Equipping young women professionals with young families to find fulfillment, contentment and joy as mothers and home makers without losing sight of who they are as women.

Volume 13, Issue 31: Unconditional Love

While reflecting on my Scripture reading this morning from the eighteenth and nineteenth chapters of the book of second Chronicles, I was impressed by God's unconditional love for us. We learn from the first chapter of the book of Psalms that we are not to hang out with the wicked. But King Jehoshaphat of Judah, a God-honouring king was in this instant hanging out with a wicked man, King Ahab of Israel over a feast in Samaria.

The first part that impressed me was how God looked out for Jehoshaphat and protected him while he was in the company of the wicked. Jehoshaphat accompanied Ahab to war against the King of Aram, dressed in Ahab's kingly robe. At the battle field, the King of Aram ordered his commanders to only go after Ahab. So, they attacked Jehoshaphat, thinking he was Ahab. But God protected Jehoshaphat and a random arrow struck disguised Ahab instead and he died.

“When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “There he is! The king of Israel!” and took after him. Jehoshaphat yelled out, and the chariot commanders realized they had the wrong man—it wasn’t the king of Israel after all. God intervened and they let him go." 2 Chronicles‬ ‭18:31-32‬ ‭MSG‬‬

God remains loving and faithful even we are unfaithful. He doesn't withdraw his love and care from us when we fall short and go against his precepts. If he did, Jehoshaphat would have perished in Ahab's battle against the King of Aram, a battle that had nothing to do with him. If God's love was conditional on our behavior, we would be crushed over and over again, and destroyed.

We are more than fortunate to have a Father who loves us unconditionally. A Father who looks out for us and does us good even when we disregard and fail him. God was displeased with Jehoshaphat for cozying up with and helping Ahab and sent a prophet to tell him so after his return to Judah from Samaria.

Jehoshaphat must have repented when the prophet confronted him. Because we see him continue to do things that please God, and later on express his dependence on God to rescue him from his enemies. I'll write about that in the next post.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi