Lives of Scripture

Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, is remembered as one of Judah's genuinely good kings: he removed many high places, sent officials and Levites to teach the Law throughout Judah, and appointed judges told, "Consider what you are doing, for you judge not for man but for the LORD" (2 Chronicles 17:6-9; 19:4-7). When a vast coalition of Moabites and Ammonites invaded, Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast, prayed that Judah had "no might... but our eyes are on You," and sent singers ahead of the army — the enemy coalition destroyed itself before Judah even engaged (2 Chronicles 20:1-30). Yet his record is not clean: he made a marriage alliance with wicked King Ahab by joining his son Jehoram to Ahab's daughter Athaliah, later bringing Baal worship and bloodshed into Judah's own royal line (2 Chronicles 18:1; 21:6; 22:2-4). He nearly died fighting alongside Ahab at Ramoth-gilead after ignoring the prophet Micaiah's warning, and was rebuked by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani simply for helping "the wicked" (1 Kings 22:29-33; 2 Chronicles 19:1-3). A later shipping partnership with wicked King Ahaziah of Israel ended in shipwreck, again prophesied as judgment for the alliance (2 Chronicles 20:35-37). Jehoshaphat's story shows genuine faithfulness coexisting with dangerously compromised alliances.