2 Chronicles 20:36
“He joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish. They made the ships in Ezion Geber.”
What does 2 Chronicles 20:36 mean?
King Jehoshaphat had just won a miraculous victory with God's help, but then he made a serious mistake: he partnered with a wicked king named Ahaziah to build a merchant fleet. The partnership itself was the problem, not the ships or trade routes. Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly warns His people against binding themselves to those who don't share their faith and values, knowing that close alliances tend to pull believers away from what matters most. What makes this moment particularly tragic is the timing. Jehoshaphat had just witnessed God's power in an impossible situation, yet he quickly forgot that lesson and relied on human connections instead. The very next verse tells us God sent a prophet to rebuke him for it. Sometimes the hardest part of faith isn't trusting God in crisis moments, but remembering to trust Him in the ordinary decisions that follow.