2 Chronicles 17-18 (NASB)
David Bruce Linn, Pastor-Teacher
2 April 2006
All Rights Reserved, www.breakfree.org

In southwest Florida is a state park called the Koreshan Historical Site which was donated to the state by a failed unity sect founded by a man named Cyrus Teed. Since the sect was dwindling to nothing the remnant of the group decided to deed it over to the state. The last member of what Teed called Koreshanity was an elderly woman who was allowed to live out her days in the old cult housing.

Cyrus Teed was a powerful leader and deep thinker who argued strenuously that the universe is actually a bubble, and the surface of the earth is the inside of that bubble with the sun at the center of it. It is fairly easy to dismiss Teed as a crackpot and his "cellular cosmogony" as a joke, but the troubling question remains of how he got so many people to follow him with such devotion.

Part of the answer was that Teed encouraged the flourishing of art, music, agriculture, and handcrafts. He provided a place to live and a fellowship group. He impelled people with his learning and oratory. He fed their souls with quotes from the Bible and great philosophical documents. He gave people the feeling that he was taking care of them, that they had an inside track on the truth, and that they were special. In the end, Cyrus Teed, though very effective, was a bad leader, and probably a liar. He marched his group right off the spiritual cliff to the tune of the cult's well-practiced symphonic band.

I am aware that many people in our post-Christian society think that we are doing the same thing--that every pastor is a bad leader guiding trusting people off a cliff with clever words. It is a worthy question because there are charlatans in every age. I am convinced that there are many such frauds today pursuing their own purposes even as they proclaim to be ministering in the name of Christ. How do we tell the good leaders from the bad? Furthermore, what if we want to be good leaders in Christ's kingdom? What does he expect of us? A piece of the history of the kings of Israel sheds a lot of light on this question.

1. PROPHETS AND KINGS, REAL AND FALSE

2 Chronicles chapters 17-18 describe a time during the divided monarchy in Israel. The southern part of the nation was called Judah and was ruled over by Jehoshaphat. The northern section was confusingly called Israel and was ruled over by King Ahab who was married to Jezebel. Ahab invited Jehoshaphat to visit in order to induce him to fight a war with Ramoth-gilead. Ahab put out a huge feast to gain Jehoshaphat's agreement. He gave it, but Jehoshaphat wanted to seek the Lord about the matter. Ahab complied as is recorded in 18:5: "Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, 'Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?' And they said, 'Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.'"

This would be amusing if it were not so sad. Ahab had built his entire kingdom on the principle of foul Baal and Ashtoreth worship, not the worship of the one true God. Though Ahab's prophets spoke in the name of Yahweh, the idea that Ahab would actually consult God was absurd, and it seems that Jehoshaphat knew this: "But Jehoshaphat said, 'Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?' The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.' But Jehoshaphat said, 'Let not the king say so.' Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, 'Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla's son'" (2 Chronicles 18:6-8). Jehoshaphat wisely questioned the credibility of any prophets whose salaries would have been paid by Ahab, so he asked for a real prophet. As you might expect, there were none readily at hand, but Ahab knew where to find one named Micaiah.

While the kings were waiting for Micaiah to be fetched, they watched a presentation from the professional prophets of Ahab: "Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, 'Thus says the LORD, 'With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.'' All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, 'Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king'" (2 Chronicles 18:9-11). Whatever the king wanted to hear, that is what these prophets were bound to say. Zedekiah even did a little show with iron horns on his head to enhance the believability of the foregone conclusion.

King Ahab also attempted to prime Micaiah the same way he primed his own prophets: "Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, 'Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably.' But Micaiah said, 'As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.' When he came to the king, the king said to him, 'Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?' He said, 'Go up and succeed, for they will be given into your hand.' Then the king said to him, 'How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?'" (2 Chronicles 18:12-15). Micaiah knew the game, so he ironically said what he knew the professional prophets of Ahab said.

Ahab no doubt heard Micaiah's tone of voice, so he upbraided him and demanded to be given an honest answer. Micaiah gave the two kings an earful: "So he said, 'I saw all Israel /Scattered on the mountains, /Like sheep which have no shepherd; /And the LORD said, /'These have no master. /Let each of them return to his house in peace.'' Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?' Micaiah said, 'Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. The LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' And the LORD said to him, 'How?' He said, 'I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so.' Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, for the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you" (2 Chronicles 18:16-22). Zedekiah went over and smacked Micaiah on the cheek. In the end Micaiah pronounced King Ahab's doom: "Micaiah said, 'If you indeed return safely, the LORD has not spoken by me.' And he said, 'Listen, all you people'" (2 Chronicles 18:27).

And so it fell out. Ahab disguised himself as he went into battle to fend off the fulfillment of the word of the Lord. Jehoshaphat, who went out in full royal battle regalia, was attacked but called on the Lord and was rescued. Ahab, in a seemingly chance event, took an arrow in the torso through a chink in his armor. He had himself taken out of the fray and propped up in his chariot so he could watch the battle. There he died in fulfillment of the word of the Lord given through the only real prophet who had spoken to him.

The first thing I think is that I do not want to be the leader who ignored God and bled out in his chariot doing exactly the thing the Lord told him not to do. The second thing I think is that I also do not want to be that leader's follower. The third reaction I have is that I feel a sense of shame for the men who were supposed to be prophets of God but who were spiritual prostitutes instead. My job description and theirs has something in common. A crucial part of every pastor-teacher's job description is to get the word of the Lord and give it to the people. Ahab's prophets seemed to think they had a different job, namely, to listen carefully for the king's hints about what he wanted and then tell him that's what God wanted!

We can see the precise reverse of what marks a good leader in God's kingdom by observing King Ahab. The last thing on Ahab's mind was to submit himself and his leadership to the supremacy of Yahweh. Part of that foul dance of rebellion was to surround himself with prophets who would parade around with fake iron horns on their heads but never actually speak the word of the Lord to him.

It would be useful at this point, since this is a study series on the supremacy of Christ, to notice the frequent use in this passage of the Lord's personal name in the Old Covenant. The English translations disguise the name Yahweh by substituting the title "LORD" written all in capital letters. The reasons for doing this are not entirely clear to me, but suffice to say that Yaweh is a name and LORD is a title. If you would not want to be called Mister or Mistress by your loved ones all the time, I do not think God would want it either. Besides, Hebrew has the word adonai for "lord."

It was the supremacy of this Yaweh which Ahab rejected, and all his kingdom suffered. It was literally the "word of Yahweh" which his prophets were barred from speaking (see 18:10). In the New Covenant era the name by which we must all be saved is not Yahweh, but Yeshua, translated Jesus. It is instructive to notice that Yeshua means "Yahweh saves." The connection of these names reveals that there is a continuity of expectation from God for his leaders in both Old and New Covenants. His holy demand is that anyone who wishes to be a leader in his kingdom be unreservedly submitted to the supremacy of Yahweh in the Old and Jesus Christ in the New.

I found myself cheering when I read how King Jehoshaphat responded to Ahab's offer of his bogus prophets: "Ummm, are there any real prophets around?" Ahab grudgingly dredged up Micaiah, a poor fellow who had to hide far away from the king most of the time. He was not confused about the supremacy of Yaweh God: "But Micaiah said, 'As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak'" (2 Chronicles 18:13).

Leader, I ask you: Are you unreservedly submitted to the supremacy of Jesus Christ? I do not ask if you are a perfect man or woman because I know you are not. But are you willing to let the Holy Spirit break your heart over every thought of unwillingness to submit to Yeshua Hamashiach, the Lord of All? Will you listen to the word of the Lord yourself and through his prophets? Will you repent of shopping for a word from the Lord which pleases you? If you cannot say yes to every one of these questions, your destiny may be like that of Ahab: to bleed out, propped up in your chariot, watching the Lord's people being demolished by their enemies.

2. UNDER THE SUPREMACY OF YAWEH GOD

Jehoshaphat, on the other hand, was a leader substantially under the supremacy of Yaweh. The beginning of the previous chapter gives a portrait of a submitted leader in God's kingdom. The first thing we see is that Jehoshaphat, upon ascending to the throne of Judah, immediately set things in order: "Jehoshaphat his [Asa's] son then became king in his place, and made his position over Israel firm. He placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had captured" (2 Chronicles 17:1-2). What a blessing it is to have a leader who will minimize the chaos, make things shipshape, and create an environment where peace is possible. Every leader in God's kingdom should seek to do the same.

Secondly, a submitted leader follows the example of leaders before him or her who lived under the supremacy of Christ: "The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David's earlier days..." (2 Chronicles 17:3a). David was a man after God's own heart--not perfect, but submitted. It is well for every leader to look for those who have come before and honored God by the way they conducted their leadership. I can say from personal experience that as a young pastor with little church experience and no mentor I felt like a man without oxygen. This heritage of faithfulness to the supremacy of Christ gives the church strength no set of bylaws can.

Thirdly, the submitted leader rejects all false forms of worship: "The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he....did not seek the Baals..." (2 Chronicles 17:3, conf.). Ahab's wife, Jezebel, fervently promoted the worship of the local Canaanite deities called the Baals. There were innumerable Baals because every field or vineyard could have its own separate deity. There are innumerable false objects of worship today. How exposed God's people are when their leader will not tear down false gods and may even himself worship the Baals of success, fame, or power!

Fourthly, Jehoshaphat "...sought the God of his father..." (2 Chronicles 17:4). The church does not need any more leaders who are not seeking God! The very lifeblood of every position of leadership in the church is the daily life of devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. I do not say that no leader should use prepackaged teaching or leadership materials, but no package will be of any use without that leader hearing from God. The prophetic word was not that the Holy Spirit would come upon methods and materials, but men, women, and children. If even the children may prophesy in Christ's kingdom, the leaders had better be those who seek the Lord as a way of life!

Fifthly, leaders submitted to the supremacy of Christ display simple obedience, just as Jehoshaphat "followed His [Yahweh's] commandments..." (2 Chronicles 17:4b). In the world we often give the influential people a pass on matters of right and wrong. In God's kingdom, no one gets a pass on lifestyle righteousness. Even people who do not know Christ personally can spot a fake who says: "Do what I say, not what I do." If even Jesus Christ had to learn obedience (see Hebrews 5:8), then every leader representing him must do the same. Let him speak to your heart about areas of growth.

Sixthly, submitted leaders actively reject the ways of the apostate church, just as Jehoshaphat "did not act as Israel did" (2 Chronicles 17:4). This sounds easy but has become the hardest thing for the modern and postmodern church in the West to do. We have become so pragmatic that anything which gives numerical church growth becomes a cherished tool. But Ahab was successful in the worldly sense until the day the Lord took him down. He was rich, powerful, and enjoyed all of the perks of the kings of the nations. He was no stranger to wine, women, and song.

Cyrus Teed was an effective leader and successful as well. Though his cult did not outlive him for long, it thrived during his day. If we are pragmatic leaders who are not fully submitted to the supremacy of Christ we are in grave danger of adopting the principles and practices of the leaders of this world. There are very popular church leadership conferences which do that very thing. The center of their philosophy is pragmatic success, not faithfulness and submission. By that standard, Zedekiah, who was head prophet of a college of four hundred prophets of Ahab, was more effective than Micaiah. After all, Ahab actually listened to Zedekiah, even though Zedekiah only told Ahab what he wanted to hear. The true leader under God's rule must walk the path of Micaiah. It inevitably means that there will be times when he or she is a lone voice, calling in the wilderness, because the society of religious people has chosen not to listen to the voice of God.

Seventh, leaders under the supremacy of Christ fight the good fight of the faith by seeking their satisfactions in him: "He [Jehoshaphat] took great pride in the ways of the LORD..." (2 Chronicles 17:6a). When a submitted leader sees God being glorified he lets out a sigh and says: "Ahhhh...that's good!" He or she has trained his affections to be focused on the Lord. That is the only way to walk with the Lord in a consistent fashion. So every time Jehoshaphat ripped down an Asherah pole he said: "Ahhh...that's good!" He did the same as he built up the worship of the One True God in Israel.

Finally, every leader who is genuinely submitted to the supremacy of Christ will be certain to see that his word is carefully taught to the people, as Jehoshaphat did: "Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials....to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites....and with them...the priests. They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the LORD with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people" (2 Chronicles 17:7-9, conf.). There is no way to honor Christ as Lord without regular, careful attention to his word.

I cannot promise you that if you do these things everything will always go well in the earthly sense, but I believe with all my heart that we can rely upon Christ for our proper reward. Jehoshaphat and Judah reaped rich rewards from his submission to Yahweh. The kingdom of God was established on earth through him as temporal mediator (:5), Judah received protection from her enemies by the hand of Yahweh (:10), the nation was actually blessed by its enemies (:11), and it prospered greatly (:12).

CONCLUSION

A sobering thought in all this, if we have not already had enough sobering thoughts, is that God is faithful to keep his covenants even when the majority of people called by his name reject his supremacy. 2 Chronicles 21:6-7 tells us about Jehoram who rose to the throne of Judah after his father Jehoshaphat died: "He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (for Ahab's daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever." The question for every leader and every member of the chosen people of Israel was not whether God would bless the nation, but whether they personally would be among that number.

Christ will indeed succeed in building his church and reigning at the head of it. The question for each one of us is whether we will be in the throng being found honoring his supremacy at his coming. What about you?