Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. – 2 Chronicles 19:4

Today's Scripture Reading (January 14, 2023): 2 Chronicles 19

We live in a world that is filled with borders. And borders are okay. They declare who is responsible for certain areas of the world. They also often specify a racial or cultural division. The United States, during the American Civil War, appeared to be divided between the North (Union) and South (Confederation). The border was real, and both sides of the conflict fought to do what they felt was right within their boundaries.

Maybe unknown to those outside of Canada, but the Canadians are fighting a similar battle in the 21^st century. No, there has been no war declared between sides, but there is a high level of dissatisfaction with the actions of the Federal Government within the country. Quebec is normally where most of this dissatisfaction resides, and periodically Quebec has had referendums to decide whether they want to remain part of Canada. So far, the vote to leave Canada has always been less than is needed to make that separation a reality. But right now, the dissatisfaction of the prairie provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, is higher than in Quebec. But the discontent of the prairie provinces has a different cause. The primary reason for the dissatisfaction found in Quebec is that the culture and language differ in Quebec from most of the rest of the country. Quebec is a French-speaking province, while most, but not all, of the rest of the country speaks English. But in the west, the dissatisfaction seems primarily based on economics. The Western provinces have possessed high levels of natural resources but often haven't felt like they were valued or were able to make the most of those resources. They have no problem helping the rest of the nation economically, but in tough times, like has been suffered in the past few years, they want more control over the proceeds from those resources.

Jehoshaphat has been spending time in Israel, the northern Kingdom supporting Ahab, the King of Israel. But now, Ahab is dead, killed in the war that Jehoshaphat was helping Ahab fight, and God has disciplined Jehoshaphat for his decision to support the evil Ahab. As a result, Jehoshaphat returned home to Jerusalem. And the text indicates that he would now remain in Judah; his traveling days outside the nation are over.

However, Chronicles tells us that Jehoshaphat did travel from "Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim." The two areas essentially outline the two borders of the Kingdom of Judah. The Judean territory extended south of Beersheba, but Beersheba was essentially the southernmost populated area in Judah, while the hill country of Ephraim bordered Judah to the north.

Jehoshaphat traveled throughout Judah, but the reason for his travels might be the most surprising. Jehoshaphat wandered throughout Judah, encouraging his people to turn back to God. Jehoshaphat spent this portion of his reign teaching the people about God and the demands of the law. It is a time of ministry that really stands without an equivalent in the Hebrew Bible. It was more like Jesus's ministry in the New Testament than anything that had ever occurred in the eras prior to Jesus.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 20