Signs of God's Mercy

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.

Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots who were with him, saying, “Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel.”
~ 2 Chronicles 18:28-30

If I had been given the task of editing a translation of the Bible, I might have subtitled this section With Friends Like Ahab... or, maybe, Here's Your Sign (although there might be some copyright issues with that one). But first, the backstory. King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah had made an alliance through marriage. Ahab was having some issues with the king of Syria and requested Jehoshaphat's help in going to war. Nations do that all the time. So far, so good, right? Well, Jehoshaphat climbed on board --I mean, immediately. 

KA: Will you?
KJ: Mi casa es su casa. (Or something to that effect.)

But then, an afterthought! Jehoshaphat suggested the kings consult God on the matter. Most of Ahab's prophets gave him the go-ahead. That is, all but one. (There's always one.) This prophet, Macaiah, had a habit of speaking truth; so, he did. He prophesied that Israel would be scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd (v. 16). "No shepherd" was prophet-speak for "no king": Ahab would die. But this was a clear demonstration of God's mercy toward Jehoshaphat. The king of Judah had failed to concern himself with God's plan until after he'd given his word. Macaiah's words provided a golden opportunity for Jehoshaphat to plead with Israel's king to abandon this foolishness. Apparently, he did not.

Defiant ears and hardened hearts sentenced Macaiah to the pokey. King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat went to war with Syria. This is where the above reading picks up: Jehoshaphat treating God as an afterthought, pledging his men and his aid to Ahab, and then being told to play decoy against a rival king. How merciful was God to show Jehoshaphat King Ahab had no concern for him whatsoever?! This was a ginormous sign he was somewhere he was never meant to be! Nevertheless, King Jehoshaphat complied with the scheme:

So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “It is the king of Israel!” Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him. For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. (verses 31, 32)

Jehoshaphat was spared. Ahab was not, and Israel was, as Macaiah had foretold, like sheep without a shepherd; a random draw of the bow delivered the arrow that mortally wounded the king of Israel. Jehoshaphat, in his kingly robes, walked away, being given yet another chance to seek God first in all his dealings. Mercy. 

I'd just like to leave you with some questions first, questions that came to mind as I read this, ones I've asked of myself again and again:

How obvious was it that Jehoshaphat didn't belong on that battlefield? Did Jehoshaphat not see the signs, or simply choose to ignore them? Has anything like this ever happened to you? What blinded you to truth? What truth did you choose to ignore? 

And, secondly, I want to leave you with the assurance that God is merciful --merciful and just, so He's not to be toyed with; but He is merciful. If you have failed as Jehoshaphat did, I would encourage you to embrace the lesson, renounce the shame, and repent --choose to never make God an afterthought again.