Study Desk

Jehoshaphat's army went out into the Desert of Tekoa early in the morning. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, people of Judah and Jerusalem. Have faith in the Lord your God, and you will stand strong. Have faith in his prophets, and you will succeed."

As they began to sing and praise God, the Lord set ambushes for the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom who had come to attack Judah. And they were defeated.

When all the kingdoms of the lands around them heard how the Lord had fought Israel's enemies, they feared God.

So Jehoshaphat's kingdom was not at war. His God gave him peace from all the countries around him.

But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed, and the people did not really want to follow the God of their ancestors.

From then until now the country of Edom has fought against the rule of Judah. At the same time the people of Libnah also broke away from Jehoram because Jehoram left the Lord , the God of his ancestors.

Then Jehoram received this letter from Elijah the prophet: This is what the Lord , the God of your ancestor David, says, "Jehoram, you have not lived as your father Jehoshaphat lived and as Asa king of Judah lived.

But you have lived as the kings of Israel lived, leading the people of Judah and Jerusalem to sin against God, as Ahab and his family did. You have killed your brothers, and they were better than you.

God caused Ahaziah's death when he went to visit Joram. Ahaziah arrived and went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had appointed to destroy Ahab's family.

He hid with them in the Temple of God for six years. During that time Athaliah ruled the land.

All the people together made an agreement with the king in the Temple of God. Jehoiada said to them, "The king's son will rule, as the Lord promised about David's descendants.

Jehoiada gave the commanders of a hundred men the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were kept in the Temple of God.

He called the priests and the Levites together and said to them, "Go to the towns of Judah and gather the money all the Israelites have to pay every year. Use it to repair the Temple of your God. Do this now." But the Levites did not hurry.

In the past the sons of wicked Athaliah had broken into the Temple of God and used its holy things for worshiping the Baal idols.

Then the Levites made an announcement in Judah and Jerusalem, telling people to bring to the Lord the tax money Moses, the servant of God, had made the Israelites give while they were in the desert.

The people worked hard, and the work to repair the Temple went well. They rebuilt the Temple of God to be as it was before, but even stronger.

Jehoiada was buried in Jerusalem with the kings, because he had done much good in Judah for God and his Temple.

The king and these leaders stopped worshiping in the Temple of the Lord , the God of their ancestors. Instead, they began to worship the Asherah idols and other idols. Because they did wrong, God was angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

Then the Spirit of God entered Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord 's commands? You will not be successful. Because you have left the Lord , he has also left you.'"

The Aramean army came with only a small group of men, but the Lord handed over to them a very large army from Judah, because the people of Judah had left the Lord , the God of their ancestors. So Joash was punished.