2 Chronicles 17--Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

2 Chronicles 17
English Standard Version

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
17 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.

7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the LORD with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

​10 And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. 12 And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, 13 and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14 This was the muster of them by fathers' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor; 15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the LORD, with 200,000 mighty men of valor. 17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war. 19 These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

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We're just about at the halfway point of the book of 2 Chronicles (it has 36 chapters, not all the same length).  We're going to have a few chapters that focus in on Jehoshaphat now.  He was the son of Asa who ruled in Asa's place when Asa died.  He was also a good king that walked in the ways of David.  He did not run after the Baals but sought the LORD and sought to obey His commandments with his whole heart, so the LORD blessed Him and the kingdom of Judah during the time of his reign.  He fortified the cities with armed guards, set garrisons in place to station the army near possible points they would need to respond to and destroyed the high places and Asherim in Judah.  Those that wanted to worship other gods and goddesses would have to go outside of Judah to do so.

He sent out his officials with the Levites and to the towns to teach the Law of the LORD to the people in his third year.  He realized early on in his reign that the people needed the Word of the LORD more than they needed anything else.  So, the government officials and the Levites went through every town teaching the people.

Like Solomon, the LORD made the surrounding nations fearful of Jehoshaphat so that no one attacked him, and they instead paid him tribute (that is they paid him to be at peace with them).  They made payment in the form of silver, gold, rams and goats--even the cities were full of the animals that were brought as tribute (which is hard to think of as rams and goats were animals used for sacrifices, but when 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats are given for tribute, I guess they will be running wild for a while and there will be no lack of clean animals for sacrifices).

A muster of the fighting men is also given here.  There were 780,000 fighting men of Judah that are broken into three units with their commanders listed.  There were also 380,000 fighting men of Benjamin split into two divisions with their commanders given.  These were the men stationed in the towns and garrisons throughout the Land, yet the war they prepared for never came because the LORD blessed Jehoshaphat with peace during his time until the events of the next chapter when we see he makes the mistake of allying himself with the evil king of the north, Ahab.