1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:06,560 Let's go to 1st Kings and let us meet together in chapter 22, and 2 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:12,160 we are going to start in verse 29 until the last verse of this 3 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:18,880 chapter, First Kings chapter 22. The way you and I will make the 4 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:23,600 most out of this final study in this book is by having Second 5 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:27,320 Chronicles open and ready to turn to throughout the study. 6 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,200 And so I encourage you from now to have the book of Second 7 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,880 Chronicles open and prepared because Second Chronicles will 8 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,200 help us complete this study in terms of details and insights 9 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:41,760 with very key points in this text. 10 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,000 Where are we now? What have we been studying 11 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,560 lately? Well, God, in his ineffable 12 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:56,680 grace gave Ahab a sobering prophetic warning about what was 13 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:02,040 going to happen if he chose to engage in a war with Syria. 14 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,680 And the message of the prophet Makaya was plain and clear. 15 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:13,200 Ahab, if you go up to fight at Ramoth Gilead, you will die. 16 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:19,840 You will die. And this warning stood in stark 17 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:26,200 contrast to the word of 400 other appointed prophets, 18 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:31,720 appointed by Ahab at least, who told Ahab that he would have 19 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,040 victory, sweeping victory over his enemies. 20 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:43,120 And so we were left to wonder, which message will Ahab respond 21 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,640 to? What prophecy will he act upon? 22 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,840 And we don't have to wait too long to discover what choice he 23 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:56,080 will make, because we are going to see right at the beginning of 24 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,720 our study, the first verse that we're going to read will make 25 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,320 that clear. We're going to be told exactly 26 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,880 what Ahab will do. So let's read the first few 27 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:09,360 verses together. So the king of Israel and 28 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,640 Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:17,080 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise 30 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:22,040 myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes. 31 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,720 And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 32 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,720 Now the king of Syria had commanded the 32 captains of the 33 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:34,440 Chariots fight with neither small nor Gray, but only with 34 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:38,080 the king of Israel. And when the captains of the 35 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,040 chariot saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It is surely the king of 36 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,760 Israel. So they turned the fight against 37 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,720 him, and Jehoshaphat cried out, and when the captains of the 38 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:52,280 chariot saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back 39 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:58,520 from pursuing him. Lord, we ask that at this time, 40 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,200 with this final study in this book that we have been exploring 41 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,920 week after week after week, that Your faithfulness would, would 42 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:11,920 meet us here at the finish line. Open our eyes, open our minds, 43 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,840 let our hearts burn with these truths for the glory of your 44 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,400 Son. We long to know your will, Your 45 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,720 heart for us, so that we may become the worshippers you've 46 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,440 called us to be. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 47 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:31,680 So what was the decision that A had made? 48 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,840 He would go to fight. He would ignore the word of the 49 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,400 true prophet who spoke on behalf of the true God. 50 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:45,600 And that might not be surprising to us, that Ahab stiffened his 51 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,200 neck yet once more. But what may be shocking to us 52 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:55,680 is how Jehoshaphat complied, how he joined Ahab, especially 53 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,240 because Jehoshaphat was the one who inquired for a true prophet 54 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:04,120 to give a true word, and he got it, but he didn't apply it. 55 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,600 And you would think to yourself that if Jehoshaphat understood 56 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,520 what Makayyad said that he would, he would jump ship, he 57 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,480 would eject, he would remove himself from this tragedy that 58 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:20,079 Ahab was going to walk into. Or you at least think that he 59 00:04:20,079 --> 00:04:23,040 would encourage Ahab to reconsider. 60 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:29,680 But instead, what we see him do is walk with Ahab into disaster. 61 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:35,040 And right there, verse 29, we learned something about this man 62 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:39,920 Jehoshaphat, that he is an example of the deluding 63 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:42,960 influence of wrong relationships. 64 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:49,600 It is not inherently wrong to be influenced by others. 65 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:54,080 It just depends who's influencing you and what they 66 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:58,720 are influencing you towards. And unfortunately there are many 67 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:03,240 like Jehoshaphat. I hope this isn't you who have a 68 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,560 general and often times a sincere desire to know the will 69 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,400 of God. But it's not a desire that 70 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:15,560 governs them. And all it takes for such people 71 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:22,720 is to know one person that they admire, enjoy, or make some 72 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:29,280 benefit from, to be influenced and to have their decisions 73 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:35,280 swayed by them, even at the expense of disobeying the word 74 00:05:35,280 --> 00:05:41,760 of the Lord in the process. And you might be wondering if 75 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,480 Ahab had made such an impression on Jehoshaphat, and I am 76 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:47,200 absolutely convinced that he did. 77 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,800 There was something about Ahab that moved Jehoshaphat to be 78 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:55,640 disarmed in this way, and you're not going to know why until you 79 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,400 look at the complete picture found in what book? 80 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,000 Second Chronicles, and it's specifically in chapter 18 and 81 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,720 verse one and verse 2. There's a detail that the 82 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,680 Chronicler provides that First Kings 22 doesn't give us. 83 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,560 And so look there. Second Chronicles 18, verse one. 84 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,440 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor. 85 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,200 Pause. It would make you wonder why he 86 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:23,680 would make an alliance with Ahab. 87 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,960 He was prospering, he was powerful, yet for whatever 88 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,360 reason, this man with great riches and honor, and he made a 89 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:36,600 marriage alliance with Ahab. After some years he went down to 90 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:43,240 Ahab in Samaria, and Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen 91 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:47,960 for him and for the people who are with him, and induced him to 92 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:52,400 go up against Remeth Gilead. Do you see that detail that's 93 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:54,880 omitted in First Kings 22? What's the detail that stands 94 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,560 out? What did Ahab do for him? 95 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,760 He impressed him. He celebrated him with a 96 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:08,280 generous feast. And this was totally strategic 97 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:13,640 because Jehoshaphat, his heart was captured by Ahab in one way 98 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,600 so that it can be controlled in another. 99 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:20,440 And this is something you have to understand about Satan. 100 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:28,640 Satan will often use sinners to lavish comfort, maybe even honor 101 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:33,160 you in order to disarm you so that at some point he will 102 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:36,960 destroy you. He has no new tricks. 103 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,160 And the destruction that I'm speaking about doesn't 104 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:44,320 necessarily mean physical death. It can simply mean a 105 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:47,800 distraction, a significant distraction that will delay or 106 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,280 even deter you from fulfilling God's will for your life. 107 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:52,280 And many people are bound in that. 108 00:07:53,800 --> 00:08:00,960 Many people are dizzied by that. And remember this, God will send 109 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:02,960 people in your life to bless you, but so will Satan. 110 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:05,920 Not to bless you, not to bless you. 111 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,320 God has his evangelist. Satan has his evangelist. 112 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:15,400 God has friends in mind for you. So does the enemy of your soul. 113 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:18,400 And when the enemy of your soul does send somebody to you, 114 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,680 doesn't look like him having a weapon in one hand and drugs in 115 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:25,800 the other, it can look like flattery, it can look like a 116 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,720 financial proposal that will lead you into compromise. 117 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:34,480 And so be discerning. Jehoshaphat proves to us that 118 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,960 you can even hear the word of God, but somebody else has more 119 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:41,760 say in your life than that word. He heard from Makaya, but he 120 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:45,640 ended up following Ahab anyway. And there are many people who 121 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:49,160 sit in churches and hear a pure word, but walk out no different 122 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:52,040 because somebody else has greater influence than God 123 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:55,640 himself. But let me say this while I'm 124 00:08:55,640 --> 00:09:01,200 here, not just to be cautious and discerning about how you are 125 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,400 influenced by others, sinners or lukewarm people. 126 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:08,120 I would even say this, be careful of the godly people in 127 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:12,080 your life. What do I mean by that? 128 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:17,760 Because godly people are people still, men of God are men still, 129 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,960 women of God are woman still. And so the main take away from 130 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:26,440 this is let God be over everything and everyone because 131 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,880 even for example, leaders in your life that you look up to, 132 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,240 that you Revere, that you respect, can have moments of 133 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,720 weaknesses. And if you are so swept up by 134 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:39,600 them, you can be weakened by their weaknesses. 135 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:42,840 So many example of this in real life and in the New Testament. 136 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:47,160 One of the strongest examples of that is Peter the apostle, who 137 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:51,080 in Galatians chapter 2 was eating with the Gentiles no 138 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,360 problem until James and the circumcision party came to 139 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,240 visit. And so Peter removes himself 140 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:00,240 from the Gentiles. He acts hypocritically and many 141 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:01,920 were led to act hypocritically with him. 142 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,760 Including who? Barnabas. 143 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,640 That's in Galatians chapter 2. Barnabas. 144 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:12,880 What is influenced by who? A false apostle? 145 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:19,120 No, a true one who in a moment of weakness weakened him. 146 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:23,320 So what are you to do? Yes, God has designed our 147 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:27,240 Christian life to be inspired and even LED to some degree by 148 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:31,280 others. But you have to understand that 149 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:34,200 the main authority over your life is this word and God's 150 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:36,120 will. And you have to filter 151 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:39,800 everything through this. And even if one who had a 152 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:43,600 wonderful reputation for a moment or even for a season 153 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:48,280 walks away from that, you choose God's word over men of God, even 154 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:54,760 or woman of God. Jehoshaphat here is going to 155 00:10:54,760 --> 00:11:00,160 learn a very hard lesson. Because we read here in verse 30 156 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,480 that the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise 157 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:07,600 myself and go into battle. But you wear your robes. 158 00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:14,640 What is that? So if if Jehoshaphat didn't 159 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:19,000 listen before, surely he would catch on now that this alliance 160 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:23,440 is a bad deal. If you were Jehoshaphat, 161 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:27,720 wouldn't you think to yourself at this moment, OK, if Ahab 162 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:31,440 really believed those 400 prophets, why would he succumb 163 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,760 to such tactics? Why would Ahab want to 164 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,920 camouflage himself as a lower ranking soldier and allow 165 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:42,040 Jehoshaphat to be the highlighted king on the 166 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:45,680 battlefield? Or you might think, if you were 167 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:54,440 Jehoshaphat, if this man didn't believe what Makaya said, then 168 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:56,280 why is he behaving in such a way? 169 00:11:56,280 --> 00:11:59,240 And you and I have determined from our previous study that 170 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:03,360 down deep inside, Ahab really did believe the word of Makaya, 171 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:06,600 didn't he? He did believe Makaya's 172 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,520 prophecy. And that's why he's doing this. 173 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:11,400 That's why he's scheming in this way. 174 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:15,200 And we remember, do we not, that there are some people who are 175 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:18,640 living in falsehood because they believe what is wrong to be 176 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,000 true. Some are just deceived. 177 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,520 And there are others who are believing what is untrue, 178 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:29,960 knowing full well it is untrue. They embrace it. 179 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:32,440 Still. They've been disproven. 180 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:37,880 They've been shown that what is true is not what they adhere to 181 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,440 over and over, and yet they embrace it. 182 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:42,520 Why? Because for many reasons, 183 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,960 including the fear of losing something while rejecting what 184 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,200 they've been holding on to for so long, many people are living 185 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:55,280 like that. And we see here that Ahab is 186 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:58,360 trying to now position Jehoshaphat in a way in which he 187 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:00,600 will be harmed and he will be kept safe. 188 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:05,840 And it makes you wonder, why is Jehoshaphat going along with 189 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:07,600 this? And we're going to discover that 190 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:10,280 in a moment. But we see here that Jehoshaphat 191 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:13,400 agrees. He agrees to this plan. 192 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,360 Is not the selfishness of Ahab so blatantly obvious? 193 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:23,120 It's so clear. And this man here, you wonder, 194 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,480 why are you having this unwavering commitment to such a 195 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:30,600 Rascal? Why would you submit to 196 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:32,320 something so perilous? Why would you? 197 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:35,240 Why would you not think this is the final straw? 198 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,240 That's alliance was a bad idea and I'm pulling out. 199 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:43,640 Well, as a surprising as it may seem, Jehoshaphat's dedication 200 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:48,640 to Ahab reflects on billions of people in their relationship 201 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:54,160 with sin, right? Maybe you know somebody or maybe 202 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,440 more than one person, where you're just seeing what the 203 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:00,680 rebellion is causing to them. You're seeing with their 204 00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:03,160 addiction or their way of thinking or their worldview is 205 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:06,200 causing them, and you wonder from time to time, how long is 206 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:10,080 he going to keep going this way? How long will she keep doing 207 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:11,880 this to herself? When will it click? 208 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:16,560 When will she realize that what she is doing is destructive, 209 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:20,320 it's false, it's not working, and that God's Word is true. 210 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:25,320 And so let's not pick on Jehoshaphat too much again. 211 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:28,520 We don't know what was going on through this mind of his while 212 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,520 he's making these decisions. But I wonder, and this is just 213 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:36,000 speculation, I wonder if he felt that he was too invested to back 214 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:40,200 out now. Is this just a friendship that 215 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:41,680 they have? No, there was a marriage 216 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,240 alliance that bound these two kingdoms together. 217 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,280 And what can be closer than you becoming family? 218 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,880 So I wonder if Jehoshaphat thought to himself, I'm too deep 219 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:54,200 into this. And you know what? 220 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,240 Whether He did or not, I know that sinners do. 221 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:01,080 Some at least they think that way about their own iniquity, 222 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,200 but their own way of life. There's no point in backing out. 223 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:05,200 Now you're saying, how do you know that? 224 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:06,840 Because I've talked to people like that. 225 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:09,680 There's no point of repenting now. 226 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:11,960 I have too many scars and there's no point of turning back 227 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:13,440 to the Lord. He's already warned me enough. 228 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:14,840 Surely you will not receive me again. 229 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,400 There's no point. I'm this deep. 230 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,640 I can't recover from this. I can't change from this. 231 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:29,440 I can't be renewed by this, and I believe many people who feel 232 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:34,640 this way can learn something about Jehoshaphat, something 233 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:36,440 that you and I already know, that it's never too late with 234 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:39,840 Christ, never, ever too late with the Lord Jesus Christ. 235 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,400 That's one of Satan's favorite lies for sinners. 236 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:49,880 You're too far gone, it's been too long, you're a mess, you're 237 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:53,360 in shambles. So what do we see? 238 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:56,400 We get a glimpse of the grace of God in this very passage, right? 239 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:58,480 So he tells him, disguise yourself as a king. 240 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:02,840 He agrees to it foolishly. Verse 31. 241 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:06,160 Now the king of Syria had commanded the 32 captains of his 242 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:10,200 Chariots fight with neither small nor great, but only with 243 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:13,280 the king of Israel. So this is a very strategic war. 244 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:16,240 They're not looking here to eliminate the armies of Israel. 245 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:17,720 They're not here to try to take over cities. 246 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,280 They have one goal in mind, kill the king of Israel. 247 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:22,280 They're not even interested in the king of Judah. 248 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:26,920 Just give us of Israel and for a brief moment something's going 249 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:28,720 to happen. Verse 32. 250 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:31,800 And when the captains of the chariot saw Jehoshaphat, they 251 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:33,720 said it is surely the king of Israel. 252 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:37,360 He's the only one wearing robes, and so they think that he's the 253 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:39,760 one. So they turned to fight against 254 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:41,840 him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. 255 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:45,400 And when the captains of the chariot saw that it was not the 256 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:47,920 king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 257 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:55,440 So Ahab's deceptive scheme seems to have been working for a brief 258 00:16:55,440 --> 00:17:00,680 moment, but not enough. It wasn't enough to actually 259 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,520 accomplish anything. And the turn around the the 260 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,280 event, the occurrence that changed the script. 261 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:09,560 What do you think it is in the verses that we just read? 262 00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:16,079 What is highlighted to us? If you know what, you can say it 263 00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:19,240 out loud. He cried out. 264 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,400 Jehoshaphat cried out. We're not told what he cried 265 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:26,319 out, so we're left to gas. At least in First Kings. 266 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:29,440 What did he cry out? I'm not Ahab. 267 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,920 I'm not Ahab. Or maybe he said he's over 268 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:37,120 there, He's over there. Or maybe in just absolute 269 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:39,440 desperation, he just shrieked for mercy. 270 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,160 He cried out. Now you get the impression from 271 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:51,280 this that maybe he cried out to the Syrian Army. 272 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:54,880 We're not told how he did it. We're not told what he did. 273 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:59,040 But could it be that First Chronicles gives us an answer? 274 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:04,320 Second Chronicles it does. So Second Chronicles 18, we 275 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:08,520 looked at verse one and two, but Scroll down to that chapter and 276 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:14,160 look at verse 31 and you will be told what Jehoshaphat did when 277 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,040 he cried out. Can anybody guess while you're 278 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:22,840 passing to that passage? OK, No one wants to guess. 279 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:28,120 That's OK. Verse 31 as soon as the captains 280 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:31,760 of the chariot saw Jehoshaphat, they said it is the king of 281 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:34,240 Israel. So they turned to fight against 282 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:39,480 him, and Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. 283 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:48,480 God drew them away from him. What's the answer? 284 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:52,720 He cried out to the Lord. Isn't that amazing? 285 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:58,120 He cried out to God. See why it's important to read 286 00:18:58,120 --> 00:19:01,120 your Bible through and through. You didn't want to read First 287 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:03,240 and Second Chronicles because of the genealogies. 288 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:06,720 And it's repetitive. The Bible wastes no real estate. 289 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,680 There's not one part of the terrain of Scripture that is 290 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:14,560 void of purpose. And I think it's absolutely 291 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:18,040 wonderful what Jehoshaphat crying out to the Lord at this 292 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:24,200 moment teaches us as believers that even amid compromise and 293 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:30,960 even amid you facing the consequences for your sin, if 294 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:34,600 you really belong to the Lord, you can cry out to Him and he is 295 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:38,320 ready to hear you and He is ready to help you. 296 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:44,400 He is ready to rescue you. Is Jehoshaphat at the top of his 297 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,920 spiritual performance here? No, he's at his lowest, at least 298 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:52,640 one of his low points. And yet the moment he turned his 299 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,000 face to the Lord and cried out, God was there. 300 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,160 You know who abandoned him though they had an alliance? 301 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,520 Ahab. You know who was with him and 302 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,920 for him, even though he was unfaithful in his covenant with 303 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:08,400 him. God, aren't you happy that God 304 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:13,360 is not like us? Aren't you happy that kings like 305 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,280 Ahab are miserable friends, miserable leaders? 306 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:19,880 But who stands out? The one who's really the king of 307 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,600 Israel. And so we see the Lord here, 308 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,480 though Jehovah gave him many reasons for him not to be there 309 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:31,960 on his side, but he didn't take those things into consideration. 310 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:37,320 So this is a comforting testimony for you and I. 311 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:39,920 This is how strong God's love is. 312 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:46,920 It's incredibly fierce, especially for those who claim 313 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:51,080 His name. Even though you do and you fail 314 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:53,520 them, it doesn't. It doesn't change what God is 315 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,280 willing to do for you the moment you turn to Him. 316 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:57,600 It doesn't. It doesn't alter it. 317 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,560 He delights in our repentance. He's eager for us to turn for 318 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:06,120 him to to Him. But at the same time, there is a 319 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:08,920 side to God in this story that should provoke a fear of Him, 320 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,960 especially if a person's like Ahab who arrogantly resists God 321 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,680 and rejects God and swats away his invitations for 322 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:21,400 relationship. Because while this man cries out 323 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,720 to the Lord and God answers him, notice what happens to Ahab. 324 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:30,520 Look at verse 34. We haven't read this yet, but a 325 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:37,480 certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of 326 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:41,360 Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. 327 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:46,680 Therefore, he said to the driver of his chariot, turn around and 328 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:50,160 carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded. 329 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:54,600 So here's the scene. They approached Jehoshaphat, he 330 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:58,720 cries out. Chronicles tells us that God 331 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:02,120 drew the people away. In their minds, in the the human 332 00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:04,040 standpoint, they realize all this is not the one we're 333 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:08,320 looking after or looking for. So they retreat, and one of 334 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:14,240 these men takes his arrow, draws it randomly and shoots it 335 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:17,440 towards the enemy, hoping that this shot will make some kind of 336 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:24,240 impact to their 'cause I'm not sure how skillful this soldier 337 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:28,600 is to waste ammo like that. But it doesn't make a difference 338 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:33,720 because unbeknown to this man, that arrow had Ahab's name on 339 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:40,160 it. So what man did arbitrarily with 340 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:44,600 his hands, the hands of Almighty God guided to perform His will. 341 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:49,640 And this is a unique illustration. 342 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:54,520 Listen to this being placed at the end of the Book of First 343 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:58,760 Kings with no coincidence. This is not coincidental for 344 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:03,360 this amazing, breathtaking example of God's sovereignty 345 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,760 being provided to us. Because what have we, what have 346 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:11,600 we been studying week after week since we opened First Kings? 347 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:17,320 We've been studying a nation that was divided, kings in 348 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:23,000 succession becoming failures and jeopardizing the program of God. 349 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:27,800 And as we come to the concluding thoughts, we realize that God 350 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:34,000 has not lost control, whether that be overthrowns or bullets. 351 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:39,640 That's a timely word, is it not? Yeah. 352 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:44,200 He can guide arrows. He can guide AR15 ammunition. 353 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,760 He can guide anything. He's sovereign, and that's what 354 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,800 you're supposed to leave with as you come to the end of this 355 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:53,720 book. He's in control. 356 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:58,800 Yeah, Ahab's reigning and Jehoshaphat's compromising, and 357 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,760 the nation is fractured and but who's who's still overseeing 358 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:04,200 everything? The Lord Almighty. 359 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:10,960 And additionally, this random error reminds us that you can 360 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:15,400 never be successful when you stand against God, but you are 361 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:17,280 the safest when you stand with Him. 362 00:24:18,120 --> 00:24:22,320 Can you think about this? Here's Ahab, who disguises 363 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,560 himself as a soldier so that he can be off the radar. 364 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:31,400 And you have Jehoshaphat, who has a bull's eye on his back 365 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,920 because of his royal robes. And yet you have this inverted 366 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,720 outcome. The one who's trying to hide is 367 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,600 killed, and the one who is brought forth and underscored 368 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:47,200 and highlighted is spared. What's the difference maker? 369 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:50,640 I argue it boils down to this, where these two men stood with 370 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:58,160 the Lord. If you stand with him, armies 371 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,920 can't overtake you. If you stand against him, no 372 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,600 matter where you hide and no matter how much armor you put 373 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:09,840 on, an arrow can find you. And notice it didn't hit any 374 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:11,960 spot. The Bible, so specific it hit, 375 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:17,800 it hit one of the entry points, whereas 90% of him was shielded. 376 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:21,920 The one place, among many other smaller places was where this 377 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:23,720 arrow landed. Why? 378 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:27,200 It's not because this man had an amazing aim, because God's 379 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,760 sovereignty in his judgement was at work. 380 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,000 And you can't evade it. You can't run from him. 381 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:38,840 You can't hide from Him. You read a verse like that, that 382 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:40,720 should cause you to fear the Lord. 383 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,400 That should encourage you to fear the Lord, to stand in awe 384 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,000 of Him. And if you stand against them, 385 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:48,520 that should cause you to be terrified. 386 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:52,640 And if you stand with them and you are dwelling underneath His 387 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,280 wings, then you should feel the safest. 388 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,240 No matter what kind of bunkers people are building and what 389 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:01,800 kind of Armory they have and what kind of money they have in 390 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:05,280 their accounts and networks and private jets and private islands 391 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:08,600 that they can hide from, you are the safest as long as you are 392 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:14,440 close to God. So we see here that this man 393 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,560 Ahab experienced the hard way that the word of Makaya was 394 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:21,440 true. He was struck. 395 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:25,440 And there's a subtle depiction of the level of stubbornness, 396 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,080 the extent of this man's stubbornness, that is actually 397 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,160 staggering. So he says there at the end of 398 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:34,040 verse 34, turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am 399 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:35,920 wounded. But look at verse 35. 400 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:38,560 And the battle continued that day. 401 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:43,520 And the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians 402 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,600 until that evening he died. And the blood of the wound 403 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,320 flowed into the bottom of the chariot. 404 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:53,800 What stands out to you from from that? 405 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,080 So he's pierced by this arrow, right? 406 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,520 And then he does something in his his dying moments. 407 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:07,800 What is it? I argue it's this that he was 408 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:14,040 propped up to face the Syrians. So he he's out of the battle, 409 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:17,120 but he wants he wants to show that he's OK. 410 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:21,640 He wants to, by standing in this manner, provide courage to his 411 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,720 army. Ah is the priority right now for 412 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:30,800 you to think that you can win this war or provide the 413 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,080 necessary motivation for your army to potentially win this 414 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:35,880 war? Is that what you're supposed to 415 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:37,360 be thinking about at this moment? 416 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,240 You know, some people would think that's so noble. 417 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:44,800 What a courageous leader. What should have Ahab done as he 418 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:47,640 was bleeding out, not propped up? 419 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:49,280 Get on your face and get right with God. 420 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:55,000 You're about to meet him. You're about to meet Him, and 421 00:27:55,000 --> 00:28:01,280 this little snapshot of a very, very stubborn Sinner, like what 422 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:05,600 Ahab showed us before, reflects on so many who, to their dying 423 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:11,840 breath, will reject God. Their dying moments will try to 424 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:17,560 thwart God's truth, deny it, discourage it, argue against it. 425 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:23,040 You would think that knowing you're going to die would cause 426 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:26,120 you to self reflect. And this encouraged me late last 427 00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:27,240 night. I'm like, you know, I, I just 428 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:30,400 want to, I want to explore how famous atheists die. 429 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,480 If there's any recordings of their final words. 430 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:36,520 And I mean, some sources are accurate, some are maybe 431 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:38,960 questionable. I'm not going to quote any to 432 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:42,320 you, but you would think that some who defied God throughout 433 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:45,080 their lives and understand that they're about to take a leap 434 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:47,880 into the dark would really reflect on what they've fought 435 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:51,680 against and maybe reconsider. Some have and others with their 436 00:28:51,960 --> 00:29:00,800 last breath, their final size, use that to curse God and to 437 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:04,720 spew more venom against the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. 438 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:11,440 So Ahab here being propped up and trying to trying to think, 439 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:13,240 is this still going to work out for me? 440 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:15,440 Is my army still going to win? You haven't, you haven't 441 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:20,880 registered yet that this is exactly what Makai said. 442 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,640 What happened to you? It's a terrifying thing, the 443 00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:30,160 depravity of man. Look at verse 36 and about 444 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,600 sunset. A cry went through the army, 445 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:36,360 every man to a city, and every man to his country. 446 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,560 That's it. Once the news was heard that he 447 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:41,200 had died, That was the point of the war. 448 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,080 Verse 37. So the king died. 449 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:48,960 It was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria, 450 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:53,800 and they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the 451 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:58,760 dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed 452 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:03,240 themselves in it according to the word of the Lord that he had 453 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:07,960 spoken. What prophecy does this fulfill? 454 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:11,320 The one in the previous chapter. Look at First Kings 21. 455 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:16,080 As Ahab stood in Nabith's vineyard, Elijah arrives on the 456 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:19,040 scene unannounced like he usually did, and he pronounces 457 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:26,200 this awful, harrowing prophecy. And you shall say to him, Thus 458 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:28,960 says the Lord, Have you killed and also taken possession? 459 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:32,000 And you shall say to him, Thus says the Lord, in the place 460 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:36,240 where dogs licked up the blood of Nabith, shall dogs lick your 461 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:40,800 own blood? What? 462 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,760 What's the reason for this? There is no explanation apart 463 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:49,520 from this describing the great contempt that God placed on Ahab 464 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:55,640 as he was a king and would die. It would not be a noble death. 465 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:57,400 It would not be an honorable death. 466 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:04,920 It would be a miserable, even horrific way of exiting this 467 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:08,200 world. And then what do we see here in 468 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:12,320 in chapter 22 that prostitutes wash themselves in that water as 469 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,120 well? Very graphic. 470 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:16,560 That wasn't a part of the original prophecy. 471 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:20,480 But again, it's meant to give a fuller picture of the 472 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:24,280 humiliation of Ahab's death because of his rebellion and his 473 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:27,640 disobedience to God after so many demonstrations of grace and 474 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:30,040 mercy. And it could even be that these 475 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:34,000 prostitutes were not random street workers, but we're temple 476 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,880 prostitutes, cult prostitutes. You read of them throughout the 477 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:39,440 kings, part of the false religious systems that were 478 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:41,880 established through Baal worship and astral worship. 479 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:45,040 So it could even be that these prostitutes who worship in their 480 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:50,000 sensual ways, being arranged by Ahab and Jezebel themselves, are 481 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,880 now cleansing themselves in his blood. 482 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:57,720 It's a really pathetic sight actually. 483 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:00,520 And it's meant to cause us. If you feel squeamish, if you 484 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,880 feel like this is horrific, that's what God is intending to 485 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,520 do. He wants to connect this with 486 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,000 sin. He wants to connect this with 487 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:13,920 His wrath. So either way, it is meant to 488 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:16,480 portray the mortifying end of a miserable life. 489 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:21,200 And that will only continue in the next two verses. 490 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,720 Look at verse 39. Now the rest of the acts of Ahab 491 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:28,520 and all that he did and the Ivory house that he built and 492 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:32,440 all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book 493 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,160 of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 494 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:39,080 So Ahab slept with his father's, and Ahaziah, his son, reigned in 495 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:43,320 his place. The only positive remarks that 496 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:49,000 the author of Kings can provide this king are his material 497 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:52,040 accomplishments. He built an ivory house, He 498 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:54,680 built some cities. He wants some wars. 499 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:56,200 That's not even directly mentioned. 500 00:32:56,920 --> 00:33:02,320 So he had the glamorous home, and he had some engineering 501 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,680 success and he had some kind of victory here and there. 502 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:11,600 But what else is Ahab known for? And he will be known for this 503 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,520 for the rest of history as one of the most wicked kings that 504 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:19,200 Israel has ever experienced. So physically may be impressive, 505 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:26,400 spiritually disastrous, and this man will go down as one of the 506 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:29,240 worst. And Isaiah, his son, will take 507 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:31,200 his place and he's going to prove very quickly to be no 508 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:33,840 better than his dad. Remember that name, Ahaziah. 509 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:40,520 Now let's read verse 41. That was a summary of Ahab's 510 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:43,400 life. But for some reason the Holy 511 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,520 Spirit wants to mention Jehoshaphat to give a summary of 512 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:50,360 his life as well. Jehoshaphat, the son of ASA, 513 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:53,280 began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab, king of 514 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:56,800 Israel. Jehoshaphat was 35 years old 515 00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:01,200 when he began to reign, and he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. 516 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:04,720 His mother's name was Azuba, the daughter of Shilai. 517 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:09,800 He walked, and all the way of ASA his father, he did not turn 518 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:12,440 aside from it, doing what was right in the side of the Lord. 519 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:16,239 Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still 520 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:18,679 sacrifice and made offerings on the high places. 521 00:34:19,199 --> 00:34:21,920 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel. 522 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:24,960 What impression do you get with this summary of Jehoshaphat's 523 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:29,000 reign? Was he godly? 524 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:37,360 Was he evil? He wasn't totally godly and he 525 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:40,679 wasn't completely evil. He was in the middle. 526 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:45,000 Some areas were admirable. Other areas were very 527 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:48,600 questionable and we've touched on these verses before, but I 528 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:50,400 want us to focus on the next few verses. 529 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:51,800 We haven't touched on these verses yet. 530 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:55,440 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and his might that 531 00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:59,200 he showed and how he ward are they not written in the book of 532 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:00,880 the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 533 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,400 And from the land he exterminated the remnant of the 534 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:06,680 male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his 535 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:09,760 father ASA. Now look at verse 47. 536 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:12,640 This seems to be random, seems to serve no purpose. 537 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:18,200 There was no king in Edom. A deputy was king. 538 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:22,440 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to offer for 539 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:26,680 gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at easy 540 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:30,320 on Geber. Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab set 541 00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:33,280 to Jehoshaphat. Let my servants go with your 542 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:37,920 servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat was not willing. 543 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:43,640 Interesting. Out of nowhere, we are informed 544 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,440 that Edom had no king, but a deputy. 545 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:50,920 Edom had kings, but at this particular time there was 546 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:54,920 political instability. And who wanted to take advantage 547 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:56,600 of that? Jehoshaphat. 548 00:35:57,200 --> 00:35:58,960 And how did he want to take advantage of that? 549 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:05,480 Well, I'm maybe, maybe it's true that somebody here remembers the 550 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:07,400 name here of where he built these ships. 551 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,840 Izion Geber. Anybody memorize that before? 552 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:13,920 No. Have you seen this before in 553 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:16,560 First Kings? We have seen it before in First 554 00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:19,000 Kings, but we didn't spend much time on it. 555 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:22,160 But go to 1st Kings Nine and then you'll see it. 556 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:25,920 Perhaps you'll remember it. First Kings 926. 557 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,200 This is under the rule and reign of Solomon. 558 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,640 And notice the relation between this place in Solomon's effort, 559 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:33,320 his prosperous efforts in the land. 560 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:41,600 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Iziongeber, which is 561 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:45,480 near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of what 562 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:50,760 Edom. Ah now we come to 1st Kings 22. 563 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,480 We learned that there was no king in Edom while Jehoshaphat 564 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:57,520 was king of Judah. And so Jehoshaphat wants to 565 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:03,200 revive something that was lost. After Solomon ruled and reigned, 566 00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:08,320 he he wanted to create a seaport and he wanted to create a, a 567 00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:12,040 kind of a trade route so that he could gain the goal that Solomon 568 00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:15,320 gained and to make the Kingdom prosperous once more. 569 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:18,720 And so he builds these fleets of ships. 570 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:21,760 But then what happens when the first Kings 22 without 571 00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:25,120 explanation, we're informed that the ships were destroyed. 572 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:29,560 They were wrecked. And then Isaiah approaches him 573 00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:33,480 and he says, hey, why don't we work together and let's, let's 574 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:35,720 get this thing going. I think this will work for both 575 00:37:35,720 --> 00:37:36,880 of us. I'm willing to help you. 576 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:42,600 And Jehoshaphat refuses. Is there any place in the Bible 577 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:44,160 where we can get some clarification? 578 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:50,240 Yes, Second Chronicles. I was scared somebody was going 579 00:37:50,240 --> 00:37:54,520 to say Galatians or something. Second Chronicles, Look at 580 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:56,600 chapter 20, not 18, but chapter 20. 581 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:04,320 Look here at verse 35 of chapter 20. 582 00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:11,840 I hope this Bible study every Friday will encourage you to 583 00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:14,080 never skip a book in the Bible when you read it. 584 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:18,560 That's my prayer. Second Chronicles, 2035. 585 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:24,520 After this, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, joined with Ahaziah, king 586 00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:25,720 of Israel. Pause. 587 00:38:25,720 --> 00:38:28,080 Who is Aaziah? He's the son of who? 588 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:30,840 Good good, good. So we're told here that 589 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:34,000 Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Isaiah king of Israel. 590 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:38,640 Pause in first Kings 22. Remember when Isaiah approached 591 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:41,240 Jehoshaphat and he wanted to work together. 592 00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:43,920 What did Jehoshaphat do? He says I'm not willing. 593 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:45,800 Well here we're told that they joined together. 594 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:47,800 This is going to make sense in a moment. 595 00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:51,480 Who acted wickedly. The Chronicle wants to let us 596 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:53,000 know that has I was a wicked man. 597 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:56,920 Look at verse 36. He joined him in building ships 598 00:38:56,920 --> 00:39:02,280 to go to Tarshish and they built the ships in Ezeongebber What? 599 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:10,440 Verse 37 Then Elia Ezer, the son of Doda Vahu of Maharishi, 600 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:14,920 prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, because you have joined 601 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:19,800 with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made. 602 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:23,760 And the ships were wrecked, and we're not able to go to 603 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:30,280 Tarshish. So let's forget about First 604 00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:32,160 Kings 22 for a moment. Let's just deal with Second 605 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:35,120 Chronicles 2035. OK, to 37. 606 00:39:36,280 --> 00:39:40,320 We're told back at First Kings 22 that Isaiah ruled and reigned 607 00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:42,880 for only two years. That's at the end, the final 608 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:46,480 verses of our chapter. So let's think about this. 609 00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:51,920 If Jehoshaphat made an alliance with Ahab, Ahab dies, Joshua 610 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:55,080 goes back to his Kingdom, and he's just continuing where he 611 00:39:55,080 --> 00:40:01,480 left off in under two years. Evidently he makes an alliance 612 00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:05,400 with the son of Ahab. Isn't that remarkable? 613 00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:09,400 You would think that this man learned his lesson with Ahab, 614 00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:12,880 but clearly he didn't. And not only that, although 615 00:40:12,880 --> 00:40:16,800 there's so many things that we can praise Jehoshaphat for, this 616 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:18,520 is obviously a weakness in his life. 617 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:23,000 This is a habitual problem. He has this tendency. 618 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:25,080 And what's his tendency to be unequally yoked? 619 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:28,440 That's his temptation. Some people have different 620 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:32,240 inclinations and this was his problem because in such a short 621 00:40:32,240 --> 00:40:34,880 amount of time, he's magnetized towards the wrong people once 622 00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:38,920 again. And this is a tendency to not 623 00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:42,080 trust in God's wisdom and choosing friendships, 624 00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:46,880 partnerships, and even potential candidates to be your spouse. 625 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:53,640 Is it possible for a genuine Christian to have a recurring 626 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:58,120 problem of leaning towards those that they should have no 627 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:01,640 association with? Yeah, it is. 628 00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:04,800 And that's Jehoshaphat's problem here. 629 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:08,560 They might honor the Lord Jesus in other areas, but when it 630 00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:11,560 comes to like Jehoshaphat with relationships, whatever the 631 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:14,600 reason they're drawn, they're drawn to the people that they 632 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:21,960 should remove themselves from. And interestingly, the Lord does 633 00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:26,240 something to not allow this alliance to last very long. 634 00:41:26,240 --> 00:41:31,000 He sends a prophet and the prophet says, the fact that 635 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:35,880 you're doing this again is going to make me do something before 636 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:38,600 it gets ugly. I'm going to put an end to this. 637 00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:42,800 And he destroys the ships. Is destruction a pleasant 638 00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:44,560 experience or unpleasant experience? 639 00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:46,120 Unpleasant. It's uncomfortable. 640 00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:48,520 You might think about the time that Jehoshaphat invested the 641 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:51,920 money. He invested the, the, the plans 642 00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:55,760 for a prosperous nation that would come through this project. 643 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:59,160 And all of that was decimated. It was dissolved. 644 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:02,800 You think that's harsh on God's part? 645 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:04,360 I don't think it's harsh. You know what I think it is, is 646 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:10,960 God's mercy. That's God's mercy, because who 647 00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:13,600 knows the problems and the trouble that would have arose 648 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:17,160 from this man's prosperous relationship with Ahaziah? 649 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:25,240 When I studied this last night, I I leaned back from my desk and 650 00:42:25,240 --> 00:42:28,920 I looked up to the ceiling and I learned something about the 651 00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:33,400 Lord. Because what's true of God here 652 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:37,800 is certainly true for you and I. You may not always have answers 653 00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:45,200 for why God allows certain things to come to an end, but 654 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:48,320 one reason among many, according to this scripture, is that he's 655 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:55,520 protecting you. Yeah, it's painful, it's 656 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:59,160 unpleasant, it's often without explanation. 657 00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:03,960 But if we belong to the Lord, you can trust that when certain 658 00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:12,640 opportunities, relationships you ready for this ministries no 659 00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:17,200 longer work come to a close, come to an end. 660 00:43:18,800 --> 00:43:25,800 God knows something you don't. Now you got to see beyond the 661 00:43:25,800 --> 00:43:28,680 surface, right? If you read this, and if if you 662 00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:32,800 read this like how Jehoshaphat could have read it without the 663 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:35,400 prophet indicating to him and actually explain to him why this 664 00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:37,920 is happening, all you would see is destruction. 665 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:40,800 All you would see is harm. All you would see is loss. 666 00:43:41,720 --> 00:43:43,160 But what's God doing in the background? 667 00:43:43,160 --> 00:43:45,320 What's he doing? Because you often don't get the 668 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:47,200 explanation like Jehoshaphat did. 669 00:43:49,240 --> 00:43:51,400 You don't need the explanation, you just need to understand is 670 00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:55,520 God Lord, is Christ Lord. You don't need anything else. 671 00:43:56,960 --> 00:44:00,360 So let him lead you, and some things, he'll blossom. 672 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:04,240 Some things might look like they're going to work and they 673 00:44:04,240 --> 00:44:07,960 don't. But if you have committed it to 674 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:10,440 the Lord in prayer, if you've surrendered him step by step, 675 00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:15,480 even if it looks broken, even if it looks destructive, even if it 676 00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:19,480 looks like a loss, realize that God is in control and he knows 677 00:44:19,480 --> 00:44:25,000 something you don't always. But how do we reconcile Second 678 00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:29,520 Chronicles with First Kings 22? Here's how we can make sense of 679 00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:32,240 the timeline. Originally, Jehoshaphat and 680 00:44:32,240 --> 00:44:36,920 Isaiah made an alliance and they did start something with these 681 00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:40,480 ships. And then the prophet comes and 682 00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:42,760 he informs them, hey, these things are going to say bye bye 683 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:45,640 to them because this is not a part of God's plan. 684 00:44:45,640 --> 00:44:47,600 You, you yoked yourself once again to somebody that you 685 00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:51,600 shouldn't have partnered with. And then what do we read? 686 00:44:51,600 --> 00:44:55,480 You go back to First Kings 22. Isaiah comes again. 687 00:44:56,560 --> 00:44:58,880 He approaches him once more and he says, look, why don't we try 688 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:01,080 this again? Didn't work. 689 00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:04,080 So let's let's maybe think differently here. 690 00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:08,160 And what does George Shabbat do? I'm not willing. 691 00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:13,840 Finally, something about Jehoshaphat that we can take 692 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:19,520 positive inspiration from. This was a struggle for 693 00:45:19,520 --> 00:45:22,080 Jehoshaphat, right? This was something that he could 694 00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:24,520 he had great weakness and resisting. 695 00:45:24,520 --> 00:45:27,640 But you know what? George Shabbat also shows that 696 00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:30,280 even though it's a habit, even though it's call it what you 697 00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:37,280 want, whatever psychological tag you want to attach to it, you 698 00:45:37,280 --> 00:45:44,320 have the ability to repent when God makes His will known. 699 00:45:44,840 --> 00:45:47,280 God has also instituted something in you to make a 700 00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:48,520 choice. This is it. 701 00:45:48,520 --> 00:45:54,200 Enough is enough. You don't have the empowerment 702 00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:57,840 to no ultimate victory, but you can make the choice that pivots 703 00:45:57,840 --> 00:46:02,560 you for God to then empower you. This man made a decision. 704 00:46:02,760 --> 00:46:05,200 This is it. I did it with Ahab. 705 00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:08,600 I did it with his son. God warned me once again, I'm 706 00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:09,960 I'm putting an end to this right here. 707 00:46:12,440 --> 00:46:14,360 And this is one of the lessons that you're supposed to leave 708 00:46:14,360 --> 00:46:17,160 with at the end of first Kings, right? 709 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:23,880 That this is a man here who had cycling compromise and he shows 710 00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:27,040 us that God has given us an ability to put it to an end and 711 00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:31,320 you don't have to wait things to be destroyed for you to finally 712 00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:36,520 realize it. Unfortunately, Isaiah did not 713 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:39,200 learn that truth and he didn't live very long to have the 714 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:40,800 opportunities that Jehoshaphat did. 715 00:46:41,120 --> 00:46:46,040 So let's come back to the last verses of First Kings 22, verse 716 00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:51,880 51. Isaiah, the son of Ahab, began 717 00:46:51,880 --> 00:46:57,080 to reign over Israel in Samaria in the 17th year of Jehoshaphat, 718 00:46:57,080 --> 00:47:00,920 king of Judah, and he reigned 2 years over Israel. 719 00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:04,560 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in 720 00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:07,800 the way of his father and in the way of his mother, and in the 721 00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:11,480 way of Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin. 722 00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:15,160 He served Baal and worshipped him and provoked the Lord, the 723 00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:19,560 God of Israel to anger in every way that his father had done. 724 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:24,520 What a sad way to end a book. But let me remind you how the 725 00:47:24,520 --> 00:47:27,080 book began. You don't have to turn there. 726 00:47:28,280 --> 00:47:30,400 And a lot of the things that were shared, maybe not a lot, 727 00:47:30,400 --> 00:47:32,880 but some things that were shared here are going to show up on the 728 00:47:32,880 --> 00:47:36,640 quiz. So there's no excuse for you not 729 00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:39,360 to get a lot of those questions right. 730 00:47:40,840 --> 00:47:42,400 How did the book of First Kings begin? 731 00:47:43,600 --> 00:47:48,440 It began with the son of a king who exalted himself and 732 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:51,760 attempted to seize the throne, though he knew that it was 733 00:47:51,760 --> 00:47:54,800 against the will of God. In no doubt is that a form of 734 00:47:54,800 --> 00:47:59,080 idolatry, you elevating yourself and putting yourself before 735 00:47:59,080 --> 00:48:02,960 God's will in God's program. That's how the book begins. 736 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:05,400 And how does the book end? You have a son of another king 737 00:48:07,160 --> 00:48:10,280 who promotes idolatry, false worship, who turns his back 738 00:48:10,280 --> 00:48:13,640 against God. And so this whole book is 739 00:48:13,640 --> 00:48:23,000 sandwiched between 2 failures. 2 failures for what purpose? 740 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:27,640 For you to realize, oh, when is that promised king going to 741 00:48:27,640 --> 00:48:34,040 come? When is that seed of the son of 742 00:48:34,040 --> 00:48:38,720 David going to arrive? When is the righteous 1 going to 743 00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:43,320 establish that perfect government that will rule over 744 00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:47,120 all nations and will reflect the splendor of the glory of God? 745 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:52,280 When, when will He come? Because all these kings have 746 00:48:52,280 --> 00:48:55,720 disappointed us. And it's not until we get to 2nd 747 00:48:55,720 --> 00:49:00,320 Kings where we're going to have a clear answer to that wonderful 748 00:49:00,320 --> 00:49:02,840 inquiry and longing and hard cry. 749 00:49:02,840 --> 00:49:05,720 And we're not going to get there until a few weeks. 750 00:49:05,720 --> 00:49:09,240 So let's thank God for what He's done in the past many months in 751 00:49:09,240 --> 00:49:11,040 First Kings. Shall we pray together? 752 00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:29,400 But we thank you for your word. Thank you for these final 753 00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:31,760 lessons. In this final section of this 754 00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:34,760 book. We remember, Lord, that your 755 00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:38,560 hand is at work. What we may see as random is not 756 00:49:38,560 --> 00:49:45,640 random to you, your sovereign, even over the molecules. 757 00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:51,720 So help us believe that you are sovereign over politics and 758 00:49:51,720 --> 00:49:58,240 church scandals and nations and agendas that are polluting the 759 00:49:58,240 --> 00:50:00,160 minds of a generation. Help us believe you're 760 00:50:00,160 --> 00:50:02,880 sovereign. And Lord, help us like 761 00:50:02,880 --> 00:50:06,800 Jehoshaphat, remember that we have no excuse to not repent, 762 00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:11,280 that we have a mighty God we can cry out to at any point, and You 763 00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:14,160 are ready to rescue us right there and then. 764 00:50:15,120 --> 00:50:17,520 So we pray for those in this room, for those who hear this 765 00:50:17,520 --> 00:50:21,640 recording in the days to come, that if there is any sin that 766 00:50:21,640 --> 00:50:27,160 they are caught in that they would cry out to You and they 767 00:50:27,160 --> 00:50:29,520 they would trust that You will be there for them. 768 00:50:31,600 --> 00:50:34,440 Give us discernment, Give us grace. 769 00:50:35,640 --> 00:50:37,440 Lord, give us a hunger for Your word. 770 00:50:38,160 --> 00:50:42,440 Help us believe that every part of this book has been breathed 771 00:50:42,440 --> 00:50:46,800 out by You and Lord, breathe into us so that we can know this 772 00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:50,520 abundant life that your Son, the Lord Jesus, purchased with his 773 00:50:50,520 --> 00:50:54,200 own blood. We thank you for First Kings and 774 00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:56,560 we're excited for what you have in store in the days to come. 775 00:50:56,880 --> 00:51:00,960 Should you tarry, Lord, bring us to this next book and guide us 776 00:51:00,960 --> 00:51:04,080 as you did in this one. In Jesus name we pray. 777 00:51:04,560 --> 00:51:05,760 Amen. Amen.