Scripture:
2 Chronicles 17:1-6 ESV
[1] Jehoshaphat, his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. [2] 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 captured. [3] The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, [4] but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. [5] Therefore, the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. [6] His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. Furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
Observation:
When reading the Old Testament, you begin to see a pattern. It’s laid out kind of like this… this king did evil in the sight of the LORD… this king provoked the LORD to anger by following the ways of… this king did evil in the sight of the LORD. It is an easy pattern to see because not many of them stood up for what was right. The along came Jehoshaphat. Honestly, it was refreshing to read his story this morning when you read so many that turned away from the LORD. You start to get a little discouraged. That went away when I got to this point, and honestly, I wanted to read it twice because I needed encouragement after reading some that went the opposite way. So let’s take a look at him. One of the first things he did was to strengthen himself against Israel, who at this point seemed all the way bad. They had built altars of other gods and were worshiping them regularly. Jehoshaphat had to first put a stop to that, so building a strong defense was extremely important. The LORD was with him because his heart was in the right place. He followed the commandments, and his heart was much like his grandfather, King David, whose heart was for YAHWAH. GOD honored Jehoshaphat because Jehoshaphat honored the LORD. HE added to him all the provisions needed to make a stand for the right way. Not only did the LORD add provisions, but Jehoshaphat’s heart was made courageous for the fight. Furthermore, he took down all the altars that had been built in the kingdom that were not built for YAHWAH. I’m sure this caused an issue with the remaining kingdoms that did not have a king that had a heart for the LORD. Jehoshaphat’s strategy was on point.
Application:
We have to be willing to go against what everyone else is doing. The fact that so many others are doing it does not make it right. In fact, it only confirms that it may not be the right thing. After all, what does the bible teach?… The road is narrow, and few will find it. We have to begin to strengthen ourselves in the LORD. Setting our hearts on HIM, building a strong defense. The question is, what is that defense? Well, in my mind and heart, it’s Jesus. That who will stand and fight. The lion of the tribe of Judah. It’s our only defense. We have to be willing to stand on that when everyone else is not. That is when you will be established by YAHWAH. I remember an old hymn. The words were stand-up stand-up for Jesus. So the question remains: Are you going to do what everyone else is doing, or are you going to walk the narrow path?
Prayer:
Father, here we are at the start of a glorious day. In fact, it’s the day we are celebrating the risen savior. The stone was rolled away. HE lives. Thank you, Father, you gave a gift to us that can not have a price put on it. So, our prayer this morning is to give us the tools we need to be the people you have called us to be. We want nothing more than to stand for you. We need no other gods. We just want you. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.