II Chronicles
Chapter 14
Lessons from the Reign of King Jehoshaphat
Fool me once…
There is a funny saying that expresses the idea of learning from past mistakes that goes like this:
“Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice; shame on me!”
I have noticed something from these kings of Judah that are presented in II Chroniclesthat I also have experienced in some leaders I have been under. I think that they have a blind spot in their character and decision making that causes them to repeat the wrong actions. Look closely at king Jehoshaphat. After all he had been through, he repeats the same stupid mistake that almost got him killed!
II Chronicles 20:34 “Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.”
Now that verse should be the final chapter of his life. If he had just stopped there, his life story would be complete and successful. But as a warning to future leaders, God reveals another mistake that he repeats from his early years. He joins with the king of Israel again! The great lesson is that even with all the success and great leadership ability, it is more than likely that you will make another stupid leadership mistake! Disaster is right around the corner for the leader. Also, even though you make hundreds of good decisions, it just takes one bad decision to cause disaster! Beware!
II Chronicles 20:35 “And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:”
This account reveals a flaw in the leader’s life that should be learned from but is somehow missed by great leaders! You would think that after being delivered in great, miraculous fashion the first time, (See II Chronicles 18:31) he would remember what had caused the mess and mistake in the first place. Alas, it is a fatal flaw that many times the leader doesn’t learn from his leadership mistakes. Others can see it clearly but are powerless to make the decisions for the leader. They can only advise him. Most times God sends a man of God to reveal it to the leader. That is why it is so important for the leader to stay in his Bible daily, and to stay under good, Spiritual preaching! Local church membership will solve a lot of problems.
I see the same mistake in misreading history. Another common expression is “The only thing men learn from history is that men never learn anything from history.”
Communism and socialism have proven repeatedly to be a failed form of economic system. Every time it is tried it leads to disaster. Not only that, but when it is instituted it is hard to get rid of it. The mistakes, failures, and suffering that it brings are all explained in that it works, but the last time it was tried it wasn’t implemented right. It is preferred by those that want to be in charge because it gives them much power and the ability to get their own way on society to make the changes that they want. It always leads to disaster, but the adherents can’t see the results that are bound to happen.
The first time Jehoshaphat was making the mistake, God sent His prophet, Micaiah, who warned him! After God delivers him, he sends another prophet with a plainer, simpler message to remind him to not do this again. It is important to know that he wasn’t ignorant of the reason. God used plain preaching to reveal to him the cause of His anger. He knew what he was doing was wrong. He still makes the stupid mistake.
II Chronicles 19:2,3 “And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.”
“Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.”
But still, Jehoshaphat makes the same mistake.
I have watched great pastors lose some good families from their churches because of poor leadership. I have prayed for them to learn and still keep praying for them to learn good leadership skills and let God change their character and approach. The details of these situation don’t matter! The solution to these kind of problems are to humbly forgive, and to practice charity! For me, it is sad having the solutions and seeing their efficacy but not being able to make the leadership decisions. Like many battles the kings of Judah faced, this is not my battle.
Getting sucked into battles that a leader has no business fighting is a mistake. (See II Chronicles 18and II Chronicles 35:20-34).
I have watched also, the failure of the government schools as they promote the ideals of Communism as a better form of government. I have watched a lot of young people choose this form of government and reject the Bible solutions to world problems. For the life of me, I can’t see the reason they choose something that history has proved to be a failure! The only thing that makes sense to me is their actions are expressed in II Timothy 4:3, 4
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;”
“And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
These two verses reveal their motive, and then what happens. Notice the reason they are looking for an alternative. The failure to endure sound doctrine and the frustrated expectation of getting something for nothing are the motives. These two things lead them to look for “new” teaching. There are no “new” teachings that are better than the “old” things revealed in the Bible! Notice that there are a lot of teachers who take up the cause of turning them away from the truth! In fact, there are “heaps”of them.
The direction and defeat are predictable. They quit listening to good Bible preaching and teaching. They don’t just remain neutral. Physically, you can’t turn from something and not turn to something. Spiritually, and tragically, it is the same. If you reject truth, you embrace fables!
The details of this second mistake of Jehoshaphat are important. It was a business venture and not a battle. Maybe Jehoshaphat thought it just was good business sense. He probably had access to the Proverbs of Solomon. Notice these admonitions:
Proverbs 1:10-16 “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.”
Proverbs 29:24 “Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.”
Although he didn’t have access to the New Testament at this time, here are some great verses that express this thought:
I Corinthians 6:9-11 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
II Corinthians 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
Going into business with God-haters is wrong. It was wrong in Jehoshaphat’s day and kingdom and it is a mistake today.
Fortunately, God messes his plan up. God’s intervention is sometimes the key to success. Many times, a good failure will lead to better success next time.
God again sends a different prophet (that makes three different ones) to admonish him.
II Chronicles 20:37 “Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.”
For Jehoshaphat that is the third strike, and he strikes out! He hit many home runs in his reign, but he strikes out three times! This is the last act that he does! God is finished with him and takes him home! After this, his death and burial are recorded.
Please learn from his mistakes and don’t make the same ones. It cost him dearly in the life of his son and the eventual destruction of his kingdom. As a leader you must keep making good leadership decisions as long as you are alive. God is depending on you and so is the next generation! Please learn from each time you go to bat and don’t strike out again!
