Jehoshaphat is rebuked for helping the wicked. He was united with the Lord. He shouldn’t have united himself with an enemy of God.

Jehoshaphat still has his heart turned to Lord, even if he acted in his own understanding in making an alliance with Israel. God still sees the good in him.

Jehoshaphat doesn’t go into a rage at the rebuke as his father Asa had done. We don’t see a tearing of the garments, but we don’t see him being defensive in any way. We see a determined effort to seek and serve the Lord.

He redoubles his efforts. Now, instead of just teaching God’s laws, he appoints judges to make sure people are following God’s laws.

If you get corrected, take it to the Lord. Even if you know it’s not right, something caused them to think that. Is there something in their rebuke that you should heed and change?

The Lord is on your side. He’s not trying to knock you down so He can trample you underfoot. He might need to knock you down to get you off the path your on, to get you to stop and brush off and take a look around and consider the way to go.

The Lord shines His light on the road we should take. He puts up warning signs when we’re going the wrong way.

Keeping our eyes on Jesus, on the Living Word, whom we can get to know through God’s word to us in the Bible, is how we keep on the right path.

The judges are warned to not take bribes and to deal justly. The final command is to deal courageously. It comes with a blessing, “May the Lord be with the upright!” Why would they have to be courageous to administer the Lord’s justice? Because if they don’t act justly, then they incur the guilt. They are acting as judge and God alone is judge. They are acting in His name, as His representative.

May we all act justly, which just means doing what is right. And may the Lord be with us as we are upright in His sight.