, and so did the queen of Sheba. 1 Kings 10:2, 24, 25. This is a picture of Christ's kingdom set up on earth, when all nations will send presents to the Lord Jesus as willing tribute. Ps. 45:12; Ps. 72:10, 15; Isa. 60:9.
To the few godly people of that day, this reign could have looked like the old glory returning:
Some of the Philistines and Arabians also bring presents and flocks. Jehoshaphat grew very great, and he had brave, mighty men of war in Jerusalem. It might have seemed to the few godly ones a return of the golden days of Solomon.
The tribute rested on the king's walk with God, not on Judah's strength. Under Jehoshaphat's son it collapses:
In the reign of Jehoshaphat, the "fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah… some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute" (2 Chr. 17:10-11). But Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat came to the throne and walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. Then "the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines," and with other nations they broke into Judah and "carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house" (2 Chr. 21:6, 16, 17). The Lord had used the Philistines this way before, in the days of the judges, to discipline His wayward people.
The wealth in this chapter is a real blessing. It is also a danger. One writer weighs this reign against the rest of the kings' history:
In many respects this is a more beautiful picture than anything we have yet read in the history of the kings. But this prosperity becomes a snare to him; and it bore most bitter fruits when his real piety was not present as a counterweight.
Jehoshaphat also put the peace to good use:
Growing more and more powerful, Jehoshaphat built fortresses and store cities in Judah (v. 12). In times of peace, how good it is for Christians also to prepare for conflict, which needs a good defense. Ours is the fortress of the truth of God, and the truth stored up in our hearts.
- Cause: Jehoshaphat sought the Lord and spread His law through Judah. God established his kingdom.
- Gift: The fear of the Lord fell on the nations around Judah. Philistines and Arabians brought silver and flocks, just as God had promised in Deuteronomy.
- Reach: These presents are tribute from lesser to greater. They picture the day when all nations bring willing tribute to the Lord Jesus.
- Reversal: The same Philistines plundered Jehoshaphat's son when he copied the kings of Israel. Peace rested on the king's walk, not on Judah's power.
- Result: Peace is for building. Jehoshaphat built fortresses and storehouses. Yet the riches became his snare.
And Jehoshaphat waxed exceeding great; and he built in Judah castles and store-cities.
Verse 12 catches Jehoshaphat at the top of his climb, with fortresses and store cities going up across Judah. The chapter has already said why he rose, and the next chapter will show what greatness did to him.
The growth here is not self-made. Commentators trace it back to a line about the king's heart earlier in the chapter. The quote below uses an older translation of it.
The whole scene set before us in chapter 17 is full of interest. Jehoshaphat not only keeps the conquests of Asa, his father, but goes on to extend, by his personal efforts, the interests of his kingdom. All is well ordered… Here was the true secret of his prosperity: "His heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord." When the heart is lifted up like this, everything goes well.
The same blessing showed in three ways: what he tore down, what he taught, and what God kept away from him.
Blessed by the Lord, he takes away the high places and the idol groves. He works with much faithfulness and zeal to teach the people the true knowledge of the Lord. The Lord keeps him from war, and some of the nations even pay him tribute because of his power.
Trade and the army tell the same story as the building work.
It was an era of great commercial prosperity, and the kingdom was at the height of its power and glory. He had an organised army of over a million men ready for war.
The effect reached beyond Judah's borders.
Under Jehoshaphat's rule the fear of the Lord fell on the surrounding nations, for the Lord established his kingdom… It might have seemed to the few godly ones a return of the golden days of Solomon.
Notice the timing. Jehoshaphat built and stocked when no one was attacking him. That is what makes this verse useful today.
How good for Christians too, in times of peace, to prepare for the conflict that needs a good defence — the truth of God as our fortress, and the truth stored up in our hearts.
Chronicles could have gone straight to the failure in the next chapter. It does not. It counts the army first.
This is an amazing standing army for a time of peace! But it pictures a truth: every believer should be fully ready for conflict, and conflict will come to us in some way. So the Lord presents us first with all those things that were a credit to the faith of King Jehoshaphat, for He loves to commend all that is commendable.
This same greatness became the door the enemy used. Jehoshaphat fortified his kingdom, but not himself.
The devil uses Jehoshaphat's prosperity as a snare for him. Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. We have already seen Jehoshaphat fortifying his kingdom. But the enemy comes at him in a way he does not seem to have prepared for. He does not attack his kingdom; he attacks his heart. He comes not as the lion, but as the serpent. Ahab's sheep and oxen prove more suitable and effective than Ahab's men of war.
The danger was not unique to Jehoshaphat.
How often, when circumstances are prosperous, worldliness and forgetfulness of God mark the heart! What a blessing it often is to be kept poor and low.
- Sought. Jehoshaphat's rise began in his heart, not his resources. His heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord, and that was the real secret of his prosperity.
- Blessed. He tore down the high places and taught the people. God kept war away, and other nations paid him tribute.
- Built. The fortresses and store cities mark the kingdom at its peak: great commercial prosperity, with over a million men ready for war.
- Stored. He built and stocked while there was peace. Believers do the same: God's truth is our fortress, stored in the heart before conflict comes.
- Snared. Then the same abundance opened the door. The enemy came not as a lion against the kingdom, but as a serpent against the heart. Ahab's sheep and oxen did what Ahab's soldiers could not.