June 14th

Today's reading in the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is
2 Kings 1:1-18; 2 Kings 3:1-27; 1 Kings 22:41-49; 2 Chronicles 20:31-37; 1 Kings 22:50; 2 Chronicles 21:1-4; 2 Kings 8:16-22; 2 Chronicles 21:5-7. For slightly less flipping read 2 Kings 1 & 3, 1 Kings 22:41-50, 2 Kings 8:16-22, 2 Chronicles 20:31-21:7.

Commentaries on today's passage
2 Kings 1 (and part of 2) - Bob Deffinbaugh
2 Kings 3 - sermons by Keathley (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)


Scripture
Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth adn honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. 2 Chronicles 18:1
Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 21:6

Observation
Jehoshaphat was a godly king overall, but he made a few bad decisions that had huge consequences, one of which was marrying his son Jehoram to the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.

Application
From the Life Application Study Bible
When the challenges were obvious, like the need for religious education of the people or the threat of war with a vast army, Jehoshaphat turned to God for guidance and made the right choices. His dependence on God was consistent when the odds were clearly against him. It was in depending on God for the day-to-day plans and actions that Jehoshaphat was weak. He allowed his son to marry Athaliah, the daughter of the wicked Ahab and Jezebel of Israel, who did her best to be as evil as her parents. Jehoshaphat was almost killed when, without asking God, he made an alliance with Ahab. Later, he got involved in an unwise shipbuilding venture with Ahab's son, Ahaziah - a venture that was shipwrecked by God......
We repeat Jehoshaphat's error when we relegate God to the background in the "easy" decisions of life. Then, when things get out of hand, we want him to get us out of the mess we got ourselves into. God wants us to give him not only the major decisions, but also our daily lives - the things we are most often fooled into believing we can control.

Don't we often make the same mistake?

When someone gets cancer, we pray to God for a miracle. When threatened with imminent danger, we pray for God's protection. When we have a huge life-changing decision to make, we pray for guidance.

But what about the everyday decisions? What about our day-to-day lives, the small decisions that, like Pam referenced the other day, all add up to cause a slow fade into a downward spiral? What about when we think we know what's best? What about when the answer seems obvious, especially through society's worldview?

I'm sure making a political alliance through marriage seemed like a great idea to Jehoshaphat. But it turned out to be disastrous. According to scripture, Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, turned the heart of her husband (Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram) towards evil. He even murdered every single one of his brothers. I'm guessing that that's one decision Jehoshaphat would love to have back.

But we don't often get a do-over. Even when we repent and receive forgiveness, that doesn't mean there will no longer be consequences for our sin. Obviously God can and does work good out of these horrible situations, but how much better for us to seek, trust and obey God in everything right from the beginning.

Again, let us learn from history. Let us learn from the mistakes of others. Because if we do not learn from them, we are doomed to repeat them.

Prayer
Lord, we thank for Your Word. We thank You for all the many lessons You have given us to learn from the mistakes of others so we do not have to learn it ourselves the hard way. Help us to heed the warnings. Help us to take Your Word seriously, to study it, to arm ourselves so that we are prepared to do battle every day. Help us to give You control over every area of our lives. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: 2 Kings 2 & 4