Jehoshaphat

Jehoshaphat was a good and able ruler of Judah who feared the Lord. However, he had a very curious flaw in his character. He was extremely naive.


According to I Kings 22:4, Jehoshaphat thought that he could be a friend and ally of the wicked and treacherous King Ahab of Israel without any harm. Jehoshaphat thought that he and Ahab could get along because they had the same language and heritage.

Because of his misplaced trust, Jehoshaphat foolishly agreed to go with Ahab into battle with the Syrians. Jehoshaphat did not even suspect Ahab's treachery when Ahab suggested that Jehoshaphat go into battle dressed in his kingly robes while Ahab disguised himself as an ordinary soldier. Jehoshaphat apparently had no clue that Ahab had set him up to be killed because Ahab knew full well that the king of Syria would order his soldiers to go all out to kill him. This is exactly that which happened when the battle was joined. The king of Syria ordered thirty two of his captains and their soldiers to press an attack directly toward King Ahab in order to kill him. Just as Ahab knew they would, these Syrian soldiers mistook Jehoshaphat for King Ahab.



When King Jehoshaphat cried out for reinforcements to help him repel this direct attack against him, the Syrians realized that this was not King Ahab and withdrew their attack. They probably knew Jehoshaphat was not Ahab because the soldiers who came to his aid were Judean soldiers and not Israeli.

Yet, a Syrian archer shot an aimless arrow in the general direction of the Israeli army and mortally wounded King Ahab.

This is a remarkable story of how God protected good King Jehoshaphat despite his incredible naivete, and had a wicked king killed for his cruel treachery.