“Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.” (2Ch 18:1 AV)
Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah and Benjamin, while Ahab was the king of Israel. The king of Syria had come up against Ahab as an arm of God’s judgment on him and his wife. Jehoshaphat felt it was his ethical duty to help a fellow Israeli as they faced a common enemy. Because God had blessed him, Jehoshaphat felt inoculated against harm in helping someone who was clearly out of the will of God. Jehoshaphat read too much into the blessings of God. God blesses only when we walk with him in obedience and faith. He is not obligated to bless when we do not. No matter the cause, it is not right to assume God’s blessings give us blanket permission to be a blessing to someone else. Jehoshaphat almost lost his life in battle. God protected him from his own naïve choice. Jehoshaphat would do this once more. He would come to the assistance of Ahab’s successor. God allowed Jehoshaphat to suffer loss the second time. It was only when he suffered loss that he finally understood that God’s blessings do not automatically mean we can do the same for others who are not walking with God.
In one of my previous churches, we struggled with this. The culture demanded we assist anyone one in need regardless of their situation. Those in our congregation who helped all who asked for it were afraid of what might be said of our church if we didn’t help. It became more about saving face than actually helping the person in need. Sometimes the person in need needs to have a need. Right behind our church, there was a trailer park that was known for producing meth. It was not uncommon to have some addicted to drugs come to church and ask for assistance then use that assistance to continue their addiction. By giving them of the blessings of God without question or consideration, we exacerbated their troubles. There were also those who lived strictly off the charity of our county’s churches. They didn’t hold a job. They could, but refused. It was easier to hit a few churches in the area a couple of times a week. So, we devised a voucher plan where the recipient could only use the vouchers for food or fuel. No alcohol, tobacco products, or other non-essential items. They had to show a picture ID in order to use it, which kept them from selling the voucher for money to buy drugs or beer. I kept a log book and required a photo ID. This way, we could track and see if the individual was habitually in need, making no effort to get off dependency upon the churches. There was an ethical responsibility laid upon us to share God’s blessings the best way we could. If they refused to attend church, then the help we could give was very limited. Sometimes, a need is God’s way of drawing us back to Him.
God’s blessings can sometimes give us the wrong impression. Sometimes the LORD gives us rewards for service rendered and we have to be careful with that which God has given. Jehoshaphat misunderstood God’s blessings. He saw those blessings as God’s permission to do with it as he pleased. Not so. Ahab was arguably the evilest of all Jewish kings. His wife’s name is renown as a name for a wicked woman. His wife Jezebel had a relative of Ahab falsely accused and killed merely for a small piece of land. Jezebel sought the lives of all of God’s prophets and vowed to kill them all. Jehoshaphat meant well. One cannot fault his heart. What he misunderstood is that God blessed him for a reason. When he allied with Ahab, that reason no longer existed. God’s blessings are to be used to glorify Him first. This righteous king came an arrow’s breath from losing his life. All because he believed it was the right thing to do in helping someone who was out of the will of God. Like I said, Jehoshaphat’s heart is something one cannot condemn. He has a heart of gold and just wants to be a blessing, as God was to him. His mistake was to choose the wrong outlet for that charity. Just because God blesses does not mean he always will. God blessed because of obedience. Ahab clearly was not so. Therefore, no matter how he felt, Jehoshaphat had no business helping him.
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