“ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY” – KING JEHOSHAPHAT.

PREACHER: REV. DR. WILLY MUTISO.

TEXT: 2 CHRONICLES 17 : 1 – 19 : 11
INTRODUCTION:
“Compromise is the art of dividing ugali in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.” Life has many compromises, but make sure you know what areas you can give in, who you can give in to, and why you can’t give in thoughtlessly. Jehoshaphat was the son of king Asa. He was a righteous king. He was an excellent king. He was godly, capable, and determined. He was one of the best kings in Judah. He was strong in defense until he opted for an alliance with wicked king Ahab of Israel. Later, king Jehoshaphat became a naïve person, a man-pleaser, and an easy prey. God had to bail him out in the end. Let us learn:

Get your point across (2 Chron. 17:1-13).
Multitasking or doing too many things at one time causes a person to get nothing and lose everything.
Charles Darwin, the English naturalist, when he was a boy, was a collector of beetles. One day he learned a lesson.
Jehoshaphat , the fourth king of Judah, learned a lot from his father Asa.
He found the right balance between politics and spiritual devotion.
He believed in divine intervention, but also believed in military build-up.
He had the first father-son team in the southern kingdom.

Unlike his father Asa who was very stubborn in his old age (2 Chron. 16:7-10), Jehoshaphat was teachable throughout his life.
Jehoshaphat was known for the gifts he received and the great wealth and honour he possessed (17:5).
The greatest legacy Jehoshaphat left was the great spiritual revival that he brought to the kingdom.
Revival came because of king Jehoshaphat’s pursuit of God.
He sought God and not Baal (2 Chron. 17:3-4; 18:4-7).
He did something that his father Asa could not do (2 Chron. 15:17).
He removed from Judah the high places (v.6).
He appointed four head officials, nine Levites, and two priests and sent them to teach the people the Law of the Lord (Deut. 4:10-19; 31:19).

Get your principles right (2 Chron. 18:1-34).
Jehoshaphat thought a little give and take wouldn’t hurt; but prophet Micaiah begged to differ.
King Ahab of Israel was the most evil king in the history of Israel (1 Kings 16:30-33).
Ahab’s wife Jezebel had a daughter called Athaliah now married to Jehoshaphat’s son.
Athaliah was worse than her mother Jezebel. She led two generations of kings in Judah astray (Jehoram and Ahaziah).
The naïve king Jehoshaphat was taken to war by Ahab despite a prophecy from Micaiah the prophet.
Don’t hang around with godless people like Ahab.

Get your past done (2 Chron. 19:1-11).
The scorpion and the turtle, the flooded river.
The prophet Jehu censured Jehoshaphat not for his character but for misjudgment.
King Jehoshaphat was naïve; he showed support for those who hate God (19:2). Do not support those who hate your God.
King Jehoshaphat repented, made a big U-turn in history (19:9-10).
He made new appointments of judges and warned them to uphold justice and refuse bribes.

CONCLUSION:
Never deceive yourself to believe that you have no options (1 Cor. 10:13).
Listen to what God says, not the people.
Choose your friends, don’t let them choose you.
Give your best, don’t settle for second best.