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2 Chronicles 18-20: The tragedy of Compromise

Jehoshaphat’s life is described in Psalm 1:1–3 . He walked in the right counsel (2 Chronicles 17:3), he delighted in God’s ways (2 Chronicles 17:6), and he was fruitful in his service, sharing the Word with the people (2 Chronicles 17:7–9). He practiced the fear of the Lord, so he was protected by the fear of the Lord. When you fear God, you need fear nothing else (Psalm 112).

But Jehoshaphat married the wrong wife, joined the wrong allies, fought the wrong war, and almost came to the wrong end. By walking “in the counsel of the ungodly” and sitting with the scornful (2 Chronicles 18:9 ; Psalm 1:1), the king found himself in serious trouble. He had to listen to false prophets and go to battle with a king depending on false confidence.

The pressure to conform is greater today than in that day. Are you resisting it? Can you detect the false prophet and his message, or are you impressed with his “visual aids” and pleasing message (2 Chronicles 18:10)? Read the last three verses of Psalm 1 and beware!

Jehoshaphat returned home safely only because God was gracious to him and protected him in the battle. When we are out of the will of God and get into places of danger, we tempt God, and it is a sin to tempt God and force Him to work miracles on our behalf. That is the way Satan tempted the Lord Jesus (Matthew 4:5–7).

He submitted to God’s Word and went back to ministering to his people. While he was away fighting somebody else’s battle, his own people were being neglected (Song of Solomon 1:6). Like a good shepherd, he sought the lost and brought them back to the Lord (Ezekiel 34:1–10), and he saw to it that the people were protected by honest judges and served by godly priests.

Note the emphasis on the fear of the Lord (2 Chronicles 19:7 , 9). Jehoshaphat had sinned, but God forgave him. The result of forgiveness should be the fear of the Lord (Psalm 130:4).

Seek the Lord. When you see big problems on the horizon, seek the Lord before you do anything else. What does that mean? It means to do what Jehoshaphat and Judah did. They remembered who God is (2 Chronicles 20:6), what He did in the past (2 Chronicles 20:7) and what He said He would do in the future (2 Chronicles 20:8–9). It means to trust Him and keep your eyes on Him by faith (2 Chronicles 20:12).

Hear the Lord. God always has a special word for those who turn to Him for help. When you face a battle, spend much time in His Word and in prayer, for then He will give you that needed word of encouragement.

Praise the Lord. The battle was won by the singers, standing in the most dangerous place of all—between two armies. But they sang the Lord’s praises and routed the enemy. The choir praised God after God gave the word (2 Chronicles 20:19), before the battle (2 Chronicles 20: 21), and after the victory (2 Chronicles 20:26–28), a good pattern for us to follow in our praise.

In Hebrew, Berachah means “blessing” (2 Chronicles 20: 26). Even a valley can become a place of blessing if we learn how to praise the Lord. “Prayer changes things” is a familiar saying that is certainly true. But it is also true that “praise changes things.” Why? Because true praise changes people, and God can work in and through people who praise Him. True praise involves faith, hope, and love, the strongest weapons in the Christian armory.