Sat.’s Devo - Fortifying Past Victories

Read: 2 Chron. 17:1-18:34, Ro. 9:22-10:13, Ps. 20:1-9, Pr. 20:2-3 Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was a good king. He fortified and protected the cities that were taken in the last generation. He even had the prophets of the day and the priests come and teach the people the ways of God. Their enemies honored them with tribute and Jerusalem was protected with a great army. What a recipe for success. If we honor the battles and victories of those who have gone before us then we can build on their foundation and not have to go back and retake what they have already done. I have a few questions about Jehoshaphat’s next moves. He aligned himself with Ahab through marriage. Then he refused to heed the prophecy of Micaiah and went into war with Ahab. What is happening to Jehosaphat? Micaiah told them that king Ahab would be killed if he went to war. Ahab put Micaiah in prison and both kings went to war. Ahab was killed by a random arrow from a nameless archer. I have to think that that archer was an angel. In Romans we read that there are people that God created vessels of wrath that are were made for eternal spiritual damnation and vessels of honor that were made for eternal spiritual glory. The vessels of honor were to be the glory of God and came from both Jewish and Gentile background. They are the remnant - a few in the midst of thousands. To be a vessels on honor you had to go through the rock of offense which was faith in Jesus. The religious Jews had made the entrance to God a hard path of obeying their rules as the mandate to cross over. Only God is righteous and the ones who call on the name of Jesus and confess him with their mouth. These are the ones who will be saved. Lord, let us be like the beginning of Jehoshaphat’s rule. He fortified and kept what the last generation had won in battle. Let us not lose ground spiritually, but build on what we have been given.