2 Chronicles 20:1-37 - Jehoshaphat - success and failure

20:1-14

We now see the good side of Jehoshaphat. A vast army from Moab and Ammon attacked Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was alarmed, but reacted in the right way by enquiring of the Lord. He also proclaimed a fast for the nation and all Judah sought the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord came upon  Jahaziel, who then spoke to the assembly.

20:15-30

The word encouraged Jehoshaphat not to be afraid. God told him to attack, and made him aware of the enemy's tactics. The Lord would win the victory. The Korahites stood up and praised the Lord. Jehoshaphat organised the army  and plundered the enemy. They returned to Jerusalem full of joy because of the victory the Lord had given them, The fear of the Lord came upon the surrounding kingdom.

20:31-37

Jehoshaphat’s reign ended sadly. Having failed once by helping Ahab, and having been rebuked for it, he made an alliance with the wicked king Ahaziah of Israel. God sent a prophet to rebuke him, and his reign came to an end.

2 Chronicles 19 - Administration

19:1-3

A prophet, Jehu the seer, came and rebuked Jehoshaphat for being willing to help Ahab, a wicked king who hated the Lord. At the same time his good deeds worked in his favour, and God knew that he wanted to follow the Lord.

19:4-7

Jehoshaphat was concerned not just for himself, but worked to get all the people to turn back to the Lord. To help towards this end, he appointed judges throughout the land. None of us can do everything ourselves, nor are we meant to. Justice is an essential part of a godly land.

19:8-11

In Jerusalem Levites were appointed to settle disputes. They were to serve faithfully and wholeheartedly, and to do so in the fear of the Lord. They were to promote the fear of the Lord. Without the fear of the Lord, justice cannot prosper, as western nations are discovering. Amariah was the chief pries appointed to oversee matters.

2 Chronicles 18:16-34 - Micaiah the true prophet

18:16-20

Then Micaiah gave a proper prophecy, i.e. an actual word from the Lord, and it was not good. The king of Israel  said such a word was all he expected, he did not believe or respond to the word. Micaiah then went on to say that ahab was being enticed into a foolish attack. A spirit volunteered to do the enticing. 

18:21-27

So the means of the demonic enticement is made abundantly clear, but to no avail. Ahab was determined to press ahead. Zedekiah, seeking favour with Ahab, assaulted  Micaiah, The situation is similar to the “trial” of Jesus. Micaiah is not swayed from his word.,he was confident in the Lord’s word.

18;28-34

So Ahab and Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth Gilead. Ahab sought to get round the word by disguising himself and getting Jehoshaphat to dress as a king, hoping to deceive the enemy.  However the ruse did not work, and Ahab was killed.

2 Chronicles 18:1-15 - Ahab and Jehoshaphat

18:1-4

Ahab was about the worst king Israel ever had, but Jehoshaphat allied himself with him by marriage. One time when he went to see Ahab, Ahab urged him to join him in attacking Ramoth Gilead. Jehosha phat agreed, but urged him to seek the Lord first.

18:5-8

So Ahab called in the prophets, but these prophets were favourable to the king, and they all encouraged him to attack and that God would give him victory. Jehoshaphat was not fooled, realising that they were not prophets of the Lord. \ahab told him there was still one prophet, but revealed that he did not like him, for he never prophesied anything good about Ahab, this was Micaiah, Jehoshaphat rebuked the king,and Micaiah was summoned.

18:9-15

Ahab and Jehoshaphat were dressed in their royal robes, maybe to impress Micaiah. \the ones who had brought Micaiah urged him to follow the line of the false prophets and to prophesy victory. Initially he does this, but Ahab was not fooled and demanded a true prophecy.

2 Chronicles 17:1-19 - Jehoshaphat leads the nation

17:1-6

Asa was succeeded by his son, Jehoshaphat. He fortified Judah against Israel. Jehoshaphat followed the Lord, so the Lord blessed his reign, and the people of Judah brought gifts. He found favour with God and man. He also removed the high places and Asherah poles.

17:7-11

The priests taught the people the Law of the Lord. Leaders are meant to lead the people in the ways of God, both by their own actions, and by teaching the people. This has an effect on the surrounding nations with the fear of the Lord falling on them. When God’s people deny the Lord, they are mocked by the world, when we obey the Lord the fear of the Lord falls upon them. Even Philistines and Arabs brought gifts.

17:12-19

Because he feared the Lord Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful. He also built up the army.

2 Chronicles 16:1-14 - Asa's downfall

16:1-9

Baasha, king of Israel, now sought to attack Judah. Asa used gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s temple to persuade Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, to have a treaty with him, and to break his treaty with Baasha. Ben-Hadad agreed and initially the treaty had some success. Hanani, a seer, came to Asa and rebuked him for relying on the king of Aram instead of on the Lord.

16:10-14

Asa was not the only king to start out well, but then fail. He reacted badly to the words of the seer, and put him in prison. He also brutally oppressed some of the people. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign he was afflicted  with a disease of his feet. Even then he did not seek the Lord, but only from doctors. Asa died in his forty-first year of his reign. Does this mean that we should not seek the help of doctors. I do not believe that this is what it means, but we should always seek the Lord as well.

2 Chronicles 15:1-19 - Asa's reforms

15:1-7

“The Lord is with you when you are with Him”. These were words given to Asa, but words that all of Israel needed to heed. “If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. “ This was the stark choice facing Israel, and they had been on the wrong side of this choice for so long. ”in their distress they turned to God”. It often takes distress for a person to turn to the Lord, but when we do the Lord accepts them. There was general trouble in the land, sounds a bit like our land! We need to turn to the Lord.

15:8-19

The words of prophecy encouraged Asa. He removed idols and repaired the temple of the Lord. People came to him because they saw the Lord was with Asa. We need to follow the Lord, then people will see that the Lord is with us. The people dedicated themselves to the Lord, and made sacrifices to Him. The people rejoiced, and the Lord gave them rest. Asa even deposed his grandmother, she had made a repulsive image. This is an example of loving God more than our family. There was no war until the thirty fifth year of Asa’s reign.