Daily Tanach Wednesday Sefer Melachim 1 Chapter 22 Part 4: The reign and legacy of Yehoshafat

1. The reign and legacy of Yehoshafat:

• His years of reign: Yehoshafat, the son of Asa, reigned over Yehuda in the fourth year of reign of Achav the king of Israel. Yehoshafat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years.
• His mother: Yehoshafat’s mother’s name was Azuvah, the daughter of Shilchi.
• His righteousness: Yehoshafat followed in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not veer from his ways and performed that which was proper in the eyes of Hashem.
• His complacency to evil: However, Yehoshafat did not eradicate the Bamos of worship and allowed the people to continue sacrificing and bringing offerings on the Bamos [as although the sacrifices were for the sake of G-d, ever since the Temple was built it became forbidden to bring sacrifices anywhere other than the Temple^[1]].
• Making peace with the kingdom of Israel: Yehoshafat made peace with the king of Israel.
• His Chronicles: The remaining acts of Yehoshafat and his heroic deeds and the wars that he fought, are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Yehuda.
• His purge of the harlots: Yehoshafat purged from the land all the prostitutes that remained from the days of Asa his father.
• The ruler of Edom: [From the times of Dovid until the days of Yehoshafat^[2]] there was no king in Edom, as the governor was the king.
• The ships which he built for excavating gold: Yehoshafat made ships of Tarshish to sail to Ophir to bring gold, although in the end the ships did not go, as they were broken at Etzion-Gaver. At that time, Achazyahu the son of Achav offered Yehoshafat that his servants go with the servants of Yehoshafat on the ships, but Yehoshafat declined the offer [and hence the ships never set sail].
• His death and burial: Yehoshafat was laid to rest with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his ancestor David.
• His successor: Yehoram, the son of Yehoshafat, reigned after him.

2. The reign of Achazyahu, the son of Achav:

• Achazyahu, the son of Achav, reigned over Israel in the Shomron in the seventeenth year of reign of Yehoshafat, the king of Yehuda, and he ruled over Israel for two years.
• His evil ways: Achazyahu performed evil in the eyes of Hashem and he went in the path of his father [Achav] and mother [Izevel], and in the path of Yeravam the son of Nevat, who had caused Israel to sin. He worshipped the Baal, and bowed to him, and he angered Hashem, the G-d of Israel, as did his father.

[1] Metzudos Dovid 22:44

[2] Rashi 22:48