1 Kings 22:41

1 Kings 22:41 says, And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.  Verse forty-two adds, Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.  Jehoshaphat's reign over Judah started when he was thirty-five years old during the fourth year of Ahab's ruling over Israel, and he reigned for twenty-five years.  He had a fairly long reign.  Verse forty-three continues, And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.  Like Asa his father, he did what was right in God's sight, but he still allowed people to offer sacrifices in the high places.  As Christians today, we need to make sure that we do not allow anything outside of God's will to become a part of our worshipping Him.  Verse forty-four states. And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.  Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel during his reign.  We need to make peace with our fellow Christians when we can, but we must never accept practices that are outside of God's will in order to do so and the people of Israel as a whole were not living under the leadership of God.  Verse forty-five adds, Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  We are not at this time told of a lot that Jehoshaphat did but are told that the rest of what he did is written in the chronicles of the kings.  People may never know a lot of what we do as Christians, but it will be written down in God's book.  Verse forty-six continues, And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.  One thing that we are told Jehosaphat did was take the rest of the Sodomites out of the kingdom of Judah.  Verse forty-seven concludes, There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.  Jehoshaphat put a viceroy in charge of Edom, who had no king, which Matthew Henry says this further fulfilled the prophesy concerning Esau and Jacob, that the elder should serve the younger.  God's prophesy's will always be true.  Verse forty-eight declares, Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber.  We are then told more about the reign of Jehoshaphat, even though we were told that the rest of his acts were written in the chronicles of the kings.  At times, we may find a record of the work of God's people in more than one place.  Jehosaphat built ships and attempted to sail to Ophir to get gold, but the ships were broken up at Eziongeber.  Verse forty-nine adds, Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.  Ahaziah, Ahab's son purposed that Jehosaphat servants, and his servants go together on the ships, but Jehoshaphat wouldn't do it.  If we are having trouble in the world today, we need to be careful that we don't enter into a relationship with those who are not following God in order to find earthly success.  Verse fifty continues, And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.  Jehoshaphat died, and his son Jehoram replaced him as king.  Good or bad, all rulers will one day die and be replaced in the church, God's kingdom.  Verse fifty-one says, Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.  Ahab's son Ahaziah began to reign in the seventeenth year of the reign of Jehoshaphat, but he only reigned two years.  Verse fifty-two adds, And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:  We are told that Ahaziah did evil in the sight of the Lord, following the ways of his father and mother.  As Christians, we need to pray that we will be a positive example for our children and lead them to follow God, because the world will definitely lead them away from God.  Verse fifty-three continues, For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.  Ahaziah continued in worshipping Baal and provoked the anger of God against Israel.  God has made salvation available to us, and if we refuse to accept it and continue to worship other gods, on day we will face God's judgment.