Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 2 Chronicles
17 -20. Chapter 17 Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned
in his place, and strengthened himself against
Israel. And he placed troops in all the fortified
cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land
of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim, which
Asa his father had taken. 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 and not according to the acts
of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the
kingdom in his hand, and all Judah gave presence
to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in
abundance. And his heart took delight in the
ways of the Lord. Moreover, he removed the high
places and wooden images from Judah. Also in
the third year of his reign, he sent his leaders,
Ben -Hel, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah
to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them
he sent Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah,
Asahel, Shemiramot, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah,
and Tobadonijah, the Levites. And with them Elishama
and Jehoram, the priests. So they taught in Judah
and had the book of the law of the Lord with
them. They went throughout all the cities of
Judah and taught the people. And the fear of
the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands
that were around Judah, so that they did not
make war against Jehoshaphat. Also some of the
Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and
silver as tribute, and the Arabians brought him
flocks, 7 ,700 rams and 7 ,700 male goats. So
Jehoshaphat became increasingly powerful, and
he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah.
He had much property in the cities of Judah and
the men of war. mighty men of valor, were in
Jerusalem. These are their numbers according
to their fathers' houses. Of Judah, the captains
of thousands, Adna the captain, and with him
300 ,000 mighty men of valor. And next to him
was Jehohanan the captain, and with him 280 ,000.
And next to him was Amaseah the son of Zichri,
who willingly offered himself to the Lord, and
with him 200 ,000 mighty men of valor. Of Benjamin,
Eliadah, a mighty man of valor, and with him
200 ,000 men, armed with bow and shield. And
next to him was Jehu Zabad, and with him one
hundred and eighty thousand prepared for war.
These served the king, besides those the king
put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
Chapter 18 Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in
abundance, and by marriage he allied himself
with Ahab. After some years he went down to visit
Ahab in Samaria, and Ahab killed sheep and oxen
in abundance for him and the people who were
with him, and persuaded him to go up with him
to Ramoth Gilead. So Ahab king of Israel said
to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Will you go with
me against Ramoth Gilead? And he answered him,
I am as you are, and my people as your people.
We will be with you in the war. Also Jehoshaphat
said to the king of Israel, Please inquire for
the word of the Lord today. Then the king of
Israel gathered the prophets together, 400 men,
and said to them, Shall we go to war against
Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain? So they said,
Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's
hand. But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not still
a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire
of him? So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,
There is still one man by whom we may inquire
of the Lord, but I hate him, because he never
prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.
He is Micaiah the son of Imlah. And Jehoshaphat
said, Let not the king say such things. Then
the king of Israel called one of his officers
and said, Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly,
the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne,
and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance
of the gate of Samaria. And all the prophets
prophesied before them. Now Zedekiah, the son
of Shinanah, had made horns of iron for himself.
And he said, Thus says the Lord, With these you
shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go
up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord
will deliver it into the king's hand. Then the
messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke
to him, saying, Now listen, the words of the
prophets, with one accord, encouraged the king.
Therefore please let your word be like the word
of one of them, and speak encouragement. And
Micaiah said, As the Lord lives, whatever my
God says, that I will speak. Then he came to
the king, and the king said to him, Micaiah,
shall we go to war against Ramoth -Gilead, or
shall I refrain? And he said, Go and prosper,
and they shall be delivered into your hand. So
the king said to him, How many times shall I
make you swear that you tell me nothing but the
truth in the name of the Lord? Then he said,
I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains,
as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord
said, These have no master. Let each return to
his house in peace. And the king of Israel said
to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you he would not
prophesy good concerning me, but evil? Then Micaiah
said, So one spoke in this manner, and another
spoke in that manner. Then a spirit came forward
and stood before the Lord and said, I will persuade
him. The Lord said to him, In what way? So he
said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in
the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said,
You shall persuade him and also prevail. Go out
and do so. Therefore look, the Lord has put a
lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of
yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against
you. Then Zedekiah the son of Shinanah went near
and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, Which
way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to
speak to you? And Micaiah said, Indeed you shall
see on that day when you go into an inner chamber
to hide. Then the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah
and return him to Ammon the governor of the city
and to Joash the king's son, and say, Thus says
the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed
him with bread of affliction and water of affliction
until I return in peace. But Micaiah said, If
you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken
by me. And he said, Take heed, all you people.
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king
of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead, and the king
of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise
myself and go into battle. but you put on your
robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself,
and they went into battle. Now the king of Syria
had commanded the captains of the chariots who
were with him, saying, Fight no one small or
great, but only with the king of Israel. So it
was when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat
that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore
they surrounded him to attack. But Jehoshaphat
cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted
them from him. 19. Chapter 19 Then Jehoshaphat
the king of Judah returned safely to his house
in Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the
seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat,
Should you help the wicked and love those who
hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord
is upon you. Nevertheless, good things are found
in you, in that you have removed the wooden images
from the land and have prepared your heart to
seek God. So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem,
and he went out again among the people from Beersheba
to the mountains of Ephraim. and brought them
back to the Lord God of their fathers. Then he
set judges in the land throughout all the fortified
cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the
judges, Take heed to what you are doing, for
you do not judge for man but for the Lord, who
is with you in the judgment. Now therefore let
the fear of the Lord be upon you. Take care and
do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord
our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes.
Moreover in Jerusalem, for the judgment of the
Lord and for controversies, Jehoshaphat appointed
some of the Levites and priests and some of the
chief fathers of Israel when they returned to
Jerusalem. And he commanded them, saying, Thus
you shall act in the fear of the Lord, faithfully
and with a loyal heart. Whatever case comes to
you from your brethren who dwell in their cities,
whether of bloodshed, or offenses against law
or commandment, against statutes or ordinances.
You shall warn them, lest they trespass against
the Lord, and wrath come upon you and your brethren.
Do this, and you will not be guilty. And take
notice, Amariah the chief priest is over you
in all matters of the Lord. Zebediah the son
of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah,
for all the king's matters. Also the Levites
will be officials before you. Behave courageously,
and the Lord will be with the good. Chapter 20
It happened after this that the people of Moab,
with the people of Ammon, and others with them
besides the Ammonites, came to battle against
Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat,
saying, A great multitude is coming against you
from beyond the sea, from Syria, and they are
in Hazazon Tamar, which is in Gedi. And Jehoshaphat
feared and set himself to seek the Lord, and
proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah
gathered together to ask help from the Lord.
And from all the cities of Judah they came to
seek the Lord. Then Jehoshaphat stood in the
assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house
of the Lord before the new court and said, O
Lord God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven?
And do you not rule over all the kingdoms of
the nations? And in your hand is there not power
and might so that no one is able to withstand
you? Are you not our God, who drove out the inhabitants
of this land before your people Israel, and gave
it to the descendants of Abraham your friend
forever? And they dwell in it, and have built
you a sanctuary in it for your name, saying,
If disaster comes upon us, sword, judgment, pestilence,
or famine, we will stand before this temple and
in your presence, for your name is in this temple,
and cry out to you in our affliction, and you
will hear and save. And now here are the people
of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you would
not let Israel invade when they came out of the
land of Egypt, but they turned from them and
did not destroy them. Here they are, rewarding
us by coming to throw us out of your possession
which you have given us to inherit. O our God,
will you not judge them? For we have no power
against this great multitude that is coming against
us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are
upon you. Now all Judah, with their little ones,
their wives, and their children, stood before
the Lord. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon
Jehaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah,
the son of Jael, the son of Mataniah, a Levite
of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
And he said, Listen, all you of Judah, and you
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat.
Thus says the Lord to you, Do not be afraid nor
dismayed because of this great multitude. For
the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow
go down against them. They will surely come up
by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them
at the end of the brook before the wilderness
of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this
battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and
see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you,
O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is
with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with
his face to the ground, and all Judah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord,
worshipping the Lord. Then the Levites of the
children of the Kohatites and of the children
of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord
God of Israel with voices loud and high. So they
rose early in the morning and went out into the
wilderness of Tekoa. And as they went out, Jehoshaphat
stood and said, Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants
of Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God, and
you shall be established. Believe his prophets
and you shall prosper. And when he had consulted
with the people, he appointed those who should
sing to the Lord and who should praise the beauty
of holiness, as they went out before the army
and were saying, Praise the Lord, for his mercy
endures forever. Now when they began to sing
and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against
the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who
had come against Judah, and they were defeated.
For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against
the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill
and destroy them. And when they had made an end
of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy
one another. So when Judah came to a place overlooking
the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude,
and there were their dead bodies fallen on the
earth no one had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and
his people came to take away their spoil, they
found among them an abundance of valuables on
the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which
they stripped off for themselves more than they
could carry away. And they were three days gathering
the spoil, because there was so much. And on
the fourth day they assembled in the valley of
Barakah. For there they blessed the Lord. Therefore
the name of that place was called the Valley
of Baraka until this day. Then they returned
every man of Judah and Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat
in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with
joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over
their enemies. So they came to Jerusalem with
stringed instruments and harps and trumpets to
the house of the Lord. And the fear of God was
on all the kingdoms of those countries when they
heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies
of Israel. Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was
quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
So Jehoshaphat was king over Judah. He was 35
years old when he became king, and he reigned
25 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was
Azuba, the daughter of Shili. And he walked in
the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside
from it, doing what was right in the sight of
the Lord. Nevertheless, the high places were
not taken away. For as yet the people had not
directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first
and last, indeed they are written in the book
of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is mentioned
in the book of the kings of Israel. After this,
Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with
Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly,
and he allied himself with him to make ships
to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in
Ezeon -Geber. I hope you enjoyed today's reading
as much as I did and I look forward to seeing
you again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.