“Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king. He strengthened Judah to stand against any attack from Israel. He stationed troops in all the fortified towns of Judah, and he assigned additional garrisons to the land of Judah and to the towns of Ephraim that his father, Asa, had captured. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father’s early years and did not worship the images of Baal. He sought his father’s God and obeyed his commands instead of following the evil practices of the kingdom of Israel. So the Lord established Jehoshaphat’s control over the kingdom of Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he became very wealthy and highly esteemed. He was deeply committed to the ways of the Lord. He removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah. In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. He sent Levites along with them, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah. He also sent out the priests Elishama and Jehoram. They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people. Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat.”
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2 Chronicles‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT

Jehoshaphat had a clear choice to make. His kin had presented a clear fork in the road. This is made even clearer by his father’s time as king. The scripture makes it absolutely clear that Jehoshaphat did not fall into pursuit of God. It was a willful and thoughtful act on his part to take what worked from his father, and disregard what didn’t. Rightfully, he chose to bring God to the forefront, seeing the results of pushing him to the background in his father’s reign. This ought to be our choice as well. But then he went a step further and carried on his father’s initial campaign of godliness. It wasn’t just in the destruction of continued idolatry, but also in the providence of education. In essence, he sought to extend that same choice to his kingdom. This was not only deemed a righteous choice worth preserving in scripture but one that could be a prescriptive one for us. As Jesus taught, we ought not to hide our light, but let it shine. In this way, when it is time for those we care about to make that same choice, it will be easy to come out on the right side of history. In this way, it is clear just how strong Asa’s first half of his reign affected his son. It was strong enough that his legacy with God wasn’t completely lost.

Jehoshaphat’s Choice: Jehoshaphat chose to prioritize God and follow in the footsteps of his father’s early reign, which was marked by godliness.

Importance of Godly Leadership: Jehoshaphat’s actions demonstrate the importance of godly leadership and the impact it can have on future generations.

Preserving a Godly Legacy: Jehoshaphat’s reign serves as a reminder that a godly legacy can be preserved and passed down through generations.