This chapter describes King Jehoshaphat’s wise reforms throughout the land of Judah.
“…Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases… And he charged them: ‘Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart: whenever a case comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or rules, then you shall warn them, that they may not incur guilt before the Lord and wrath may not come upon you and your brothers… Deal courageously, and may the Lord be with the upright!’ ” (v8-11 abr)
Like Moses before him, the king goes from city to city to appoint officials to hear the disputes of the people, and settle them according to God’s laws. This is important, since he can’t personally oversee hundreds of thousands of people. This is why God has implemented structure and roles among his people – there are conferences, elder teams, pastoral teams, ministry leaders, heads of households, etc. to help maintain spiritual order and discipline at various levels.
At the simplest level, we are each responsible for our own personal wellbeing. This is our highest priority – not because we are more important than anyone else, but because if we can’t govern ourselves well, we are less effective at leading others. I know this very well from first-hand experience.
I encourage each of us to temporarily take a step back for an hour, a day, or maybe even a few days, to do a serious inventory of our spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Of course prayer and the Holy Spirit are key to this process, but we may also invite insight from our loved ones and trusted friends. With wise voices in our lives (including the Holy Spirit), we can begin to discern how we can better serve ourselves, so that we can in turn serve others better.
I’m beginning this process myself – it seems I go in cycles where I need to do a serious reassessment every couple of years. This is a good and healthy thing, to help ensure we are loving God, and loving ourselves, so that we are energized and equipped to love those around us. If we’re running on empty, we’re not able to love God, ourselves, or anyone else the way that God intends.
Father God, our Wonderful Counselor and Everlasting Lord, holy, holy, holy is Your name. We praise You for creating us fearfully and wonderfully in Your image. Thank you for designing us to be the unique people that we are. We also thank you for providing the wisdom and discernment we need in order to be holistically healthy individuals. Please pour into us the insight and guidance to make wise choices, that we may be well fed, and then be able to feed others. Thank you Jesus for Your amazing example here on earth, and for showing us the paths to walk. In Your holy and precious name we pray, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training