2 Chronicles 20:37
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat that because he had joined himself with Ahaziah the Lord had broken his works, and the word was fulfilled when the ships were broken so that they were not able to go to Tarshish. The venture was a commercial enterprise for trade to Tarshish in ships they had built, which God wrecked and destroyed in a storm so they could not sail or reach Tarshish. Ahaziah was the wicked, idolatrous king associated with the house of Ahab and wicked Israel, while Jehoshaphat was a good king of Judah.
The alliance was Jehoshaphat's great mistake, and the verse is an example of a prophet delivering instruction and reproof to a king. Jehoshaphat humbled himself when reproved and later showed faithfulness by earnestly restoring the worship of God. The same chapter also records a victory secured by faith and assured before it was accomplished.
The verse warns that voluntarily entering or maintaining partnerships with unbelievers is dangerous and contrary to God's word, teaching against union with unbelievers and dependence upon men as a lesson still profitable. The verse warns that joining resources and influence with wicked people or dishonest, questionable enterprises can bring failure and ruin. Business dealings do not excuse such an alliance, and wrongdoing cannot be expected to prosper.
The verse warns that relying on earthly powers as allies in confronting wickedness leads to defeat, just as a church that seeks civil power to support its beliefs or institutions abandons reliance on God. The wrecked voyage pictures a thwarted plan in which what first appears as an obstacle to a hoped-for work of helping others may lead instead to a smaller, nearer service. That nearer service also saves someone.