2 Chronicles 19:2
‘And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD, and by doing so bring wrath on yourself from the LORD?”‘
I’m not surprised to read this. Chapter 18 nearly had him killed in his association with king Ahab. He was literally pursued by enemy soldiers. Ahab set him up so the enemy thought Jehoshaphat was Ahab. This was so he would draw the fire. Ahab received a prophecy that he would be killed in battle. So he thought he would trick God by dressing up Jehoshaphat. It would be a funny practical joke if the stakes weren’t deadly.
Another oddity is that king Ahab was a wicked king. Why was Jehoshaphat befriending him? Very odd all the way around.
There are many lessons here for the king and us. The first is ‘Do not be misled: “Bad companionships corrupt good morals”‘, (I Corinthians 15:33). I can recall going to a guys house in middle school. I only knew him from school. He seemed to have a fun personality. We spent the afternoon together. He talked about weird stuff and introduced me to porn. I never went back. Even forty years later, he friended me on facebook. I ignored it.
Another lesson is discernment. Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” As we grow in Christ our spiritual senses get stronger. We learn to avoid some. We also learn to avoid particular situations. For me, I have to change the channel on the radio when particular songs come on. Being in His Word and learning to walk according to His will teaches us discernment.
Ahab was clearly setting up Jehoshaphat. He allowed it to happen. Was he naive and offered no resistance? Like playing along with a joke. That seems possible. He boldly asked for a prophet of God and told Ahab not to ignore it.
I believe God gives us mercy when we are unaware. However, if we continue past the warning, then we may get trapped. Heed the warnings. Obey the first time.
I don’t want to be too hard on Jehosphaphat. I have done plenty of foolish things in which I deserved what I got. It’s God’s mercy.
Lord, help us to walk in wisdom. Help us to avoid bad company and bad situations. Help us to grow in discernment. Thank You for Your mercy. You’ve done so much for us and shown so much mercy. Thank You.