2 Chronicles 17:1-19

The Word of God is a very powerful instrument in the hand of the Lord.  He uses the Word to instruct His children and to transform the hearts of men.  God’s Word is a source of great strength and blessing upon all who obey it.  Too often we desire to experience the blessings of God in our lives but we ignore the teachings of God’s Word and neglect to even read the Word.  Jehoshaphat was a king who shows a great respect for the Word of God and his reign in Judah was well established because of it.  The path to blessings from God can easily be found and followed through the Word of God.  We would do well to pay close attention to God’s Word.

JEHOSHAPHAT EXERCISED THE PRACTICE OF GOD’S WORD: Jehoshaphat walked in the ways of the Lord as he understood them from the Law of the Lord.  He did not worship the idols that many of the other kings before and after him.  He was faithful to remove the idols that his father had left behind and even went so far as to remove the high places.  He earned the respect of His people and they appreciated his godly example as well as his leadership in the nation.  He was courageous enough to confront the people of his nation with the sin in their lives and called them to obedience before the Lord.  We need to have this same dedication to obeying Scripture today even if it goes against the teachings that predominate our culture.  God is looking for men and women that are courageous enough to stand against the tide of our times and live in obedience to the Law of the Lord.   

JEHOSHAPHAT EXPLAINED THE PRINCIPLES OF GOD’S WORD: Besides setting an example of obedience, Jehoshaphat organized a group of leaders who traveled throughout his kingdom teaching the principles of God’s Word throughout the nation.  God’s Word is a blessing and it is a source of help to all who are exposed to it.  Unfortunately many people live in ignorance of God’s Word because they either do not have access to it or they simply neglect it.  Jehoshaphat had experience the blessings from obeying God’s Word and now he wanted all of the people in his kingdom to be able to experience these same blessings.  We who have God’s Word are responsible to spread the knowledge of God’s Word to the ends of the Earth.  It is wrong to keep it to ourselves.  We must be faithful to pass the Word of God on to others.


JEHOSHAPHAT EXPERIENCED THE PROTECTION OF GOD’S WORD: Since Jehoshaphat was faithful to practice the Word and preach the Word to others; he also experienced the protection of God in His kingdom.  The size of his army was more than twice the size of the army that his father had.  However, he was not required to use the army because the nations that were surrounding him were at peace with him.  It is a wonderful blessing to experience the protection of the Lord in our lives.  There are many who stand in opposition to the Word of God but if we are faithful to practice God’s Word and proclaim His Word to others; God is always faithful to protect us from those who oppose the Word.  We can rest in the provisions of the Lord.

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