The King's Catechism: A Blueprint for National Reformation Text: 2 Chronicles 17:7-9
Introduction: The Myth of Neutrality
We live in an age that is pathologically committed to a lie. The lie is that of neutrality. We are told that the civil square must be naked, that the magistrate must be religiously indifferent, and that education must be value-free. This is, of course, a complete fiction. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does culture. If the law of God is not taught in a nation, it is not as though nothing is taught. Rather, the law of man is taught. The catechism of secularism is taught. The doctrines of autonomy, rebellion, and self-worship are taught. Every nation has a god, and every nation catechizes its people. The only question is which god and which catechism.
Our modern political discourse is impoverished because we have forgotten what a godly ruler is for. We have accepted the shriveled, secularist definition of a politician as a mere economic manager or a glorified social worker. But the Scriptures present a far more robust and glorious vision. The civil magistrate is a deacon of God, a minister appointed to punish evil and to praise good. And what is the standard of good and evil? It is not a Gallup poll or the shifting sands of public opinion. The standard is the law of God.
This brings us to the reign of Jehoshaphat, a bright spot in the history of Judah. After the compromises of his father Asa's later years, Jehoshaphat takes the throne and sets his heart to seek the Lord. He understands that military strength and economic prosperity are downstream from covenant faithfulness. He knows that the strength of a nation is not ultimately found in its garrisons and fortresses, but in the character of its people. And the character of a people is shaped by the law they are taught. Jehoshaphat's great reformation was not primarily a building program, though he built much. It was an education program. He understood that before you can have a Christian nation, you must first have a nation that knows what Christianity is.
The scene before us in 2 Chronicles is a direct assault on the modern idol of the secular state. It is a beautiful picture of a top-down reformation, where the civil government, in cooperation with the church, takes responsibility for the biblical literacy of the entire nation. This is not tyranny; it is faithful leadership. This is not an overreach of the state; it is the state fulfilling its God-ordained purpose. Let us therefore look at this forgotten blueprint for national blessing.
The Text
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; 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. 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.
(2 Chronicles 17:7-9)
The Royal Initiative (v. 7)
We begin with the king's command in verse 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..." (2 Chronicles 17:7)
Notice the timing. This is in the third year of his reign. Jehoshaphat has already secured his borders and established his rule. But he knows that true security is not a matter of military hardware. It is a matter of covenantal fidelity. A nation that fears God has nothing to fear from its enemies. So, early in his reign, he turns to the most pressing issue: the heart and mind of his people. Reformation is not something to be put off until all other secular business is settled. It is the first business.
And notice who initiates this. The king does. Jehoshaphat, the civil magistrate, the head of state, takes direct responsibility for the religious instruction of his people. He does not say, "This is a private matter for the synagogues" or "Let every family decide for itself." He understands that as the leader of a covenant people, he has a duty to ensure that the covenant is known and understood. He is a nursing father to the church, as Isaiah would later prophesy (Isaiah 49:23). He uses his authority not to suppress the truth, but to propagate it.
He sends his "officials," his princes. These are not priests or Levites; they are civil servants, members of his administration. Why? Because their presence gives the mission royal authority. It signals to all the cities of Judah that this is not some rogue operation by a few zealous priests. This is the official policy of the kingdom. The king himself is behind this. This demonstrates a seamless cooperation between what we would call "church and state." The state lends its authority and resources to the task, recognizing that a populace that knows and fears God is a populace that is easy to govern. A nation that is self-governed under God does not require a massive, intrusive police state to keep it in line.
The Teaching Coalition (v. 8)
But the king's men do not go alone. Verse 8 shows us the rest of the faculty.
"...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." (2 Chronicles 17:8)
Here we see the beautiful, integrated strategy. The civil officials provide the authority and the logistical support. But the content of the teaching is entrusted to those whom God had set apart for that task: the Levites and the priests. The Levites were scattered throughout Israel precisely for this purpose, to be teachers of the law (Deut. 33:10). The priests were the final arbiters of the law, the guardians of the sanctuary and its doctrine (Mal. 2:7).
Jehoshaphat does not conflate the roles. He does not ask his princes to become priests, nor does he ask the priests to become tax collectors. He respects the distinct spheres of authority that God has established. The state's job is to ensure that the teaching happens, to protect it, and to promote it. The church's job is to ensure the teaching is faithful. The state holds the sword; the church holds the Word. When both are working in concert, for the glory of the same God, you have the foundations of a truly Christian civilization.
This is the model that has been lost to the modern West. We have been sold a bill of goods that says the state must be godless and the church must be voiceless in the public square. The result is a state that has become its own god, and a church that has been relegated to a private hobby. Jehoshaphat's coalition shows us the biblical pattern: a state that acknowledges its dependence on God's law and a church that is free and empowered to teach that law to everyone.
The National Curriculum (v. 9)
So what was it that this traveling faculty taught? Verse 9 gives us the curriculum.
"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." (2 Chronicles 17:9)
This is the crucial point. Their authority did not come from their own clever ideas or from the latest educational theories from Egypt or Babylon. Their authority came from the text they carried: "the book of the law of Yahweh." This was their textbook, their constitution, their curriculum. They were not teaching their opinions about God; they were teaching what God had revealed about Himself. Sola Scriptura is not just a principle for personal devotion; it is the principle for national reformation.
They had the book with them. This implies a fixed, written standard. Truth was not fluid. Morality was not relative. God's law was objective, unchanging, and universally applicable to all the people in all the cities of Judah. This is the bedrock of justice and freedom. Without a transcendent law that is over both the king and the peasant, you have either tyranny or anarchy. With the law of God as the foundation, you have true liberty, which is not the freedom to do what you want, but the freedom to do what you ought.
And notice the scope of their work. They "went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people." This was a comprehensive, grassroots campaign. No village was too small, no backwater too remote. The king's desire was for every single citizen to be instructed in the ways of the Lord. This is what it means to disciple a nation. It is not simply about getting a few Christian principles into the preamble of a constitution. It is about the hard, patient work of teaching the whole counsel of God to the whole people, from the greatest to the least.
Conclusion: The Foundation of Blessing
What was the result of this national catechism class? The very next verse tells us: "And the fear of Yahweh fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat" (2 Chronicles 17:10). When a nation honors God's law, God honors that nation. True national security is a byproduct of national righteousness. When Judah got right with God, their foreign policy problems took care of themselves. Their enemies were not intimidated by their armies, but by their God.
This is a lesson our own nation desperately needs to learn. We have been told that the path to peace and prosperity is through secularism, that we must jettison our Christian foundations to be a modern, enlightened nation. The story of Jehoshaphat shouts that this is a lie. The path to blessing is the path of obedience. The foundation of a stable and prosperous society is a people who have been thoroughly taught the law of the Lord.
This task begins with us. We cannot expect the magistrate to send out teachers of a law that the church itself has forgotten. The church must first recover its confidence in the sufficiency and authority of the whole Word of God. We must be a people who know the Book, love the Book, and live the Book. We must teach it diligently to our children in our homes. We must demand that it be preached faithfully from our pulpits. And then, we must pray for and work towards a generation of leaders like Jehoshaphat, magistrates who understand that their first duty is not to the economy, but to the law of God, and who will have the courage to once again make that law the curriculum of our nation.
The blueprint is right here. A king who fears God. A state that supports the truth. A church that faithfully teaches the Word. And a people who are instructed in righteousness. This is not a utopian fantasy. It is a historical reality, and by the grace of God, it can be our future.