Poor Jeho, he must not have had too many friends. Perhaps he had contacts and even subjects, seeing as he was a king. But for friends, he crossed his national boundary and almost lost his life in the process. He failed to check the character of his main friend, a fellow king. His story clearly illustrates why you need to choose your friends with care.
Naturally, if you are familiar with the bible, you would have recognized Jeho as a shorthand version of Jehoshaphat. He was king in Judah at a time that one of the worst Kings in history reigned in Israel. That dubious honor, of course, belongs to King Ahab. So, you see King Jehoshaphat leaving home to reach out to King Ahab.
You have to wonder what induced him to choose to befriend a bad man, even though a king. Of course, he did not have the advantage we now have, who can read the record of Ahab’s wickedness. Or else, God wanted you to learn from his case how to choose your friends with care. We may never know but we are happy that his story is in the bible.
A wise person will learn from it and avoid his mistake. Because, as someone once said, you cannot live long enough to learn only from your own experiences. In other words, you need other peoples’ experience to complete your own wisdom. In this case, you need Jehoshaphat’s lesson in order to learn how to choose your friends with care.
You Avoid Treachery When You Choose Your Friends With Care
In this account, Jeho was not careful or wise when he decided to befriend Ahab. But he did anyway, declaring that they would have everything in common. When you read it, it sounds almost like a wedding vow. It might remind you of the vow Ruth made when she decided that her divine destiny lay with her husband’s family.
They ended up going to war. Ahab advised Jehoshaphat to go to war in his kingly robes while he, Ahab would disguise as a commoner. This was waging war and the enemy would naturally target the king. Because once you get rid of the king, the subjects will scatter, like sheep without a shepherd. And surprise, surprise, Jehoshaphat accepted that sort of scheme.
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In this battle, he would be the obvious target, with his kingly robes. Meanwhile, his so-called friend would escape notice, in his commoner’s robes. It is hard to tell what Jehoshaphat’s problem was that he accepted the scheme. Psychologists might call it low self-esteem, wanting at all costs to please anyone who would befriend him. Even a treacherous friend like King Ahab, who was recorded as one of the most wicked kings in the world.
This should be a cautionary lesson for all who are parents. Don’t destroy your children’s self-esteem by any means; build them up. That way, they will be emotionally strong enough to choose their friends with care. You must also let them see that you yourself choose your friends with care.
Be that as it may, for reasons best known to him, Jehoshaphat went along with this murderous scheme. And indeed, he came within a hair’s breadth of losing his life. All because of the treachery of his friend.
One Way To Outwit Treacherous Friends
In considering the account of Jehoshaphat and Ahab, a popular adage comes to mind. “With a friend like that, who needs an enemy?” So, unless you choose your friend with care, you may actually be associating with an enemy in disguise.
Once the enemy saw a king in a chariot, they rightly assumed that that was Ahab, their enemy-in-chief. Each fighting man carefully marked him and went after him with a vengeance. In the heat of battle, nobody has time to check the facial features of another. They had no way of knowing that their real enemy was embedded among the army ranks.
Nevertheless, in that precarious situation, God helped him and Jehoshaphat cried out just in time. As soon as the enemy realized that this was a different king, they removed the target from his back. Jehoshaphat was saved even though he had failed to choose his friends carefully. Unfortunately, not all will enjoy such last-minute salvation. That is why it is imperative that you choose your friends with care.
Interestingly enough, King Ahab, in his disguise, still died in that battle. A random arrow hit him and fatally wounded him. Too ashamed to let the enemy know that they had killed him, he concocted another scheme. At his request, his men propped him up in his chariot, where he bled all day. In the evening, after he had bled out, a cry went up that he had died.
The wisdom here is not that the treacherous one will ever escape. Justice will always prevail. But you do not have to endanger your life by associating with schemers. You must choose your friends with care. Jehoshaphat outwitted Ahab because God helped Jehoshaphat.
Enjoy Great Benefits When You Choose Your Friends With Care
You may wonder how we could declare that it was God who helped Jehoshaphat in the nick of time. That is because earlier in the account, we see Jehoshaphat resorting to God time and again. Each time Ahab’s four hundred lying prophets gave a false prophecy, Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet of God.
The King, foolish as he might appear for befriending a treacherous king, made one wise decision. It proved to be his best decision ever. He befriended and depended on God, even when it was not popular to do so. You see, four hundred false prophets with one king stood on one side. On the other side, there was only one prophet of God with Jehoshaphat.
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Such a position was evidently unpopular and yet it was the position that Jehoshaphat took. Little wonder that God stood with him even in his impossible situation and saved him. In the same way, when you are in God’s corner during a battle, God is in your corner. All because you choose your friend with care; you choose God as your best friend.
The Best Friend To Have Is Jesus
Naturally, being a Jesus fanatic, I can unashamedly tell you that the best friend to have is Jesus. If I am not mistaken, there is a ditty on that very fact. You may know it; it concludes by saying that He will guide you on your way. Now, this may be very confusing because Jehoshaphat’s best friend is God and my best friend is Jesus. Which is it?
The answer is simple; both. Because you can only become God’s friend if you befriend Jesus. Jesus Himself explained that you cannot come to God except through Him, Jesus. Yes, befriend Jesus today and you automatically have God as your friend. You could say it is a divine BOGO (Befriend One, Get One Free). Befriend Jesus and you have God.
Maranatha!
