“And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, ‘Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?’”
2 Chronicles 19:2
Jehoshaphat was a very good king overall, but he made a huge mistake by befriending King Ahab, a king who hated God, and joined him in an alliance to go to war with his enemies. In spite of the word of warning from Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, Jehoshaphat felt more obligated to keep his word of promise to help Ahab. Perhaps some of the pressure to help Ahab came from his wife who was Ahab’s daughter. Were it not for the graceful interception of the Lord, he would have surely died.
This verse seemingly contradicts the words of Jesus that we should love our enemies. However, a closer look at the context and the meaning of the word “love” reveals that this love resulted in an unholy alliance and unsanctified pursuit. Jehoshaphat jumped into an agreement with a man who did not honor God, and he failed to seek God’s wisdom concerning going to war with Ahab. Our decisions as leaders must be holy and led by Holy Spirit. We must never allow ourselves to work side by side with those who do not know God. In doing so we could put ourselves and our ministry at risk.
In addition, the word “help” means to surround, protect, aid. Be careful not to find yourself helping those who despise God in a way that supports their agenda, lest you find yourself severely compromising your own values and obedience to God. If we find ourselves under pressure to do something we know the Lord is not endorsing we must ask ourselves why we feel pressure. What is the source of the pressure we feel? My own emotions? My need to be accepted? My fear of offending someone?
A good lesson we learn here is that we must seek the Lord in our leadership decisions. We must not assume that just because our intentions are good that our actions are good. Jehoshaphat’s intentions were good in that he wanted to help, but his actions were wrong because he sided with an enemy of God.
Why is it important not only to have good intentions but to be sure we are in the full will of God?
