A Righteous King With A Wicked Friend

King Jehoshaphat of Judah is remembered in the Bible as a good man who did “what was right in the sight of the Lord” (1 Kings 22.43). We’re told that he completely destroyed the male cult prostitutes that existed in his country. He sent priests and royal officials throughout the land of Judah to teach the people the Scriptures. He appointed judges in all the land and carefully instructed them to fear God and give justice. Before battle, he consulted with God through prophets, as David had done before him.

When his country faced an impossible fight, he sought the face of God instead of foreign alliances. He received much tribute, built fortresses and store cities, and possessed a mighty army.

But for all the wonderful strengths of Jehoshaphat, he had one tragic weakness: his fondness for the infamous family of Ahab, the wicked king of northern Israel. While feasting as a guest of Ahab in Samaria, Ahab asked his counterpart to go to war with him against Syria. Shockingly, Jehoshaphat not only agreed, but declared, “I am as you are, my people as your people” (2 Chronicles 18.3). That war ended in disaster – death for Ahab, rebuke for Jehoshaphat, and military defeat for God’s people. Jehoshaphat also made a ruinous marriage alliance with Ahab and married his son Jehoram to Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah. Not surprisingly, his son was corrupted by the wicked influence of his wife and turned the nation of Judah to idolatry. When Jehoram and his heir, Ahaziah, died within a year of each other, Athaliah turned against her own grandchildren to seize power and tried to destroy the entire royal family of Judah. By God’s grace, one grandson survived to continue the lineage of David. Jehoshaphat’s mistakes led to dire consequences for his nation and his descendants.

How are we warned by Jehoshaphat’s deep connection with Ahab and his family? First, we learn that the actions of good men can be swayed by evil companions. As the apostle Paul wrote to the worldly Corinthian church, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15.33). It is easy to mistakenly believe that our personal devotion to God can remain untouched by the influence of those we select as close companions. That, however, is a lie of Satan. This grave danger not only applies to the friends we select throughout our lives, but most especially to our choice of spouse. Since a marriage is designed by God to draw two people together as one, we must approach that decision with the utmost caution. Secondly, we learn that careless friendship choices can swiftly lead to the spiritual destruction of our family for generations to come. Because Jehoshaphat’s son married Ahab’s daughter, Judah’s dynasty was nearly wiped out. Just as a local church must beware of wolves who enter a congregation posing as sheep, parents must guard their sons and daughters from ungodly relationships. It only takes one generation for godly zeal to die.                                                           Nathan