PEOPLE-PLEASERS AND TRAGEDY

To some degree, we are all people-pleasers. We want people to like us, but sometimes, we will have to pay a great price to win the approval of our friends. 

Jehoshaphat had been a good King of Judah:

• The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. (2 Chronicles 17:3-6 ESV)

However, he was a people-pleaser, especially when it came to affiliating with the wrong people:

• Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. (2 Chronicles 18:1)

Jehoshaphat knew that Ahab was not a friend of God. Nevertheless, he foolishly allied himself with Ahab. However, to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God:

• But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord. Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God." (2 Chronicles 19:2-3)

Fortunately, after this encounter, Jehoshaphat re-committed himself to great spiritual reforms in Judah. These brought his people back to God.

However, our character flaws are persistent. Jehoshaphat once again unevenly yoked himself to the wrong party:

• After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made." And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish. (2 Chronicles 20:35-37)

How sad! This was the last recorded act of this once-great King. After he died, his son Jehoram took over and killed his brothers, the other sons of Jehoshaphat. Besides, it is evident that Jehoram hadn't learned any lessons from the life of his father. He too affiliated with the household of Ahab by marrying his daughter.

Their lives serve as important lessons for us. While humility keeps watch over the evil brewing within our heart, success and pride give them flight. Success tells us the we no longer need to attend to the dreary work of self-examination, while pride tells us to forge ahead on auto-pilot.

We can never coast. Spiritual success must never be allowed to tell us that we are now entitled to an occasional fleshly indulgence.

How do we explain Jehoshaphat's lapses? Scripture doesn't say. However, these warn us that we too must remain vigilant, even as we entrust ourselves to our Lord's keeping.