(The previous post covered the end of Asa's reign and the beginning of Jehoshaphat's reign.)
2 Chronicles 19
1 And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.
(After warring, Jehoshaphat returned to his house in peace.)
2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate Jehovah? for this thing wrath is upon thee from before Jehovah.
(Jehu asked Jehoshaphat if he should help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord (Ahab/Israel). Because of this, God's wrath was upon Jehoshaphat. God stated His wrath would come upon Judah because of unholy alliances with the enemies of God. Jehu had declared Israel unholy in 1 Kings 16:1 with his prophecy to Baasha.)
3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and hast set thy heart to seek God.
(There were good things found in Jehoshaphat. He removed groves from the land and prepared his heart to seek God.)
4 And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to the hill-country of Ephraim, and brought them back unto Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
(Jehoshaphat responded by restricting his progress to Israel and bringing back his men's focus to the Lord.)
(Verses 5-11: Jehoshaphat's reforms for the judges.)
5 And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
6 and said to the judges, Consider what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for Jehovah; and he is with you in the judgment.
(Jehoshaphat told the judges to consider (also translated as "take heed") what they do when judging the people because they judge for God and not for man. God will be with them in the judgment.)
7 Now therefore let the fear of Jehovah be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with Jehovah our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes.
(In order for God to be with them when they judged, they must fear Him. God is Right and Just.)
8 Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites and the priests, and of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah, and for controversies. And they returned to Jerusalem.
9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of Jehovah, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.
10 And whensoever any controversy shall come to you from your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, ye shall warn them, that they be not guilty towards Jehovah, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not be guilty.
11 And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Jehovah; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and Jehovah be with the good.
(Jehoshaphat gave a charge to the men he set to judge for God. Amariah the high priest was their leader and Zebadiah (a son of Ishmael).)
2 Chronicles 20
(This chapter continued Jehoshaphat's story.)
1 And it came to pass after this, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Syria; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (the same is En-gedi).
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto Jehovah; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
(Jehoshaphat feared the other countries coming against him, so he sought God and proclaimed a fast throughout all of Judah. It seemed like Jehoshaphat learned from his father’s (Asa) mistake of putting trust in men (2 Chronicles 16:7) instead of God.)
(Moab and Ammon were from Lot.)
4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek help of Jehovah: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.
(Verses 5-12: Jehoshaphat led a prayer.)
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new court;
6 and he said, O Jehovah, the God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and in thy hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee.
(Jehoshaphat began praying to God in the temple. He addressed God and built his faith through understanding.)
7 Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
9 If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save.
(Jehoshaphat referenced Solomon’s prayer during the dedication of the temple. He built his faith with experience.)
10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not;
11 behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
(He referenced Justice.)
12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
(Jehoshaphat’s request was that God would judge the Ammonites and Moabites.)
13 And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of Jehovah in the midst of the assembly;
15 and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat: Thus saith Jehovah unto you, Fear not ye, neither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
(Jahaziel, a Levite whom the Spirit of God came to in the middle of the congregation, told all of Judah not to fear because the battle was God's and not theirs.)
16 To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, nor be dismayed: to-morrow go out against them: for Jehovah is with you.
(They would not have to fight in this battle but they were still told to go out against the enemy because God would be with them. Doing this would prove their faith. This was God's response of understanding to their prayer. Now it was up to the people to decide what they would do.)
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, worshipping Jehovah.
(All of Judah fell and worshipped before God.)
19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah, the God of Israel, with an exceeding loud voice.
20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in Jehovah your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them that should sing unto Jehovah, and give praise in holy array, as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto Jehovah; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
(Singers were appointed. They were going to follow God's request.)
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, Jehovah set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, that were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
(When they were singing and praising, God set the enemies against each other. They all helped destroy each other.)
24 And when Judah came to the watch-tower of the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude; and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none that escaped.
25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much.
26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed Jehovah: therefore the name of that place was called The valley of Beracah unto this day.
(The valley of Beracah meant "the valley of blessing.")
27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of Jehovah.
29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Jehovah fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet; for his God gave him rest round about.
(Verses 31-37: the conclusion of Jehoshaphat's reign.)
31 And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah.
33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away; neither as yet had the people set their hearts unto the God of their fathers.
(Jehoshaphat did right before God. However, not all of the high places were taken away...especially, Solomon's special high places.)
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in the book of the kings of Israel.
(The History of Jehu??)
35 And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel; the same did very wickedly:
36 and he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.
(Jehoshaphat joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, an unholy alliance.)
37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
(Eliezer prophesied against Jehoshaphat. The reason for Jehoshaphat joining himself with Ahaziah was destroyed. The benefit of having ships go to Tarshish was a right what but Jehoshaphat did it with a wrong how. He should not have joined himself with Ahaziah, who was wicked. Again, this was Jehoshaphat acting as king, not as an individual. This sin was not held against Jehoshaphat the individual. It was held against the king of Judah, and recorded in this book from God's perspective of a king acting as king.)
2 Chronicles 21
1 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
(Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, reigned over Judah.)
2 And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
3 And their father gave them great gifts, of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the first-born.
4 Now when Jehoram was risen up over the kingdom of his father, and had strengthened himself, he slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel.
(Jehoram reigned because he was the oldest of his brothers but this did not stop him from killing all his brothers with the sword. He was an evil king of Judah.)
5 Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.
(Jehoram married Ahab's daughter.)
7 Howbeit Jehovah would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a lamp to him and to his children alway.
(Even though Jehoram was evil, God held His end of the Covenant with David and did not destroy them.)
8 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
(Edom (Esau) caused havoc to Judah and made themselves a king.)
9 Then Jehoram passed over with his captains, and all his chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites that compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots.
10 So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day: then did Libnah revolt at the same time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Jehovah, the God of his fathers.
11 Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot, and led Judah astray.
(Jehoram made high places in Judah that caused the people of Jerusalem to play the harlot. The phrase "play the harlot" was also translated as "commit fornication" which was idolatry. The word idolatry meant "giving one's self to an image.")
12 And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13 but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot, like as the house of Ahab did, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, who were better than thyself:
14 behold, Jehovah will smite with a great plague thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy substance;
15 and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness, day by day.
(Elijah wrote Jehoram to say a plague would be upon him and his children, wives, and goods. Jehoram would have a disease of his bowels until his bowels fell out. Instead of God judging Judah, He judged the king as king.)
16 And Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians that are beside the Ethiopians:
17 and they came up against Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
(Only Jehoram’s youngest son was spared.)
18 And after all this Jehovah smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
19 And it came to pass, in process of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness, and he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
(God’s Word regarding Jehoram came to pass.)
20 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.
(This post covered the end of Jehoshaphat's reign and Jehoram's reign.)
Day 126
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