• Title Page
• Pentateuch
• History
  • Lesson 10: Joshua
  • Lesson 11: Judges and Ruth
  • Lesson 12: I Samuel
  • Lesson 13: II Samuel
  • Lesson 14: I Kings
  • Lesson 15: II Kings
    • The Kings of Israel
    • The Samaritans
    • The Kings of Judah
    • The Prophets of the Period
  • Lesson 16: I and II Chronicles and Esther
• Poetry
• Prophets
• Post Captivity Prophets
• Gospels, Acts
• Pauline Epistles
• General Epistles

Jehoshaphat the Worldling

This general view of I Kings should not conclude without some reference to this king of Judah, who from primitive times has been seized upon by teachers and preachers as an Old Testament type of the Christian worldling. A good king you found him to be, and yet the friendship and flattery of Ahab were too much for him. Study I Kings 22 in connection with the record found in II Chronicles. See the king’s thoughtlessness (I Kings 22:4), his compunctions of conscience nevertheless (I Kings 22:5-8), his narrow escape (I Kings 22:30-32), etc. A good text might be found in I Kings 22:44. There is a sense in which he should not have made peace with Israel, as there is also one in which Christians should not make peace with the world (Genesis 3:15; John 15:19; II Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 4:28-29).

Observe the literal fulfillment of prophecy in the death of Ahab, as mentioned in this chapter, I Kings 22:37-38.

II Kings

I would recommend in this case as in that of the book just studied that you make a careful diagram of the kings of both kingdoms. Leaving you to fill in the period of each reign, and such catch-words as may seem useful to recall the predominating characteristics, I will place the names of the kings before you in parallel columns, and as nearly as possible in chronological order. They run thus: