Jehoshaphat had not been long on the throne before he took a step admirably adapted to benefit and, indeed, to bless the nation. Better than "strengthening himself against Israel" by increasing his garrisons (vers. 1, 2) was the enlightenment of "all the cities of Judah," the teaching of "the people" (ver. 9) from "the book of the Law of the Lord."

I. STRENGTH IN INSTRUCTION. It is well for a land to have its strong, unassailable fortresses, its well-garrisoned towns, its frontier of steep mountain or of precipitous rock. But the strength of a nation does not reside in such defences as these; it lies in the intelligence, the vigour, the courage, the patriotism, of its people. All material munitions will fail to keep out the enemy when "the people" are corrupt and enfeebled. Without any remarkable fortifications constructed by human art and labour, a free, brave, godly nation will be respected and preserved. And such a nation will be only found where there is knowledge and consequent intelligence. You cannot build anything durable on ignorance. Ignorance means folly, indulgence in the lower pleasures, feebleness, decline. "Knowledge is power" in more ways than one.

II. INSTRUCTION IN SACRED TRUTH. Power needs to be rightly guided; misguided, it is the source of greatest evil. Everything depends on the way in which intelligence is directed. Genius, working towards an evil end, is a force that is simply terrible. The world can suffer no sadder infliction than a man or a community possessed of the power of highly cultivated intelligence, but unregulated by righteous principles, abandoning itself to unworthy impulses. Therefore was it of the first importance that those who went "throughout all the cities of Judah" should "teach the people" from "the book of the Law of the Lord." Thence they would gain those directing truths, those commanding principles which would lead in the ways of holiness and heavenly wisdom. Therefore is it of the first importance, here and everywhere, that throughout all our cities and all our towns and villages we should not only have "the schoolmaster abroad," but have the Christian teacher also, busily, earnestly, faithfully making known the will of God, the truth and grace of Jesus Christ, basing all character on sound morality, and basing all morals on their only sound foundation, Christian truth.

III. SACRED TRUTH SUPPLIED IN EVERY OPEN WAY. Jehoshaphat did not think it enough to leave things to be done by existing institutions. Like a wise and an earnest man, he east about for additional methods, he looked in all directions for competent men to effect his pious purpose. And he called out:

1. The man who brought the weight of his social position - the prince (ver. 7).

2. The man who carried the influence of his sacred office - the priest (ver. 8).

3. The man who contributed the strength of special training - the Levite (ver. 8). Thus wisely and effectively are we to work. In our country there is:

(1) Scope for much Christian instruction throughout the land. There are the young coming up to be taught; there are the neglected and spiritually ignorant multitudes crowded in our great cities; there are uninstructed numbers needing to be taught the way of life, scattered through the rural districts of the land. There is ample room yet for the work of the teacher.

(2) Ample teaching material from which to draw. Those who can contribute social rank, or intellectual power, or special religious training, or exceptional spiritual fervour, or even the ordinary knowledge and common zeal of the members of our Christian Churches. There is available on every hand a very large measure of capacity for religious instruction; and this the Christian Church should, like the King of Judah, enlist on behalf of the country. Then may we look for

(3) the most excellent results; for a country covered with Christian teachers, and saturated with heavenly truth, will be a nation walking in the fear of God and resting under his smile. - C.

I. The ways of the Lord are DIVINE. Are His ways cold and unpleasant? H we descend a deep coal-pit and look up the shaft into the bright sky, we see the stars, but the pit is cold and dark. So men think that when they commune with God, it is like being in a coal-pit beholding a star; it is a beautiful sight, but makes one cold and unpleasant. Is this the truth? No; the Bible describes God's people as having melody in their hearts, and one of His sweetest names is "The happy God." Some people are afraid of becoming religious, lest they should be miserable; but they mistake the God in whose breast there is an ever-flowing heaven. The man who the most loves God is the happiest in disposition and the most cheerful as well as the most graceful in life.

II. His ways are also HUMANE; they constrain us to love our suffering fellow-man, when he can do us no good but when we can do him good.

(W. Birch.)