A Good King With A Dangerous Impulse (2 Chronicles 17.3–6, 18.1)

·36 min·3 clips

King Jehoshaphat was a good king, but his longing for unity led to a catastrophic alliance with idolaters.

The episode is a sermon from Grace Presbyterian Church, delivered by Pastor J. Mark Bertrand. It begins with a personal anecdote about the host's name and his fascination with King Jehoshaphat. The sermon is part of a series on Old Testament figures, shifting from Daniel to Jehoshaphat in the divided kingdom period. Bertrand establishes Jehoshaphat as a good king because he worshiped the true God and removed idols from Judah. The kingdom was divided into Judah (south) and Israel (north), with Israel under King Ahab and Queen Jezebel promoting Baal worship. Jehoshaphat, grieving the division, made a marriage alliance by wedding his son Jehoram to Ahab's daughter Athaliah to create unity. Bertrand explains that Jehoshaphat aimed to influence Israel toward God, but the plan failed. The consequences were severe: Jehoram turned to idolatry, murdered his siblings, and his son Ahaziah was killed. Athaliah then nearly destroyed the royal line and promoted Baal in Judah. The sermon argues that unity without peace is dangerous because humans lack the power to change hearts. It contrasts this with Jesus, who through his sacrifice on the cross makes true peace and reconciles all things. Bertrand references biblical passages like Colossians 1 and Ephesians 2 to support this. He concludes by urging listeners to pursue unity but not at the cost of purity, citing church membership vows and C.S. Lewis's 'The Four Loves' to frame earthly longings as training for divine unity.

As heard by us

A sermon on Jehoshaphat's pursuit of unity and the line where alliance begins to test faithfulness.

Jehoshaphat's alliance with Ahab gives this sermon its central tension: a good king reaches for unity in a divided kingdom through family loyalty, political presence, and shared battle.

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Why you'd press play

You want a sermon where Jehoshaphat's longing for unity starts to look like a costly alliance.

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