Jehoshaphat’s poor judgement, 2 Chronicles 18
Theme
The effects of spiritual declension, and God’s sovereign grace active in salvation (Jehoshaphat) and condemnation (Ahab). This study examines God’s chastisement of His servant and destruction of His enemy, illustrating how God chastises His people and punishes the wicked.Personalities
Ahab: King of Israel, the northern KingdomJehoshaphat: King of Judah
Benhadad II: King of Syria
Micaiah: God’s prophet in this account, the son of Imlah. At the time of this account he was imprisoned by Ahab for unspecified reasons
Zedekiah: A leading false prophet in Israel’s calf cult religion started by Jeroboam I
Background
(About 853 BC)Israel had been attacked by Syria in 1 Kings 20, and was delivered by God. Rather than slay Benhadad, Ahab spared him upon Benhadad’s promise to return all of Israel’s territory. A son of the prophets confronted Ahab and told him that the Lord would destroy Ahab for sparing God’s enemy, Benhadad.
Benhadad did not return the city of Ramoth Gilead. Ramoth Gilead was located on a mountain spur east of the Jordan river valley, from where all movements of Israelite forces could be viewed. It also afforded an ideal staging area for raids and invasions of Israel’s heartland, the valley of Jezreel. Due to this strategic threat, Ahab planned to wrest control of the city away from the Syrians by gaining the aid of Jehoshaphat and Judah.
Judah had prospered both economically and militarily by God’s grace, and had developed a formidable military capability. But, Jehoshaphat had married his son Jehoram to Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter Athaliah approximately nine years previous to this account. Several theories have been advanced regarding Jehoshaphat’s purpose: that he hoped an alliance would bring peace to his nation, or that he hoped to bring the northern tribes back under the rule of the House of David. (Alliances were normally sealed by state marriages, such as Solomon with Pharoah’s daughter, 1 Kings 11:1)
Jehoshaphat’s poor judgement
2 Chronicles 18:1-3
Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab. And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead. And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.Scripture says that Jehoshaphat had riches and honor, implying that there was no reason to seek a relationship with heathen Ahab. God prospered Jehoshaphat and brought peace and wealth to the people of Judah. God brought a fear of Judah upon the surrounding nations. Jehoshaphat had no need for wealth, security, or fame, since he had received all of these from God.
God did not tell Jehoshaphat to initiate an alliance, nor is there any record of Jehoshaphat seeking God’s will before establishing one. The LORD would not have instructed Jehoshaphat to do so, since the northern kingdom was in rebellion against the house of David. Scripture warns against marrying foreign wives who turn men’s hearts against the LORD (Joshua 23:12-13). Perhaps Jehoshaphat rationalized this situation by considering Athaliah as a fellow Israelite, even though she was the daughter of Jezebel, who in turn was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon (1 Kings 16:31).
Josephus's secular history records that Ethbaal had been a priest of Astarte (a fertility goddess) and murdered his predecessor on the throne. This murderous and pagan profile certainly agrees with the Scriptural picture of Jezebel in connection with Elijah (1 Kings 18 & 19) and Naboth (1 Kings 21). One could certainly have no doubt about Jezebel’s faith.
2 Chronicles 18:4-7
And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day. Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand. But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.These prophets were Ahab's heretical calf cult prophets, which explains their knowledge of Scripture. Also, these men referred to by Micaiah as Ahab’s prophets in verses 22 and 23. Jehoshaphat recognized the dubious doctrine of these 400 men and asked for Ahab to consult “a prophet of the LORD”. Ahab knew exactly what Jehoshaphat meant, so there can be no doubt that both Jehoshaphat and Ahab were aware of the nature of these men’s relationship with the True God of Israel.
Jehoshaphat, at this point, faced the predicament of having hastily agreed to a military campaign. Admitting this to be the case would have lead to the conclusion that his whole policy of alliance with Israel was a mistake. This is not to be the practice of believers: Romans 14:23b says: “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” and James 4:17 says: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
Having entered into this compromise, Jehoshaphat attempted to seek God by consulting a true prophet (tacitly admitting that Ahab’s prophets were not of God). Much can be said about Christian dealings with apostates and unbelievers in connection with Jehoshaphat’s example, but Ephesians 5:11 will suffice on this point: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
John Calvin's comments on this passage apply to Jehoshaphat's situation and are relavant to beleivers today:
"As ’the children of light’ dwell amidst the darkness, or, in other words, in the midst of “a perverse and crooked generation,” (Deuteronomy 32:5) there is good reason for warning them to keep themselves apart from wicked actions. It is not enough that we do not, of our own accord, undertake anything wicked. We must beware of joining or assisting those who do wrong. In short, we must abstain from giving any consent, or advice, or approbation, or assistance; for in all these ways we have fellowship. And lest any one should imagine that he has done his duty, merely by not conniving, he adds, but rather reprove them. Such a course is opposed to all dissimulation. Where a manifest offense is committed against God, every man will be eager to vindicate himself from any share in the guilt, but very few will guard against connivance; nearly all will practice some kind of dissimulation. But rather than the truth of God shall not remain unshaken, let a hundred worlds perish.Charles Hodge says about this same passage:The word elegcho, which is translated reprove, answers to the metaphor of darkness; for it literally signifies to drag forth to the light what was formerly unknown. As ungodly men flatter themselves in their vices, (Psalm 36:2) and wish their crimes to be concealed, or to be reckoned virtues, Paul enjoins that they shall be reproved. He calls them unfruitful; because they not only do no good, but are absolutely hurtful."
"The duty of Christians in reference to the works of darkness is twofold, - first, to have no communion with them; and secondly, to reprove them. The former is expressed by the words ’have not fellowship’ with them. those who have things in common, who are congenial, who have the same views, feelings, and interests, and who therefore delight in each other’s society, are said to be in fellowship. In this sense believers have fellowship with God and with each other. So we are said to have fellowship in anything which we delight in and partake of. To have fellowship with the works of darkness, therefore, is to delight in them and to participate in them. All such association is forbidden as inconsistent with the character of the children of light."2 Chronicles 18:8-10
And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla. And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat either of them on his throne, clothed in their robes, and they sat in a void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the LORD, With these thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed.Zedekiah refers to Deuteronomy 33:17: “His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
Two things are plain from this passage: First, Zedekiah, a practitioner of false religion, knew Scripture well enough to quote and apply it in a convincing way. Secondly, the book of Deuteronomy, which has been subject to “late dating” by some so-called scholars, is shown from this passage to have been commonly accepted in 850 BC.
2 Chronicles 18:11-15
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak. And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand. And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?The way in which Micaiah delivered this word is not stated, but everyone, including Ahab, understood it to be false and intended by Micaiah to be so interpreted. Micaiah had evidently used this method before, so its intent was unmistakable.
2 Chronicles 18:16
Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return therefore every man to his house in peace.Micaiah replied to Zedekiah’s false application with a true application of his own from the Torah from Numbers 27:16-17 (also demonstrating that Numbers was known and used as Scripture at that time): “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.”
2 Chronicles 18:17-23
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil? Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner. Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee. Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?This incident concerning Zedekiah provides a great lesson in the dangers posed by false teachers who are conversant with Scripture. As an adherent of the Israelite calf cult religion, Zedekiah mastered the use of Scripture and counterfeit prophetic revelation to deceive the people and maintain his influence. His incorrect application of Scripture regarding the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim confirms him as a false prophet (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
Josephus says that Zedekiah mentioned Elijah’s prophecy of 1 Kings 21:19 and pointed out that Micaiah’s prophecy could not be true, since the Elijah had prophesied that Ahab would die in the same place that Naboth died (which is not what the prophecy states). Josephus did not write Scripture and therefore, is fallible. However, these same attempts to interpret Scripture in support of unspiritual claims can be recognized today. This erroneous interpretation even went on concerning Christ in John 7:52, where the Pharisees contended that no prophet would arise out of Galilee, illustrating the serious nature of misapplying Scripture.
According to Josephus again, Zedekiah smote Micaiah to prove that Micaiah was not a prophet like the man of God who prophesied against Jeroboam in 1 Kings 13:4. In this account, Jeroboam tried to punish a prophet for his prophecy, but when Jeroboam reached out his hand toward the man of God, it withered. Zedekiah dared Micaiah to prove his word by causing God to intervene by smiting Zedekiah.
2 Chronicles 18:24-28
And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace. And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead.This confrontation between Micaiah and Zedekiah should not be dismissed as a squabble between two obscure and irrelevant theological positions. The passage highlights the need to discern between true and false teaching: while Zedekiah actually was worldly, the message of Micaiah was soon to have a very “real world” application for all involved!
It is plainly stated in Micaiah’s vision that God allowed a lying spirit to deceive Ahab, just as He had permitted an evil spirit to trouble Saul in 1 Samuel 16:14. Paul clearly described the Lord’s will regarding those who know God but refuse to glorify Him as God in Romans 1. Both Zedekiah and Ahab were guilty of this sin against God.
Jehoshaphat also disregarded God’s word to him by the prophet Micaiah. How could such a godly king arrive at such a point that he was unable to hear God’s direct word to him? He placed himself in positions that were not appropriate, first by marriage, then by fellowship, and finally by alliance. Perhaps Jehoshaphat convinced himself that he was in God’s will and reinforced his rationalizationby misinterpreting Zedekiah’s apparent triumph over Micaiah.
Once a believer has departed from God’s will, it becomes easier to be deceived and harder to admit error. The erring Christian becomes like David in the affair with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 - 12, who began with shirking his leadership, progressed to adultery, and then to murder. God finally had to deliver him by forcing him to cry out “I am the man!”, and used a similar method with Jehoshaphat in this account.
2 Chronicles 18:29
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.Ahab’s concept of God’s sovereignty is displayed by his attempt to hide himself from God’s judgement. Amazingly, He feared God’s Word more than Jehoshaphat! Ahab’s view of God’s sovereignty can also be seen in his complaint that Micaiah’s messages were “evil” because they were not in agreements with his wishes. This attitude is present in false teaching today. Ahab felt that his prophets could control events by prophesying good, just as King Balak and Balaam did in Numbers 22-24. This sort of foolishness is also taught today. Jehoshaphat, who must have known of the example of Balak, perhaps ignored the peril he was entering because he felt that the judgements concerned Ahab. Keil takes verse 29 to have Ahab saying (in effect), “You can put on your royal robes, since you don’t have anything to worry about.”
2 Chronicles 18:30-33
Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the king of Israel. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him. And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.God protected Jehoshaphat, and His grace toward him was not frustrated, though he was in a grievous state of disobedience. Matthew Henry says that God allowed Jehoshaphat to experience this close brush with disaster as an indication of His displeasure. But, there is a great difference between God’s chastisement of his servant Jehoshaphat and His judgement of the rebel Ahab.
Though Ahab disguised himself, he could not escape God’s judgement. His disguise only displayed God’s power and utter control of events: The arrow was not aimed and it struck Ahab at a small, vulnerable point in his armor. Ahab’s armor likely consisted of metal plates sewn to a linen backing. The word “harness” can mean a breastplate or a coat of mail. The arrow struck a joint between the mail covering the breast and an attachment covering the lower body, entering Ahab’s abdomen and causing him to bleed to death in several hours. The probability of a random arrow striking such a small target so precisely over such a great distance in light of Elijah’s and Micaiah’s prophecies is minute, indeed.
2 Chronicles 18:34
And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even: and about the time of the sun going down he died.1 Kings 22:35-36
And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot. And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.Here, the first part of Micaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled, as the host was scattered without a leader after Ahab’s death. At this point, when it is too late, Israel knew the truth of Micaiah’s words.
1 Kings 22:37-38
So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.Jehoshaphat’s and Ahab’s joint Ramoth Gilead campaign closed on this last note, in which God fulfilled both the prophecy of Elijah, who said that the dogs would lick the blood of Ahab where Naboth died, and the prophecy of Micaiah, who foretold Ahab’s death at Ramoth Gilead.
The final facts are not pleasant words for those who oppose God. The fertility cults of pagan religions, like many pagan practices today, sought to hide evil practices under a veneer of beauty. Jezebel’s temple harlots bathed in a “sacred fishpond” to restore themselves after a day of debauchery. This sort of myth-glorification of temple harlotry is familiar to us through paintings such as Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”. The Scripture, however, shows God’s attitude to such corruption by telling us that dogs licked up Ahab’s blood as it was washed in the same pool in which Jezebel’s temple harlots were bathing. This is the sense of the translation of verse 38, according to Keil, Edersheim and Josephus. Scripture closes the page on Ahab, presenting him with dogs and harlots.
Jehoshaphat, on the other hand was not judged, but disciplined. He returned to his capital, Jerusalem, chastised, but still and forever in the protection and security of God's grace. His brush with death was close and his plans had come to nothing, but God glorified Himself by disciplining and preserving His servant, Jehoshaphat.
God, Who does not change, still corrects and protects His elect today. Our plans are often unsuccessful and our faith is certainly judged to be foolishness by the world, but God will be glorified by His preservation of His saints.
Resources
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 2 Chronicles 17, 1 Kings 22, Matthew HenryCommentary on the Old Testament, by Keil and Delitzsch, 2 Chronicles 17, 1 Kings 22, C. F. Keil
Antiquities of the Jews, Book 8, chapter 15, Josephus
Against Apion, Book 1 paragraph 18, Josephus
Bible History, Old Testament, Volume 6, Chapter 5, Alfred Edersheim
Articles: “Armor, Arms”, “Ethbaal”, “Micaiah”, “Zedekiah”, The Zondervon
Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. by Merrill TenneyCommentaries on the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, Ephesians 5:11, John Calvin
Ephesians, Ephesians 5:11, Charles Hodge
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