King Jehoshaphat was a man who loved God. The scriptures tell us in the Chronicles that his heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord. He carried out a national program of religious education for the people. The program’s purpose was to instill in the people’s minds a sense of commitment and mission. This was a good thing. He wanted the people to know God through this program and as a result the nation began to follow God.
However, although he had this commitment toward God, Jehoshaphat allowed and arranged for his son to marry Athaliah, the daughter of the wicked King Ahab of Israel. Then, he made a military alliance with him. Jehoshaphat was a king well-liked and respected. His popularity and power attracted the very sly and opportunistic Ahab.
The alliance however was disastrous and there were consequences. First of all, he incurred God’s wrath. Secondly, when Jehoshaphat died and Athaliah became queen, she seized the throne and almost destroyed all of David’s descendants. And, thirdly, Athaliah brought the evil practices of Israel into Judah, which eventually led to the nation’s downfall.
Jehoshaphat compromised as his father, Asa did before him. When believers become allied with unbelievers, values can be compromised and spiritual awareness dense. The alliance was not set on equal footing.
One man served God and the other did not. We entice disaster when we enter into alliance with unbelievers because our very foundations are different.
While one serves the Lord, the other does not recognize God’s authority.
And, what inevitably happens is the one who serves God is faced with the temptation to compromise values. When that occurs spiritual disaster results.
I’ve been through such situations before and have learned the “hard way” that conceding to compromise my ethics; beliefs, standards, integrity is not a win-win situation. It’s almost spiritual suicide and that is disastrous! You may ask but how can that happen? It does and for that reason alone we must be consistent in our relationship with the Lord. Don’t let it go and let it be!
This segment of Jehoshaphat’s story reminds me of the scripture in Psalms, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the work of the builders is wasted.” Each one of us is responsible for our “inner home” and how we build it and what we put into it. It is definitely our personal choice.
We won’t go wrong with the Lord as its foundation and build upon that obeying the instruction, reading and studying the lay out and plan and following it.
ritasalomon 