Ecclesiastes 4:9 stresses the benefit of partnership – “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.” However, we find in other portions of the Bible that we cannot afford to do a free-for-all partnership without suffering damage. Unequal partnership can be counterproductive and set us backwards. Jehoshaphat was a righteous king, but he allied with Ahaziah king of Israel who was reputed for wickedness. They built a ship to go to Tarshish in search of gold. That joint venture was a fiasco! God sent a prophet to him: “But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.” II Chronicles 20:37 NKJV

Unequal partnership can be counterproductive and set us backwards…Before you go into the next alliance, find out from God if the prospects are the right choice.

God was not against the business plan. What He was against was the alliance of right with wrong, light with darkness. The place where the ship was destroyed is significant. The place was called Ezion-Geber, which means backbone, like that of a man. In other words, Jehoshaphat tried to make a man (and a wicked man at that) his backbone or his support. It was a misguided trust. Before this, Jehoshaphat had prospered tremendously because of the favour of the Lord, but he shifted focus to man and that was his undoing. Before you go into the next alliance, find out from God if the prospects are the right choice.