II Chronicles Chapter 19
Please read: II Chronicles 19 –
There are only two ways in which a person will respond when faced with their own personal sin. They will either humble themselves and seek forgiveness or they will suppress it and cover it up just like a child might try to hide a treasure they broke so as not to get in trouble. King Jehoshaphat was a man who faced his sin in humility and led the people of Judah to seek after God.
We can surmise that there had been great apathy in the southern kingdom, especially since their king had stooped so low as to make an alliance with King Ahab of the northern kingdom. That alliance is described in the previous chapter and would lead to King Jehoshaphat’s downfall in the next chapter.
For most of his reign, King Jehoshaphat was a man who revered the one true God and when faced with his sin he set out on a campaign to make things right with God in his life and in the lives of the people of Judah.
Let's Reflect
1. There may have been a moment when King Jehoshaphat thought that all was well despite having made an alliance with the most wicked king of all. Afterall, it was King Ahab that died and he had survived. But word shortly came from God reminding him that God sees all of our actions. What did the seer named Jehu say to the king that quickly stopped King Jehoshaphat in his tracks?
2. Verse 4 indicates that it was King Jehoshaphat himself that travelled through his kingdom from Beersheba to Ephraim. What was his purpose?
3. The king appointed judges throughout the land with what special instructions?
4. He also instructed the priests and the Levites to act as judges to settle difficult cases. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the judges in our modern times were instructed to deal with judicial matters in the way that King Jehoshaphat instructed?
