“However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places. Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.” (1 Kings 22:43-44)
Jehoshaphat was a good king and the Bible states that definitively a few verses above this text, but a good king can still have his blindspots. Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was led by a righteous man that struggled with compromise.
He didn’t worship idols, but he put up with it under his watch… and he wasn’t a bad king, but he made peace with Ahab (the king of Israel) that definitely was one of the worst. Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, go down in history as some of the wickedest rulers of all time.
Here is the crazy thing that all of us have to think about – are we choosing to do good, but still trying to make peace with those who lead wickedly? Because Jehoshaphat was condemned for that behavior. He was rebuked for not standing up enough against tyranny, sin, and idolatry. Being brave enough to sound the alarm and battle cry against wickedness is one of the hardest things to do. We need to be careful that we aren’t trying so hard to live a peaceful life that we start making truces with the enemies of our God.
Matt 4:4 #Biblebites