Week 51: Dec 17th – 23rd (Bad Company )
Bad Company
Week 51: Dec 17th – Dec 23rd
Bible passage to read: Judges 15
This passage tells of how Jehoshaphat agreed, apparently without thinking much of it, to enter into partnership with Ahab, the king of the kingdom of Israel, an alliance that almost ended disastrously for him, by emphasizing the level of Jehoshaphat’s status, the passage is telling us that Jehoshaphat need not to have entered into such alliance. The Lord has already made him powerful in the eyes of his potential enemies, so much that they seek peace with him (2 Chronicles 17:10).
In 2 Chronicles 18: 1, it mentioned that ‘’Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honour, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage’’; this means Jehoshaphat chose his friends, and verse two of the same passage says he went down to the kingdom of Israel to pay Ahab a visit, so there is no doubt as to who took the initiative here. However, Ahab further seek to strengthen ties with Jehoshaphat beyond the existing marriage ties between both kingdom, he seeks military alliance with the kingdom of Judah for his personal goal, he planned to attack Ramoth Gilead and he asked Jehoshaphat to join in. Jehoshaphat, perhaps, out of loyalty to a friend decided to join in, although, it must be noted that Jehoshaphat took necessary steps by seeking the will of God before agreeing to join Ahab in the conquest, but 2 Chronicles 18: 22 already told us that “So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you (Ahab).” A direct result of bad company.
Seeking the will of God appears not stop Jehoshaphat walking into a major disaster, although the Lord spared his life later on in the battlefield, but already, he has taken a wrong step concerning his choice of friend. Even the Apostle Paul stated to the Greek in 1 Corinthian15: 33 that Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Lesson: No matter how good intentioned we are, or honest our motives may be, we must not be naïve in the choices we make, it may be ordinary friendship, or perhaps a more permanent relationship like marriage, such partnership will have a major influence on our future decisions, and as Christians we do not want our own decisions to be contrary to God’s will for our life, obviously Jehoshaphat never intended to go against God’s will and decided to seek the face of God before agreeing to Ahab’s proposal, but we were made to understand in 2 Chronicles 18: – that Lord agree to put a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets in order to mislead Ahab into going to war with the Philistine, for the Lord has already decreed disaster for Ahab, so there’s no way Jehoshaphat was going to stop His other plan from being fulfilled, the only way was for him not to have associated with Ahab in the first place.
Devotional Prayer Points
- Eternal God, you know the beginning and the end, please take control of my choices.
- Every single step I take, let it be according to you will for my life.
- Let your Holy Spirit guide my thought and decisions, so much that I will not move an inch without it being according to you will.
Author: Evangelist Daniel Daramola
Author: CCC Handbook Weekly Devotional
CCC Seventh Year Parish 2
UK
