Nana Yaw Aidoo
“Because thou hast joined (“allied,” NKJV) thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken (“destroyed,” NKJV) thy works” (2 Chr. 20:37).
These were the words of God through Eliezer to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. What a sad commentary on an otherwise faithful king. It is written of Jehoshaphat that the Lord was with him because he walked in the former ways of his father David. (2 Chr. 17:3). And for twenty-five years as king, “he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.” (2 Chr. 20:32).
Why then did the Lord destroy the works of a king who did right in His sight? The text says because Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly. (2 Chr. 20:35). Jehoshaphat partnered, fellowshiped and worked with one who was not in fellowship with God, in building ships to go to Tarshish. As a result of this unequal yoke with one who was not in fellowship with God, the Lord said to Jehoshaphat; “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.”
May we learn this lesson (Rom. 15:4), so that we do not destroy our good works on the day of reckoning through fellowship with error (cf. Neh. 6:1-3; Hos. 4:17; Psa. 1:1; Eph. 5:11; 2 John 9-11; Rev. 2:14-16).
