Biblical Profile: Jehoshaphat

Jehoshaphat

Jehoshaphat succeeded his father Asa to become the fourth king of Judah (872–848 BC). Like Hezekiah and Josiah after him, Jehoshaphat trusted the Lord throughout his life and worked to remove most forms of pagan worship from Israel (2 Chr 17:6).

Jehoshaphat continued his father Asa’s religious reforms but reversed his foreign policy. Jehoshaphat discontinued Judah’s war with Israel over their boundaries (see 1 Kgs 22:2) and made an alliance with Ahab. To confirm this alliance, he arranged for his son Jehoram to marry Ahab’s daughter Athaliah (2 Chr 18:1-2; 2 Kgs 8:18) and supported the north in its wars against the Arameans and Moabites (2 Chr 18:3-34; 1 Kgs 22; 2 Kgs 3:4-27). The prophet Jehu rebuked Jehoshaphat for his unwise alliance with Israel (2 Chr 19:1-3), which resulted in his son Jehoram falling under the influence of Ahab and Jezebel. Jehoram and his son Ahaziah turned Judah toward idol worship.

Yet during his reign, Jehoshaphat kept the worship of the Lord pure. He closed the temples of prostitution (1 Kgs 22:46) and sent teachers of God’s law throughout the land (2 Chr 17:7-9). He also established a system of judges and admonished them to function as the Lord’s representatives so that justice might prevail (19:4-7). He appointed Levites, priests, and family heads to handle cases pertaining to religious practice and to negotiate disputes among citizens (19:8-10).

Before going to battle, Jehoshaphat would insist on hearing from a true prophet of the Lord. And in one of the most stirring descriptions of war in the Old Testament, Jehoshaphat preached to the army before entering a battle. As a result, God caused the armies from Ammon, Moab, and their allies to turn against each other (2 Chr 20).

Jehoshaphat died when he was about sixty years old and was buried in Jerusalem. His son Jehoram became Judah’s next king (21:1).

Passages for Further Study

1 Kgs 15:24; 22:1-50; 2 Kgs 3:1-27; 2 Chr 17:1–21:1