Asa had been king of Judah for 35 years when Baasha tried to take away his trade route through Ramah by fortifying it so that no one could get through. Asa paid the ruler of Aram, Ben-Hadad to go in and drive Baasha out. (1Kings 15:16-22) When Baasha heard about it he left and Asa used the stones and timber to build up Geba and Mizpah. God sent a seer to visit Asa with a message. God was not happy that Asa had relied on the king of Aram to help him and not God. This made Asa really mad and he took it out on some of the people and he imprisoned the seer who gave him the message from God. Later he died.
Jehoshaphat, Asa's son succeeded him as king of Judah. The Lord was with him because Jehoshaphat was with God. He sent teachers throughout Judah to teach the people the way of the Lord. They even used the Book of the Law of the Lord and they went around to all the towns of Judah.
Other nations brought gifts to Judah and Jehoshaphat became powerful. Eventually he allied himself with Ahab by marriage and went to visit him. Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat to help him in a battle. Jehoshaphat told Ahab he'd ask God. In those days they seemed to have many prophets to inquire of God on their behalf. This time 400 of them all answered that they should go to war. (If this seems familiar it is because we read this story in 1Kings 22:1-35 see April 17.) The prophet named Micaiah was hated by Ahab because he always had bad news. Micaiah told them his vision of God in heaven and they threw him in jail. They went to war and Ahab was killed.
Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem to find out from another seer that he was in trouble with God for helping a wicked man like Ahab. But since he had done good in taking down the Asherah poles and setting his heart on God, he wasn't all bad. Jehoshaphat went on a preaching tour again. This time he appointed judges to admisister the law of the Lord and settle disputes.
Jehoshaphat heard that the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites were coming to make war on Judah. He had learned his lesson because he assembled the people and ordered them to fast and he prayed and asked God for help. Everyone - all the men of Judah, their wives and children and babies stood before the Lord and asked for His help.
Tomorrow read 2Chronicles 20:14-24:14
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