Study Desk

Micaiah said, "So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne. All the armies of heaven were standing on His right and on His left.

He said, ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all Ahab's men who tell what will happen in the future.' Then the Lord said, ‘You are to make him want to go, and you will do well. Go and do so.'

So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of your men who speak for God. For the Lord has said that trouble will come to you."

So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead.

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will dress up to look like someone else and go into battle. But you wear your king's clothing." So the king of Israel dressed up to look like someone else, and they went into battle.

So when the captains of the war-wagons saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "It is the king of Israel." And they turned to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God made them go away from him.

But a certain man happened to shoot an arrow and hit the king of Israel in a joint of the battle-clothes. So the king said to the man on the war-wagon, "Turn around, and take me out of the battle. For I am hurt."

So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. He went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim. And he brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

So now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be very careful what you do. For the Lord our God will have nothing to do with what is not right and good, or with what is not fair, or with taking pay for doing what is wrong."

Whenever trouble comes to you between your brothers who live in the cities, between blood and blood, between one law and another, tell them not to sin before the Lord, so God's anger may not come upon you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not be guilty.

Then he said, "O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? Do You not rule over all the nations? Power and strength are in Your hand, so that no one is able to stand against You.

O our God, did You not make the people of this land leave so that Your people Israel could have it and give it to the children of Your friend Abraham forever?

When they began to sing and praise, the Lord set traps against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah. So they were destroyed.

So Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away what they wanted from them. They found cattle, many good things, clothing, and things of great worth, which they took for themselves. There was more than they could carry. It took them three days to take all the things, because there was so much.

They gathered together in the Valley of Beracah on the fourth day. There they praised and thanked the Lord. So the name of that place has been the Valley of Beracah to this day.

So the nation of Jehoshaphat was at peace. His God gave him rest on all sides.

So Jehoshaphat ruled over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah told what would happen against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made." So the ships were wrecked, and could not go to Tarshish.

So Edom has been against the rule of Judah to this day. Libnah turned against Jehoram's rule at the same time, because he had left the Lord God of his fathers.

So see, the Lord is going to send a bad disease upon your people, your sons, your wives, and all you have.