The Red Cloud chief., 1911-01-26
REIGN OF
JEHOS lAPHAT

and all these things shall be added unto
/ you -. Matt 635
TlME-Jehoshaphats reign of 20 years
was from II. c. 20 Tor S7S to S97 Cor S5S.
| The 6ist to the S6th years OF tho kingdom.
! PBACE-The reform extended to tho hill
| country of Ephraim The battle against
! the Syrinns took place at Ramoth-Gilead,
to tho east of the Jordan tho 'hullelujah
| victory" near Tokoa, south of Bethlehem.
This lesson covers the entire reign
of the good King Jehoshaphat. His
name means Jehovah judged,
name given by his religious father
| Ills parents were Asa, the good king,
and A2ubah, about whom nothing
more Is known. His age ut his acces'
sion was 80 years, and he reigned for
| 25 years. hls character was pious,
/ prudent, cuterprising lie was n skill.
! ful general. a wise statesman. cour-
ageous rcformer. lie was alone
/ counted worthy in later ages to rank
with Hezekiuh and Josiah among the
/ most pious rulers of the Davidic line
| Ills reign was among the best and
most prosperous in all Judah's exis'
! tcnce. His great error, equally with
| his success. points out to us the way
/ of true prosperity. lie had a great
advantage In having religious faith
cr, who had done much toward re-
forming his kingdom, and uplifting
his people. A good inheritance Of vir.
I iue and religion is one OF the greatest
blessings ever bestowed upon young
/ man
Jehoshaphat strengthened himself
/ against Israel because there had been
wars with Israel, there having been n
/ long rivalry between them. which was
/ renewed in border warfare during
/ the last days of Asa Baasha king of
Israel had not only attacked judah.
| but had fortified Ramah. town only
few miles north of Jerusalem. The
warrior Ahab was on the throne of
Israel when Jehoshaphat began to
reign. lie placed forces, "arsenals
for the supply of war material" as
we'll as soldiers, in all the fenced, for
titled cities, set garrisons. probably
food supplies with leaders to take
charge of obtaining and caring for
| them.
The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, be-
cause Jehoshaphat stood for the
things which God loved and wished to
do for the nation. The Lord cannot
in this sense be with those whose
whole life and conduct are opposed to
all God wants to accomplish. This
was shown by the fact known to all
that he walked in the first ways of
his father David. The Greek transla.
tion omits David" The reference
then might be to the beautiful life
David lived before his fall and re-
storation. but probably to his father
Asa, who began his reign by devotion
TO Jehovah, and sought not unto Baa.
lin, the false and impure idols of the
heather.
His heart was lifted up in the ways
OF the Lord; lifted up above worldly
considerations and fears. filled with
high motives and enthusiasms, in the
cause of Cod as In the case of the
apostles who when filled with the
Spirit joyfully went on in their hard
task against all the powers of Jew.
ish Sanhedrims and Roman emperors.
lie was lifted up into union with
God
Jchoshaphat, like all other men was
not perfect. All Gods work through
men Is done with imperfect instru-
ments but the nearer perfection they
are, the better work God can do
through them. The great mistake OF
Jehoshaphat's life was not his being
friend to Ahab. and seeking to live
at peace with him, but his making so
close an alliance as to injure both
kingdoms. He Joined Ahab in an un.
necessary war: and he married his
son to the heather daughter of Ahab
and Jezebel. II was doubtless done
with the good motive OF uniting the
divided nation into one kingdom
again. II was beautiful vision and
glorious hope. "The church and the
world were delightfully."- at one" But
II was an almost fatal alliance, for It
led to religious and moral declenslon.
and to the almost total extinction of
the royal family.
Jehosphaphat took away the high
places. Affairs and places OF worship
on wooded hilltops, where there were
ui'O lNplS iOl NOlo sup HtSt IldttS
were near towns, and convenient for
the gatherings of the people for pleas
ure, and social worship. which was
often of the most licentious character.
And the groves, more correctly as In
r. V. Asherim, wooden poles or posts
representing the female goddess Ash
tcroth,
1t must be remembered that there
were two ways Of using these high
places, one for heather worship with
it's impure rites the other for the wor-
ship Of Jehovah, But the use OF
these heather places with their evil
associations, for the worship of tho
true Cod tended to debase that wor-
ship, and corrupt It with heather
rites and immortality.
Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem:
and he went out again through the
people from Beersheba, In the south