Jehoshaphat was the fourth King of Judah. He had a good example in Asa his father, although Asa also fell through a failure to understand how to deal with Israel. When Israel made war against Judah, Asa had asked the King of Syria for help, and not God. Why? Most likely because he felt he couldn’t ask God to fight against the children of Abraham. Hadn’t God said, “I will bless those who bless the seed of Abraham”, how could Asa fight and kill them? His brothers?   

The prophet Hanani scolded Asa for not asking God’s help. Asa failed to realise that the children of Abraham were those who did the deeds of Abraham, not just a blood line. Once Israel gave their love to the golden calves, they ceased to be Abraham’s children.  

Asa was furious, and locked the prophet in jail, in the stocks. God effectively said ‘so, you’ve locked up the word of God by its feet – try this on Asa’. God struck Asa with a foot disease – such that he eventually died. Perhaps the origin of the phrase ‘my feet are killing me.’ Asa also inflicted cruelties on the people at this time. You’d reckon Asa was a failure, but 1 Kings 15 says 14 …Asa’s heart was perfect with the Lord all his days. (AV). How great is God’s forgiveness and grace – and His mercies are overwhelming.  

Asa may well have also been intimidated by the words of the man of God in 1 Kings 12:22

But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’”.  

Asa may have felt that these words prevented him from asking God’s help against Israel. But he should have brought his concerns to God. 

2 Chronicles 17  3 Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; ….and sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments….. 5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat….. 6 And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; 

2 Chronicles 18. This chapter chronicles the downhill spiral of King Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was a great king who tried to walk correctly in the footsteps of David his forebear but unfortunately, he was absolutely obsessed with the desire to unite the two kingdoms. Jehoshaphat made terrible decisions based on this desire. He should have laid his plan before the Lord instead of taking it upon himself to unite Judah and Israel. 

2 Chronicles 18 Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.   

In an effort to weld the two kingdoms together, he married his son to the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. This daughter was twice as evil as her mother Jezebel and brought Baal worship into Judah, which finally led to Judah’s downfall. She also almost wiped out the line of David.  

2 Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?” 

Jehoshaphat went to see Ahab. It is generally the lesser who goes to the home of the greater. Jehoshaphat obviously put himself in the position of the lesser of the two kings in the hope of gaining Ahab’s favour. Jehoshaphat knew that Ahab and Jezebel worshipped Baal and yet he still went. Ahab asked him to come and help him take the city of Ramoth which had fallen to the Syrians. Ramoth was a Levite city and all the Levites and priests had fled down to Judah leaving the city undefended. Of course, Ahab asked for help, as we are told that Ahab’s army numbered only 7,000, whereas Jehoshaphat’s army number 1.16 million. Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.” 4 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” This was a profoundly ignorant and stupid thing for Jehoshaphat to say. His people were not the same as Israel’s people nor was Jehoshaphat the same as Ahab. Jehoshaphat thought that because they were all descendant from Abraham, then they were the same people. They were not. The children of Abraham do the works of Abraham and Israel had abandoned Abraham a long time ago. But at least Jehoshaphat asked that they should seek the Lord’s advice. 

5 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” 

Where did Ahab find 400 prophets? Hadn’t Jezebel killed all the prophets of the Lord? Didn’t Obadiah hide the prophets of the Lord by 50’s, in caves to escape Jezebel? How was Ahab able to find 400? Presumably because these prophets prophesied both for Baal and the Lord and were acceptable to Jezebel. 

“Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.” 6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” 

Why did Jehoshaphat want one more prophet? Why would 401 prophets be better than 400? Because Jehoshaphat knew that the 400 were not true prophets of the Lord alone. 

7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” 

We are not told how Micaiah escaped the wrath of Jezebel. 

14 When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” “Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.” 15 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 

We can only assume that Micaiah replied in some sort of ironic or sarcastic way, because Ahab clearly could see that he was not telling what he believed to be true. 

 16 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’” 17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?” 

Micaiah prophesied that Ahab would be killed in battle. He then goes on to explain a scene in heaven where the spirits are asked by God, how they might deceive Ahab. All this is in the hearing of Jehoshaphat, whom we may have expected to abandon the venture. 

25 The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 26 and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’” 

It is amazing to see that Jehoshaphat did not object to the abuse of the prophet. The prophet is slapped by Zedekiah and then confined to gaol on bread and water. And Jehoshaphat does not raise a finger in his defence. 

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 

It gets even more bizarre. Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet to inquire of the Lord and when he hears that the battle will be a failure he still goes with Ahab. Not only that, but knowing that the prophet said the king of Israel would be killed, Jehoshaphat accepts the deal that he wears the kings clothing and Ahab goes in disguise. Unbelievable. Jehoshaphat will do anything to please Ahab. 

31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him 

I am sure that Jehoshaphat cried out to God and was saved. This was not the end of Jehoshaphat’s foolishness. He also joined ventures with Ahab’s sons which similarly failed. 

2 Chronicles 19: When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, 2 Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is on you. 3 There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God.” 

Through the prophet Jehu, God squarely laid the blame for the defeat at the feet of Jehoshaphat. God expressly told him that the people of Israel were sinners and had lost their right to God’s protection. You would think that this would be enough to stop Jehoshaphat from ever joining forces with Israel again. But not so. 

2 Chronicles 20 10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 

Jehosaphat seems to be faced with the same dilemma. He felt that he could not make war against Israel because they were God’s people and now, he feels he cannot fight against the peoples of Ammon, Moab and Edom because God had protected the inheritance of these people when Israel had come out from Egypt. But this time Jehoshaphat did the right thing in bringing the problem before the Lord – and he was answered. God effectively says ‘Yes, the children of Israel were forbidden to make war against Moab, Ammon and Edom (Mt Seir) when they left Egypt. This was because God had promised the children of Lot could have an inheritance and that Esau could also have an inheritance. But these nations deserted the God who gave them these promises and so God allows Israel to destroy them on this occasion’. It is worth noting that Jesus was a descendant of Moab through Ruth the great grandmother of David. 

God’s condemnation concerning his association with Ahab could not have been clearer and yet, unbelievably, Jehoshaphat makes exactly the same mistake again. 

2Chronicle 20 35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel (Ahab’s son), whose ways were wicked. 36 He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships. After these were built at Ezion Geber, 37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.  

I am sure the desire in Jehoshaphat’s heart was noble. It would have been good for Israel and Judah to again join in the worship of Yahweh in the Temple at Jerusalem. But it was not God’s timing. Many years later the prophet Ezekiel was to speak of a time in the future when the two houses of Judah and Israel would be united but it was not to be in the time of Jehoshaphat. 

A lesson for us. We may have noble plans – but never ‘bend’ God’s commands to make things happen which we think are right. The end never justifies unrighteous or questionable means.