And Elisha said, “ As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.

II Kings 3: 14-15 NKJV

When Sodom’s sin had reached the point where the Lord was going to destroy it, Abraham prayed to God that He might spare the city if the Lord found ten righteous in it. The Lord promised Abraham that if there were ten righteous in the whole city of Sodom He would not destroy the city.* When Elisha spoke to the three kings in vs. 14, he said it was because of one righteous man in their presence that he was even willing to look at the group and deliver the Word of God.

We should not take Elisha’s words against Jehoram as mere insult but rather as the mind of the Lord against wicked Jehoram. It was not because of Jehoram that the Lord would speak but rather because of godly Jehoshaphat. The sense is that without righteous Jehoshaphat there in the wilderness that day, the armies would have been given up to thirst, hunger, and defeat at the hands of the Moabites. But because of the mercy of the Lord, one righteous man was sufficient for the Lord to deal graciously with the whole host. If Jehoshaphat sinned in joining with Edom and Israel in this war, the Lord would use it for the saving of many lives in that wilderness.

In Abraham’s day God would have relented for 10 righteous in Sodom, but they were not found. In Elisha’s day, the Lord preserved the allies for just one righteous man. In Ezekiel’s day, the Lord looked at the terrible sins of Israel and searched again for one righteous man to stand in the gap before Him, but He found none.**

Jehoshaphat’s righteousness was not his own but had been given to him by another, for there is none righteous, no, not one.*** All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Who then will make a wall and stand in the gap for you and for me that the wrath and fire of God might not be poured out against us for our unrighteousness?

Since there were none righteous, the Lord promised through Jeremiah the prophet that the days were coming when the Lord would raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King (Jer. 23:5). God Himself would send the Righteous One to stand in the gap for His people, to make atonement for the sins of many, and to make righteous by imputing His righteousness on them (II Cor. 5:21). This righteous Branch that was coming has by God’s marvelous grace now come. His name is “Jesus Christ the righteous” (I John 2:1).

Jehoshaphat was not the hope of the world. He was righteous because God had made Him righteous. But as Jehoshaphat was in that wilderness with those kings, the Lord regarded Jehoshaphat to teach us this valuable lesson today. If the Lord spared the army of three nations because of the presence of Jehoshaphat, how much more will He save to all eternity His elect children who have been washed with the blood of the one righteous man, Jesus Christ?

When Jesus was taken to the cross of Calvary, a far greater battle had been raging. All mankind by their fall had lost communion with God, were under His wrath and curse, and were made liable to His just punishment and to Hell itself.**** But one righteous man, the God Man, Jesus Christ, stood in the gap for His elect people and paid the just penalty for our sins to the Father. He died on that cross and rose again on the third day. So all who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation are no longer enemies of the Father, but beloved children. The warfare is ended. The iniquity is pardoned. Is the Righteous one your God today?

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*Genesis 19:32

**“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 22:30-31).

***Romans 3:10-12

****See Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A #19

*****I limited my comments on verse 15. The Lord works in many different ways to bring His Word through the prophets to the intended audience. He can use fire from Heaven; a staff that turns into a serpent, or even music as He does here. We should note that the divinely inspired Psalms were specifically written for use with musical accompaniment and we still sing them to the present day.

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