AN ALMOST-FORGOTTEN GOOD KING

Jehoshaphat was one of the few good kings of Judah, ruling for about twenty-five years amid a list of lesser kings in the divided land of Israel during the ninth century B.C. His reign was largely overshadowed by the exploits and infamy of Ahab and Jezebel, who ruled in Israel at the same time. Jehoshaphat’s greatest failure of leadership came when he arranged for his son to marry Ahab’s daughter, and he was drawn into an ill-advised war against the Arameans, in which Ahab was killed (see 1 Kings 22). However, Jehoshaphat was a good king. His faithfulness was expressed not only in his personal integrity, but he also worked to make this more of a reality in his kingdom. He removed paganism with its ubiquitous idols and altars, and commissioned a group of officials and priests to travel from town to town to teach the people the laws of God: “They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people” (2 Chronicles 17:9).

The story of Jehoshaphat is a reminder that the good guys do not always get the headlines—not even in the Bible! But this kind of integrity and faithfulness is noticed by those around us. Sometimes, it can be the reason we are attacked in some way, but at other times—as it was for much of Jehoshaphat’s reign—it is a reason for others to respect us and, more important, the God we serve. In Joshua’s time, the surrounding peoples were afraid because of God’s miracles and the fact that many of Israel’s enemies had been defeated, but Jehoshaphat’s God was “feared” because “his heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 17:6, NLT, margin).