The Bedrock of a Godly Nation Text: 2 Chronicles 17:1-2
Introduction: The Fallacy of Godless Strength
We live in an age that is utterly convinced that national strength is a matter of economics, technology, and military hardware. Our political discourse is consumed with gross domestic product, the latest fighter jet, and the size of our budgets. These things are not unimportant, but to believe they are the foundation of a nation's health and security is like believing the strength of a house is in its paint job. It is a profound and catastrophic miscalculation. The modern secularist, whether he is a politician in Washington or a professor at the university, believes that a nation can be strong without being good, prosperous without being righteous, and secure without acknowledging the God who governs the affairs of men.
This is the central lie of our time. It is the delusion that we can have the fruit of Christendom without the root of Christ. We want peace, order, and liberty, but we have declared our independence from the only possible source of these blessings. We are like a man sawing off the branch he is sitting on, all the while boasting of his progress.
The Scriptures, in stark contrast, present a radically different political science. The Bible teaches that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. It teaches that unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stay awake in vain. The story of the kings of Judah is a relentless, multi-generational case study in this very principle. When the king fears God and walks in His commandments, the nation is blessed with peace, prosperity, and security. When the king turns to idols and worldly alliances, the nation rots from the inside out, and judgment is never far behind.
In our text today, we see the beginning of the reign of Jehoshaphat, one of the great reforming kings of Judah. His father, Asa, had a good run for the most part, but stumbled near the end of his life, relying on foreign kings and physicians rather than on the Lord. The transfer of power is a precarious moment for any nation. Will the son follow the father's early faithfulness or his later folly? Will he build on the foundation of reformation or will he preside over its decay? Jehoshaphat's first actions are recorded for us here, and they reveal the essential grammar of a godly and therefore stable and secure kingdom. He shows us that true national strength begins not with policy papers, but with a right posture before the living God.
The Text
Jehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and strengthened himself over Israel.
And he put military forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had captured.
(2 Chronicles 17:1-2 LSB)
Covenant Succession and Godly Resolve (v. 1)
We begin with the first verse:
"Jehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and strengthened himself over Israel." (2 Chronicles 17:1)
The first clause is simple, but packed with covenantal significance. "Jehoshaphat his son then became king in his place." This is not merely a statement of genealogical fact; it is a testimony to the faithfulness of God. God had promised David a perpetual dynasty, a lamp that would not be extinguished in Jerusalem. Despite the sins of Solomon, the rebellion of the ten northern tribes, and the subsequent stumbles of the kings of Judah, God is still keeping His promise. The line continues. The succession is orderly. This is a quiet but powerful demonstration of God's sovereignty over history. Kings die, but the King of Kings ensures His covenant purposes march forward.
The second clause tells us Jehoshaphat's first priority: he "strengthened himself over Israel." Now, we must be careful here. The word "Israel" in Chronicles often refers to the apostate northern kingdom. This was the immediate threat, the renegade brothers to the north who had abandoned the Temple, the priesthood, and the covenant, and had set up golden calves for worship. Jehoshaphat's first move is to secure his kingdom against this internal, covenantal threat. He is not looking to foreign powers on the horizon; he is looking at the rot next door.
But the nature of this "strengthening" is what matters. The verses that follow will unpack this, showing that it was not merely military, but fundamentally spiritual. However, the resolve itself is noteworthy. He did not drift into his reign; he took deliberate action. A godly leader does not simply inherit a position; he actively occupies the office. He assesses the threats and takes decisive steps to fortify his people. This is a picture of masculine, responsible leadership. He understands that passivity in the face of a threat, especially a spiritual and ideological threat, is not piety. It is abdication.
The Practicality of Prudence (v. 2)
Verse two gives us the concrete expression of this strengthening, and it is eminently practical.
"And he put military forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had captured." (2 Chronicles 17:2 LSB)
Here we see that true faith is not opposed to practical action. Jehoshaphat's trust in God, which the subsequent verses will make plain, does not lead him to disband the army and pray for magic shields to appear. No, his faith leads him to responsible stewardship of the means God has provided for the defense of his people. He puts troops in the fortified cities. He mans the garrisons. He secures the border towns his father had taken from Israel. This is godly prudence.
This demolishes two opposite errors that are common among Christians today. The first is the error of the pietist, who spiritualizes everything to the point of inaction. This is the person who says we just need to pray and not worry about politics, or education, or national defense. This is a false spirituality, a refusal to occupy the world as God has commanded us. Jehoshaphat prayed, and Jehoshaphat posted sentries. The two are not in conflict; they are two sides of the same coin of faithfulness.
The second error is that of the pragmatist, who believes that these material preparations are the ultimate source of security. This was his father Asa's final mistake. He saw a threat and relied on a foreign alliance and military might alone, for which God rebuked him. Jehoshaphat uses the same means, military forces and fortified cities, but his heart is in a different place. The rest of the chapter shows us that his ultimate trust was not in his garrisons, but in the God of Judah. The garrisons were an expression of his faithful stewardship, not a substitute for it.
He is securing the territory God had given him. He is not an aggressor, seeking to build an empire. He is a protector, seeking to defend the covenant people in the covenant land. He is exercising the primary duty of the magistrate, which is to protect the innocent and punish the wicked, and this includes protecting his people from external threats. He understands that a strong military is a gift from God, to be used in the service of justice and peace. It is a tool, and like any tool, its goodness depends on the heart of the one who wields it.
Conclusion: The Foundation of True Security
These first two verses set the stage for everything that follows in Jehoshaphat's righteous reign. Before we learn about his heart, his reforms, and his devotion to the law of God, we see his action. He inherited the throne and immediately took steps to secure his kingdom. This is the proper order of things. A godly leader understands that faith without works is dead.
But what we must see is that these military preparations were the outworking of a deeper spiritual reality. The subsequent verses tell us the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the ways of his father David and sought the Lord. His military strength was a consequence of his spiritual health, not the cause of it. The fear of the Lord fell on the surrounding nations not because of his army, but because of his righteousness (2 Chron. 17:10). They were more afraid of his God than they were of his soldiers.
This is the lesson for us, both personally and nationally. True strength, true security, true stability, is a gift from God to those who seek Him. A nation that abandons the Lord, that mocks His law, that kills its own children, and that calls evil good and good evil, can have the largest military budget in the world and still be profoundly weak, rotting from the inside. Its walls may be high, but if the foundation is sand, the house will fall. Jehoshaphat began his reign by strengthening his defenses, but he did so as an act of obedience to the God who was his ultimate defense. He built his house on the rock. And for a nation, as for a man, there is no other foundation that will stand in the day of trouble.