Trusting God's Plan in the Battle: Lessons From the Life of JehoshaphatIsampula

Day 2: A Divided Kingdom

I’d like to introduce you to King Jehoshaphat! You’re going to love him! He was a descendant of King David and born into the lineage of our ultimate king, Jesus! Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became the king of Judah. Wait, Judah and not Israel? That might be confusing for some people, so let’s go through a little history lesson!

You see, Israel’s first king was Saul, then David (the teenager who killed Goliath) and then his son Solomon (the wisest man on earth). But even though Solomon was extraordinarily wise in his early years, he later made some terribly unwise decisions. He married hundreds and hundreds of women from other countries. Seven hundred wives + 300 concubines = a whole lot of drama! Can you imagine all the craziness?

“They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ Nevertheless Solomon held fast to them in love.” 1 Kings 11:2

God did not want Solomon marrying foreign wives, not because they were from other nations. It was because they weren’t believers in the one true God and could tempt Solomon and the people of Israel to worship their pagan gods. And that’s exactly what happened! Solomon built places of worship and sacrificed for his wives’ gods. Because of this sin of idolatry, the people of Israel began to leave their first love, the one and only true God. Can you relate?

Our Heavenly Father became very angry with Solomon for worshiping other gods. God told Solomon He would “tear the kingdom away” because of his sin. So, when Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king after his death, the nation of Israel split in two. Ten of the 12 tribes of Israel became the northern kingdom of Israel. The other two tribes became the southern kingdom of Judah.

This is a lesson for all of us. Solomon knew what God had commanded, yet he followed his heart’s desires instead. Once he compromised God’s principles, it became easier and easier to make it a lifestyle.

If you walk in a straight line and start veering off course by just one degree, you may not notice anything at first. But go hundreds of miles along that new path, and you’ll end up far from your destination. A little white lie told to spare a friend’s feelings can become a habit of not telling the truth. Watching entertainment with nudity could spark an interest in pornography. Flirting with a co-worker might open the door to an emotional or physical affair. The Lord doesn’t want you going off course. His mercy and grace will steer you back on His perfect plan for you when you seek Him. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105.

Now that we know how the kingdom was split, tomorrow we’ll learn how Jehoshaphat began his reign and if he learned any lessons from these other kings.

Questions:

1. What do you think about Solomon’s disobedience to God’s commands?

2. Have you ever done something that you knew was wrong but didn’t think it would be a big deal? What happened?

3. How do you think God feels when seeing his children slip away?