Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1911-01-27
REIGN OF
JEHOSHAPHAT
Sunday School Lesson for Jan. %, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TEXT-2 Chronicles l7:l-l3
Memory Verses 8, l.
GOLDEN TEXT-"Seek We first thu
kingdom OF God, and his righteousness
and all these things shall be added untC
you."-Matt.. 6:33
TIME-JehOshaph reign of q year.
was from B. c. S22 Tor S7S) to Ss7 Tor $50
The 6lst to the Seth years Of the kingdom
PLACE-The reform extended to the hill
country Of Ephraim. The battle agains
the Syrians took place at Ramoth-Gilead
to the east of the Jordan; the 'hallelujaf
victory near Tekoa, south of Bethlehem
This lesson. covers the entire reign
of the good King Jehoshaphat. His
name means Jehovah judged" a
name given by his religious father
His parents were Asa, the good king
and Azubah, about whom nothing
more is known. His age at his acces.
sion was So years, and he reigned for
rs years. his character was pious
prudent, enterprising. He was skill
full general, a wise statesman, a cour-
ageous reformer. He was alone
counted worthy in later ages to rank
with Hezekiah and Josiah among the
most pious rulers of the Davidic line. u
His reign was among the best and
most prosperous in all Judah's exis,
tence. His great error, equally with
his success, points out to us the way
of true prosperity. He had a great
advantage in having a religious faith
er, who had done much toward re-
forming his kingdom, and uplifting
his people. A good inheritance of vir-
tue 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 a
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
a few miles north of Jerusalem. The
warrior Ahab was on the throne of
Israel when Jehoshaphat began to
reign. He placed forces, "arsenals
for the supply of war material" as
well as soldiers, in all the fenced, for.
tilted, 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.
ton 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, filed with
high motives and enthusiasms, in the
cause of God, 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.
He was lifted up into union with
God.
Jehoshaphat, 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. It was doubtless done
with the good motive of uniting the
divided nation into one kingdom
again. It was beautiful vision and
glorious hope. "The church and the
world we're delightfully."- at one" But
1t was an almost fatal alliance, for II
led to religious and moral declension.
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
also idols for worship. These places
were near towns, and convenient for
the gatherings Of the people for pleas
ure. and social worship, which was
often Of the most ncentious character.
And the groves, more correctly as in
r. V. Asherim, wooden poles or posts
representing the female goddess Ash.
teroth.
1t must be remembered that there
were two ways Of using these high
places, one for heather worship with
Its 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 the
true God, tended to debase that wor-