Spurgeon Meditations

 

Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber.

Ki1 0 48

Solomon's ships had returned in safety but Jehoshaphat's vessels never reached the land of gold. Providence prospers one and frustrates the desires of another in the same business and at the same spot yet the Great Ruler is as good and wise at one time as another. May we have grace to-day in the remembrance of this text to bless the Lord for ships broken at Ezion-geber as well as for vessels freighted with temporal blessings; let us not envy the more successful nor murmur at our losses as though we were singularly and specially tried. Like Jehoshaphat we may be precious in the Lord's sight although our schemes end in disappointment. The secret cause of Jehoshaphat's loss is well worthy of notice for it is the root of very much of the suffering of the Lord's people; it was his alliance with a sinful family his fellowship with sinners. In 2 Chron. 20:37 we are told that the Lord sent a prophet to declare Because thou hast joinedthyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works. This was a fatherly chastisement which appears to have been blest to him; for in the verse which succeeds our morning's text we find him refusing to allow his servants to sail in the same vessels with those of the wicked king. Would to God that Jehoshaphat's experience might be a warning to the rest of the Lord's people to avoid being unequally yoked together with unbelievers! A life of misery is usually the lot of those who are united in marriage or in any other way of their own choosing with the men of the world. O for such love to Jesus that like Him we may be holy harmless undefiled and separate from sinners; for if it be not so with us we may expect to hear it often said The Lord hath broken thy works.


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