2 Chronicles 19 commentary

Whenever we return in peace to our houses, we ought to acknowledge God's providence in preserving our going out and coming in. And if we have been kept through more than common dangers, we are, in a special manner, bound to be thankful. Distinguishing mercies lay us under strong obligations. The prophet tells Jehoshaphat he had done very ill in joining Ahab. He took the reproof well. See the effect the reproof had upon him. He strictly searched his own kingdom. By what the prophet said, Jehoshaphat perceived that his former attempts for reformation were well-pleasing to God; therefore he did what was then left undone. It is good when commendations quicken us to our duty. There are diversities of gifts and operations, but all from the same Spirit, and for the public good; and as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same. Blessed be God for magistrates and ministers, scribes and statesmen, men of books, and men of business. Observe the charge the king gave. They must do all in the fear of the Lord, with a perfect, upright heart. And they must make it their constant care to prevent sin, as an offence to God, and what would bring wrath on the people.

CHAPTER 19

2Ch 19:1-4. Jehoshaphat Visits His Kingdom.

1-4. Jehoshaphat ... returned to his house in peace--(See 2Ch 18:16). Not long after he had resumed the ordinary functions of royalty in Jerusalem, he was one day disturbed by an unexpected and ominous visit from a prophet of the Lord [2Ch 19:2]. This was Jehu, of whose father we read in 2Ch 16:7. He himself had been called to discharge the prophetic office in Israel. But probably for his bold rebuke to Baasha (1Ki 16:1), he had been driven by that arbitrary monarch within the territory of Judah, where we now find him with the privileged license of his order, taking the same religious supervision of Jehoshaphat's proceedings as he had formerly done of Baasha's. At the interview here described, he condemned, in the strongest terms, the king of Judah's imprudent and incongruous league with Ahab--God's open enemy (1Ki 22:2)--as an unholy alliance that would be conducive neither to the honor and comfort of his house nor to the best interests of his kingdom. He apprised Jehoshaphat that, on account of that grave offense, "wrath was upon him from before the Lord," a judgment that was inflicted soon after (see on 2Ch 20:1-37). The prophet's rebuke, however, was administered in a mingled strain of severity and mildness; for he interposed "a nevertheless" (2Ch 19:3), which implied that the threatened storm would be averted, in token of the divine approval of his public efforts for the promotion of the true religion, as well as of the sincere piety of his personal character and life.

5-7. he set judges in the land--There had been judicial courts established at an early period. But Jehoshaphat was the first king who modified these institutions according to the circumstances of the now fragmentary kingdom of Judah. He fixed local courts in each of the fortified cities, these being the provincial capitals of every district (see on De 16:18).

2Ch 19:8-11. To the Priests and Levites.

8. set of the Levites ... priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel--A certain number of these three classes constituted a supreme court, which sat in Jerusalem to review appellate cases from the inferior courts. It consisted of two divisions: the first of which had jurisdiction in ecclesiastical matters; the second, in civil, fiscal, and criminal cases. According to others, the two divisions of the supreme court adjudicated: the one according to the law contained in the sacred books; the other according to the law of custom and equity. As in Eastern countries at the present day, the written and unwritten law are objects of separate jurisdiction.

Returned to his house in peace - That is, in safety, notwithstanding he had been exposed to a danger so imminent, from which only the especial mercy of God could have saved him.

Jehu the son of Hanani - We have met with this prophet before; see the note on 1Kgs 16:7.

Therefore is wrath upon thee - That is, Thou deservest to be punished. And who can doubt this, who knows that he did help the ungodly, and did love them that hated Jehovah? And is not the wrath of God upon all those alliances which his people form with the ungodly, whether they be social, matrimonial, commercial, or political?

From Beer-sheba to Mount Ephraim - Before the separation of the ten tribes, in speaking of the extent of the land it was said, From Dan to Beer-sheba; but since that event, the kingdom of Judah was bounded on the south by Beer-sheba, and on the north by the mountains of Ephraim. This shows that Jehoshaphat had gone through all his territories to examine every thing himself, to see that judgment and justice were properly administered among the people.

Take heed what ye do - A very solemn and very necessary caution; judges should feel themselves in the place of God, and judge as those who know they shall be judged for their judgments.

And for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem - Who were they that returned to Jerusalem? Some suppose that it means Jehoshaphat and his courtiers, who returned to Jerusalem after the expedition mentioned 2Chr 19:4 : but if this were so, or if the text spoke of any person returning to Jerusalem, would not לירושלם lirushalem, To Jerusalem, and not the simple word ירושלם Yerushalem, without the preposition, be used?

Learned men have supposed, with great plausibility, that the word וישבו vaiyashubu, "and they returned," should be written יושבי yoshebey, "the inhabitants," and that the words should be read, And for the controversies of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. That this was the original reading is very probable from its vestiges in the Vulgate, habitatoribus ejus, "its Inhabitants;" and in the Septuagint it is found totidem verbis, Και κρινειν τους κατοικουντας εν Ἱερουσαλημ, And to judge the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

There is a clause in 2Chr 34:9 where we have a similar mistake in our version: And they returned to Jerusalem, וישבו ירושלם where the false keri, or marginal note, directs it, in opposition to common sense and All the versions, to be read וישובו and they returned, which our translation has unhappily followed.

Between blood and blood - Cases of man-slaughter or accidental murder, or cases of consanguinity, the settlement of inheritance, family claims, etc.

Between law and commandment - Whatsoever concerns the moral precepts, rites, and ceremonies, of the law, or whatsoever belongs to civil affairs.

Behold, Amariah - Here was a two-fold jurisdiction, ecclesiastical and civil: in the ecclesiastical court, Amariah the high-priest was supreme judge, in the civil court, Zebadiah was supreme. To assist both the Levites were a sort of counsellors.

Without good and wholesome laws, no nation can be prosperous: and vain are the best laws if they be not judiciously and conscientiously administered. The things of God and the things of the King should never be confounded in the administration of justice. Amariah the priest, and Zebadiah the ruler, should ever have their distinct places of jurisdiction.

Therefore - Therefore God will chastise thee for this miscarriage. Which he did partly by stirring up the Moabites, and others to invade him, chap.20:1, partly by permitting his eldest son Jehoram to kill all his brethren, chap.21:4, and principally by bringing that almost general destruction upon his grand - children by Jehu, 2Kings 9:27 10:13,14, which was the fruit of his alliance with Ahab.

Good things - Good marks proceeding from an honest heart; which God more regards than this particular error: and therefore though he will chasten thee, yet he will not utterly destroy thee.

Through - Through the whole kingdom, whereof these were the two bounds. And brought - Such of them as had revolted from God to idols, he reclaimed by his counsel and example, and by the instructions of the Levites and priests, whom he carried with him. Many, probably, had revolted to idolatry, when they saw their king so intimate with idolaters. Therefore he thought himself doubly obliged to do all he could to reduce them. If we truly repent of sin, we shall do our utmost to repair the damage we have done to religion, or the souls of others.

The Lord - You represent God's person to whom judgment belongeth, you have your commission from God, and not from man only; and your administration of justice is not only for man's good, but also for God's honour and service. With you - Both to observe your carriage, and to defend you against all those enemies whom the impartial exercise of justice may provoke.

Wherefore - And therefore you who are in God's stead, and do his work, and must give an account to him, must imitate God herein.

The fathers - Persons of other tribes eminent for their dignity, ability and integrity. But whether these persons made up one court, called the Sanhedrim, by which all causes ecclesiastical and civil were decided; or there were two distinct courts, the one ecclesiastical, consisting of the priests and Levites; the other civil, consisting of the chief of the fathers of Israel, it is not easy to determine. The Lord - For matters concerning the laws and worship, of God. Controversies - For matters of difference between man and man. When - When Jehoshaphat and his company were returned to Jerusalem, he made this order concerning establishing judges there.

Blood - This refers to Deut 17:8, between the blood of the person slain, and the blood of the man - slayer. All the cities of refuge, except Hebron, now belonged to the kingdom of Israel, so that the man - slayer now usually fled to the courts of the temple, or the horns of the altar. And therefore the trial of these, was reserved for the court at Jerusalem. Law, &c. - When any debates shall arise about the meaning of any of God's laws. Warn - Ye shall not only give a righteous sentence for what is past, but ye shall admonish the offender, and others, to take better heed for the future.

Over you - Shall be your president. Matters of the Lord - In Spiritual, or ecclesiastical matters. Ruler - The prince, or chief ruler, under the king, of the tribe of Judah. The king's matters - For civil causes, or controversies either between the king and his people; or between subject and subject, which may be called the king's matters, because it was a principal part of his office to see them justly decided. The Levites - Shall be at your command to see your just sentences executed; which work was fitly committed to the Levites, as persons who might add their instructions to the corrections, and might work the guilty to an acknowledgement of their fault and a submission to their punishment. The Lord - Shall protect and bless good judges.

1 ANd Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace , to Jerusalem.

Safe, being miraculously delivered from eminent danger, as was related, ch. 18. 31, 32.

2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer , went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD ? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD .

Of whom see 1 Kin. 16. 1, 2.

Was this agreeable to thy Duty and Love which thou pro[illegible: 1+ letters]essest to God and Godliness, that thou hast entred into so strict an Alliance and Friendship with wicked Ahab my sworn Enemy and given such Assistance to him?

Therefore God is angry with thee and will chastise thee for this Miscarriage. Which he did partly by stirring up the Moabites and others to invade him, ch. 20. partly by permitting his Eldest Son Jehoram to kill all his Brethren, ch. 21. 4. and principally by bringing that sore and almost general Destruction upon his Grandchildren by Jehu, 2 King. 9. 27. and 10. 13, 14. which was the proper F[illegible: 1+ letters]uit of his Alliance with Ahab.

Marginal references: Psal. 139. 21.

3 Nevertheless, there are good things found in thee , in that thou hast taken away the g[illegible: 1+ letters]oves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.

i. e. Good Works proceeding from an Honest Heart; which God more regards than this particular Errour: and therefore though he will chasten thee. yet he will not utterly destroy thee.

Or, directed or set thy heart; i. e. Thou hast sought and served God with all thy Heart, and not feignedly, as many others do. And this work of preparing or directing his heart is here ascribed to Jehoshaphat, as elsewhere it is attributed to God, Prov. 16. 1. Phil. 2. 13. because it is mans Action, but performed by Gods Grace preventing, enabling, and enclining him to it.

Marginal references: Ch. 17. 4. 6.

4 And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people, from Beersheba to mount Ephraim , and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers .

i. e. Through his whole Kingdom, whereof these were the two Bounds.

Such of them as had revolted from God to Idols he reclaimed by his good Counsel and Example, and by the Instructions of the Levites and Priests whom doubtless now he carried with him, as he sent them before with his Officers of State.

g Once he went by his Officers, ch. 17. 7, &c. Now he went in his own person.

Marginal references: Heb. he returned and went out.

5 And he set Judges in the land, throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city .

In every City, for it self and the Country adjacent, that Justice might be administred with the most ease and convenience to the People, and they might not all be forced to go up to Jerusalem.

6 And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD who is with you in the judgment.

You represent Gods Person to whom Judgment belongeth, and you have your Commission and Power from God, and not from Man onely; and your Administration of Justice is not onely for Mans good, but also for Gods Honour and Service.

Both to observe your Carriage, and to [illegible: 1 word] you against all those Enemies whom the Impartial Exercise of Justice may provoke.

Marginal references: Deut. 1. 17.; Psal. 82. 1. Eccles. 5. 8.; Heb. in the matter of Iudgment.

7 Wherefore now, let the fear of the LORD be upon you, take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect o[illegible: 1+ letters] persons , nor taking of gifts .

And therefore you are in Gods stead, and do his Work, and must give an Account to him, must imitate God here. Of respect of persons, see Deut. 10. 17. job 34. 19. Act. 10. 34.

So as to pervert Judgment for them, by comparing this with Exod. 23. 8. Deut. 16. 19. Prov. 17. 23.

Marginal references: Deut. 10. 17. Job 34. 19. Act. 10. 34. Rom. 2. 11. Ephes. 6. 9. Col. 3. 25. 1 Pet. 1. 17.

8 Moreover, in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chief of the fathers of I[illegible: 1+ letters]rael for the judgment of the LORD , and for controversi[illegible: 1+ letters]s wh[illegible: 1+ letters]n they returned to Jerusalem .

Who were not Priests and Levites, but such persons of other Tribes as were most Eminent for their Dignity, Ability and Integrity. But whether these persons made up one Court called the Sanhedrim, by which all Causes Ecclesiastical and Civil were decided; or there were two distinct Courts, the one Eccles[illegible: 1+ letters]astical, consisting of the Priests and Levites, the other Civil, consisting of the Chief of the Fathers of Israel, belongs to another place to determine, and requires more words than the Nature of this Work can permit.

i. e. For Sacred matters concerning the Laws and Worship and Service of God.

For Matters of Difference between Man and Man.

i. e. When Jehoshaphat and his Company were returned to Jerusalem, then he made this Order [illegible: 1+ letters] ing establishing Judges there. But so this last Clause may see[illegible: 1+ letters] superfluous and tautological, being more than implyed in the beginning of the Verse. Or rather, when they, i. e. the Causes and Controversies last mentioned, shall return, or be returned t[illegible: 1+ letters] Ierusalem; i. e. When the Causes shall be so difficult that the Judges ordained in every City cannot determine them; or when your Brethren that dwell in every City shall come to you, as it is expressed v. 10. appealing from their City-courts to the great [illegible: 1 word] or Councel at Jerusalem. Of which see on Exod. 18. 26. [illegible: 1 word] ▪ 1. 17. & 17. 8. As for the Phrase, not onely Persons but Thing[illegible: 1+ letters] are said to return or be returned, as Blood, 1 King. 2. 33. and Clouds, Eccles. 12. 2. and Reproach Hos. 12. 14. If it be further objected that these Causes were never brought to Jerusalem before, and therefore cannot be properly said to be returned thither, That may be answered both from the usage of our Law wherein suc[illegible: 1+ letters] Causes are said to be returned to Westminster, which never were there before; and from the use of Scripture, wherein sinners are commonly said to return to the Lord, though they had never been with the Lord in that Sence before, but were estranged from God even from the Womb till the Time of their Conversion. And t[illegible: 1+ letters]e Dust, i. e. Mans Body, is said to return to the Earth, Eccles. 12. 7. though it was never there before.

Marginal references: Deut. 16. 18.; Heb. and they returned.

9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and with a perfect heart .

Passing such Sentences with your Mouths, as your own Minds and Consciences, upon the hearing of the Parties, shall judge to be Just, and not acting against your own Consciences for [illegible: 1 word] Motives, as Corrupt Judges do.

10 And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood , between law and commandment, statutes and judgments , ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD , and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass .

Of which see the Notes on Deut. 17. 8.

When any Debates or Differences shall arise about the meaning of any of Gods Laws, one party possibly putting this, and the other a quite differing sence upon the same place, or one alledging one place, and the other another place, which may seem to clash with it.

Ye shall not onely give a Righteous Sentence for what is past, but ye shall admonish the Offender and others to take better heed to themselves and their ways for the future.

So you shall not bring Guilt and Wrath upon your selves and others, which otherwise you will certainly do.

11 And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the LORD ; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah , for all the kings matters : also the Levites shall be officers before you . Deal couragiously, and the LORD shall be with the good .

Shall be your President to direct and assist you.

In spiritual or Ecclesiastical Matters.

Either 1. the Prince or chief Ruler under the King of the Tribe of Judah, which is called the house of Iudah, 2 Sam. 2. 4, 7, 10. 1 King. 12. 21, 23. [illegible: 1+ letters] Chron. 28. 4. Jer. 13. 11. Ezek. 4, 6. Or, 2. The Ruler of the Kings House, which also seems to be called the house of Iudah, 2 Chron. 22. 10. and more fully, the Kings House of Iudah, Jer. 22. 6. And who so fit to manage the Kings Matters as the Ruler of the Kingshouse?

For Civil Causes or Controversies which might arise either between the King and his People; or between Subject and Subject, which may be called the Kings Matters, because it was a principal part of his Office to see them justly decided.

They shall be at your command to see your just Sentences executed; which work was fitly committed to the Levites, as persons who might add their Instructions to the Corrections, and might work the Guilty to an acknowledgment of their Fault and a submission to their Punishment. And so this is an Argument to encourage the Judges to proceed couragiously and vigorously in their Work, because they had the Levites to stand by them and assist them.

i. e. Shall protect and bless good Judges in their doing of Good and Just Things.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]. [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word]

2Ch 19:1-3 The prophet Jehu’s declaration as to Jehoshaphat’s alliance with Ahab, and Jehoshaphat’s further efforts to promote the fear of God and the administration of justice in Judah. - 2Ch 19:1-3. Jehu’s declaration. Jehoshaphat returned from the war in which Ahab had lost his life, בּשׁלום, i.e., safe, uninjured, to his house in Jerusalem; so that the promise of Micah in 2Ch 18:16 was fulfilled also as regards him. But on his return, the seer Jehu, the son of Hanani, who had been thrown into the stocks by Asa (2Ch 16:7.), met him with the reproving word, “Should one help the wicked, and lovest thou the haters of Jahve!” (the inf. with ל, as in 1Ch 5:1; 1Ch 9:25, etc.). Of these sins Jehoshaphat had been guilty. “And therefore is anger from Jahve upon thee” (על קצף as in 1Ch 27:24). Jehoshaphat had already had experience of this wrath, when in the battle of Ramoth the enemy pressed upon him (2Ch 18:31), and was at a later time to have still further experience of it, partly during his own life, when the enemy invaded his land (2 Chron 20), and when he attempted to re-establish the sea trade with Ophir (2Ch 20:35.), partly after his death in his family (2 Chron 21 and 2Ch 22:1-12). “But,” continues Jehu, to console him, “yet there are good things found in thee (cf. 2Ch 12:12), for thou hast destroyed the Asheroth...” אשׁרות = אשׁרים, 2Ch 17:6. On these last words, comp. 2Ch 12:14 and 2Ch 17:4.

2Ch 19:4 Jehoshaphat’s further arrangements for the revival of the Jahve-worship, and the establishment of a proper administration of justice. - The first two clauses in 2Ch 19:4 are logically connected thus: When Jehoshaphat (after his return from the war) sat (dwelt) in Jerusalem, he again went forth (ויּצא ויּשׁב are to be taken together) among the people, from Beersheba, the southern frontier (see 1Ch 21:2), to Mount Ephraim, the northern frontier of the kingdom of Judah, and brought them back to Jahve, the God of the fathers. The “again” (ישׁב) can refer only to the former provision for the instruction of the people, recorded in 2Ch 17:7.; all that was effected by the commission which Jehoshaphat had sent throughout the land being regarded as his work. The instruction of the people in the law was intended to lead them back to the Lord. Jehoshaphat now again took up his work of reformation, in order to complete the work he had begun, by ordering and improving the administration of justice.

2Ch 19:5-7

He set judges in the land, in all the fenced cities of Judah; they, as larger cities, being centres of communication for their respective neighbourhoods, and so best suited to be the seats of judges. ועיר לעיר, in reference to every city, as the law (Deu 16:18) prescribed. He laid it upon the consciences of these judges to administer justice conscientiously. “Not for men are ye to judge, but for Jahve;” i.e., not on the appointment and according to the will of men, but in the name and according to the will of the Lord (cf. Pro 16:11). In the last clause of 2Ch 19:6, Jahve is to be supplied from the preceding context: “and Jahve is with you in judgment,” i.e., in giving your decisions (cf. the conclusion of 2Ch 19:11); whence this clause, of course, only serves to strengthen the foregoing, only contains the thoughts already expressed in the law, that judgment belongs to God (cf. Deu 1:17 with Exo 21:6; Exo 22:7.). Therefore the fear of the Lord should keep the judges from unrighteousness, so that they should neither allow themselves to be influenced by respect of persons, nor to be bribed by gifts, against which Deu 16:19 and Deu 1:17 also warns. ועשׂוּ שׁמרוּ is rightly paraphrased by the Vulgate, cum diligentia cuncta facite. The clause, “With God there is no respect of persons,” etc., recalls Deu 10:17.

2Ch 19:8-11

Besides this, Jehoshaphat established at Jerusalem a supreme tribunal for the decision of difficult cases, which the judges of the individual cities could not decide. 2Ch 19:8. “Moreover, in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set certain of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chiefs of the fathers'-houses of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord, and for controversies (לריב).” From this clause Berth. correctly draws the conclusion, that as in Jerusalem, so also in the fenced cities (2Ch 19:5), it was Levites, priests, and heads of the fathers'-houses who were made judges. This conclusion is not inconsistent with the fact that David appointed 6000 of the Levites to be shoterim and judges; for it does not follow from that that none but Levites were appointed judges, but only that the Levites were to perform an essential part in the administration of the law. The foundation of the judicial body in Israel was the appointment of judges chosen from the elders of the people (Exo 18:21.; Deu 1:15.) by Moses, at Jethro’s instigation, and under the divine sanction, David had no intention, by his appointment of some thousands of Levites to be officials (writers) and judges, to set aside the Mosaic arrangement; on the contrary, he thereby gave it the expansion which the advanced development of the kingdom required. For the simple relationships of the Mosaic time, the appointment of elders to be judges might have been sufficient; but when in the course of time, especially after the introduction of the kingship, the social and political relations became more complicated, it is probable that the need of appointing men with special skill in law, to co-operate with the judges chosen from among the elders, in order that justice might be administered in a right way, and in a manner corresponding to the law, made itself increasingly felt; that consequently David had felt himself called upon to appoint a greater number of Levites to this office, and that from that time forward the courts in the larger cities were composed of Levites and elders. The supreme court which Jehoshaphat set up in Jerusalem was established on a similar basis. For יהוה למשׁפּט we have in 2Ch 19:11 דּבר־יהוה לכל, i.e., for all matters connected with religion and the worship and instead of קריב we have המּלך דּבר לכל, for every matter of the king, i.e., for all civil causes. The last clause, 2Ch 19:8, ירוּשׁלים ויּשׁבוּ, cannot signify that the men called to this supreme tribunal went to Jerusalem to dwell there thenceforth (Ramb., etc.), or that the suitors went thither; for שׁוּב does not denote to betake oneself to a place, but to return, which cannot be said of the persons above named, since it is not said that they had left Jerusalem. With Kimchi and others, we must refer the words to the previous statement in 2Ch 19:4, וגו בּעם ויּצא, and understand them as a supplementary statement, that Jehoshaphat and those who had gone forth with him among the people returned to Jerusalem, which would have come in more fittingly at the close of 2Ch 19:7, and is to be rendered: “when they had returned to Jerusalem.” The bringing in of this remark at so late a stage of the narrative, only after the establishment of the supreme tribunal has been mentioned, is explained by supposing that the historian was induced by the essential connection between the institution of the supreme court and the arrangement of the judicatories in the provincial cities, to leave out of consideration the order of time in describing the arrangements made by Jehoshaphat.

Jehoshaphat's Piety. (b. c. 897.)

1 And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. 2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord ? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord . 3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. 4 And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers.

Here is, I. The great favour God showed to Jehoshaphat,

1. In bringing him back in safety from his dangerous expedition with Ahab, which had like to have cost him dearly (v. 1): He returned to his house in peace. Notice is taken of this to intimate, (1.) That he fared better than he had expected. He had been in imminent peril, and yet came home in peace. Whenever we return in peace to our houses we ought to acknowledge God's providence in preserving our going out and our coming in. But, if we have been kept through more than ordinary dangers, we are in a special manner bound to be thankful. There was but a step perhaps between us and death, and yet we are alive. (2.) That he fared better than he deserved. He was out of the way of his duty, had been out upon an expedition which he could not well account for to God and his conscience, and yet he returned in peace; for God is not extreme to mark what we do amiss, nor does he withdraw his protection every time we forfeit it. (3.) That he fared better than Ahab king of Israel did, who was brought home slain. Though Jehoshaphat had said to Ahab, I am as thou art, God distinguished him; for he knows and owns the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Distinguishing mercies are very obliging. Here were two kings in the field together, one taken and the other left, one brought home in blood, the other in peace.

2. In sending him a reproof for his affinity with Ahab. It is a great mercy to be made sensible of our faults, and to be told in time wherein we have erred, that we may repent and amend the error before it be too late. The prophet by whom the reproof is sent is Jehu the son of Hanani. The father was an eminent prophet in the last reign, as appeared by Asa's putting him in the stocks for his plain dealing; yet the son was not afraid to reprove another king. Paul would have his son Timothy not only discouraged, but animated by his sufferings, 2 Tim. iii. 11, 14. (1.) The prophet told him plainly that he had done very ill in joining with Ahab: "Shouldst thou, a godly man, help the ungodly, give them a hand of fellowship, and lend them a hand of assistance?" Or, "Shouldst thou love those that hate the Lord; wilt thou lay those in thy bosom whom God beholds afar off?" It is the black character of wicked people that they are haters of God, Rom. i. 30. Idolaters are so reputed in the second commandment; and therefore it is not for those that love God to take delight in them or contract an intimacy with them. Do I not hate those, says David, that hate thee? Ps. cxxxix. 21, 11. Those whom the grace of God has dignified ought not to debase themselves. Let God's people be of God's mind. (2.) That God was displeased with him for doing this: "There is wrath upon thee from before the Lord, and thou must, by repentance, make thy peace with him, or it will be the worse for thee." He did so, and God's anger was turned away. Yet his trouble, as recorded in the next chapter, was a rebuke to him for meddling with strife that belonged not to him. If he be so fond of war, he shall have enough of it. And the great mischief which his seed after him fell into by the house of Ahab was the just punishment of his affinity with that house. (3.) Yet he took notice of that which was praiseworthy, as it is proper for us to do when we give a reproof (v. 3): "There are good things found in thee; and therefore, though God be displeased with thee, he does not, he will not, cast thee off." His abolishing idolatry with a heart fixed for God and engaged to seek him was a good thing, which God accepted and would have him go on with, notwithstanding the displeasure he had now incurred.

II. The return of duty which Jehoshaphat made to God for this favour. He took the reproof well, was not wroth with the seer as his father was, but submitted. Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness. See what effect the reproof had upon him. 1. He dwelt at Jerusalem (v. 4), minded his own business at home, and would not expose himself by paying any more such visits to Ahab. Rebuke a wise man, and he will be yet wiser, and will take warning, Prov. ix. 8, 9. 2. To atone (as I may say) for the visit he had paid to Ahab, he made a pious profitable visitation of his own kingdom: He went out through the people in his own person from Beersheba in the south to Mount Ephraim in the north, and brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers, that is, did all he could towards recovering them. (1.) By what the prophet said he perceived that his former attempts for reformation were well pleasing to God, and therefore he revived them, and did what was then left undone. It is good when commendations thus quicken us to our duty, and when the more we are praised for doing well the more vigorous we are in well-doing. (2.) Perhaps he found that his late affinity with the idolatrous house of Ahab and kingdom of Israel had had a bad influence upon his own kingdom. Many, we may suppose, were emboldened to revolt to idolatry when they saw even their reforming king so intimate with idolaters; and therefore he thought himself doubly obliged to do all he could to restore them. If we truly repent of our sin, we shall do our utmost to repair the damage we have any way done by it to religion or the souls of others. We are particularly concerned to recover those that have fallen into sin, or been hardened in it, by our example.

5 And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, 6 And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord , who is with you in the judgment. 7 Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. 8 Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord , and for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem. 9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord , faithfully, and with a perfect heart. 10 And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the Lord , and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass. 11 And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord ; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the good.

Jehoshaphat, having done what he could to make his people good, is here providing, if possible, to keep them so by the influence of a settled magistracy. He had sent preachers among them, to instruct them (ch. xvii. 7-9), and that provision did well; but now he saw it further requisite to send judges among them, to see the laws put in execution, and to be a terror to evil-doers. It is probable that there were judges up and down the country before, but either they neglected their business or the people slighted them, so that the end of the institution was not answered; and therefore it was necessary it should be new-modelled, new men employed, and a new charge given them. That is it which is here done.

I. He erected inferior courts of justice in the several cities of the kingdom, v. 5. The judges of these courts were to keep the people in the worship of God, to punish the violations of the law, and to decide controversies between man and man. Here is the charge he gave them (v. 6), in which we have,

1. The means he prescribes to them for the keeping of them closely to their duty; and these are two:—(1.) Great caution and circumspection: Take heed what you do, v. 6. And again, "Take heed and do it, v. 7. Mind your business; take heed of making any mistakes; be afraid of misunderstanding any point of law, or the matter of fact." Judges, of all men, have need to be cautious, because so much depends upon the correctness of their judgment. (2.) Great piety and religion: "Let the fear of God be upon you, and that will be a restraint upon you to keep you from doing wrong (Neh. v. 15; Gen. xlii. 18) and an engagement to you to be active in doing the duty of your place." Let destruction from God be a terror to them, as Job speaks (Job xxxi. 23), and then they will be a terror to none but evil-doers.

2. The motives he would have them consider, to engage them to faithfulness. These are three, all taken from God:—(1.) That from him they had their commission; his ministers they were. The powers that be are ordained by him and for him: "You judge not for man, but for the Lord; your business is to glorify him, and serve the interests of his kingdom among men." (2.) That his eye was upon them: "He is with you in the judgment, to take notice what you do and call you to an account if you do amiss." (3.) That he is the great example of justice to all magistrates: There is no iniquity with him, no bribery, nor respect of persons. Magistrates are called gods, and therefore must endeavour to resemble him.

II. He erected a supreme court at Jerusalem, which was advised with, and appealed to, in all the difficult causes that occurred in the inferior courts, and which gave judgment upon demurrers (to speak in the language of our own law), special verdicts, and writs of error. This court sat in Jerusalem; for there were set the thrones of judgment: there they would be under the inspection of the king himself. Observe,

1. The causes cognizable in this court; and they were of two kinds, as with us:—(1.) Pleas of the crown, called here the judgment of the Lord, because the law of God was the law of the realm. All criminals were charged with the breach of some part of his law and were said to offend against his peace, his crown and dignity. (2.) Common pleas, between party and party, called here controversies (v. 8) and causes of their brethren (v. 10), differences between blood and blood (this refers to Deut. xvii. 8), between the blood of the person slain and the blood of the man-slayer. Since the revolt of the ten tribes all the cities of refuge, except Hebron, belonged to the kingdom of Israel; and therefore, we may suppose, the courts of the temple, or the horns of the altar, were chiefly used as sanctuaries in that case, and hence the trial of homicides was reserved for the court at Jerusalem. If the inferior judges did not agree about the sense of any law or commandment, any statute or judgment, this court must determine the controversy.

2. The judges of this court were some of the Levites and priests that were most learned in the law, eminent for wisdom, and of approved integrity, and some of the chief of the fathers of Israel, peers of the realm, as I may call them, or persons of age and experience, that had been men of business, who would be the most competent judges of matters of fact, as the priests and Levites were of the sense of the law.

3. The two chiefs, or presidents, of this court. Amariah, the high priest, was to preside in ecclesiastical causes, to direct the court and be the mouth of it, or perhaps to be last consulted in cases which the judges themselves doubted of. Zebadiah, the prime-minister of that state, was to preside in all civil causes, v. 11. Thus there are diversities of gifts and operations, but all from the same Spirit, and for the good of the body. Some best understand the matters of the Lord, others the king's matters; neither can say to the other, I have no need of thee, for God's Israel has need of both; and, as every one has received the gift, so let him minister the same. Blessed be God both for magistrates and ministers, scribes and statesmen, men of books and men of business.

4. The inferior officers of the court. "Some of the Levites (such as had not abilities to qualify them for judges) shall be officers before you," v. 11. They were to bring causes into the court, and to see the sentence of the judges executed. And these hands and feet were as necessary in their places as the eyes and heads (the judges) in theirs.

5. The charge which the king gave them. (1.) They must see to it that they acted from a good principle; they must do all in the fear of the Lord, setting him always before them, and then they would act faithfully, conscientiously, and with a perfect upright heart, v. 9. (2.) They must make it their great and constant care to prevent sin, to warn the people that they trespass not against the Lord, inspire them with a dread of sin, not only as hurtful to themselves and the public peace, but as an offence to God, and that which would bring wrath upon the people if they committed it and upon the magistrates if they did not punish it. "This do, and you shall not trespass;" this implies that those who have power in their hands contract the guilt of sin themselves if they do not use their power for the preventing and restraining of sin in others. "You trespass if you do not keep them from trespassing." (3.) They must act with resolution. "Deal courageously, and fear not the face of man; be bold and daring in the discharge of your duty, and, whoever is against you, God will protect you: The Lord shall be with the good." Wherever he finds a good man, a good magistrate, he will be found a good God.