Triumphant Return to Jerusalem
26 Then on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore they have named that place “The Valley of [g]Beracah” until today. 27 Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres and trumpets to the house of the Lord. 29 And the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on all sides.
31 Now Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not depart from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord. 33 The high places, however, were not removed; the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first [h]to last, behold, they are written in the annals of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is [i]recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
Alliance Displeases God
35 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly [j]in so doing. 36 So he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.
Though Jehoshaphat saw God do great things, and he himself followed God in nearly everything, he had a weak spot when it came to Ahab and his son Ahaziah. Jehoshaphat should have learned when he followed Ahab into battle leading to great defeat.
But he jumps right into partnership with Ahaziah who was apparently also a wicked king, and God was certainly not happy with him. We need to be careful who we partner with, in marriage, in business, or otherwise. Certainly, we are to be salt and light to those who don’t know Jesus, and part of that is loving them and befriending them just as Jesus did.
Don’t get caught in the trap of the Pharisees, where they would have nothing to do with those who needed God’s help most. But there are certain things, like marriage, or a business partnership, where we ought to be very careful that our partner shares our values. Ultimately, a business partnership is a tricky thing to start with, and joining with someone who’s views are at odds with ours is asking for trouble.
When the rubber meets the road, we need to stick to our principles, and if your partner doesn’t agree with those principles, or is willing to cut corners, you are building on a shaky foundation. Seek God’s direction and hand in all you do, and He will help you avoid any such issues.