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 17:6 – ESV)

He took great pride in the ways of the Lord and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah (2 Chronicles 17:6 – NASB)

Jehoshaphat took great pride in the ways of the Lord. What an amazing statement. Literally this means that he exalted God’s ways. It has the sense of being greatly delighted or cheerful about the ways of the Lord. What a statement to be made about anyone much more a king of Israel, specifically Judah.

Jehoshaphat drew strength from championing God’s ways above the ways of men. He made God’s truth his highest priority and purpose as a leader. We know this from earlier verses in this same text:

1. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David’s earlier days. Jehoshaphat had an example in David. There are fewer things that impact our life more than people who are great examples of godliness. Those people that stand above, many who have a love and zeal for God that captures our heart and gives us a blueprint that we want to replicate in our own life.
2. He did not seek the Baals but sought the God of his father. What we seek after reflects our values. Quite literally our actions speak louder than words. Most of us have pursued hobbies and past-time things that show what captures our heart. Jehoshaphat was one who it was evident that his passion was God, his “hobby” (if we could suggest such a thing) was the Lord, and his devotion was to the ways of the Lord. God Himself was his passion and he was dedicated to keep God central to his life.
3. Jehoshaphat followed God’s commandments. The key was obedience to God’s Word. God’s commands was his priority, and he did not spend time debating their validity. He placed himself under the authority of God and lived that way. His obedience implicitly demonstrates his willingness to trust God and follow him. Nothing was more important to him.
4. Jehoshaphat did not act as Israel did. There are good examples in life and there are bad examples in life. Some things are very clear in life because they are so clearly not healthy to pursue. If I were to contextualize this, Jehoshaphat did not operate according to the culture because Israel was not aligned with God at all.
5. So the Lord established the kingdom. God’s provision and reward was to establish or make his kingdom firm. In one sense, God helped Jehoshaphat have good success and his kingdom prospered because he took great pride in the ways of the Lord. God gave to him great riches and honor as a reward for his faithfulness.

Our world desperately needs people to take pride in the ways of the Lord. God calls us to faithfulness in whatever sphere of life we influence. We need to obey His Word and take pride in God’s ways. We need good examples around us that we can imitate, and we have some examples that we should not follow.

My encouragement for us is to take great pride in the ways of the Lord. Know His Word, live according to His commands and be faithful to Him.

In His grace and love,

Pastor Brad.