Too Much Compassion in Prayer? (2 Chron 18.31)

Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him.

Should seeking peace be our highest goal? Should our prayers be full of compassion alone? Or is it possible that a singularly “compassionate heart” could actually lead to unwittingly doing harm?

Background

Asa was a good king for much of his reign, but proved to be unfaithful at the end. When the southern kingdom (Judah) made overtures of war, he made an alliance with a pagan nation. The prophet Hanani called him out on it, and Asa had him thrown in prison. Asa appears to have quit relying on God after that event, even when a terrible disease came upon him. He died, and his son Jehoshaphat became king.

Like his father, Jehoshaphat was a good king in the beginning. The Chronicler uses this story to emphasize one of his main themes: if a king seeks God and is faithful to him, all will go well for him and the nation.

Later, like his father, Jehoshaphat proved unfaithful. He made an alliance with King Ahab of the north (known for acting contrary to God) through marriage to Ahab’s daughter. Because of the alliance, Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to assist him with a war against Ramoth-Gilead. Jehosaphat suggested they should seek the words of the prophets first. Ahab calls in four hundred prophets from the northern kingdom: all say God is on his side.

But Jehoshaphat, still with a mind towards God, wants to make sure they have heard from all the prophets. Ahab admits there is another, named Micaiah, but says he always prophesies gloom and doom. Yet when Micaiah appears, he tells Ahab to go to war and he will be victorious. Ahab suspects the prophet is patronizing him, and orders him to speak the truth. Micaiah then admits that the battle will end in defeat. Ahab turns to Jehoshaphat to say, “see?” But Micaiah is not finished—he tells them that the other prophets were deceived, so that Ahab would go and be defeated and God would be rid of him.

Ahab throws Micaiah into prison. The armies of Ahab and Jehoshaphat go out to battle. The enemy was looking for King Ahab so they could kill him and demoralize his army, so Ahab had disguised himself. When the enemy saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was Ahab and tried to kill him. Though Jehoshaphat had neglected to seek God in his alliance with Ahab, he cried out to God for help. God protected him, but Ahab was later shot by a soldier (unaware he was the king they sought). King Ahab died from the wounds. The battle was lost, and Jehoshaphat returned to his kingdom in the south.

Meaning