A Devotional Thought From 2 Chronicles

And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.     2 Chronicles 17:3, 4

The King was the government in ancient days. To speak of Jehoshaphat was to speak of the kingdom of Judah (the southern kingdom).  As the chronicler of Israel’s history tells us about this particular King, we learn that he was a man of faith, and that this faith was expressed by his behaviors both in his personal life and in the way that he lead his nation. Jehoshaphat was a believer in the living God of Israel and he was the great example for all of his people of what it meant to walk in the ways of God.

One of the key things was that he should worship the LORD alone, and never seek after false gods, they were called Baalim, as too many kings and government officials had done before him. The chronicler makes a comparison between Jehoshaphat and his doings, and the doings of the northern kingdom of Israel. From its very inception under Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the northern kingdom had a history of setting aside the worship of the true God of Israel and following the false gods. The contrast between Jehoshaphat and the long line of kings following Jeroboam was that he, like many of the kings of Judah, followed the Lord faithfully, while they (the northern kings) more often than not followed the false gods. Because of Jehoshaphat’s faithful service to God and the things that he did for his nation while seeking to follow God, the scriptures tell us, And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were roundabout Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 17:10). 

Because of the faith and righteousness of the leader, and the righteousness and faith that he brought to his political administration, the nation was blessed with one of the greatest blessings any nation can have; the nations of their world did not make war against Judah. How blessed with peace our modern nations would be if all of today's governments were to follow Jehoshaphat’s example.