If you want to make an impact for Jesus Christ, then you need to take seriously His calling to be “in the world, but not of the world.” It’s a phrase that comes so easily off our tongues, but in reality it’s much harder to live it out.
Second Chronicles might not be the first place you’d think to look, but the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah have much to teach you and me about how to live for God with wisdom and integrity so we make a lasting impact in our wicked and godless culture.
Let me show you three key life lessons from the story of Jehoshaphat, who was one of Judah’s better kings. Second Chronicles 17:3–4 lays it out this way:
Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments…
Yes, Jehoshaphat was a good king. But that’s not the whole story.
He was a good king…with a bad habit!
Here it is…
Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab. (2 Chronicles 18:1)
Yes, despite knowing God’s rich blessings, Jehoshaphat made an alliance with Ahab, ruler over the northern kingdom of Israel.
And that was a seriously bad call.
You see, Ahab wasn’t a neutral party. He hated God. He hated the people of God and the prophets of God. He was incorrigibly wicked and wholly opposed to God.
There’s no record that Jehoshaphat prayed about his alliance with Ahab in any way. And over time, it resulted in Judah being plunged into a long season of oppression, tyranny, and idolatry.
I wish I could tell you that this was a one-off mistake for Jehoshaphat, but sadly he repeated his error again and again. Throughout his reign, he had a propensity for making ungodly alliances—only consulting God afterward when it was too late…
Worse still, Jehoshaphat’s bad alliances affected not only him, but the entire nation of Judah—putting their very existence under threat.
But praise God for His mercy!
Despite Jehoshaphat’s bad decisions, God preserved His people—and eventually Jehoshaphat learned his lesson. In 1 Kings 22, we read that he stood his ground and refused to make an alliance with Ahaziah, the son of Ahab!
So what are those three life lessons we need to learn from the story of Jehoshaphat?
- First, don’t make alliances with the ungodly and expect God’s blessing. Prayerfully reflect on your relationships in all spheres of your life. Are any of your connections or commitments leading you away from the Lord?
- Second, don’t make your plans and then only seek God afterward when it’s too late. Open your calendar and consider where your life is heading in the coming weeks and months. Are you giving enough time to prayerfully seek God for every step?
- Third, identify any bad habit that’s wreaking havoc in your life and break it off! Like Jehoshaphat, you and I have a propensity towards certain things that trip us up, things that the Lord is not pleased with. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any areas of compromise where you need to make a change—and pray He’ll give you the power to do so!
Apply these lessons from the life of Jehoshaphat and you’ll experience God’s blessing as you press ahead to make an eternal impact for Him!
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