JEHOSHAPHAT
807 JEHOSHAPHAT, VALLEY OF
with any zeal, and was soon abandoned (2 Cliron. xx, 35-37; 1 Kings xxii, 48, 49). 15.C. 895. See Co>i-
MEKCE.
After the death of Ahaziah, king of Israel, Jehoram, his successor, persuaded Jehoshaphat to join him in an expedition against Moab. B.C. cir. 891. This alliance was, however, on political grounds, more excusable than the two former, as the Moabites, who were under tribute to Israel, might draw into their cause the Edomites, who were tributarj' to Judah. Besides, Moab could be invaded with most advantage from the south, round bj' the end of the Dead Sea ; and the king of Israel could not gain access to them in that quarter but by marching through the territories of Jehoshapliat. The latter not only joined Jehoram with his own army, Imt required his tributary, the king of Edom, to bring his forces into the field. During the seven days' marcli through the wilderness of Edom the army suffered much from want of water, and by the time the allies came in sight of the army of Moab they were ready to perish from thirst. In this emergency, the pious Jeliosliaphat thought, as usual, of consulting the Lord, and, hearing that the prophet Elisha was in the cam]), the three kings pro- ceeded to his tent. For the sake of Jehoshaphat, and for his sake only, deliverance was promised, and it came during the ensuing night in the shape of an abundant supply of water, which rolled down the exhausted wa- dys, and fiUed the pools and hollow groumis. After- wards Jehoshaphat took his fuU jiart in the operations of the campaign till the armies were induced to with- draw in horror by witnessing the dreadful act of Mesha, king of Moab, in offering up his eldest son in sacrifice upon the wall of the town in which he was shut up (2 Kings iii, 4-27). See jEiioitAjr.
This war kindled another much more dangerous to Jehoshaphat. The Moabites, being highly exasperated at the part he took against them, turned all their wrath upon him. They induced their kindred, the Ammon- ites, to join them, obtained auxiliaries from the Syrians, and even drew over the Edomites, so that the strength of all the neighboring nations may be said to have been united for this great enterprise. The allied forces en- tered the land of Judah and encamped at Engedi, near the western border of the Dead Sea. In this extremity Jehoshaphat felt that all his defence lay with God. A solemn fast was held, and the people repaired from the towns to Jerusalem to seek help of the Lord. In the presence of the assembled multitude, the king, in the court of the Temple, offered up a fervent jirayer to ( Jod, concluding with, " O our God, wilt thoii not judge them, for loe have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee."' He ceased ; and in the midst of the silence which ensued, a voice was raised pronoun- cing deliverance in the name of the Lord, and telling them to go out on the morrow to the cliffs overlooking the camp of the enemy, and see them all overthrown without a blow from them. The voice was that of Ja- haziel, one of the Levites. His words came to pass. The allies quarrelled among themselves, and destroyed each other; so that when the Judahites came the next day they fi3und their dreaded enemies all dead, and noth- ing was left for them but to take the rich spoils of the slain. This done, they returned with triumphal songs to Jerusalem. This great event was recognised even by the neighboring nations as the act of God ; and so strong was the impression which it made upon them, that the remainder of Jehoshaphat's reign was passed in quiet (2 Chron. xx). B.C. 890. His death, how- ever, took place not very long after this, at the age of sixty, after having reigned twenty-five years, B.C. 887. He left the kingdom in a prosperous condition to his eldest son Jehoram, whom he had in the last years of his life associated with him m the government. See Jehoraji, 5.
"Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart," was the character given to this king by Jehu,
when, on that account, he gave to his grandson an hon- orable grave (2 Cliron. xxii, 9). This, in fact, was the sum and substance of his character. The Hebrew an- nals offer the example of no king who more carefully squared all his conduct by tlie principles of the theoc- racy. He kept the Lord always before liis eyes, and was in all things obedient to his will when made known to him by the prophets. Few of the kings of Judah manifested so much zeal for the real welfare of his peo- ple, or took measures so judicious to promote it. His good talents, the benevolence of his disposition, and his generally sound jmlgment, are shown not only in the great measures of domestic policy which distinguished his reign, but by the manner in which they were exe- cuted. No trace can be found in him of that pride which dishonored some and ruined others of the kings who preceded and followed him. IMost of his errors arose from that dangerous facilitj^ of temper which some- times led him to act against the dictates of his naturally sound judgment, or prevented that judgment from being fairly exercised. The kingdom of Judah was never liapi^ier or more prosperous than under his reign ; and this, perhaps, is the highest praise that can be given to any king. His name {^VmaatpuT, " Josaphat") occurs in the list of our Saviour's ancestors (Matt, i, 8).— Kitto. See Judah, kingdom of.