When we started the series on HIGH FAVOUR, our text was Psalm 5:12 – “For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” Note that favour is reserved for the righteous. When the righteous begin to compromise either by deed or association, they may dam the flow of favour in their direction. 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: “Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.” (2 Chronicles 20:37 KJV). Was God against the business plan? Not at all; however, He was against the alliance of right with wrong, light with darkness.
“Note that favour is reserved for the righteous…Righteousness will open the door of favour, and it is by the same righteousness that the door remains open.”
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. Before this, Jehoshaphat had prospered tremendously because of the favour of the Lord, but he shifted focus to man and that was his undoing. Categorically, the prophet said that woe is he that puts his trust in man. Righteousness will open the door of favour, and it is by the same righteousness that the door remains open.