The reign of Ahab, looked at historically, was in general prosperous and glorious. Moab was tributary, Syria subject and quiet. The king had an ivory palace, and built fresh cities: a new motive to own Jehovah; a snare to one who worshiped Baal. God did not regard all this prosperity. In a moral point of view, this reign stamps its character upon the kingdom of Israel. It is apostasy and iniquity, but at the same time, the testimony of a faithful and patient God.
The last chapter (1 Kings 22) presents another element of this history, namely, the guilty alliances which were formed between the royal families of Israel and Judah. Both of them prosperous at this period, they seek the establishment and increase of their power by peace and mutual alliances. On Jehoshaphat’s side it was nothing but unfaithfulness and forgetfulness of God. And, if God did not forsake him, Jehoshaphat saw the commencement of chastisements, the results of which were deeply disastrous to his house.
But what was morally the character of this alliance? It is Jehoshaphat who comes to Ahab and not Ahab to Jehoshaphat. The latter asks, as a favor, that Jehovah may be consulted. After this request the false prophets make use of Jehovah’s name to announce the success of the enterprise. This was natural enough; for the Syrians having been overcome, and having failed in performing the conditions of peace laid upon them, Ahab was going to assert his rights with the help of the king of Judah.
In short Jehovah’s name is in the mouth of the false prophets, Micaiah (for the king of Judah was uneasy)—Micaiah, being come, announces misfortune. But Ahab’s mind was made up; and the king of Judah was bound to his engagement. It was no longer time to consult Jehovah: to inquire after the truth, in such a position as this, was but to learn a judgment which they had resolved to contemn. Ahab was more consistent than Jehoshaphat. The conscience of the latter only made every one uncomfortable, and proved his own folly. To please Jehoshaphat by speaking to him of Jehovah was no more than decency required; but it was all that Ahab did for Jehoshaphat, except that he unwillingly sent for Micaiah.
Jehoshaphat helped Ahab against Syria; he helped Jehoram against Moab; but neither Ahab nor his son helped Jehoshaphat in any one thing, except to be unfaithful to Jehovah. Ahaziah was willing indeed to go with him, but it was in order to obtain gold from Ophir. It would rather appear that this alliance was the cause of that between Moab, Ammon, and Seir against Jehoshaphat. Happily it was no question then of assisting Israel.
Such is the history of the alliances of believers, not only with unbelievers, but with the unfaithful. The latter, are very willing that we should go with them, but to walk in the ways of truth is another thing. This is not the question with them; if they so walked, they would cease to be unfaithful. A true union would necessarily have made Jerusalem the center and capital of the land: for Jehovah and His temple were there. The alliance took it for granted that Jehoshaphat had given up all such idea, since it showed that he recognized Ahab in his position. There is no equality in an alliance between truth and error; since, by this very alliance, truth ceases to be truth, and error does not thereby become truth. The only thing lost is the authority and obligation of the truth.