Of all the Old Testament types written for our admonition, there is perhaps not one more deeply interesting to us at this moment, than the history of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chron. 17-20)
These are remarkable words, “And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim. But sought the Lord God of his father David, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.” (Chap. 17:3, 4.) He who was with Jehoshaphat has thus promised, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Are we so gathered to Him that it can be said of us, The Lord is with you? Do we know this to be really so? Are we assured that we are walking in the first ways of the church of God? Have we really sought to the Lord, as seen in all His blessed authority in the church, the assembly, at the beginning? Are we walking in His commandments, and not after the doings of Christendom? Has He authority over us by His word, applied by the Holy Ghost? If not, we are not treading in the steps of Jehoshaphat.
We do beg the reader to lay these solemn questions to heart. If Jehoshaphat had this privilege, the Lord was with him. Have we a less privilege now redemption is accomplished, and the Holy Ghost sent down to abide with us to the end? Are we walking in the ways of an unconverted, yet professing Christendom? or are we walking in His commandments? Have we His command for all we do? Do you say, I am walking with such a party? Have you His command to walk with that party, and to do as they do? We do trust this solemn word will be applied with searching power to all our souls.
“Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand.” If we are walking with men, we shall be blown about by every changing wind. If we are walking with the Lord, keeping His commands, our feet are placed on a solid, immovable rock—yea, on Himself, the Rock on which His church is built. If we are walking with men, our heads may hang down in utter discouragement. If we walk with the Lord, it will be with us, as with Jehoshaphat, “And his heart was lifted up [that is, was encouraged] in the ways of the Lord.” Is there anything so blessed, so cheering to the heart, as to be walking in the ways of the Lord? For there are the right ways of the Lord, and all others are wrong and evil ways. There is surely only one path that is the right path; and all others are wrong.
The next thing he did, in the third year, was to send princes to teach in the cities of Judah. “And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people. It was thus the word sounded out at Thessalonica. They had received the glad tidings of salvation with full assurance, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; and they sounded it forth all around. Arc we walking in these first ways of the church? If we know that the Lord is with us, and our hearts arc: encouraged in His ways, then may we not away to the cities and villages, and have the book of the law of the Lord with us? We need greatly stirring up to these first ways of the church. The fear of the Lord fell upon the nations around. We can testify, after many years, that just in proportion as we walk in the ways of the Lord, and go forth in faith, encouraged in the ways of the Lord, it is then and in that proportion of faith, that the fear of the Lord falls on those who hear the word.
After all these blessed encouragements come most solemn warnings. “Jehoshaphat had riches, and honors in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.” Now the ten tribes, over which Ahab was king, did not walk in the ways of Jehovah. They were the ten tribes of Israel; but they hated the rule of the Lord, and would not have it.
Are there not many tribes in Christendom who exactly answer to the condition of those tribes of Israel? They are of professing Christendom. But there is scarcely one thing they do after the first works of the church. They do not own the Holy Ghost on earth, or bow to the Lordship of Jesus. Do they not hate it? This is a very humbling lesson. This was a great mistake on the part of Jehoshaphat. He goes to Samaria and eats at the feast of Ahab. Beware of this! He is then easily persuaded to go up to fight with Israel, at Ramoth-gilead. “And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.” Very soon did he find this to be all a mistake. And so will any man find now. If we are walking in the ways of the Lord, and we join affinity with those that are not, we shall find on the very first essential, we are as wide apart as the poles. Mark the very first thing Jehoshaphat proposes. The very first thing those walking in the ways of the Lord always desire. “And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord.” This is just the last thing those would think of doing who are walking in the ways of Christendom. There is human arrangement, human effort, and yet a great show of having the mind of the Lord; yea, in some cases, with professed infallibility. This desire, however, of Jehoshaphat, and the antagonism always thus found to the authority of the Lord, brings out a marvelous revelation of the invisible world.
The king of Israel has a grand display of prophets at once; but mark, it does not say prophets of the Lord. They reply immediately so as to please the king. “Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.” Jehoshaphat cannot accept the word of the four hundred prophets. He said, “Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might inquire of him? And the king said, There is yet one man, by whom we may inquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah, the son of Imla.” Thus there are four hundred false prophets to one true man of God. The messenger who was sent to fetch him besought Micaiah to prophesy like the established prophets of the king. Mark his reply: “And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.” Beautiful words of the son of Imla. Thus we have four hundred ready to speak what will please man; and one man of God who desires, yea, will only speak what God shall give him to speak. Ahab is both afraid of this one man and also hates him. Jehoshaphat prefers to hear the word of the Lord from this one, to the unanimous words of the four hundred. So far we have the outward facts of the case. Now for the inward, the invisible.
Heaven is opened to the son of Imla. “I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.” A spirit offers to come, and is sent to entice Ahab. “And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out and do even so.” Thus we see the words of Samuel to Saul are fulfilled, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” The whole of the false prophets were in rebellion against the Lord, and under the power and guidance of an evil spirit, which is witchcraft.
Men laugh at the idea of witchcraft in, this day, perhaps there never was more of it. Do we not read in one of the last inspired epistles, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Let us remember how many professing Christians there are that answer exactly to the ten tribes of Israel in the days of Ahab. They arc in rebellion against, and have set aside, the Lordship of Christ, as seen acting by the Holy Ghost in the beginning. For centuries they have hated the few, who, like the son of Imla, would only teach the word of the Lord. Is not Christendom full of false teachers preaching smooth things? Can any man say there arc not four hundred false prophets to one true prophet sent of the Lord? The Lord Jesus, speaking to the angel of the church which answers to the protestant epoch of this day, says, “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” And think of the long condition of the Greek and Roman churches.
Only one with and for the Lord. Four hundred not with Him, and therefore they were against Him. It was rebellion as the sin of witchcraft. They, and all they deceived, were under the power of, and led up to Ramoth-gilead by, an evil spirit. What a revelation! We call the most solemn attention to this fact. All who are not now with, the Lord, are against Him. Tribes of Christendom have rebelled against the Holy Ghost now here on earth. They have rebelled against the presence of the Lord, in the midst of those gathered to His name. Is it not a fact that Christendom has departed as far from the New Testament, as Israel had departed from Moses?
But to be in rebellion against the Lord is as the sin of witchcraft; so that every false prophet now is under the power of, and led by, an evil spirit. Does not this explain many a movement in the professing church, as it did then in Israel?
There is scarcely a truth in the word of God that is not denied and undermined by false teachers under the power of witchcraft; that is, an evil spirit. How men would stand aghast if they knew how many parties, guilds, and associations, are associations of witchcraft; as truly under the power of an evil spirit and idolatry as the four hundred prophets of Ahab. Nothing can happen but that which the Lord permits; but we would press on the reader the question, Are you with the Lord, or against Him?
The true servant of the Lord may also be ensnared in this. Prosperity may make him careless, and then is the time of special danger, as it was with Jehoshaphat. He is brought into great trouble and danger, and so it is with us if we ever get into affinity with the enemies of the Lord. The one who had the true message of the Lord must suffer and be despised. But it was better to be put in prison, and fed on the bread of affliction, than to be clothed in royal robes with Ahab.
The Lord, however, was not unmindful of His erring servant. In his great strait, when compassed about by the enemy, “Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.” How gracious of the Lord! Is He not our Advocate with the Father! If my reader has been enticed into affinity with the enemies of the Lord—for many who profess to be prophets are such—and if you should be sore pressed and in great perplexity, oh, cry to the Lord; He will hear and He will deliver.
The Lord delivered Jehoshaphat, whilst Ahab was slain in his chariot of war.
“And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.” Yes, “He restoreth my soul.” Jerusalem was the place where the name of Jehovah was recorded. There was not another such center on earth. The Lord Himself is the Center of gathering now; and there is no other. Who can tell the blessedness of being restored to that Center—even Himself—after a time of wandering! Yes, “in peace to Jerusalem.”
In His presence there is always peace. There is, however, chastening and rebuke. Mark the words of Jehu the seer, “Shouldst thou help the ungodly? and love them that hate the Lord?” Now weigh these questions well. There is no enmity against the Lord greater than that of false profession under the power of an evil spirit. Is it not true now also that he that loveth the world, the love of the Father is not in him?
May the Lord write these deeply solemn lessons on our hearts, and whatever more there is to follow in our meditations of this interesting portion of scripture.