2 chronicles 18 reminds me that knowing God’s Word does not make us perfect, but it does teach us that God desires to forgive us when we stumble. As King David learned, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). Remember King Jehoshaphat read and spread God’s Word throughout the nation, but like you and I, he made mistakes too. The chapter begins, “Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage“. Ahab was the corrupt king of Israel. Ahab asked the king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?“. Jehoshaphat wisely replied, “We will join you in the war…but first seek the counsel of the Lord“. Impulsiveness is a sign of immaturity. Perhaps the most important lesson we can learn is to wait. There is no surprise to see that the corrupt king surrounded himself with “yes-men”, advisors that just tell him what he wants to hear. The king of Israel brought together four hundred prophets, and asked them, ‘Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” They answered, “Go… for God will give it into the king’s hand“. But listen to the discernment of Jehoshaphat, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” I believe that when we study God’s Word, we are able to recognize false teaching.
I love the kings response, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me… He is Micaiah son of Imlah“. The chapter continues, a messenger explaining the situation to the prophet, “Dude, just agree with everyone else, it will be so much easier for all of us”. But Micaiah said, “I can tell him only what my God says“. We do not like to be reminded of our sin. 2 Timothy 4:3 warns of a time “when men will not put up with sound doctrine… they will gather… teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth“. Is there someone in your life that you can trust to tell you the truth?
After some coaxing, the prophet finally tells them not to go to battle and the king is Israel reacted predictably, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me… Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely“. As the two kings prepared for battle, the King of Israel suggested, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes” obviously making Jehoshaphat the target for the enemy. As the battle began, the enemy mistook Jehoshaphat for 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, for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him“. I see such a clear picture for us today. It is never too late to call on God for forgiveness. No matter what dumb mistakes you have made, God will not turn His back on you. Hear the words of our merciful Father to the one that desires to be restored, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).