Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 19

Verses 1-11

This time let's turn to II Chronicles, chapter 19.

We are dealing at the present time in this area of scripture with the reign of Jehoshaphat, king over Judah. For the most part, Jehoshaphat was a good king. He did develop many spiritual reforms. There was one aspect about his reign that was not good, and that was his desire to develop an affinity and friendship with Ahab, who was the king over the tribes of Israel in the north. Ahab was probably one of the most wicked of all of the kings over Israel. And Jehoshaphat had some kind of a fascination and an endeavor to create an affinity and a friendship with him.

Now the Bible says, "Know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" ( James 4:4 ) And if anybody represented the world and the worldly system, it would have been Ahab. So why Jehoshaphat, a righteous king, would ever seek to develop some kind of a friendship or relationship with this ungodly king of Ahab is difficult to understand. And the consequences, ultimate consequences of it were quite disastrous. Not to Jehoshaphat himself, but in the result of his son. And we'll get to that when we get to chapter 21.

So Jehoshaphat had gone on up, visited with Ahab, was invited by Ahab to come to watch the battle against the Syrians in Ramothgilead where Ahab was killed in battle.

And so Jehoshaphat has now returned to Jerusalem ( 2 Chronicles 19:1 ).

Chapter 19.

And Jehu the son of Hanani who was a prophet went out to meet him, and he said to him, Should you help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD ( 2 Chronicles 19:2 ).

So here he has been rebuked by the prophet of God. The rebuke, of course, coming from God for his help for the ungodly and his love for those that hate the Lord. The Bible says, "What fellowship hath light with darkness? What communion hath Christ with Belial?" ( 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 ) And it warns about seeking to develop an unequal yoke with an unbeliever. And so the king is severely rebuked for this endeavor on his part. And it would seem that he was initiating it, going on up to visit and all, and initiating this kind of a friendship and an aid program. When Ahab said, "Would you like to go out with me to battle?" He said, "My troops are as yours, you know, I'm like you. We're brothers and all." And so it was a thing where he was helping the ungodly. He was seeking to create an alliance with an ungodly king.

Nevertheless, [the prophet said,] there are good things found in thee, in that you have created these spiritual reforms by the destroying of the idols of the false gods that had been set up there in the land ( 2 Chronicles 19:3 ).

So at the word of the prophet Jehoshaphat, again, just sort of sought to re-establish a spiritual work within the kingdom of Judah. He took some priests and he went around to the various cities of Judah. There was sort of an evangelistic campaign. And he would go into a city, they would gather together the people, and the priests would again lay out the law of the Lord to the people. They would establish judges that they might judge righteous judgment within the cities of Judah. And it was actually further spiritual reforms as they traveled through the land seeking to turn the hearts of the people unto the Lord.

So they went around and the charge that they put to the people was,

Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, with a perfect heart. And what cause soever shall come to you of your brothers ( 2 Chronicles 19:9-10 )

I mean, this is what they said to the judges when they set up the judges. And I wish that every judge would have to face this kind of an admonition at the beginning of his judgeship, or even should have it on the wall of his chamber everyday. This is what God requires of a judge. That he judges in the cases in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a complete heart.

"