“Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Kings 22:48 Mean?
Jehoshaphat — one of Judah's better kings — attempts a maritime trade venture: ships of Tarshish built to sail to Ophir for gold. The ships break before they sail. The commercial enterprise fails at the construction stage, never reaching the sea.
The brevity of the account — build ships, ships break, end of story — suggests the failure needs no explanation beyond itself. The ships were built. They didn't survive. The venture was over before it began.
The context may provide the explanation: verses 44-50 describe Jehoshaphat's generally positive reign, and verse 49 notes that Ahaziah of Israel (Ahab's son) offered to partner in the venture, but Jehoshaphat refused. The Chronicles account (2 Chronicles 20:35-37) adds that Jehoshaphat did initially partner with Ahaziah and was rebuked by the prophet Eliezer: "Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works." The ships broke because the partnership was wrong.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'ships' (ventures, projects, investments) might God be breaking because the partnership is wrong?
- 2.How does God destroying a significant investment (built ships) to prevent an ungodly alliance demonstrate his priorities?
- 3.Where have you entered partnerships for pragmatic reasons that compromised your spiritual integrity?
- 4.What does Jehoshaphat's failed venture teach about the relationship between right goals (Ophir gold) and wrong alliances?
Devotional
The ships broke. Before they even sailed. Jehoshaphat built an entire fleet for a gold-trading expedition to Ophir, and the ships shattered before leaving port. The venture failed at zero miles.
The brevity is the narrative's commentary: no dramatic storm, no enemy attack, no structural explanation. Built ships. Ships broke. Story over. The failure is presented as a fact that requires no further analysis — at least in Kings.
Chronicles provides the missing explanation: Jehoshaphat partnered with Ahaziah (Ahab's evil son), and a prophet named Eliezer warned him that the partnership would doom the venture. The LORD broke the ships because the alliance was wrong. The construction was competent. The partnership was corrupt. And God would rather sink the fleet than let a righteous king prosper through an ungodly alliance.
The principle is expensive: the ships represent significant investment. Building a merchant fleet for the Ophir trade was a major national project — materials, labor, planning, months of work. And God destroyed it all because the man standing next to Jehoshaphat at the launch was the wrong partner.
This should challenge every 'strategic partnership' you've entered for pragmatic reasons. The venture might be sound. The business plan might work. The investment might be significant. But if the partner is wrong — if the alliance violates the covenant, if the collaboration compromises your integrity — God would rather break the ships than let you sail them.
Who are you building with? Because the ships only survive if the partnership is right.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
The expression, “ships of Tharshish,” probably designates ships of a particular class, ships (i. e.) like those with…
Ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold - In the parallel place (Ch2 20:36) it is said that Jehoshaphat joined…
Here is, I. A short account of the reign of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, of which we shall have a much fuller narrative in…
ships of Tharshish See above on 1Ki 10:22.
Ophir See 1Ki 9:28. The Chronicler says the ships were to go to Tarshish (2Ch…
Cross References
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