Jehoshaphat worked with Ahaziah the king of Israel (2 Chron. 20:35-37) in building ships to get gold from Ophir, but the Lord was not pleased with this alliance, for Ahaziah was a wicked king, as his father Ahab had been. Jehoshaphat should have learned the wrong of such alliances by what had happened when he linked himself with Ahab, but how often self-will comes in and we do not humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. Because the Lord graciously comes in and delivers us when we call upon Him, as He did Jehoshaphat, is there not a danger of our rejoicing at the deliverance and not asking the Lord why He allowed the difficulty? Then we miss the blessing because we have not learned the lesson the Lord would teach us, and so He has to speak again, perhaps a little louder the next time.
This is what happened to Jehoshaphat in our chapter, for after all his great effort and expense in building these ships for gold, the Lord blew un the plan and his ships were smashed to pieces. I believe there is also another lesson for us all here. Sometimes we seem to prosper in material things for a time, and without realizing it the love of money comes with our possessions (if we are not using them for the Lord), and we begin to make money a sort of object. We strive after it. We talk of how much we have made, and little by little material things replace Christ in our hearts. Then the Lord comes in and smashes our plans, as He did Jehoshaphat’s ships, letting us learn our folly in the hard way. Often we do not realize how much our possessions have become an idol until the Lord allows some shake-up, and we have to relax our grasp on the things of earth which we are so soon to leave behind. Paul warned those who were rich in this world (as Jehoshaphat was) not to be high-minded, nor to trust in uncertain riches but rather to use what they had for the Lord and to lay up a good foundation against the time to come. (1 Timothy 6:17-20.) We cannot take our money with us, but the way we use it will not be footten in that day of manifestation. Of course we know material prosperity was a sign of God’s blessing in the Jewish order of things, but even they were warned not to allow these things to turn their hearts away from the Lord. (Deut. 8:10-20.) No doubt we would be spared many a sorrow if we would turn to the Lord and seek His mind first, instead of building our “ships” for gold. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6.
Ahaziah the king of Israel walked in the same wicked ways in which his father had walked, and served Baal. He did not learn from God’s solemn dealings with his father, though these things should have been a lesson to him. And they should be a lesson to us too, for God has written them for our learning and admonition, that we should not fall into the same snares.
This brings us to the close of the first book of Kings, for man under responsibility (as he is seen in Kings) is a failure, as always, whether it be in Israel’s history or now in the Church period. Israel would have been cut off completely, as we would also, if it were not for God’s gracious promises of blessing, the fulfillment of which are made sure in Christ.
ML 09/09/1956