Commentary - 2 Chronicles 19:5-11

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, we see King Jehoshaphat, fresh from a divine rebuke for his foolish alliance with the wicked King Ahab, engaging in the kind of practical reformation that true repentance produces. He does not simply offer sacrifices and feel bad for a season; he gets to work restructuring the civic life of his nation according to the law of God. This is repentance with legs on it. He establishes a two-tiered judicial system, appointing local judges in the fortified cities and a supreme court of appeals in Jerusalem. The charge he gives to these judges is the foundation of all true justice: they are to judge not for man, but for God, and they are to do so in the fear of God. The passage concludes with a remarkable and foundational description of sphere sovereignty, carefully distinguishing the authority of the chief priest in the Lord's matters from the authority of the civil ruler in the king's matters.

This is not a dusty piece of administrative history. It is a blueprint for godly civic order. It teaches that justice is not a secular affair but a holy task, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of jurisprudence, and that God has ordained distinct lines of authority for the institutions of church and state, both of which are directly accountable to Him.

Outline

Context In 2 Chronicles

To understand chapter 19, you must first read chapter 18. King Jehoshaphat, a good king for the most part, made a disastrous error in judgment by making a military alliance with Ahab, the idolatrous king of Israel. He nearly lost his life in the process. Upon his return to Jerusalem, he is met by Jehu the seer, who confronts him directly: "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate Yahweh? For this, wrath has gone out against you from Yahweh" (2 Chron 19:2). Jehoshaphat's response to this sharp rebuke is not to execute the prophet, or to sulk, or to make excuses. His response is to repent, and this chapter details the fruit of that repentance. A man who truly repents seeks to put things right. Jehoshaphat's reformation here is a direct outworking of his turning back to God. He is cleaning house, not just in the temple, but in the courthouse.

Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges

5 And he appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, in each city.

Reformation is structural. It is institutional. Jehoshaphat understands that for righteousness to permeate the land, it must be built into the very framework of the nation. He begins by decentralizing justice. He puts judges "in all the fortified cities," making the courts accessible to the people. A righteous king does not hoard power in the capital; he ensures that justice is available where the people live. These fortified cities were centers of administration and defense, and now they are to be centers of justice as well.

6 And he said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for Yahweh who is with you when you render judgment.

This is the heart of the matter. Jehoshaphat's charge to his new judges is breathtaking in its simplicity and profundity. First, "Consider what you are doing." Think. Be sober. Understand the gravity of your office. A judge's bench is not a place for whimsy or prejudice. It is a place for solemn consideration. Why? "For you do not judge for man but for Yahweh." The ultimate authority in the courtroom is not the king, not the people, not some abstract legal code, but God Himself. The human judge is a delegate, a vicegerent. He is rendering verdicts on behalf of the Judge of all the earth. And he is not alone in this task: "who is with you when you render judgment." God is not a distant observer. He is present in the courtroom, watching every proceeding, hearing every testimony, weighing every decision. This truth should be a profound comfort to the righteous judge and an absolute terror to the corrupt one.

7 So now then let the dread of Yahweh be upon you; be careful what you do, because with Yahweh our God there is no unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.”

The application flows directly from the principle. If God is present, then the "dread of Yahweh" must be the defining atmosphere of the court. This is not a cowering, servile fear, but a holy awe and reverence that banishes all lesser fears, like the fear of man. This holy dread leads to carefulness. "Be careful what you do." Justice is a meticulous business. The reason for this care is rooted in the character of God Himself. The judicial standard is a reflection of who God is. With God there is no unrighteousness, no crookedness. There is no partiality, no favoring the rich or the poor, the powerful or the popular. And there is no taking of a bribe, no perverting of justice for personal gain. A human court is to be a mirror, reflecting the perfect justice of the heavenly court.

8 In Jerusalem also Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel, for the judgment of Yahweh and to judge disputes. So they returned to Jerusalem.

Now the king establishes a court of appeals, a supreme court, in the capital. Notice the composition. It includes Levites and priests, who are the experts in the written law of God. It also includes "the heads of the fathers' households," who are the elders, the men of practical wisdom and experience. This is not a bench filled with activist legal theorists, but with men grounded in God's Word and in the life of the people. Their jurisdiction is twofold: "for the judgment of Yahweh," which likely refers to cases directly related to the ceremonial and moral law, and "to judge disputes," which covers the broad range of civil and criminal cases. Justice is a seamless garment.

9 Then he commanded them saying, “Thus you shall do in the fear of Yahweh, faithfully and wholeheartedly.

The charge to the supreme court is similar to the charge given to the local judges, but with two additions: faithfulness and wholeheartedness. A higher court demands a higher standard of character. They must act "in the fear of Yahweh," just like the others. But they must also be faithful, steadfastly loyal to God and His law, and they must be wholehearted, with no duplicity, no hidden agendas, no divided loyalties. You cannot serve God and mammon, and you certainly cannot judge for God and mammon.

10 Whenever any dispute comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, you shall warn them so that they may not be guilty before Yahweh and wrath may not come on you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not be guilty.

Here we see the court's primary function. It is an appellate court, hearing difficult cases from the lower courts. These are the hard cases: capital crimes ("between blood and blood") and complex interpretations of the law ("between law and commandment, statutes and judgments"). But their central task is not merely to punish, but to "warn them." The court has a pastoral, instructive role. The goal is to teach righteousness and to keep individuals, and by extension the entire nation, from falling into sin. Why? "So that they may not be guilty before Yahweh." The ultimate concern is the nation's legal standing before God. If the courts allow sin and injustice to go unchecked, they are inviting the covenantal wrath of God upon the whole nation, including the judges themselves. A righteous judiciary is a lightning rod that protects a nation from the judgment of God.

11 And behold, Amariah the chief priest will be over you in all that pertains to Yahweh, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all that pertains to the king. Also the Levites shall be officers before you. Be strong and act, and Yahweh be with the one who is good.”

This final verse is one of the clearest expressions of sphere sovereignty in all of Scripture. Jehoshaphat establishes two distinct but parallel lines of authority. Amariah, the chief priest, is the head over all ecclesiastical matters, "all that pertains to Yahweh." Zebadiah, a civil ruler, is the head over all civil matters, "all that pertains to the king." The church has its court and the state has its court. The priest does not wield the sword, and the king does not administer the sacraments. Each has its own God-given authority and responsibility. Both are under God, but neither is over the other. This is the biblical model for the relationship between church and state. The Levites serve as the administrative staff, the officers of the court. The final charge is for all leaders in every age: "Be strong and act." Leadership is not passive. It requires courage and action. And the closing promise is the foundation for it all: "and Yahweh be with the one who is good." God blesses and accompanies the one who does good, the one who aligns his actions with the goodness and righteousness of God Himself.

Application

The principles laid down by Jehoshaphat are timeless. We live in an age where justice is routinely perverted. Judges often see themselves as judging for man, for a political party, for a particular ideology, or for a "living constitution," rather than for God. The fear of God has been chased out of our courtrooms and replaced by the fear of man, the fear of the media, or the fear of losing an election.

This passage calls us to remember that all authority is delegated authority from God. Every judge, every politician, every pastor, every father, exercises authority on behalf of God and will give an account to Him. Our judicial system should be structured on the principle that God's law is supreme and that His character is the standard for justice. We should demand judges who are characterized not by their political savvy, but by their fear of God, their faithfulness, and their wholehearted devotion to righteousness.

The clear distinction between the authority of the priest and the authority of the prince is a bulwark against tyranny. When the state tries to be the church (as in totalitarian regimes) or the church tries to be the state (as in some forms of clericalism), the result is always oppression. We must contend for the liberty of the church to govern its own affairs and the responsibility of the state to govern its affairs, both according to the Word of God.

Finally, we are all called to "be strong and act." We are not to be passive in the face of injustice. We are to work, pray, and build for a society where justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. And we do this work knowing that our ultimate hope is not in a reformed judiciary, but in the return of the great King and Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will finally and perfectly make all things right. It is because of His finished work that we can do our work, knowing that Yahweh is with the one who is good.