“And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly” (2 Chronicles 20:35).
TEXT — 2 Chronicles 20:35-37
Message
There is an ancient Spanish proverb that says, “Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.” It is an expression that shows that the people you associate closely with not only have a great measure of influence on you but can also determine your future and fortune. Unfortunately, sometimes, good people fall prey to bad company.
Jehoshaphat was one such persons. He was a good king in Judah who “walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD”. Surprisingly, he had such an uncanny habit of falling into bad company. First, he became friends with Ahab, one of the worst kings of Israel. At a time, on a visit to Ahab, Jehoshaphat was compelled to accompany him to war. Ahab died at the battle and Jehoshaphat only escaped death by the mercy of God. Not long after this, Jehoshaphat once again went into friendship with Ahaziah, king of Israel, Ahab’s son. This time it was a business partnership to build ships. But this displeased God who sent Prophet Eliezer to declare to him that his investment in the business was an effort in futility. Some Christians have the Jehoshaphat’s tendency to yield to the besetting sin of unequal yoke. This could take the form of joining hands with the ungodly in business, marriage or intimate friendship with the potential of endangering their lives spiritually and otherwise.
If you find yourself in this web, you need to obey God’s word today to “…come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:17). It is foolish to disregard this injunction and persist in the sin of unequal yoke, which would end in irreparable loss in time and eternity.
Thought for the day
Mingling with the ungodly has tingling effect often felt too late.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
