Day 178 – Jehoram (Southern King 8 years)

• Jehoshaphat’s death (2 Chronicles 21:1) brings his eldest son, Jehoram, onto the throne of Judah in today’s readings. Is Jehoram anything like his father?
• Notice how Jehoshaphat had been blessed with a large family. This often happens to godly people in the bible. Jehoshaphat clearly loved them all (2 Chronicles 21:3) but Jehoram was the eldest and so was given the throne. But then… what awful act does Jehoram start his reign with? Can you imagine the story in the press if such a thing were to happen nowadays?!
• Who did Jehoram marry? You might remember this bit of information from a few days ago. Was this a good or a bad marriage? How do you think having Ahab for a father-in-law, and Jezebel for a mother-in-law, would have affected Jehoram?
• Jehoshaphat had previously had victory over the people of a place called Edom. What did the Edomites do during Jehoram’s time? When Jehoram tried to keep them from revolting, did God give victory to him like He had done with his father?
• How did Elijah tell Jehoram about God’s displeasure with him? What does Elijah say will happen? Does it happen? It sounds absolutely awful doesn’t it!
• What stopped God from destroying Jehoram and his descendants for their sin? Look at 2 Chronicles 21:7 as well as both the passages in today’s readings, in 2 Samuel and the Psalms. Why is it such good news that God keeps His promises, despite the sinful inclinations of mankind? Which super Saviour eventually came through David’s descendants?
• What did the people at the time think of their king? Do you think they had much pity on him when his disease hit, based on what it says in 2 Chronicles 21:19-20? Certainly it seems like the author of the book of Chronicles didn’t!

“Like father, like son” goes the famous saying, but it isn’t the case here, is it? Today we read about an awful son who became a cruel king, who ended his days with his subjects hating him.

What must God have been thinking, as he saw this descendant of David acting with such flagrant disregard for His Creator and Redeemer? What would you be tempted to do if you were God?

It’s perhaps a good job we’re not! God did punish Jehoram, but relented from anything further because of His promise to David. Do you remember reading about them in 2 Samuel 7? God never forgets His promises, or fails in them. God’s patience is really showing here. He is most certainly slow to anger, and He knows that there is a great plan to deal with all these messed up, sinful human lives that we see in these verses.

We can also be the beneficiaries of God’s promises, because we know He will keep them, and we know that in Jesus many of those promises were fulfilled. What wonderful, rock solid truth that is!