So what was happening in the Southern Kingdom? What was going on in Judah? They finally had a righteous King, Jehoshaphat. His name means, “Jehovah has judged”. He began his reign in the 4th year of King Ahab of Israel’s reign and reigned 25 years.
2 Chronicles 17:3, “Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father (ancestor) David, he did not seek the Baals (4) but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. (5) Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches in abundance. (6) And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah”. The remainder of the chapter goes on to say how powerful they were, how abundant the riches of the land. Because they had reform, revival.
David was not actually his ‘father’, his father was King Asa. Jehoshaphat was the 4th King of Judah, the kings who came from the bloodline of King David, ‘a man who was after God’s heart’. (Acts 13:22)
King Jehoshaphat not only brought the worship of the One True God back into Jerusalem, but he sent priests throughout all the Kingdom of Judah to teach the people the Book of the Law. No longer would God’s people perish for a lack of knowledge.
Their borders were safe and there was a new respect for Judah. 2 Chronicles 17:10, “And the fear of the Lord fell on all kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.” That little patch of the world again held respect and power of all the kingdoms.
During the hard times in Israel, the people groaned, mourned, suffered. They were in famine. They were in total ignorance of their great God, Jehovah. Can you imagine what it was like? Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him…. Ahab … did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him (1 Kings 16:30, 33). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”(2 Corinthians 3:17) There was no freedom or liberty in the northern kingdom of Israel, only bondage and darkness.
During the same time the southern kingdom of Judah rejoiced. There was freedom from war, rain, a reverential fear of the Lord, liberty. What made the difference? A righteous leader!
Proverbs 29:2 tells us, “When just leaders are in power, the citizens celebrate;
but when evil people gain control, their joys become moans.” (The Voice)
Later in his reign, King Jehoshaphat made wrong decisions, but it was wonderful in the land when he followed God with all his heart.
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