The wealth of a nation is not found in its bank accounts but in the souls of its citizens who love God.
The latter half of 2 Chronicles 17 proves the adage, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov 16:7). Imagine the Philistines showing up at the gate to bring Jehoshaphat “presents and silver as tribute” (2 Chron 17:11). There’s a switch! And the Arabians, desert dwellers and always exposed to marauding bands of thieves, obviously also benefited from the benign influence of his reign and responded by bringing him “flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats” (v 11). The result of God’s care, his own people’s cooperation, and the surrounding nations’ compliance follows: “So Jehoshaphat became increasingly powerful, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. He had much property in the cities of Judah; and the men of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem” (vv 12-13). Two principles for national success: peace through strength and prosperity through spirituality. There’s a famous quote attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville: “America is great because America is good. If America ever stops being good, it will stop being great.” There’s no record he ever said that, but note that God doesn’t bless us because we are good, but because He is! Nonetheless, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps 33:12), and “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov 14:34). No doubt the king was greatly advantaged to have an admirable roster of “men of war, mighty men of valor…men armed with bow and shield…prepared for war” (vv 13-18) but the real secret weapon is revealed in the case of “Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself to the Lord” (v 16). That’s better than a ballistic missile any day!