Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Reflections on 2 Chronicles 17

 2 Chronicles 17 (Contemporary English Version)
  1. Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king and strengthened his defenses against Israel.
  2. He assigned troops to the fortified cities in Judah, as well as to other towns in Judah and to those towns in Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
  3. When Jehoshaphat's father had first become king of Judah, he was faithful to the LORD and refused to worship the god Baal as the kings of Israel did. Jehoshaphat followed his father's example and obeyed and worshiped the LORD. And so the LORD blessed Jehoshaphat
  4. (SEE 17:3)
  5. and helped him keep firm control of his kingdom. The people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, but even after he became very rich and respected,
  6. he remained completely faithful to the LORD. He destroyed all the local shrines in Judah, including the places where the goddess Asherah was worshiped.
  7. In the third year of Jehoshaphat's rule, he chose five officials and gave them orders to teach the LORD's Law in every city and town in Judah. They were Benhail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah.
  8. Their assistants were the following nine Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah. Two priests, Elishama and Jehoram, also went along.
  9. They carried with them a copy of the LORD's Law wherever they went and taught the people from it.
  10. The nations around Judah were afraid of the LORD's power, so none of them attacked Jehoshaphat.
  11. Philistines brought him silver and other gifts to keep peace. Some of the Arab people brought him seventy-seven hundred rams and the same number of goats.
  12. As Jehoshaphat became more powerful, he built fortresses and cities
  13. where he stored supplies. He also kept in Jerusalem some experienced soldiers
  14. from the Judah and Benjamin tribes. These soldiers were grouped according to their clans. Adnah was the commander of the troops from Judah, and he had three hundred thousand soldiers under his command.
  15. Jehohanan was second in command, with two hundred eighty thousand soldiers under him.
  16. Amasiah son of Zichri, who had volunteered to serve the LORD, was third in command, with two hundred thousand soldiers under him.
  17. Eliada was a brave warrior who commanded the troops from Benjamin. He had two hundred thousand soldiers under his command, all of them armed with bows and shields.
  18. Jehozabad was second in command, with one hundred eighty thousand soldiers under him.
  19. These were the troops who protected the king in Jerusalem, not counting those he had assigned to the fortified cities throughout the country.

Jehoshaphat succeeded his father, Asa, and is said by the chronicler to have had two main emphases: building up Judah's military strength, and seeking the Lord. He was held up to two standards by the chronicler: "he walked in the former ways of his father David," and he did not walk "according to the practices of Israel." So he sought after the Lord like David and was not an idolater like Israel.

While his father Asa had brought spiritual reform to Judah in the early days of his reign by ridding Judah of idols and symbols of pagan worship, Jehoshaphat went further by sending officials and Levites throughout Judah teaching the people "the book of the LORD's instruction." And even though Asa had cleaned out the idols and pagan worship objects from Judah, Jehoshaphat still had cleaning to do when he took the throne. Idolatry seems to have been like weeds, that if not pulled regularly tend to overgrow and choke out everything else.

What is it about other religions that kept pulling Judah and Israel away from the Lord after He had so dramatically delivered them on so many occasions? At least one key reason that comes to mind is that of control. Worship of God involves not only regular occasions of showing obeisance to the Lord through formal worship, it also involves bringing our lives in line with His instructions and entrusting our lives to His guidance. While other religions may have rather strict ritual observances in order to placate the god of their worship, the behavior and personal practices of the worshipper are not normally affected. The worshipper lives as he wishes and has only to regularly placate his god to supposedly keep the blessings of that god coming his way. Moral uprightness is not typically a part of the package as is the case with worship of the true God whom Israel and Judah worshipped. With Him it is more than religious observances. It is a lifestyle. A lifestyle in which one comes to live life fully as intended by the Creator.

Because Jehoshaphat sought after the Lord, "the LORD established the kingdom in his hand." (17:5) Not only did Judah give him tribute, other nations surrounding Judah also gave him tribute. This was because "The terror of the LORD" was on these other nations. (17:10) Even Israel's archenemy, the Philistines, brought tribute of silver to Jehoshaphat. Under his reign Judah was once again prosperous and strong, hailing a military of over 1 million soldiers. This military strength could be dangerous for Judah, though. If she ever came to depend on her military strength rather than the Lord, she would be in trouble.

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