IDOLATRY AND DEFEAT. 249

hadad, though he got off so easily when Ahab had him
in his power, had not thought it necessary to fulfil his
part of the bargain, which, as you may remember, was
to give back to the Israelites all those cities that were
their own. There was a city called Ramoth-Gilead, in
the tribe of Gad, on the east side of the Jordan, a city
of some importance, which Ahab desired to possess ;
so he proposed to his people that they should go and
take it from the Syrians. He asked Jehoshaphat, too,
to join in this expedition. “I am as thou art, my
people as thy people, my horses as thy horses,” was
the king of Judah’s reply. It was a kind and friendly
speech, but out of place when addressed to so bad a man
as Ahab was.

Marianne. I like Jehoshaphat, grandfather ; he had
been so kind a man.

Grandfather. And he was a truly pious man too. He
would not go up to the battle without seeking direction
from God. He proposed to Ahab that they should in-
quire at the word of the Lord. The king and queen
of Israel were idolaters ; they had established the wor-
ship of Baal as the religion of the land, and they had
persecuted even to the death all the worshippers of the
living God. Yet, even in their wicked court, Jehosha-
phat openly did homage to the God of his fathers, and
endeavoured to make these idolaters join him. His
example teaches us never to be ashamed of our re-
ligion, and always to try to do good wherever we are.
So Ahab gathered his prophets together—about four