1 Kings 22:45

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE REIGN OF JEHOSHAPHAT

"Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And the remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land. And there was no king in Edom: a deputy was king. Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish, to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber. Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not. And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead."

"The book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah" (1 Kings 22:45). From 2 Chronicles 20:24, we may conclude that the history of Jehoshaphat's reign was written by Jehu the son of Hanani.

"The remnant of the sodomites ... he put away out of the land" (1 Kings 22:46). The divine disapproval of this shameful vice is everywhere apparent in the Word of God. In no sense whatever is homosexuality approved of God as an acceptable life-style; and an apostle of Jesus Christ flatly declared that, "They (certain sinners including sodomites) shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:10). It is mentioned here that the king's removal from the land of Judah of all of the practitioners of this type of debauchery was a God-approved act of Jehoshaphat.

"And there was no king in Edom" (1 Kings 22:47). "It is implied here that the deputy who ruled in Edom was appointed by Jehoshaphat. This is mentioned here in order to explain how it was that Jehoshaphat could have built a fleet at Ezion-geber."[37]

"Ships of Tarshish" (1 Kings 22:48). This is a reference to a certain type of ships used in the commercial trade of those days.

"The ships were broken at Ezion-geber" (1 Kings 22:48). We may only guess as to what happened at this seaport lying at the northern extremity of the Gulf of Aqaba, where Solomon had once launched his navy. Some scholars believe that Jehoshaphat's incompetent mariners destroyed the ships, but it might have been an untimely storm, a disastrous fire or some other calamity.

"Ahaziah the son of Ahab said, Let my servants go with thy servants. But Jehoshaphat would not" (1 Kings 22:49). There is an excellent explanation of Jehoshaphat's refusal in 2 Chronicles 20:37. "Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Maresha prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish." Thus Jehoshaphat might have decided that God was opposed to the enterprise; and, as Montgomery noted, "He feared the intrusion of his Northern neighbors into his affairs in Judah."[38] Also, the extreme wickedness of Ahaziah might have influenced Jehoshahat's decision to have no more to do with him. "Ahaziah the king of Israel ... did very wickedly" (2 Chronicles 20:35).

"Jehoram his son reigned in his stead" (1 Kings 22:50). This concludes the record of Jehoshaphat in 1Kings; but it is discussed much more fully in 2 Chronicles 17-20.