2 Chronicles 17:1-6; 18:1-3; 19:1-7
{Prayer}
When Faith was little, maybe a year or two old, she and this other boy, about the same age as her at a nearby table, were making faces and laughing at each other while we were out to eat at our local Mexican restaurant. It was all cute and harmless … at first. Near the end of the other family’s meal, the dad looked at us and said about how cute the kids were. We agreed. But then he said something like, “They would make a cute couple someday.” I looked at him and with a straight face and not missing beat I said, “Not without a background check and a blood sample.” He was shocked to say the least, but I was only joking … or was I?
Some countries have had and some still do have arranged marriages. Arranged marriages by definition are a type of martial union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals, particularly by family members such as the parents. These arranged marriages were pretty common throughout the world until about the 18th Century. Arranged marriages were used to raise up women who were in poverty to a higher economic and social status. They were also used across the feudal system between city states and kingdoms as a means of establishing political alliances, trade, and peace.
In our Midweek series we started last week, we are looking at some of the kings found in 2 Chronicles. Last week we looked at King Asa. This week we have his son, King Jehoshaphat. Like his father, Jehoshaphat started out of the gates strong. He strengthened the cities near the northern border to protect his kingdom of Judah. We heard in our reading that “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel” (2 Chron. 17:3-4). This pleased the LORD and Jehoshaphat’s kingdom grew strong and wealthier because of it. Jehoshaphat’s heart was devoted to the LORD and so he continued to clear out the land of any false idol which could lead the people away.
Jehoshaphat wanted peace among the nations. He wanted to bring that tribes of Israel back into one nation. It’s wasn’t uncommon back then to develop arranged marriages to do exactly this. So Jehoshaphat made an arrangement with King Ahab of Israel for his son to marry King Ahab’s daughter. Sounds pretty harmless right?
Well let me tell you a little bit about King Ahab. Of all the kings of Israel, he’s the worse. Ahab was the absolute most wicked king of all kings. And do you remember who he married? Jezebel. Jezebel, according to one commentator, was a Sidonian princess and she was an imperious, unscrupulous, vindictive, determined, devilish woman, a demon incarnate. She was a devoted Baal worshiper, built a temple for him and had 850 prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth. She killed all the prophets of LORD and abolished all worship of Him.[1]
So you have Jehoshaphat’s son and this woman’s daughter married. Time goes by and Ahab needs help. So who does he turn to? Jehoshaphat, his daughter’s father-in-law who has a massive and strong army. The people who they are fighting against are the very same people who King Asa from last week, Jehoshaphat’s dad had bribed to attack the northern kingdom to save his back.
And the king of Aram is aware of this. So he specifically gives the order to not fight against anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel. But here’s the thing, King Ahab, the king of Israel, says to Jehoshaphat, that he is going to go into battle disguised, but Jehoshaphat should wear his royal robes. See what’s happening? King Ahab wants to have Jehoshaphat killed. And why? So that his daughter can rise up as the queen and ruler of Judah. By her being in power, her family could bring back all the false gods and do away with the LORD.
In battle, Jehoshaphat is wounded, but unlike his father, he turns back to the LORD, calls upon Him for help. Jehoshaphat is spared and in an ironic turn of events, King Ahab is killed.
Having learned his lesson on not compromising on the LORD, Jehoshaphat sets up judges throughout the land who were to resolve disputes but also as a means of dealing with some of the spiritual issues which may have come up from his close association with King Ahab.
As we look at Jehoshaphat and hear this about him, the question may be why? What does this ancient king have to do with me? The people of God were told to have nothing to do with people who worshiped false gods. The reason for this was so that the false gods would not infect the people and lead them away from worshipping the one true God. In arranging for his son to marry the daughter of a wicked king and his very pagan wife, allowing his troops to join Ahab’s, Jehoshaphat was compromising on the Word of God. Jehoshaphat wanted peace, which seems all good and well, except that it almost got him killed and his nation turned over to pagan rulers.
When it comes to God’s Word, His instruction for our lives … where do we compromise? Where do we give a little on God’s Word in order to keep the peace? We are called to love our neighbors, love our enemies … but we are also called to stand firm on the Word of God. Jesus says in Matthew 7 to watch out for the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing. Watch out for the ferocious wolves who want to lead you away from the truth of God (7:15-16). Jesus says “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock” (7:24). Standing firmly on the Word of God, even though the storms of life come, the storms of social issues come, the storms of self-worth come, the storms of identity come … if we are standing firmly on God’s Word and not making little compromises here and there … after the storm passes, you and I will still be standing. Our standing may be here without certain people in our lives, or our standing may be in the presence of our Savior.
Jesus, standing before the high priest and all the ruling priest, elders, and scribes did not compromise. Even though people were brought forward and made false accusations against him … Jesus stood there and silently took it. When asked if He is the Christ, the Son of God … Jesus could have said no and maybe spared His life. But instead of worrying about Himself … thinking of you and me and our desperate need for forgiveness … Jesus answered, “I am.” And by doing so, He sealed His fate of getting beaten, mocked, spit upon, flogged, and having going to the cross to be crucified and suffer the wrath of God. When it comes to your and my salvation … Jesus did not compromise.
When we give into our sinfulness, when we compromise on the Word of God, we need to return back to God, we need to be willing to confess those sins to Him. Unlike me, God is not going to ask you for a background check and a blood sample. Through the sacred shed blood of Jesus, God accepts you and forgives you of all of your sins. Because of the non-compromising sacrifice of Jesus and by His victorious resurrection from the grave … your background check is clear. You have been washed clean of all your sins. Live in the that grace of God, forever standing on the promises of God. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.
[1] Halley’s Bible Handbook, page 197
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