Lux Lucet

A Good King’s Tragic Error

The Scriptures tell us that Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, was a wise and good ruler.  The writer of 1 Kings says of him, “And he [Jehoshaphat] walked in all the ways of his father Asa.  He did not turn aside from them doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD.”

We read something similar in 2 Chronicles, where it is written, “Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel.”

But one lesson we get from reading this history of the kings of Israel and Judah is that even good men are sinners and prone to make serious mistakes. 

In Jehoshaphat’s case, his besetting sin was seeking to make alliance with Ahab, the evil king of Israel.  1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18 record how Jehoshaphat went to Samaria to forge a military alliance with Ahab against the Syrians, an alliance which ended in disaster for Ahab as he was killed in battle.  Upon his return to Judah after his defeat by Syria, Jehoshaphat was rebuked by the prophet Jehu who said to him, “Should you help the wicked [Ahab] and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you.” 

But as bad a mistake as this was by Jehoshaphat, it was not this error that nearly ended the Davidic line of kings.  It was another, related error that came within a hair’s breadth of extinguishing David’s dynasty. 

The Scriptures record in 2 Kings 8:18 that Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, was married to Athaliah the daughter of Ahab. Although this verse does not say so, it is generally thought that her mother was the notorious Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab. 

While the Bible does not spell it out specifically, it appears that Jehoshaphat arranged to have his son Jehoram marry the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel as part of a larger program in which he sought to reunify the Northern and Southern Kingdoms as they had existed under David and Solomon.   Having his son marry the daughter of Ahab certainly would provide a powerful symbol of unity between the two kingdoms. 

Now seeking peace with one’s neighbor is not necessarily a bad thing.  The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”  But note well.  Paul does not write, “live at peaceably with all men,” but, “as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

Our ability to live peaceably with our neighbors does not depend solely on us.  The other party also must seek to live peaceably. 

But there’s more to it than simply two parties agreeing to live peaceably.  There’s also the issue of the terms of the peace.  Jehoshaphat seemed to be of a mind that if he could just be Ahab’s friend, all would be well between the two kingdoms.  But what Jehoshaphat forgot was that the only proper terms for peace were the terms set by God.  The Northern kingdom had been idolatrous since its founding under King Jeroboam, and Ahab and Jezebel had raised the kingdom’s idolatry to a new level through their promotion of Baal worship.  By promoting close times with King Ahab and Jezebel, Jehoshaphat shared in their sins.  And this sin nearly forever destroyed the House of David.

Application

The occupation government of Athaliah did not come into existence one day all on its own.  Preparation for it had been carefully laid in the years leading up to her ascension to the throne by the actions of one of Judah’s godliest kings. 

Knowing what we do about the character of Jehoshaphat, it’s reasonable to think that he would have been horrified had he lived to see the consequences of his alliance with Ahab and would have repented of them in sackcloth and ashes. 

Doubtless, Jehoshaphat wanted what was best for his nation, but in this area, he acted foolishly, and his poor decision to ally himself with Ahab nearly led to the destruction of his people.

Sometimes you’ll hear political commentators speak of the law of unintended consequences.  The example of Jehoshaphat’s attempt to ally Judah with Israel seems to be a Biblical example of this idea playing out. 

And just as the usurpation of Judah’s government by Athaliah was set in motion by events that occurred decades before it actually happened, so too was the groundwork of the current usurpation of the American government laid a long time ago.  It is only now that we are seeing the effects.

Much could be written on how the historic, Protestant, American nation has allowed itself to be usurped by representatives of the Antichrist Romana Church-State to the point where we have turned over a substantial portion of our government to a party allied with the Vatican.  But I would just say this, American Protestants long ago began to lose their savor and are now being trampled underfoot. 

It is spiritual liberty that is the father of economic and political liberty.  And where once our forefathers honored the Lord, our churches long ago went apostate and we, their heirs, are losing our liberty as a result. 

Just as the reign of wicked Queen Athaliah from the hand of God, so too is the government of the wicked Biden regime.    

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