Read 2 Chronicles 18 and Revelation 11.
This devotional is about 2 Chronicles 18.
Here in 2 Chronicles 18, we learn that Jehoshaphat–one of Judah’s godliest and best kings made an alliance with Ahab–one of Israel’s worst, most ungodly kings. Verse 1 told us that this alliance was formed by marriage. Later in 2 Chronicles 21, we’ll see that it was Jehoshaphat’s son and successor Jehoram who created this alliance when he married Ahab’s daughter (see 2 Chronicles 21:6).
As in-laws, King Jehoshaphat and King Ahab were on good terms with each other, for verse 2 told us that Jehoshaphat left Jerusalem to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab put on a big show to honor Jehoshaphat, according to verse 2b, but the end of verse 2 and verse 3 suggest that Ahab’s big show was designed to butter Jehoshaphat up so that Judah would join Israel in an attack against Ramoth Gilead.
Ramoth Gilead had once belonged to Israel; indeed, it was a city of refuge in Israel, according to Deuteronomy 4:43 and Joshua 21:38. But somewhere along the way, Ramoth Gilead was taken over by the Arameans and Ahab wanted it back, according to 1 Kings 22:3 and here in 2 Chronicles 18:3.
Ahab’s charm offensive worked and Jehoshaphat agreed that Judah would join with the Northern Kingdom of Israel to attack the Arameans to get Ramoth Gilead back (v. 3). Verse 4 tells us that Jehoshaphat did “seek the counsel of the LORD,” but verses 4-28 tell us that Jehoshaphat and Ahab foolishly disregarded the prophetic counsel of God’s man Micaiah.
For some strange reason, the king of Aram told his troops only to attack the king of Israel and nobody else (v. 30). Meanwhile, Ahab somehow convinced Jehoshaphat to wear his royal robes into battle while Ahab himself disguised himself as one of the everyday soldiers of Israel (v. 29). So, the Arameans were looking for a king and Jehoshaphat was dressed like one. What could go wrong?
But, seriously–why Jehoshaphat agreed to what Ahab proposed is unexplained in the text and inexplicable in terms of logic. Jehoshaphat went into battle looking like a big, fat target while the king of Israel went into battle in disguise. There is no universe in which this makes sense. It was an unwise–even stupid–move but Jehoshaphat made a bunch of stupid moves in this chapter of scripture, not least of which was disregarding the warning of the Lord’s prophet in verses 14-27.
Anyway, the Arameans were only looking to kill the king of Israel, and they thought they had they had their man when they saw Jehoshaphat (v. 31). When they were about to put Jehoshaphat’s lights out, the end of verse 31 says, “Jehoshaphat cried out and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him” because, according to verse 32, the chariot commanders somehow realized “that he was not the king of Israel.” How God did this is not explained in detail to us; we’re just told that Jehoshaphat cried out and God somehow saved his skin.
Meanwhile, verse 33 says, “But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor.” Did you catch that? “Verse 33 says, “…someone drew his bow at random….” I’m no archer, but it seems to me that arrows probably were not cheap or easy to manufacture. The number arrows you had were limited and you didn’t want to run out, so you probably didn’t shoot them unless you had an immediate target in sight. But this guy just fires one off at random and happens to accidentally hit and, according to verse 34, kill the one and only target the King of Aram wanted.
Why did this happen? Why was Jehoshaphat’s life spared when people somehow realized, despite his royal robes, that he wasn’t the king they were looking for? Why was his life spared while Ahab was killed by a lucky shot, carelessly and targetlessly shot into the air?
The answer is that God is sovereign. There are no random incidents in his universe. Now, that doesn’t mean that everything happens for some reason that we are supposed to figure out. God’s ways are mysterious and his plans are far beyond our ability to comprehend them. But they are not random. When verse 33 says this man shot his bow “at random” he is describing the situation as it appeared to be from a human perspective. From God’s perspective, he saved the life of his man Jehoshaphat because he chose to do so when Jehoshaphat prayed for God’s help in verse 31.
Likewise, God guided the arrow of the man who shot supposedly at random so that his “lucky” shot brought punishment on the wicked king of Israel, Ahab.
There were no miracles, as far as we were told, in this battle. God accomplished his will through providence, which is the word we use to describe God working in this world through non-miraculous means, and through the un-coerced free actions of men and the usual principles of science, physics, and so on. In other words, when God works through providence, it just looks like random incidents, random occurrences, basic things that just happen all the time. And yet, Scripture tells us that somehow God uses those things to accomplish his will.
Do you believe that God is watching over your life just as he was with Jehoshaphat and Ahab? Do you understand that God was merciful to Jehoshaphat when he should have just listed to and obeyed the prophet of the Lord? Do you know that God can bring deliverance, if it is his will, when you pray even if you need deliverance because of your own foolishness? Do you recognize that God can bring punishment from out of nowhere, just as he did with Ahab?
The lesson we should take away from this story is to trust God’s word and obey God’s commands. Don’t foolishly disregard what the Lord has revealed in his word. But, recognize that if you do sin and disobey the Lord, come to him for mercy and see if it is his will to deliver you.