JEHOSHAPHAT’S COMMITMENT TO TEACH
“Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.” II Chronicles 17:7, 9
In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat implemented something that would potentially bring positive change to his people for generations to come. He sent teachers throughout the land to instruct the people of Judah. The people of the kingdom were taught according to “the book of the law of the LORD.” This is another aspect of Jehoshaphat’s national reforms which is worthy of consideration.
In our nation, there is strong opposition by liberal elements to remove the influence of the Bible from our society. First, the Word of God was first removed from our public schools. Now, there are many court battles regarding the display of the Ten commandments in government buildings, as though it is dangerous for the public to be exposed to God’s law. Satan hates the Bible and fears the powerful influence it can have on the lives of listeners and learners. Evil forces have succeeded in moving our nation further away from our Christian roots by limiting public exposure to the truth.
If we are going to see true and impacting revival in our homes or our nation, that revival will have to be sustained by the teaching of the Word of God. Jehoshaphat understood the importance of teaching his constituents what the Bible said. We may never get the Bible back into the classrooms of our government schools, but we must teach it where we have opportunity. This is one reason for Christian schools. We are obligated to provide our children with an education that includes the Word of God and is based upon biblical principles.
We must also be teaching God’s truth in our homes and in our churches. Young and old need to know what God says, and why we believe as we do. This has been the downfall of many families. We have failed to explain to our children, from the Bible, why we so strongly believe the things we do. If we are going to see genuine change in our generation and prepare the next generation, there must be a return to the authority of the Word of God.