2 Cor. 6:14-7:1, Lessons from Obscurity: Unholy Alliances

IV.                  Four prophets on Unholy Alliances.

What is an unholy alliance today?  2 Cor. 6:14-16 speaks to this issue.  It is being yoked with unbelievers, a bond that is always “unequal.”  We live for the glory of God and all our decisions need to exemplify this.  Unbelievers live for their own glory and their lifestyles will exemplify this.  If we are in agreements with unbelievers we are committing ourselves to follow their choices on occasion.  That is simply the nature of an agreement or covenant or contract.  We live in this world (1 Cor. 5:9-13), but we are not to live according to this world.

Here are 4 illustrations of prophets who spoke to this issue in Judah.  In Judah the issue was making alliances with other nations, nations that did not worship the God of Israel.  In each of these cases the king was considered a “good” king.  I hope you will read the stories.

·       Hanani to Asa, 2 Chron. 16:2-3,7-9,10-12.  After God had delivered Asa from the army of Ethiopia (cf. the previous post), there were many years of peace.  Then the King of Israel came up against Judah.  Asa hired soldiers from Syria to deal with the matter.  The prophet reminded Asa of how God had helped in the past, and then said, “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.”  Asa put Hanani in prison over this.  But the LORD afflicted Asa with a terrible disease until the day of his death.

·       Jehu to Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. 19:1-3.  Jehoshaphat had allied himself with Ahab, King of Israel.  At the time when they went to war together and Ahab was killed, Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem and was met by Jehu, saying, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD?  Therefore, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.”

·       Eliezer to Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. 20:35-37.  Later, Jehoshaphat again allied himself with the King of Israel, who was Ahaziah.  The matter did not go well, and Eliezer met him and said, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” 

·       A man of God to Amaziah, 2 Chron. 25:5-13.  Amaziah went to war against Edom and, in addition to the army of Judah, he hired 100,000 solders of Israel.  An unnamed prophet made the issue very clear: “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel – not with any of the children of Ephraim.”  He also reminded Amaziah that if God was against him, it wouldn’t matter how big his army was.  Amaziah sent the Israelites home, forfeiting the money he had paid, and God gave him a great victory.

The eternal principle is always this: God will be glorified in all the earth!  If we join with the people who reject God, God will honor Himself.  It is quite likely that God’s “problem” is more with those who profess His name but do not trust Him than with those who deny His name.  Judgment begins at the house of God!