Commentary - 2 Chronicles 17:7-9

Bird's-eye view

This brief passage in 2 Chronicles is a glorious snapshot of a top-down, biblically-saturated reformation. King Jehoshaphat, having secured his kingdom and set his heart on the ways of the Lord, does not merely engage in personal piety. He understands that the health of the nation is inextricably tied to the nation's knowledge of and obedience to the law of God. Consequently, he launches an ambitious, nationwide educational program. What is remarkable is the cooperative nature of the enterprise. The king initiates and sends, his civil officials are part of the delegation, and the Levites and priests, the ordained teachers of Israel, are the primary instructors. The curriculum is not a collection of pious platitudes, but rather the authoritative "book of the law of Yahweh." This is a picture of church and state, in their distinct roles, cooperating for the glory of God and the good of the people by grounding the entire commonwealth in the Word of God. It is a potent historical precedent that demolishes the modern, secularist myth of a naked public square.

Jehoshaphat's reform serves as a foundational text for understanding the duties of a Christian magistrate and the basis for a truly prosperous society. The fear of the Lord that subsequently falls on the surrounding nations is a direct result of Judah's return to covenant faithfulness, which itself was a direct result of this teaching campaign. When a nation honors God's law, God honors that nation. This is not a description of some unattainable ideal; it is a historical account of how God blesses covenantal obedience, beginning with the faithful teaching of His Word.

Outline

Context In 2 Chronicles

The book of Chronicles, written after the exile, is intensely focused on the themes of true worship, the temple, and the Davidic monarchy. The Chronicler is providing a theological history of Judah, highlighting for the returned exiles the principles of covenantal cause and effect. The reign of a king is consistently evaluated by one primary metric: was he faithful to Yahweh? Kings who seek the Lord and obey His law, like David, Solomon (initially), Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, bring blessing, security, and prosperity to the nation. Kings who forsake the Lord and His law bring disaster. Jehoshaphat's reign is presented as a high point. His father, Asa, had begun reforms, but Jehoshaphat takes them to a new level. This passage, describing his teaching initiative, comes right at the beginning of the account of his reign, establishing the foundation for all the successes that follow. It demonstrates that military strength and economic prosperity (mentioned in 17:5, 10-19) are the fruit, not the root, of national well-being. The root is a people instructed in and obedient to the law of God.

Key Issues

A Top-Down Reformation

We live in an egalitarian age that is deeply suspicious of authority and hierarchy. The idea of a "top-down" reformation sounds vaguely oppressive to our democratic ears. We prefer grassroots movements. But the Bible is not shy about the profound influence, for good or for ill, that leaders have. A wicked king can lead a nation into apostasy in short order. But here we see the opposite, and we should rejoice in it. A godly king, Jehoshaphat, uses his royal authority and resources to re-catechize his entire nation. He understands that a people ignorant of God's law will be a people enslaved to their own sin and to foreign powers. True liberty is found in submission to the law of God. This reformation did not bubble up from the grassroots; it was commanded from the throne. And the throne was acting in obedience to a higher throne. This is the proper pattern. All authority is delegated authority, and Jehoshaphat here provides a textbook example of how a civil ruler is to function as a minister of God for the good of his people, with that good being defined by the Word of God.

Verse by Verse Commentary

7 Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah;

The timing is significant. Jehoshaphat does not wait until a crisis hits. Early in his reign, "in the third year," he makes this his priority. A leader's priorities are revealed by what he does first. He has already fortified the nation and established his authority, and now he turns to its spiritual foundations. He "sent" his officials. The initiative is his. A godly ruler is not passive. He does not simply maintain the status quo; he actively seeks the reformation of his people. And notice who he sends first. He sends his "officials," his princes. These are civil magistrates, members of the executive branch, so to speak. Their names are listed, emphasizing the reality of this historical event: Ben-hail ("son of might"), Obadiah ("servant of Yahweh"), and so on. Why send them? He did not send them to do the primary teaching, as the following verses make clear, but to represent the king's own authority and approval. Their presence with the Levites and priests demonstrated that this was not merely an ecclesiastical project; it was an official act of state. The king was throwing the full weight of his office behind this mission. This was a matter of national importance.

8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.

Here we have the teaching faculty. The civil officials were "with them," but these are the designated instructors. And they are precisely the people God had ordained for this task. The Levites were set apart not only for temple service but specifically for the ministry of the Word. Deuteronomy 33:10 says of Levi, "They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your law." The priests had a similar teaching function. So Jehoshaphat is not innovating here; he is restoring. He is calling the ordained teachers of Israel back to their primary duty. An apostate nation is always a nation where the teachers have abdicated their responsibility. A reforming nation is one where they take it up again. A whole host of them are named, again grounding this in history. This was a significant deployment of personnel. The king was serious, and he sent out a formidable team. The distinction between the officials, the Levites, and the priests is important. Each had their God-given role, and here they are all working in concert, without confusion of their distinct offices.

9 And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Yahweh with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

This verse gives us the curriculum and the scope of the mission. What did they teach? Their own opinions? The latest theological fads from Egypt? No, they had "the book of the law of Yahweh with them." This was a text-based reformation. All true reformation is. The authority was not in the teachers themselves, but in the book they carried and expounded. This would have been, at minimum, the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses. This was their constitution, their hymnbook, their catechism, and their civil code, all in one. The health of the nation depended on their knowledge of this book. And the scope was comprehensive: "they went throughout all the cities of Judah." No village was to be left out. From the capital to the smallest hamlet, the Word of God was to be proclaimed and explained. This was a massive undertaking, a national literacy campaign where the subject was the very Word of the living God. They "taught among the people," indicating this was not a dry, academic exercise, but a popular-level instruction aimed at the transformation of ordinary lives.

Application

The principles undergirding Jehoshaphat's reform are timeless. While we do not live in a theocracy, we do live in a world governed by God, and His Word is just as relevant to national life today as it was then. First, this passage is a rebuke to all forms of pietism that would restrict the Christian faith to the four walls of a church or the private recesses of one's heart. Jehoshaphat understood that the law of the Lord was for all of life, including public and civil life. Christian politicians and civil servants should see here a model for using their influence to promote biblical literacy and righteousness.

Second, this is a call for the church to recover its teaching ministry. The Levites were sent to teach the law. Pastors and elders today are charged with teaching the whole counsel of God. We are drowning in a sea of spiritual junk food, sentimental stories, and therapeutic platitudes. What our people need is the hard tack of biblical doctrine, the robust meat of theological instruction. A church that is not being systematically taught the Word of God is a church being prepared for apostasy.

Finally, this passage reminds us that the foundation of any lasting reformation is the written Word of God. Our confidence is not in political programs, clever marketing, or emotional experiences. Our confidence is in "the book of the law of Yahweh." We must read it, study it, preach it, teach it, and sing it. We must have it "with us" in our homes, our churches, and in our public witness. Jehoshaphat's reformation began with a Bible-teaching campaign. If we desire to see our families, our churches, and our nation reformed, this is where we must begin as well.