2 Kings 3:7
“And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jehoram sent word to Jehoshaphat, asking him to form an alliance against Moab; Jehoshaphat agreed at once.
Context
The two kingdoms, long estranged since the division of Solomon's realm, were now bound by dynastic marriage; Jehoram and Jehoshaphat were in-laws. Jehoshaphat was a reforming king known for his piety.
What Does 2 Kings 3:7 Mean?
And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses, here is the language of covenant, of alliance forged not in blood but in will. Jehoram asks; Jehoshaphat answers with the generosity of a man of faith. I am as thou art, a phrase that erases boundaries between two kingdoms.
Yet in this moment of alliance, Jehoshaphat does not know he is walking into a test. He is generous; he is ready to help. But generosity without discernment is still a kind of blindness.
Application
We are right to help others in their need. Yet we must ask what we are truly joining, and with whom we are truly allied.