The Underlying Message

A summary of what I learned from Chronicles as it relates to today.

Introduction

Chronicles is about the kings of Judah, with 2 Chronicles focused on the kings after the division of the kingdom. Following the timeline and keeping the names straight is probably the most difficult thing to understand when reading this book. When I first began the books of history, I wondered why they're so often overlooked in churches today. As I began Joshua, all the way through 2 Chronicles, I found that they weren't always the most interesting to read. We often aren't concerned with who ruled Israel and when, because we feel that it doesn't apply to us. However, as I continued to read, I realized quite a few reasons it's important to be familiar with the information presented in these books, particularly Chronicles.
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Israel's Failure

The Israelites were really bad following God's law. I've seen many people try to debunk Christianity and Judaism by claiming archeological records show that no one practiced Judaism during the times presented in the Bible. Well, the Bible tells you they weren't practicing Judaism then. There is an explicit passage in the Bible that tell us the passover hadn't been kept in a long time (2 Chronicles 30:5). God says that while the Jews are captive in Babylon, the land will get her sabbaths, implying that either the feast days or the 7 year sabbaths had not been enforced. We probably shouldn't expect archeological records from the pre-exilic period to turn up an abundance of evidence that the Jews were worshiping God as commanded because they only did so for short periods of time.

Obviously it's good to know this when people challenge your faith. It is also important to know because these are the people who had the most direct communication with God. They are the descendants of the people who saw the waters part, yet the still had difficulties believing. If they had trouble, you know it will be difficult for us approximately 3000 years later. We have to want to hear God's voice and want to follow His ways, otherwise we will end up in the same trouble the Israelites did.

As time passes, we see the change in how leaders react to adversity. Initially leaders rely on God and God makes sure Judah prospers. However, the last kings rely on themselves to fix problems. They sell parts of God's Temple to buy protection from man. If this isn't a parallel for us giving up Godly morals to fit into the world, I don't know what is. These plots rarely help the Israelites, the same way fitting into the world doesn't help us.
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One Person Makes A Difference

Often, I feel like I'm just one person and I don't matter in the grand scheme of things. It seems that my choice to do right or wrong won't effect anyone but me. However, we see that the fate of Israel is described solely through her kings and prophets. I may not be a king or even a mayor, but our actions do effect those around us. The preacher's faith and actions effect the congregation's faith and actions. The faith and actions of the congregation effect how those outside the congregation view God. It is a ripple effect. When the king partook in idolatry, the people of Judah followed his example. Similarly, if the preacher sins, everyone else thinks its ok to sin and will sin as well. We must be conscious of our actions effect those around us, but we must also remember that those around us are not perfect. We should not follow their example, but Jesus'.
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The Government

That brings me to the issue of government. God didn't initially want a government in Israel. Governments mean that at some point we have to choose between what man is saying and what God has spoken. People are not perfect. No matter how great a president we select, they're unlikely to get everything right. Conversely, since we aren't perfect, it's even more likely that we select horrible people to lead. Yet, the leader of a country is very important. God makes this clear throughout the books of Kings and Chronicles. This person influences the entire nation and has the power to turn people to or against God. We should be mindful of this when selecting leaders on all levels.
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True to His Word

God is true to His word. In Deuteronomy, God told the Israelites if they didn't follow the law, He would scatter them. Every curse God declared upon the Israelites about what would happen if they broke the covenant, is shown in Chronicles. From the exile itself to a kings wives and children being stolen from him. This book serves as proof that God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19).
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References

2 Chronicles 36: Captivity of Judah

During the reign of the last few kings, Judah falls into captivity.

Introduction

The Babylonian captivity occurred in 3 stages. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, kept returning to take people away until finally, he destroyed the Temple and city of Jerusalem. The events leading up to this and after are very important in understanding the Bible. In prophecy about the end times, Babylon is always used to symbolize the end times. Just as Jerusalem is always God's city, Babylon is the city of the devil. However, it is unlikely that in end times prophecy Babylon refers to the literal location.
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Egypt

Josiah died because he got involved in a battle with Egypt that didn't concern him. Even though he disguised himself in battle to protect Judah, this came back to haunt the people he left behind. Josiah's son, Jehohaz, only reigns 3 months before the Egyptian pharaoh takes him off the throne and places his brother Eliakim on the throne. On top of placing Eliakim on throne, the pharaoh renames him to Jehoiakim.
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Meaning of the Names

The name Eliakim roughly means "God will establish" or "God sets up." Jehoiakim means "YHWH raises up." The major difference between these names is that "El" in Eliakim refers to the Canaanite god, where "Jeho" refers to the Yah in YHWH.^[2][3] This is interesting for a few difference reasons.

The first point of interest is that a foreign king changes the king's name to be "closer" to the name of God. At first glance it seems odd that the Egyptians would think to name the king after the Israelite God while the Israelites named him after a pagan god. However this isn't quite the case and makes much more sense. Egyptian pharaohs thought of themselves as god. Even today, we see that people tend to force their culture on others, which is likely what the Egyptian pharaoh was doing. Many Egyptian pharaohs bore the name of the god the promoted, so Necho applied this tradition to Eliakim.

Another interesting point is the naming convention of the Israelites. El, though also associated with the god of Canaan, is heavily featured in the names of the Israelites: Israel, Emmanuel, Bethel, Elijah, Elisha. Some of these names are given by God Himself. Today, there are many people who argue about the name given to God. There is an entire movement that rejects calling Him God, Jesus, and/or Jehovah. They focus on the name of God given in the Bible (YHWH) and the modern origin of the letter J. In their interpretation, it is wrong to call God by any other name. Yet, Elohim is also given as a name for God. It is from this name that the many of His people's names draw on. This could be because we are not worthy of His true name, which would make Necho's renaming sacrilegious. However, Jehoshaphat and Joshua also make use of "Yah" in their name. I find there to be ample evidence in the Bible to suggest both are acceptable.
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Stealing A Name

So what is the major takeaway from Necho change Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim? You can only name something if you have ownership of it or if the owner grants you that right. Stars, planets, theorems, buildings... All of these things are named after the people who discover or create them. Naming something signifies control over it; this is true in all cultures. In the Japanese Anime Spirited Away, stealing the name of a person is what gives the villain power over people. The same was true for Necho. Necho was exerting his authority over Eliakim and Judah. From this point on, Judah was essentially a vassal kingdom struggling to maintain independence.
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Pharaoh Necho

The pharaoh during this conflict is identified as Necho in 2 Chronicles 36:4. He is associated with the secular record of Egyptian pharaoh Necho II who reigned from 610-595bc.
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Kings of Judah

Given the fact that Judah is basically a puppet nation until the final captivity by Babylon, we know the kings must have been corrupt. Jehoiakim reigns for 11 years before he is taken captive by Babylon. His son, Jehoachin, takes over in his absence.

Jehoiachin

Jehoiachin is only 8 years old when he takes the throne, but we are told that he does wickedly. This is quite a different sentiment than that of Josiah who also took the throne at 8. Jehoiachin only reigns for 3 months and Josiah didn't seek out God until he was 16, which means they were both ungodly rulers at the age of 8. However, only Jehoiachin is described as wicked.

In the previous post, I discussed the age of accountability. The difference between the description of these two rulers could be evidence that the age of accountability is based on the individual. We would conclude that Jehoiachin knew that his actions were ungodly but chose to do them anyway while Josiah was unaware.

Another possibility is that Jehoiachin's actions were more severe than Josiah's. What I mean is, there are varying degrees of ungodly people. There are people who are very nice, loving, and desire good for those around them, despite having no relationship with God. Then there are people who claim tho have a relationship with God, but commit heinous crimes and abuse their fellow man. Perhaps Jehoiachin fell into the latter category and Josiah fell into the former.

For me, the real question is: what did an 8 year old command in 3 months that was so wicked? Was Jehoiachin violent at 8? Was he idolatrous? Did he take on the ways of the Egyptians and require the the Israelites to worship him as a god? He was clearly born after Jehoiakim was placed on the throne and named following Jehoiakim's Egyptian given name instead of his birth name.

Jehoiachin is taken to Babylon during the second phase of captivity, just as his father had been taken during the first. Top

Zedekiah

In Jehoiachin's stead, Zedekiah takes over the throne. When I first read the passage in 2 Chronicles 36:10-11, I was confused. Zedekiah is described as Jehoiachin's older brother. The first born son was the one who was supposed to inherit everything from the father, which would have placed Zedekiah on the throne first. With the exception of Jacob tricking Esau, the only time the younger brother was given everything was when the eldest sinned against the father (or God). Both Zedekiah and Jehoiachin are described as wicked kings, so how did the 8 year old Jehoiachin end up king over the 21 year old Zedekiah?

My study bible actually identifies Zedekiah as the uncle of Jehoiachin.^[4] If this is the case, Zedekiah would have been the younger brother of Jehoiakim and Jehohaz. As Jehoiakim's brother, Zedekiah would only have been first in line for the throne if Jehoiakim did not have sons.

2 Kings 24:15-17 tells us that Zedekiah was originally named Mattaniah and the brother of Jehoiakim. 2 Chronicles 36:10 is likely supposed to read "and made Zedekiah, his father's brother, king" instead of "and made Zedekiah his brother king." The NKJV and NIV translate the verse to reference Zedekiah as an uncle, the NASB refers to Zedekiah as a kinsmen, while the ESV and KJV use the phrase "Zedekiah his brother." Regardless, this is not a contradiction because brother could mean kinsmen or relative without meaning a literal brother. In fact, Zedekiah may have acted more as a older brother to Jehoiachin than an uncle.

Zedekiah was the final king of Judah before the complete reign of Babylon. He doesn't just rebel against God during his reign, he rebels against the king of Babylon. Pride often goes hand-in-hand with rebelling against God, and it also leads to trouble with our fellow man. Had Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon while seeking God, the outcome would likely have been in his favor. However, Zedekiah rebels against both the true King (God) and the false king (Babylon), which only makes both angry. God does not come to Judah's defense when Babylon carries out this final attack. Without God's protection, the Israelites are swiftly defeated by the Babylonians who destroy the Temple and carry off the people to be captives.
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The Exile

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Chaz McGregor

If each book of the Bible were a TV show, 2 Kings would have ended with a major cliff hanger leaving us to wonder what happened. 2 Chronicles, on the other hand, tells us exactly what happened after the exile. The book ends with Cyrus, king of Persia, issuing a decree for the Israelites to return home many years later. In Jeremiah 25, Jeremiah prophesies that the Israelites will be captive for 70 years. This is referenced and expanded upon in 2 Chronicles 36:21 Many kings tried to restore Judah, but it is obvious that there were periods of time when they did not follow the sabbaths and feasts proclaimed by God. It is these days that needed to be fulfilled while Judah was in captivity.
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Babylon

I often wonder why Babylon is the city representing evil in prophecy. Why not Egypt or Assyria? Why not Rome? The people of Judah would not have had any experience with Assyria, only the lost tribes from the northern kingdom would have related to that. Since the prophecies were given to Judah, it would make sense that God would stick to nations they understood. There was one major differences between bondage in Egypt and the Roman takeover, compared to captivity in Babylon. Babylon pounced on a weak kingdom of Judah. The Babylonians invaded Judah, destroyed God's Temple, and forced the Israelites to another location. In the cases of Egypt and Rome, the terms of bondage were a little different. The Israelites freely walked into Egypt. The Romans took over Judah, but didn't actually conquer or subdue the Jews until after most of the Bible was written. This is likely why Babylon is the big bad villain in prophecy. Identifying the differences between the Babylonians and these other nations is important to help us identify traits of the antichrist and how the world will operate at the end.
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References

1. "Necho II". Wikipedia; visited March 2017
2. "Eliakim". Abarim Publications; visited March 2017
3. "Jehoiakim". Abarim Publications; visited March 2017
4. Holman Bible Publishers. Holman KJV Study Bible, pg. 787-788. 2014

2 Chronicles 34&35: Josiah

After Amon is killed, Josiah takes the throne at the tender age of 8 (only one year older than Joash when he took the throne). Josiah is another important king in terms of restoring Judah's relationship with God.

Introduction

After Amon is killed, Josiah takes the throne at the tender age of 8 (only one year older than Joash when he took the throne). Josiah is another important king in terms of restoring Judah's relationship with God.
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Age of Accountability

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Rod Long

Can you imagine taking over an entire kingdom at the age of 8? When I was 8 I was barely aware that there were countries other than the US; I would have been a horrible leader. Most likely there were people to advise the young king, and of course, he would have been raised in preparation of taking on such a role. Still, I think its important to take note of the pattern when the young kings took the throne. It seems that child-kings were much more common in Judah, and that God protected the kingdom during their vulnerable years. Joash was raised in the Temple, so he set out following God from the beginning of his reign, but Josiah didn't begin his relationship with God until he had been king for 8 years. Yet, we don't see God become angry or punish the people for Josiah's negligence. We also don't read any negative commentary from the chronicler.

Clearly God did not expect Josiah to know any better at such a young age, which brings us to the topic of "the age of accountability." Most Christians believe that before a certain age, we are not accountable for our sins because we are too young to understand. Since this concept isn't explicitly stated in the Bible, there isn't a consensus of what this age is. Some believe the age is 20, since that's the age at which men began to be included into the number for the army. Others think it is around 12 or 13.^[1] Jesus was 12 when Joseph and Mary found Him studying at the Temple (Luke 2:39-52). Also, the Jewish bar and bat mitzvahs, which represent the age at which Jewish children are considered a part of the community and obligated to keep the law, take place at the ages of 13 and 12 respectively.^[2]

Personally, I do not believe there is a set age and I think Josiah lends to this idea. Josiah was still finding his footing, and God allowed this, despite Josiah being years over 13 when he began to lead the kingdom toward God. People develop at different rates, are introduced to God at different times, and may even have disabilities that affect their maturity level. Surely God takes all of this into consideration when determining whether a person is responsible for a sin or not.
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Josiah's Reign

Once Josiah begins to worship God, eight years into his reign, he brings the people of Judah back to God. At that time, Josiah purged Judah of false altars and idols his grandfather (Manasseh) had built. He even takes this campaign into the northern kingdom in attempt to remove idolatry from all of God's people. Josiah also has the priest make repairs to the Temple, at which point they find the Book of Law.

This is interesting because it leads to the questions of where the Ark of the Covenant was and how long the book had been missing. The law was supposed to be read each year for the people, but if it was lost, this was not occurring. Even the Israelite kingdom that was being led (on average) by God-fearing kings was failing to uphold the law. It's important to remember this when trying to understand why Jesus was needed.

Reading the Law

Many people would be afraid to read such a document; once he read it, he would be accountable and required to uphold that law. Nonetheless, Josiah is quick to have the law read to the people. After realizing how far the kingdom has strayed from God, he seeks counsel from a prophet.

We don't generally think of people as prophets today, but there are definitely people who are better at hearing God's voice than others. When we are having difficulty hearing God, we should seek out such people just as Josiah did. The prophet warns that there will definitely be consequences for Judah's sin, but also promises that due to Josiah's actions, that wrath would not come yet. God was pleased that Josiah had humbled himself before God and put Israel back on the right track, thus he would spare him from judgment. God is merciful; He doesn't punish those who don't deserve it. At the time God was informing the prophet that Judah's punishment would not fall on Josiah, He knew Israel would return to idolatry, thus He knew there would be a group of more sinful Israelites at a later time and they would be more deserving of the punishment.

Passover

As part of Josiah's push to turn the Israelites back to God, he hosts the most festive and remarkable Passover in the history of the kings of Israel. He follows the commandments to the letter and provides sacrificial animals for the those too poor to provide their own. Josiah reestablishes the roles of the Levites for the Temple, which had been instituted by David, including the music for worship service. When addressing the crowd, Josiah mentions the ark, which implies that the ark was still present, though some believe that last time the ark was actually seen was during Solomon's reign. Whether the last sighting of the Ark was during Josiah or Solomon's reign hangs on the literalness of 2 Chronicles 35:2. Josiah may have been referencing the Levite's responsibility to carry the ark during the exodus, or he could have been speaking of them moving the ark right then. In the former case, the Ark could have already been missing, but in the latter it is probably being witnessed in 2 Chronicles. To me, the latter seems more likely. Either way, this is the last time the ark is mentioned at all in the Old Testament.
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Battles & Death

After the Passover, Josiah goes to battle with Egypt. This is quite bold because Egypt wasn't trying to battle Judah, and Josiah had no business in the fight. The pharaoh even claims he is battling with God on his side. The word God is capitalized in the KJV version hinting that the Egyptian may have been referencing the God of Israel, not a pagan god. This could be confirmed or disproven by finding the original Hebrew word and compare it to other references to God versus pagan gods. No reference is given as to why Josiah felt the need to participate in this battle and we are not told what God thought of the issue. Neither are we shown any evidence that Josiah sought out God's guidance before going to battle. Josiah disguises himself because he doesn't want the pharaoh to recognize him and become angry with Judah. Possibly, Josiah didn't want Egypt to become more powerful under the suspicion that eventually they would attack. Regardless, he is injured in battle and dies.
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References

1. What does the bible say about age accountability. Bible.org. January 2001
2. Tracey R Rich. "Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah and Confirmation". Jewfaq.org. 2011

2 Chronicles 33: Manasseh & Amon

Judah's best king was followed by it's worst: Manasseh.

Introduction

After experiencing a power revival in Judah from the leadership of King Hezekiah, Judah plummeted back into idolatry under the reign of his son, Manasseh. Manasseh is described as one of the worst kings in the history of Judah.
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Manasseh

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Frantzou Fleurine

Manasseh takes the throne at 12 years old, which is still a bit young by modern standards but not the youngest Judah had seen. His reign lasted for 55 years but was the complete opposite of Hezekiah's. Where Hezekiah inspired Judah to return to God, Manasseh drove them to idols. He turns the people against their covenant with God and takes part in pagan practices, including witchcraft and child sacrifice. Manasseh re-erects the false altars Hezekiah had destroyed, going so far as to place on inside the Temple of God.

As we would expect, God is not pleased with Manasseh's behavior. However, God never acts without giving us a chance to repent, so He sends a warning to the people. Unfortunately, the Israelites (and ourselves) don't usually heed is warnings because we are so preoccupied with our own interests. When the people refuse to listen, God allows Assyria to attack.
During the attack, Manasseh is taken captive into Babylon. It is only in this time of need that Manasseh repents. Nonetheless, God hears Manasseh's repentance and delivers him back to Judah safely. The key take away from God's mercy, however, is that Manasseh's repentance was sincere. When Manasseh returns to Judah, he doesn't return to pagan practices or forget that God has spared his life; he come back a changed man and we are given evidence of this. He has repairs made to the Temple and gets rid of the false altars he construction within God's Temple.

As with many things in life, however, our bad behavior may speak louder than the good we do and become our legacy and greatest influence. Manasseh's sudden change of heart was too late in terms of his influence over the people of Judah. The were now accustomed to worshipping at the false altars and continued to practice sinful traditions Manasseh had introduced earlier in his reign.
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Relating to Today

African American's are well acquainted with this unfortunate cat and mouse game of good and evil. Just when the Union won the war and freed the slaves, Jim Crow became the law of the South. Similarly, the US went from electing its first Black president to elected Donald Trump, who ran a campaign that did nothing but incite racial hatred. In the Bible we see this same tug of war with Manasseh taking the throne after Hezekiah. Are we just destined for evil?

It's not that we're destined for evil, so much as the devil trying to trick us down that path. The last thing the devil wants to see is God's people worshipping God and behaving the way God wants us to behave. Once a revival begins, the devil is going to seek to squelch interest. He's going to do everything in his power to find a weak link and bring that progress to a halt. Anytime there is a shift in focus to maintaining a serious relationship with God, you can bet the devil is going to try to throw a monkey wrench in the plan. That could be on a large scale, like with the kingdom of Judah, or on a personal scale, like when we make changes in our personal lives. The only way to guard against such attacks is to expect them.
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Amon

When Manasseh dies, his son Amon takes the throne. Amon is 22 when he becomes king and only reigns for 2 years. He, too, does much bad while reigning as king. Possibly responding to Manasseh's change of heart, the people do not appreciate Amon's step back toward paganism and ungodliness. This leads them to conspire against him and have him assassinated. Upon his death, his son Josiah takes over as king.
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References

2 Chronicles 29-32: Hezekiah

Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, takes the throne at the age of 25 and reigns for 29 years. He was one of the best, possibly the best, kings of Judah. It is during Hezekiah's reign that the Israelites experience a major revival in their relationship with God.

Introduction

Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, takes the throne at the age of 25 and reigns for 29 years. He was one of the best, possibly the best, kings of Judah. It is during Hezekiah's reign that the Israelites experience a major revival in their relationship with God.
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Back to Basics

Within the first month of his rule, Hezekiah started making repairs to the Temple; this was a sign that he was dedicated to serving God. Hezekiah tells the people that they have trespassed against God and must now sanctify the Temple and themselves (specifically the Levites). Like with most things, the first step is always admitting that there is a problem. Before we can fix our relationship with God, we have to admit its broken, and that it's our fault there's a problem. Once we realize that, we can start repairing the relationship.

It took the people 8 days to sanctify themselves and another 8 days to sanctify the Temple. Once everything was sanctified, Hezekiah brought leaders from each city with him before the Lord and they sacrificed bullocks, rams, goats, and lambs (7 each) for a sin offering. All of Judah came to rejoice and praise before God. Hezekiah even reinstated musicians to play the trumpet and sing, just as David had ordained.
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Passover

The sanctification process began on the first day of the first month. Since it took a total of 16 days to complete, the Temple was not clean in time for the Passover. As such, Hezekiah followed the law from Numbers 9:9-11, which stated an unclean man was to postpone the Passover celebration until the 2nd month. This Passover was not just celebrated by the kingdom of Judah, but for the northern kingdom as well.

The Passover had not been kept in a long while (2 Chronicles 30:5). This could be in reference simply to Ahaz's reign as king, but it could also include a longer period of time. Nonetheless, the conclusion is that God's people had not been obeying His law. This is another example of how merciful He is; when we stop upholding His law and drift away from following Him, He will wait for us to return.

Some of the northern tribes mocked Hezekiah's invitation, just as people will mock us when we are trying to do right by God. However, a few people from the northern tribe joined him for worship, just as a few will join us in our walk toward God.

Because it had been so long since the Israelites had followed God's law, things were a bit out of sorts. There were a apparently still Levites who had not sanctified themselves but were shamed into doing so after witnessing the Passover sacrifice. Those who were sanctified were in charge of the sacrifice, however many of the northern tribes were unaware that they could not participate in the feast if they were unclean. Anxious to reunite with God, these people partook of the feast despite there unclean state. Hezekiah prays that God will be merciful and forgive them, particularly because they were unaware of their sin. As you can expect, God understood and was well aware of what was in His people's hearts. Instead of punishing them, He heals their uncleanness and accepts their worship.

After the Passover, the people celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The celebration was so great, it was extended another 7 days! It makes sense that people enjoy feasts, however, the Feast of Unleavened Bread requires that only unleavened bread be eaten. This reminds us that praising God can be joyous even when restrictions are placed on our normal lives. Also, since leaven symbolizes sin in the Bible, this reminds us that life with out sin is a joyous experience we want to prolong.
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The Levites

During Hezekiah's reign, the Levites get more organized. Previously, duties had been assigned based on family so it was important for the Levites to iron out their genealogy so that they could return to their duties. Once they resumed worship per God's law, abundance swept over the nation. Revivals like this are powerful and occur even today. I believe such a revival will also come about just before the end.
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Assyria

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, begins attacking Judah city by city during Hezekiah's reign. Knowing that Assyria will eventually come for Jerusalem, Hezekiah beefs up security in the city. He cuts off the water supply, such that only is own people can access the water and reinforces the wall around the city. As the city braces for a battle, Hezekiah tells the people to have faith because he knows that God will take care of them.

Sennacherib, however, stirs up trouble by questioning the faith of the people. Like many who do not truly understand Christianity today, Sennacherib tries to poke holes in the Israelites' faith with that he does know. This is why God wants us to study His word, so that we do not fall into such traps. Sennacherib questions Hezekiah's faithfulness because he has torn down the high places. From Sennacherib's point of view, Hezekiah had desecrated the cities and rendered the god of the city useless.^[1] However, the truth was that God required His sacrifices in a central location (the Temple) and can be in all places. Sennacherib believed that every nation's god or gods were real, but that some were stronger than others. Thus, he reminds the Israelites that no other nation has prevailed against Assyria's gods, who have defeated all of the other gods. The people hear truth in Sennacherib's words and fear because they lacked faith, not only in the strength of God but in the fact that He is the only God. Sennacherib's army defeated the other gods because they didn't exist. We must remember this when we are faced with such an enemy.

When Hezekiah learns of the people's despair, he turns to Isaiah the prophet and the two men pray to God. Hezekiah and Isaiah realized that as men, they could not give the people faith. Instead, they hand the problem over to God, who hears this prayer and protects the kingdom of Judah. An angel sent from God turns the Assyrian army away such that Hezekiah and his men don't have to fight. Seeing this, the people of Jerusalem bring gift to God at the Temple. This likely helped to restore faith in God and probably helped fan the flames of the revival.
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Death

Hezekiah was deathly ill during this time, but he prayed to God to heal him. Remember, not long a ago king Asa had come down with an illness and sought out help from doctors to heal him; he died. Hezekiah, on the other hand, went straight to God and was spared. God grants Hezekiah 15 more years of life (2 Kings 20)! During this time, God blesses Hezekiah with many riches. From monetary riches to spices and livestock, Hezekiah was blessed with abundance. When he dies, he is buried in the chief sepulchre of the kings, which means he was given a great honor.
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References

1. Holman Bible Publishers. Holman KJV Study Bible, pg. 778-779. 2014

2 Chronicles 28: Ahaz

Ahaz takes over the throne from Jotham at the age of 20 and reigns for 16 years.

Introduction

Ahaz takes over the throne from Jotham at the age of 20 and reigns for 16 years. Ahaz is also discusses in 2 Kings 16, the post on this can be found here.
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Ahaz's Reign

Ahaz doesn't follow God's law; instead he follows the ways of the kings of Israel. Not only does Ahaz sacrifice to false gods, he practices the horrible pagan tradition of sacrificing children. This is referred to as passing children through the fire or burning them through the fire. Because of this, God's anger is kindled and Ahaz is punished. When Ahaz dies, he isn't buried with the previous kings.
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Battles

Both Syria and Israel attack Ahaz's kingdom, and because Ahaz has turned his back on God, God allows Judah's enemies to prevail. The kingdom of Judah loses 120,000 men in one day during the battle. The northern Israelites take another 200,000 men, women and children captive.

Obed, a prophet from God stops the northern tribes from enslaving their brethren. The tribes in the north were also sinful, perhaps more sinful than those of Judah, but God still wanted them to abide by the laws set during the Exodus. Fortunately for the men and women of Judah, the people of the northern kingdom heeded the prophet's advice.

With the Edomites and Philistines also warring with Judah, Ahaz sends to Assyria for help—note he doesn't turn to God. Ahaz gives the king of Judah treasures from the Temple, but the king of Assyria doesn't come to their aid. If that wasn't enough, Ahaz then turns further from God and promotes idolatry to the gods of Syria. Naturally, this provokes God's anger.

References

2 Chronicles 27: Jotham

Not much is said about Jotham, but he is also discussed in 2 Kings 15.

Introduction

Jotham is the son of Uzziah and Jerushah. His maternal grandfather was Zadok the priest. There was quite a bit of marriage between the Levite priests and David's descendants. This is not surprising given that our final king, Jesus, is both priest and king.
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Jotham

Jotham becomes king of Judah at the age of 25 and reigns for 16 years. Jotham follows the word of God, but he does not go to the Temple. This means he did not lead the people to worship as was the responsibility of the king. Thus, the people drift away from God and choose to behave wickedly. He builds a high gate for the Temple, as well as, cities in the mountains of Judah. Jotham's reign is also discussed in 2 Kings 15.
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Battles

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Emma Van Sant

Jotham wars with the Ammonites and forces them to pay tribute. The tribute of the Ammonites consists of silver, barley, and wheat. This sum was paid to Jotham for 3 years!
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References

2 Chronicles 26: Uzziah

Uzziah, son of Amaziah, becomes king at the age of 16 and rules for 52 years.

Introduction

Uzziah, son of Amaziah, becomes king at the age of 16 and rules for 52 years.
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Battles

The major accomplishment listed for Uzziah is the restoration of a city called Eloth to the kingdom of Judah. This city is also known as Elath, Ailath, and Alion. Eloth was a seaport that belonged to Edom. It had been captured by David and lost during Jehoram's reign.^[1]

God strengthened Uzziah due to his obedience and helped him in battle against the Philistines and Arabians. He commanded an army of 307,500 men. Uzziah becomes so powerful that the Ammonites give gifts to him and word spread about him all the way to Egypt. He made great weapons of war, which included engines. These engines were not like the engines we think of today. The word here is referring to some sort of device made by skilled people to antagonize the enemy. It may refer to a tower used to hurl stones at the enemy.^[2]
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Character

Photocredit: FreeImages.com/Tatyana Khramtsova

Uzziah loved farming (husbandry) so he built up vineyards and herds of cattle. While obedient, he is very prosperous.

Like so many of Judah's kings, Uzziah starts out as a good king. He follows the ways of God and experiences victory in battle. However, once Uzziah is at full strength, he turns against God. It is easy to forget that we did not become great on our own. It is also easy to believe that because we have power and wealth, we can do whatever we choose. This is the ultimate downfall of many kings of Judah, as well as, many of us today.

Uzziah rebels again God by burning incense on the altar, which which was a task only to be performed by the priests. In light of Uzziah's rebellion, 80 priests fought against him to uphold the honor of God. Uzziah does not repent, as we should when we make a mistake (and we all make mistakes eventually). Instead, he becomes defiant and is struck with leprosy by God. As a leper he is cast out and his son Jotham is given the throne.
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References

1. "Eloth." Bible Hub; visited March 2017
2. "2 Chronicles 26:15 Commentary". Bible Hub; visited March 2017

2 Chronicles 25: Amaziah

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.2 Chronicles 25:2 KJV

Amaziah becomes king of Judah after the death of Joash. He his crowned king at the age of 25 and reigns for 29 years. Like his father, he is assassinated for turning against God.

Introduction

Amaziah becomes king of Judah after the death of Joash. He his crowned king at the age of 25 and reigns for 29 years. Like his father, he is assassinated for turning against God.
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Amaziah

When I look at the name Amaziah, I think "amazing," though I'm pretty sure that's not where we get the word from. For a while, Amaziah is amazing, however. He at least begins his rule by following the word of God.

When he becomes king, one of the first things he does is kill the men who killed his father. This was lawful by God's law. Not only had God not instructed the men to kill Joash, God was capable of killing those who disobeyed him on His own. Thus, these men had committed murder which was punishable by death.

Later, when Amaziah gathers an army to go into battle with Edom, God tells him to leave part of the army behind. This part of the army was from the northern kingdom, and thus not a part of Judah. Even so, this was much like the test of faith God had given many others. In battle, God often proved His presence by delivering an outnumbered Israelite army to victory. Although Amaziah was initially skeptical, considering he had already paid these men and could not be refunded, Amaziah obeys God and reaped exactly this miracle.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.2 Chronicles 25:2 KJV

Unfortunately, just after this victory, Amaziah decides to take up the idols of his enemies. God becomes angry at this breach of the covenant, but Amaziah doesn't repent. He even rejects the counsel of the prophets.

Seeing that the army he hired from Israel has pillaged cities of Judah on their way back home, Amaziah wages war with Israel's king Jehoash (not to be confused with Amaziah's father Joash—both spellings are used for the names). For once, it is Israel that is shunning the war as Jehoash initially refuses to engage Amaziah. After much prompting, the two meet on the battle field and Israel claims victory. Amaziah's lack of faith and disobedience to God caused him to lose the battle. Yet still, Amaziah outlives Jehoash by 15 years. Eventually, Amaziah is assassinated by his own people because he stopped following the ways of God.
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References

2 Chronicles 23&24: Athaliah & Joash

A look at the boy who became king of Judah at the age of 7! Plus discussion on the parallels between Athaliah's murders and end of days prophecies.

Introduction

Joash was one of the youngest kings to be crowned in Israel. The youngest son of Ahaziah, Joash was in danger of being killed by Queen Athaliah when she purged the kingdom of Ahaziah's line to usurp power. Fortunately, Joash was saved by his aunt and able to reclaim the throne. Although Joash reigned for 40 years, like Solomon and David, he stilled died at the young age of 47.
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The Purge

There have been 2 obvious attempts by Satan to stop the Messiah from being born. In Genesis 3:15, God tells Satan that the seed of Eve (a reference the New Testament confirms to be about Jesus), would defeat him. As with most movies we've seen, the villain always wants to eliminate the hero before he has a chance to become the hero. Satan's first attempt to foil God's plan came when the Israelites were in Egypt. If they were forced to be slaves forever, they could never cultivate their relationship with God or set forth the laws of God as example for the world to see. Satan didn't want them delivered from Israel, so he inspired Pharaoh to have all the male children killed. Because God's plan always comes to fruition, Moses was spared and came back to save Israel. This paved the way for the nation that would eventually bring the Messiah into the world. Flash forward to Jesus' birth, and Satan inspires Herod to kill the male children to eradicate the real Messiah. Once again, God protects His chosen heir and protects Jesus. Ironically, it is to Egypt that Mary and Joseph flee with the baby. The attempted purge of the Davidic line by Athaliah, was no doubt an inspiration from Satan and another of his attempt to prevent the Messiah from arriving.
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Foreshadowing

What is most interesting about this is the foreshadowing of end times events and the parallel conflict between God and Satan. In the northern kingdom of Israel, they kings were from Omri's dynasty, and God had placed a curse of them due to Ahab's immense idolatry. God had vowed to eliminate Ahab's line from the throne. Meanwhile, in the southern kingdom, the kings were from David's dynasty, and God had promised that they would have dominion forever (a promise fulfilled through the Messiah). While Jehu was cleansing the north of Ahab's descendants per God's order, Athaliah was trying to rid the south of David's descendants per the devil's order. However, there was overlap! Ahaziah was a descendant of both Ahab and David, thus the same was true of his sons and their sons.

In Revelation, there are two women featured; one represents the true church of God and the other represents the false church. Here, David's line represented the true church of God, the rightful heirs to the throne, while Ahab's line represented the false church. Most of David's descendants attempted to follow God, though many made mistakes and ultimately succumbed to idolatry. The kings of the north made no attempt to follow God at all. However, unlike the explicitly pagan nations surrounding them, God hadn't declared a separation between these two. There was nothing the forbade Jehoram from marrying Ahab's daughter the way Solomon had been forbidden to marry his pagan wives. This ushered in a new lineage in the southern kingdom that was actually the product of both lines. This foreshadows the daughters of the whore of Babylon. In Revelation 17, we are told that the false church is the mother of harlots, which means it produces more like itself. Similarly, Ahaziah followed the ways of Ahab (the false church). Today, we see a mixture of paganism and Biblical teachings and the two have become so intertwined that we cannot differentiate between them. Just as the true line of David has to be restored, the true church of God has to be called out from Babylon (Revelation 18:4).

Satan adds to the confusion by mimicking God's actions. We know which is which because we are reading about the events and hindsight is 20/20, but during the end times, we won't have the benefit of hindsight. We will need to be able to recognize the true church from the false church and differentiate God punishing the false church from Satan persecuting the true church.
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Joash Spared

DISCLAIMER: No one knows what anyone from the Bible
looks like, this image is just a reminder of Joash's youth.
Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Joseph Gonzalez

Ahaziah's sister, Jehoshabeath, smuggles the infant Joash from out of Athaliah's clutches. She takes the baby to her husband Jehoida, who was a priest, for safe keeping. Joash spends 6 years hiding out under the protection of the priests in the Temple. (Can you still see the parallels to revelation?) During the seventh year, Jehoida calls together an army to protect him so that he can ascend the throne. It was likely a hard task to keep the boy confined to the Temple. Further, Athaliah was damaging Israel's relationship with God, so it behooved them to put a man of God back on the throne as soon as possible.

Jehoida's army was strategically placed around the Temple with weapons to guard the young king. Once they were in place, Joash is anointed king. This act causes great jubilation and rejoicing which attracts the attention of Athaliah. When the queen comes to investigate the noisy celebration, she is killed by the army set to protect the young king.
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Joash's Reign

Joash starts off a great king; he follows God and honors the law. One of his first orders of business it to make repairs to the Temple, which has become run down. Between aging over time and the carting off of its riches, it stands to reason that at this point in time, the Temple may have been a bit shabby. Having grown up in God's home, Joash would have been quite aware of these damages and probably had a stronger desire than any one else to restore the Temple.

However, like many of Judah's kings, during the end of Joash's reign, he succumbs to the devil's temptations. A son of Jehoida the priest named Zechariah speaks out against the idolatry that has crept back into Judah. Zechariah prophesies destruction if they continue down that path. This enrages Joash to the point that he has Zechariah stoned! In doing so, Joash is not only rejecting the message of God, he is allowing and even sanctioning sinful behavior in his people. Further, Jehoida would have likely been the only father figure Joash had ever had and it was because of him that Joash was even able to reclaim the throne. How cruel is it that Joash has Jehoida's son, who may have been like a brother to him, stoned? Naturally God punishes this change of heart. Joash's fall is so great that when he dies, he is not buried with the other kings of Judah.
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Zechariah

The first question I had after reading these chapters, was if Zechariah the son of Jehoida was the same Zechariah in the Book of Zechariah. Apparently this is quite the hot topic.

In Matthew 23:31-35, Jesus says that Zechariah was the son of Berechiah and that he died between the Temple and the altar. The Zechariah of 2 Chronicles 24 was stone in the courtyard of the Temple and is the son of Jehoida. Does this mean there's a contradiction? Or are these passages referencing different Zechariahs? Or, are these passages saying the same thing in different ways? There are enough similarities to suggest that the court of the Temple was located between the Temple of the altar and since "son of" could refer to distant ancestors, both Berechiah and Jehoida could be the "fathers" of Zechariah. However, if we read Zechariah 1:1, we see that the Zechariah Jesus is referencing ruled during the reign of Darius I of Persia, some 300 years after the Zechariah of 2 Chronicles 24 lived. Thus, these are not the same men.^[2]
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References

1. Revelation 17
2. Tim Chaffey. "Was Jesus Wrong About Zechariah’s Father?". Answers in Genesis. February 2012

2 Chronicles 22: Ahaziah & Athaliah

Ahaziah's brief reign plus the cruelty of his mother Athaliah are discussed.

Introduction

2 Chronicles 21 tells us that Jehoahaz takes over for Jehoram after his death, but 2 Chronicles 22 details the reign of Ahaziah, who has taken over for Jehoram. This is because Ahaziah and Jehoahaz are the same person; this is evidenced by the matching back stories given for them. Name changes are not only common in the Bible, they are common in our present day society.

2 Chronicles 21 tells us about the defeat and punishment of Ahaziah's father Jehoram, which included the capture of Ahaziah's brothers. As the sole remaining heir, Ahaziah was placed on the throne without contest, despite being the youngest son. Ahaziah has only a short reign before his mother, Athaliah, takes the throne.
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Ahaziah's Reign

2 Chronicles 22:2 says Ahaziah was 42 when he began to reign, but this doesn't make sense if his father was only 40 when he died. 2 Kings 8:26 says Ahaziah was only 22 when he became king, which seems much more probable. Answers in Genesis has an in-depth article on resolving Ahaziah's age. They suggest 2 possibilities. One is that 42 refers to his place in the dynasty of Omri, while 22 refers to his actual age. The other is that it is a copyist error because older versions of the manuscript read 22 in both places.^[1] Since Omri was neither a good king nor a focal point for Judah, I am inclined to side with those who believe it is a copyist error. However, it is important to note that the numbers do add up. Omri was king for 12 years (1 Kings 16:23). His son, Ahab, reigns for 22 years (1 Kings 16:29). Ahab's daughter married Jehoram of Judah, who reigned 8 years before Ahaziah becomes king of Judah. During Jehoram's reign, Omei's line is still ruling in Israel. Following Ahaziah's lineage, we see that 12+22+8 is exactly 42, so Ahaziah really does describe his place in the dynasty as well.
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The Ways of Ahaziah

As king, Ahaziah listens to his mother (Athaliah) and follows the ways of Ahab, who was Ahaziah's grandfather and an ungodly king who had ruled over the north kingdom previously. Ahaziah goes to war against Syria with his uncle, Jehoram of Israel (not to be confused with his father). The pair then fight Jehu which brings about both of their ends. Jehu kills Ahaziah because he was descended from Ahab and God was eradicating Ahab's line in the north. Ahaziah only ruled for 1 year before dying in battle. Since he was not leading Judah to God and participated in idolatry, it's probably a good thing that he did not get a full reign.
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Queen Athaliah

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Maarten van den Heuvel

2 Chronicles 21 says that Jehoram's wives were taken captive, but it doesn't specify that all of his wives are taken the same way it does regarding his sons. Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, apparently managed to escape with her son and is thus a major part of Ahaziah's reign. Given that Ahaziah's brothers were all taken away and that at 23 Ahaziah was unlikely to have fathered any children old enough to be king, the heir to throne would have had a hard time taking a stand for power on his own.

Determined the acquire this power and never relinquish it, Athaliah kills her own grandchildren to become queen. Jehoram's daughter (and thus Ahaziah's sister), Jehoshabeath, hides Ahaziah's youngest son. Jehoshabeath was married to a priest, which explains why the boy was raised in the Temple. The baby was hidden in the Temple for 6 years while Athaliah reigned.
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References

1. Stacia McKeever and Bodie Hodge. "Two Ages at Once". Answers in Genesis. December 15, 2008

2 Chronicles 21: Jehoram

The reign of Jehoram of Judah is discussed.

Introduction

Jehoram, also spelled Joram, is one of the kings of Judah that shares his name with a king of Israel. Not only does he share his name with a king of Israel, the two reigned at the same time! Some have speculated that they are actually the same person and that Judah was under the reign of Israel at the time. This theory will be discussed below, in addition to details of Jehoram's reign.
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Who Was Jehoram?

Jehoram takes over the throne of Judah at the age of 32 when his father, Jehoshaphat, dies. Jehoram had several younger brothers, who were given great gifts from Jehoshaphat. The names of his brothers are given as: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. Strangely, Azariah is listed twice, which made me wonder if Jehoshaphat had two sons named Azariah. Although it sounds weird, it's strangely common according to Google searches.^[1] In the original Hebrew text, the name is not quite identical. One "Azariah" contains an extra character; this could change the name or be an indicator between siblings with the same name. Whatever the case, none of Jehoram's brothers were able to enjoy the gifts they inherited from Jehoshaphat. didn't get to enjoy these gifts because Jehoram kills them as soon as he became king.

It goes without saying that Jehoram was not a good king and did not follow God's law. He marries the daughter of Ahab, which scholars believe may have been suggested by his father in attempt to bring the two kingdoms back together.^[2] Instead, the kingdoms remain at odds and Jehoram ends up following the ways of Ahab and turns Judah into idolatry just as Israel had been.

Although God's anger is kindled against Jehoram (and a few other descendants of David) God does not destroy the lineage however, because of his covenant with David. God already knew that He would fulfill His promise to David, Abraham, and even Eve, through Jesus. In Israel God allows dynasties to die, the way Ahab and his descendants did, but God ensures that there is always a descendent of David because it is through this succession that Jesus was to come. Nonetheless, God cuts Jehoram's reign short, allowing up to control Judah for only 8 years.

The Two Jehorams

When Did He Reign?

The timeline surrounding the two Jehoram's is quite confusing. 2 Kings 1:17, 2 Kings 3:1, and 2 Kings 8:16 seem to conflict on when exactly these successions took place.

1 Kings 22:41 tells us that Jehoshaphat (Jehoram of Judah's father) began his reign during the 4th year of Ahab (Jehoram of Israel's father). Ahab reigns for 22 years (1 Kings 16:29), before his son Ahaziah takes the throne. Jehoram of Judah takes the throne after Ahaziah, who reigns for 2 years. Jehoram of Israel takes the throne after Ahaziah. Based on this timeline, it seems that Jehoram of Israel should start his reign roughly during the 20th year of Jehoshaphat. However, we are told that Ahaziah began his reign during Jehoshaphat's 17th year (1 Kings 22:51) and Jehoram during Jehoshaphat's 18th year. This makes sense if you consider that these numbers are probably rounded up; the final year of each king was probably not a complete year. On top of that, we must consider that when defining "the xth year of" a particular king, we may be starting from the beginning of the year or the point of coronation. Taking this into consideration, 2 Kings 3:1 makes sense.^[3]

However, 2 Kings 1:17 tells us that Jehoram of Israel took the throne during Jehoram of Judah's 2nd year. Many people initially believe this to be a contradiction, before considering co-regency. Co-regency often occurred as kings planned to pass the kingdom on to a particular son. If we consider a co-regency, then this verse goes from being a contradiction to a basket of new information. If a co-regency existed between Jehoshaphat and Jehoram of Judah, it would make sense that Jehoshaphat's 18th year was the same as Jehoram's 2nd year.^[3]

What about 2 Kings 8:16, though? This verse tells us that Jehoram of Israel had already been reigning for 5 years when Jehoram of Judah began his reign. How is that possible if Jehoram of Israel started his reign during Jehoram of Judah's 2nd year? Perhaps what is meant is that Jehoram of Judah began his independent reign 5 years in to Jehoram of Israel's reign. Depending on the time of year each event occurred, this would mean Jehoram of Judah took over for Jehoshaphat after Jehoshaphat had ruled 23 to 24 years. This doesn't quite line up with the 25 years Jehoshaphat reigned, though does it? Actually, it does. 2 Kings 8:16 tells us that Jehoshaphat was still king. During his last year as king, he likely handed over the reigns to his son and gave him the primary role as king.^[3]
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Where There 2 Jehorams?

With all the confusion surrounding the timeline of the Jehorams, it's not surprising that people began making up conspiracy theories. There are some who believe there was only one Jehoram and that Judah was briefly conquered by Israel. There isn't anything to back up this claim. It is not unusal for people to have the same name, in fact many people in the Bible have the same name. Further, the marriage between Ahab's line and David's could have played a role in this if they were named after someone.^[4]

Battles & Wars

Although God didn't wipe out Jehoram and his entire family, He did punish Jehoram for his sinfulness. God allows the Edomites to rebel. Prior to these events, the Edomites had been under the dominion of Judah, but now they had appointed their own king. Essentially Edom was declaring itself independent. Following Edom's lead, a place called Libnah also revolted. Jehoram sends armies to bring these nations back under his control, however, neither nation caves to Jehoram's demands. With God out of the picture—due to Jehoram's poor relationship with God—Judah was like a sitting duck and unable to take on a real army.
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Idolatry & More Warring

Jehoram also makes altars outside of the Temple; whether these were pagan or for God, were forbidden. This caused the Israelites of Judah to drift further from God. The prophet Elijah sends him a letter explaining God's disappointment for these actions as well as outlining the punishment God would give Jehoram. This possibly the only king of Judah that was contacted by Elijah, the great prophet of Israel.

God enacts vengeance through a great plague, which was a sickness of the bowels. God also stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians near Ethiopia to battle with Judah. These nations raided the house of the king, stealing not only valuables but Jehoram's wives and children. The only person left is Jehoahaz, Jehoram's youngest son, who would go on to continue the lineage.
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Death and Illness

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Jon Butterworth

Following such failure and lost, God strikes Jehoram with the incurable disease of the bowels prophesied by Elijah. After 2 years of suffering, Jehoram dies. Because of his shame, the people buried him with David's descendants but not with the other kings.
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References

1. "Google Search: Sibling with the Same Name"; visited March 2017
2. Holman Bible Publishers. Holman KJV Study Bible, pg. 761-763. 2014
3. "2 Chronicles 21 Commentary". Bible Hub; visited March 2017
4. Dick Harfield. "Who began his reign first: Jehoram of Israel, or Jehoram of Judah?". Stack Exchange. October 2013

2 Chronicles 17-20: Jehoshaphat

The rule of Jehoshaphat over Judah is discussed. These chapters are paralleled in 1 Kings 22.

Introduction

Asa's son Jehoshaphat not only follows God, but seeks out peace with the northern kingdom. He is a devout king that brings much good to Judah during his 25 year reign. Jehoshaphat takes the throne at 35 years old. The passages in 2 Chronicles 17-20 are paralleled in 1 Kings 22.
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Reform

Photocredit: FreeImages.com/Tom Low

When Jehoshaphat takes over the throne, he is determined to keep Israel on the path of righteousness. He even sends princes and Levites to teach the law of God in different cities. Due to his faithfulness, the kingdom experiences peace during his reign. No one dared attack, and the Philistines and Arabians even send gifts in his honor. Faithfulness does not prevent Jehoshaphat from building an army, however. We are given an outline of the mighty captains who led the army, which was largest army Judah had seen thus far.

Jehoshaphat had removed "groves" or idols from Judah, though he does not remove the "high places" or altars. God did not want idolatry among His people and was likely very proud of Jehoshaphat for destroying such things.

Jehoshaphat sets judges over the cities. He warns them, even then, about judging a person; that is God's job alone. We can discern the right actions and tell someone when they are in the wrong, but we cannot judge the soul of the person. Amariah was the chief priest at the time. Top

Healing the Rift

Jehoshaphat recognized that the Israelites of the north were the same people as those of the south and tried to repair the bonds between the two kingdoms. While meeting with the king of the north, Ahab, he agrees to go to war with Syria, despite a prophet of the LORD proclaiming their defeat.

The entire exchange about the battle is quite weird. Following the exchange, it is obvious that God wanted Ahab to go into the battle to meet his demise. Jehoshaphat understood that God wants Ahab to go into this battle and therefore complies. During the battle Ahab disguises himself which almost gets Jehoshaphat killed. However, when Jehoshaphat calls on God, God protects him. There is a lot to think about here. On one hand, this could be an indication that Jehoshaphat was not in the wrong when he went to battle, because God spared him. On the other hand, this could be a lesson in choosing our acquaintances wisely. Ahab essentially set Jehoshaphat up for death. Had Jehoshaphat not called on God, he would have died in the battle. God knows that we will make mistakes, so we are fortunate that when we call to Him for help that He will answer. However, we should remember that when we associate with ungodly people we are more likely to end up in ungodly situations.

Jehoshaphat survives the battle, but Ahab does not. While we will see continued attempts to heal the rift between Israel and Judah, I can't imagine this situation helping the relation. Imagine, the reaction of Israel that their "enemy" Judah had agreed to go to battle with them, but Israel's king dies in battle and Judah's king walks away free. I'm sure conspiracy theorists of the time had a field day with that.
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Jehoshaphat Condemned

In 1 Kings we never see a reaction from God or Judah about Jehoshaphat's attempt to make peace with Israel. Since God told Rehoboam not to fight his brothers, it seems reasonable to assume God would be pleased with Jehoshaphat's actions. However, a prophet of God condemns Jehoshaphat for associating with those that hate the Lord (Ahab). In the same chapter Jehoshaphat is praised for his actions in following God. This adds to the confusion of which lesson we are to take from this scenario.

Today we often make the mistake of believing God wants peace at all cost, including compromise of His word. This is not true. Now that the northern kingdom had fallen so deeply into idolatry, they were just as dangerous as the pagan nations to Judah's relationship with God. God may not have wanted them fighting each other, because there was always hope for Israel's return, but He didn't want His holy nation joining with a disobedient and pagan nation, either.
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Interesting

In 2 Chronicles 19 we read about Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael was over Judah. I find this interesting considering the rift that existed and still exists between the children of Isaac, verses the children of Ishmael. Clearly there was an intermarriage that placed Zebadiah in this position. God forbade the Israelites from intermarrying with the Canaanites (which they did anyway), or the other pagan nations, but we see plenty of examples where people from these nations committed to follow God and were accepted into the nation. This reiterates the fact that we all have an equal opportunity to be accepted into God's nation.
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Moab and Ammon Attack

When the Moabites and the Ammonites come against Judah, Jehoshaphat's reaction is to seek God. He even proclaims a fast throughout the kingdom. This is what God expected of his people and is in stark contrast to the kings who sold the treasures of God to buy allies from pagan nations during times of distress (even Jehoshaphat's father Asa fell prey to this mentality). God fights the war for Israel, causing the allied armies to turn against themselves and kill one another.
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Downfall

Overall Jehoshaphat is described as a great, God-fearing king. However, near the end of his reign, he joins himself with Ahab's son Ahaziah who does evil. God does not allow the works of their collaboration to prosper. It is important to choose our friends and collaborators carefully.
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References