2 Chronicles 17:1 - Meaning and Application

Here we see Jehoshaphat in three lights: wise, godly, and useful.

He was wise. As soon as he came to the throne, he strengthened himself against Israel, (2 Chronicles 17:1). Ahab, the active and warlike king of Israel, had now been on the throne three years. Judah was probably beginning to feel weaker, and Israel was growing stronger and more threatening. So Jehoshaphat’s first task was to hold his own and check Israel’s rise. He did this so well, and without war, that Ahab soon wanted his friendship. In the end, Ahab proved more dangerous as a friend than he could have been as an enemy.

Jehoshaphat did not strengthen himself by attacking Israel or invading it. He only worked to protect his own kingdom, fortifying the border cities and placing stronger garrisons, that is, military guards, in the cities of Ephraim that he controlled, (2 Chronicles 17:2). He did not depend on an alliance with the king of Syria, as his father had done. Instead, he used fair and proper means, the kind he could trust God to bless.

He was also a good man. The text says he walked in the ways of his father David. In Scripture, David’s ways are often used as the standard for judging kings, (1 Kings 15:3, 1 Kings 15:11; 2 Kings 14:3; 2 Kings 16:2; 2 Kings 18:3). But here the contrast is especially strong between David’s early and later years. Before his sin with Uriah, David’s ways were good, though he never fully regained the peace and strength he lost in that fall.

Jehoshaphat followed David as far as David followed God, and no further. That is the right rule for imitation. Even Paul said, “Follow me, as I follow Christ,” meaning only as long as he was following Christ, (1 Corinthians 11:1). Many good people have had their best days at the beginning, with their first love being their strongest love. When we copy others, we should choose what is best in them, not what is worst. The phrase here may also mean that Jehoshaphat walked in David’s first, ancient ways, the older and purer ways before later corruption had entered. That fits the call, “Ask for the old paths,” (Jeremiah 6:16).

He sought the Lord God of his father, and not the Baals, or local false gods, (2 Chronicles 17:3, 2 Chronicles 17:4). The nations around Judah had many Baals and many idol systems, but he rejected them all. He worshiped the Lord alone, prayed to Him alone, and looked to Him alone. Seeking God includes both prayer and thoughtful dependence on Him.

He also walked in God’s commandments, meaning he not only worshiped the true God, but worshiped Him in the way God had appointed, and not in the ways of Israel, (2 Chronicles 17:4). Though the king of Israel lived nearby and was even his ally in civil matters, Jehoshaphat would not follow him in religion. He kept close to God’s rule.

His heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord, or, in simple words, he brought his whole heart to God’s work, (2 Chronicles 17:6). His worship was sincere. His heart was enlarged toward what was good, (Psalm 119:32). He never thought he had done enough for God. He was lively, warm, and eager in religion. He served the Lord with courage and cheerfulness, and he moved forward with confidence, like Jacob after his vision at Bethel, who “lifted up his feet,” that is, went on with new energy, (Genesis 29:1, margin). He did not let difficulty stop him. He rose above the obstacles in duty and was not frightened by the winds and clouds that can keep a person from sowing and reaping, (Ecclesiastes 11:4).

He was also a useful king, not only a good man. He did good in his own generation and did much of it. He removed the false worship, including the high places and the groves, which were places used for idol worship, (2 Chronicles 17:6). This does not mean he removed every high place used for the true God, for some remained, (2 Chronicles 20:33). He abolished only idolatry. Nothing had damaged the nation more than those idol groves and images, which the prophet calls “teachers of lies,” (Habakkuk 2:18).

He also sent out teachers of truth. When he looked at the religious condition of his people, he found them generally ignorant. They did not know they were doing evil. Even in the last good reign, there had been little effort to teach them their duty. So Jehoshaphat began in the right place. He dealt with them as thinking people, not as if they should be led blindly, even in a reform. He wanted them well taught, because that was the way to make them well corrected.

He used his princes for this work. He sent those who were near him, and those in the countryside, to teach in the cities of Judah, (2 Chronicles 20:7). He told them that in judging the people, they must not only correct what was wrong, but also teach what was better and explain the difference between right and wrong. Judges and rulers have a great chance to teach people their duty to God and to one another. This is part of their calling, because God’s laws should be treated as the laws of the land.

The Levites and priests went with the princes and taught in Judah, carrying the book of the law with them, (2 Chronicles 17:8, 2 Chronicles 17:9). Teaching was part of their office, (Deuteronomy 33:10). It was part of what they were supported to do. The priests and Levites had little else to do. Yet it seems they had neglected this duty, perhaps saying that the people would not listen to them.

Jehoshaphat said, in effect, “You will go with the princes, and they, using their authority, will require the people to come and hear you. If the people are not well taught, then it will be your fault.” Great good can be done when Moses and Aaron, that is, civil rulers and ministers, work together in this way. When princes use their power, and priests and Levites use their knowledge of Scripture, the people can be taught the true knowledge of God and their duty.

These traveling judges and traveling preachers worked together to spread a blessed light through the cities of Judah. The text also says that they carried the book of the law of the Lord with them. They had it, first, to guide themselves, so that everything they taught came from there and not from human ideas. They had it, second, to convict the people, so the people could see that the message came from God and not from men. Ministers, when they go to teach, should always have their Bibles with them.

Jehoshaphat was also a very happy man because God clearly approved and blessed him. The Lord was with him (2 Chronicles 17:3), and, as the Chaldee paraphrase says, the word of the Lord helped him. The Lord made the kingdom secure in his hands (2 Chronicles 17:5). Those stand firm who have God’s presence with them. If the beauty of the Lord our God is upon us, then he will establish the work of our hands and keep us steady in what is right.

He was also happy in the love of his people (2 Chronicles 17:5). All Judah brought him gifts, showing thanks for his kindness in sending teachers among them. The more true religion there is among a people, the more loyal they are likely to be. A government that does its proper work will be supported. Because God favored both him and his kingdom, he had great wealth and honor. It is certainly true, though many do not believe it, that religion and godliness are the best friends of outward prosperity.

Notice also what happened next: his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord. For many people, riches and honor become a burden and a hindrance in following God. They lead to pride, ease, and sinful pleasures. But in Jehoshaphat’s case, they had the opposite effect. His wealth helped him move more freely in obedience, like oil on the wheels. The more wealth he had, the more his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord.