The Geopolitics of Piety Text: 2 Chronicles 17:10-19
Introduction: The World God Made
We live in an age of frantic political calculation. Our leaders and pundits believe that national security is a matter of treaties, treasuries, and tanks. They believe that prosperity is a matter of tax codes, trade deals, and technological innovation. They believe that peace is a matter of diplomacy, deterrence, and democratic institutions. And in all their frantic calculations, they have omitted the one variable that actually governs the entire equation: the blessing of Almighty God.
The modern secular mind is allergic to the notion that piety has anything to do with policy, that righteousness has any connection to revenue, or that the fear of God has any bearing on foreign affairs. To them, the Bible is a book of private religious sentiment, suitable for comforting widows and orphans, but entirely out of place in the halls of power. They have constructed a worldview with a God-shaped hole right in the middle of it, and then they wonder why the whole structure is collapsing.
But the world is the way God made it, not the way our secularists imagine it to be. The universe runs on covenant, not on chaos. History is a story that God is writing, and He has already told us how it works. In the book of Deuteronomy, God laid out the fundamental political science of the cosmos for His people Israel. It was a simple and profound contract: if you obey My laws, I will bless you in the city and in the field. Your enemies will come at you one way and flee seven ways. I will grant you abundant prosperity. The nations will see that you are called by My name, and they will be afraid of you. But if you disobey, all these blessings will be reversed into curses. This is not complicated. It is the manufacturer's instructions for how a nation runs.
The story of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, is a case study in the truth of this principle. It is a historical demonstration of what happens when a nation, led by a godly magistrate, decides to take God at His word. What we are about to read is not a quaint fairy tale. It is a record of cause and effect. It is a lesson in the geopolitics of piety. And it is a stinging rebuke to our own generation, which seeks the fruit of God's blessing while spitting on the root of obedience.
The Text
Now the dread of Yahweh was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. Indeed, some of the Philistines brought presents and silver as their tax burden to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah. And he had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. This was their muster according to their fathers’ households: of Judah, commanders of thousands, Adnah was the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor; and next to him was Johanan the commander, and with him 280,000; and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered for Yahweh, and with him 200,000 mighty men of valor; and of Benjamin, Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him 200,000 equipped with bow and shield; and next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 armed for military duty. These are they who attended on the king, apart from those whom the king put in the fortified cities through all Judah.
(2 Chronicles 17:10-19 LSB)
The Divine Deterrent (v. 10)
We begin with the direct consequence of Jehoshaphat's reforms. The preceding verses tell us that he removed the high places, purged the idolatry, and, most importantly, sent Levites and priests throughout the land to teach the people the Book of the Law of Yahweh. He re-centered the nation on the Word of God. And the result was not just internal revival, but external security.
"Now the dread of Yahweh was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat." (2 Chronicles 17:10)
Notice what the ultimate national defense system is. It is not a wall, or an army, or a complex alliance. It is "the dread of Yahweh." This is not simply a healthy respect or a political calculation on the part of Judah's neighbors. This is a supernatural act of God. God Himself projected an aura of holy terror that surrounded His obedient people. This is God fulfilling His promise in Deuteronomy: "they will fear you" (Deut. 28:10). The pagan nations around Judah may not have understood the theology, but they understood the fear. They knew, in their bones, that this nation was not to be trifled with.
Our modern defense secretaries think in terms of "mutually assured destruction." God's foreign policy is "divinely assured dread." When a nation honors God, He becomes their shield and their buckler. He demoralizes their enemies before a single arrow is fired. This is a category that is entirely missing from modern political discourse. We think peace is the absence of conflict, achieved through human strength and negotiation. The Bible teaches that true peace is the presence of God, manifested in a holy fear that He imposes upon the hearts of would-be aggressors.
The application for us is straightforward. If we want a secure nation, we must become a nation that fears God. A nation that publicly acknowledges Him, that patterns its laws after His righteousness, that protects the innocent and punishes the wicked. When we do this, we place ourselves under His divine protection. When we do the opposite, as our nation is now doing, we invite His judgment, and part of that judgment is the removal of this hedge of protection. We make ourselves an easy target for our enemies because we have first made ourselves an enemy of God.
Tribute, Not Taxes (v. 11)
The blessing continues from defense to economics. Not only did the nations not attack Judah, they began to pay Judah.
"Indeed, some of the Philistines brought presents and silver as their tax burden to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats." (2 Chronicles 17:11 LSB)
This is a remarkable reversal of fortunes. The Philistines were perennial enemies of Israel. The Arabians were often raiders. Now, they are lining up to give Jehoshaphat their wealth. This is not the result of a military conquest. Jehoshaphat did not invade Philistia to get this silver. This is the magnetic power of divine blessing. Proverbs tells us, "When a man's ways please Yahweh, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Proverbs 16:7). Here we see that principle in action, with interest. They are not just at peace; they are paying for the privilege.
This is God's economic plan. When His people are faithful, He causes the wealth of the nations to flow to them. This is promised in Isaiah 60: "The wealth of the nations will come to you." This is not a health-and-wealth gospel for individuals, but it is absolutely a health-and-wealth gospel for obedient nations. God deals with nations in the here and now, in terms of temporal blessings and curses. And here, the blessing is tangible. Silver, rams, and goats, in staggering numbers. The repetition of 7,700 is significant, with seven being the number of covenantal perfection and completion. This was a perfect, abundant, covenantal blessing from God.
Our secular economists think prosperity comes from manipulating interest rates and government spending. They are like children playing with mud pies in a slum because they cannot imagine what is meant by a holiday at the sea. True, lasting, generational wealth is a byproduct of national righteousness. When a nation's foundation is the law of God, it produces stability, justice, and industry, which are the necessary preconditions for prosperity. But beyond that, God supernaturally blesses. He opens the storehouses of heaven.
Righteousness Breeds Strength (v. 12-19)
The account concludes with a description of Jehoshaphat's internal strength, both in infrastructure and in military might. The blessing of God does not lead to passivity; it empowers activity.
"So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah. And he had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem." (Genesis 1:3 LSB)
Jehoshaphat does not disband his army because of the "dread of Yahweh." He builds it up. He takes the wealth that flows in and invests it wisely in infrastructure and defense. This is not a contradiction. It is the principle of faithful stewardship. God provides the peace and the resources, and the godly ruler has a duty to manage those resources wisely. The blessing of God is not an excuse for laziness. It is the fuel for righteous endeavor.
And then we get the military roster. The numbers are astounding. Adnah with 300,000. Johanan with 280,000. Amasiah with 200,000. Eliada with 200,000. Jehozabad with 180,000. That is a standing army of 1,160,000 men. This is a massive, world-class military force, all from the two small tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Some liberal commentators, who cannot stomach the thought of God blessing His people with this kind of strength, will say these numbers must be an exaggeration. But this is not an exaggeration; it is a miracle. It is a direct fulfillment of the covenant promise of fruitfulness.
Notice the detail about Amasiah, the son of Zichri. He "volunteered for Yahweh." This was not a conscript army of sullen mercenaries. These were men who willingly, gladly, offered themselves for the service of their God and their king. This is the kind of patriotism that only a shared covenant faith can produce. These men were not just fighting for their property or their families; they were fighting for the honor of Yahweh. When a nation is covenanted to God, its military strength is not just in its numbers, but in the character and motivation of its soldiers.
This entire picture, from the divine dread to the voluntary tribute to the massive army, is a portrait of a nation operating according to God's design. It is a picture of Christendom in miniature. This is what happens when the king seeks God, the priests teach the law, and the people obey. It results in peace, prosperity, and power. Not for their own sake, but for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.
The Great Commission for Nations
So what are we to do with a passage like this? Are we to simply admire it as a nice story from the past? God forbid. This passage is a prophetic signpost. It is a historical preview of the blessings that God intends to pour out upon the whole earth through the gospel of His Son.
Jehoshaphat's reformation was local. It was confined to Judah. But the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ is global. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:19). Jesus did not tell us to go make a bunch of individual disciples who would then retreat into their private spiritual ghettos. He told us to disciple the ethne, the nations, the peoples, the cultures. This means teaching the nations to obey everything Christ has commanded. And everything Christ has commanded includes everything the Old Testament taught about justice, righteousness, and godly rule, because He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.
The story of Jehoshaphat is a historical model for the postmillennial hope. As the gospel goes forth and triumphs, as more and more people are converted, they will begin to build families, churches, businesses, and eventually, cultures and governments on the foundation of God's Word. And as nations begin to bow the knee to Christ, we should expect to see these same kinds of blessings, but on a global scale. We should expect to see the "dread of the Lord" fall upon rogue, antichristian states. We should expect to see the wealth of the nations consecrated to the service of King Jesus. We should expect to see righteousness and peace flourish.
This is not utopianism. This is basic biblical faith. This is believing that God's Word is true and that His promises are sure. The kingdom of God is like leaven that a woman hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened. The story of Jehoshaphat is what it looks like when a little bit of the dough begins to rise. Our task is to continue kneading that leaven of the gospel into every area of life, public and private, until the whole lump is leavened. We are to work and pray for the day when the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.