And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.
The verse belongs to the reign of Jehoshaphat, an otherwise noble and pious ruler loyal to God, whose record holds both a victory assured by faith and the dark blot of allying himself with Ahab's house and wicked men. It shows Jehoshaphat joining himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, described as very wicked, and with wicked Israel, to build ships at Ezion-geber for voyages to Tarshish, an act of union with unbelievers. The shipbuilding was a commercial and business venture to seek wealth and gold, described as seeking wealth from Ophir.
Those who read the partner as Ahab teach that Jehoshaphat joined himself with Ahab, an idolatrous king, to build ships at Ezion-geber for a merchant voyage to Tarshish. The weight of the passages identifies the partner as Ahaziah, the very wicked king of Israel, in a joint shipbuilding venture at Ezion-geber for Tarshish. The Lord judged the partnership by breaking the ships, so that they were wrecked and destroyed in a storm and could not make the voyage, fulfilling the warning that God would break Jehoshaphat's works because he had joined himself with Ahaziah, leaving him with a grief-stricken conscience.
The alliance was an awful mistake that let wicked influence affect Jehoshaphat, and its influence continued through his descendants and successors. The verse warns against voluntarily entering or continuing partnerships with unbelievers, and against joining money or influence with dishonest people or questionable speculative enterprises. It warns against depending on men instead of God and against seeking worldly support for God's work. Such business alliances are not harmless because they are business, doing wrong does not lead to lasting prosperity, and seeking worldly support leads to defeat and disaster, a lesson still profitable.
The verse belongs to the reign of Jehoshaphat, an otherwise noble and pious ruler loyal to God, whose record holds both a victory assured by faith and the dark blot of allying himself with Ahab's house and wicked men. It shows Jehoshaphat joining himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, described as very wicked, and with wicked Israel, to build ships at Ezion-geber for voyages to Tarshish, an act of union with unbelievers. The shipbuilding was a commercial and business venture to seek wealth and gold, described as seeking wealth from Ophir.
Those who read the partner as Ahab teach that Jehoshaphat joined himself with Ahab, an idolatrous king, to build ships at Ezion-geber for a merchant voyage to Tarshish. The weight of the passages identifies the partner as Ahaziah, the very wicked king of Israel, in a joint shipbuilding venture at Ezion-geber for Tarshish. The Lord judged the partnership by breaking the ships, so that they were wrecked and destroyed in a storm and could not make the voyage, fulfilling the warning that God would break Jehoshaphat's works because he had joined himself with Ahaziah, leaving him with a grief-stricken conscience.
The alliance was an awful mistake that let wicked influence affect Jehoshaphat, and its influence continued through his descendants and successors. The verse warns against voluntarily entering or continuing partnerships with unbelievers, and against joining money or influence with dishonest people or questionable speculative enterprises. It warns against depending on men instead of God and against seeking worldly support for God's work. Such business alliances are not harmless because they are business, doing wrong does not lead to lasting prosperity, and seeking worldly support leads to defeat and disaster, a lesson still profitable.