And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
One reign ends here with honour, and the next begins with the seeds of disaster already planted. The chapter then answers two questions: what did this good king leave behind, and why did his son turn out so badly?
The notice of his death reads almost like a relief. One writer explains why:
One last remark. It seems like a relief to the spirit to read the words, "Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers" (2 Chronicles 21:1). We feel sure that he has at last got beyond the reach of the enemy's snares and schemes. And more than that, he comes under the Spirit's blessing, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours" — yes, and a rest from their conflicts, snares, and temptations too.
The record of his burial comes with a verdict on his reign:
Jehoshaphat's death is recorded in verse 50, his burial being in Jerusalem. On the whole he had been a good king, and God fully approved of this. Yet we cannot ignore the blemishes found in him. Instead we should learn deeply not to fail in the same sad ways that he did. Jehoram his son then took the throne of Judah.
The verse says Jehoram reigned in his father's place, but it is not the first moment he held power. Comparing the parallel record shows an overlap:
Though verse 1 speaks of Jehoram's reigning when Jehoshaphat died, it is made clear in 2 Kings 8:16 that Jehoram began to reign before Jehoshaphat's death, for it reads, "In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign." Evidently Jehoshaphat gave his son a place reigning alongside him, or as regent.
Jehoshaphat had seven sons, and he tried to settle the question of the throne before he died. His arrangements may reveal his own fears:
Of the seven sons of Jehoshaphat, Jehoram was the eldest. To him his father gave the kingdom, "because he was the firstborn." It would seem, from 2 Kings 8:16, that he placed Jehoram on the throne beside him during his lifetime. He probably foresaw and feared what was likely to happen after his death. So he tried to have the throne well secured to Jehoram before he died, to prevent any such disaster if possible. And to keep his remaining six sons content, he "gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah." They were probably not all children of one mother, as two of them bear exactly the same name — Azariah. That would make quarrels among them all the more likely. It is a warning to everyone to see Jehoshaphat ending his days with this threatening storm cloud hanging over his house.
Jehoshaphat himself arranged his son's marriage into the family of Ahab, the wicked king of Israel. One writer traces what followed back to that choice:
Jehoram walked in wickedness. "For he had the daughter of Ahab as his wife, and he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD." When Jehoram was in power, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and princes in Israel too. The daughter of the murderer Ahab may have prompted the horrible crime. Jehoshaphat had joined himself to Ahab (18:1), and married his son Jehoram to Athaliah. "What a man sows, that he will reap." His unholy alliance began to bear fruit. And how often have Christian parents seen their children turn away from God and give themselves completely to the wicked ways of the world! This happened because the parents themselves had set the example.
What follows in the chapter is God dealing with His own people:
Despite some faults, the character of Jehoshaphat is a fine one, and it refreshes the heart. But soon the sorrowful fruits of his alliance with Ahab ripen and bring Judah into distress. Jehoram, his son, Ahab's son-in-law, walks in the ways of the kings of Israel. Judah is attacked by their enemies. They plunder the land, lay waste even the king's house, and kill all his sons but one. This was from the LORD. It is His government which we see here; for He rules over those who are in covenant with Him, those who are His household.
Jehoram's crimes could have ended David's family altogether. They did not, and the reason lies outside Jehoram entirely:
Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, reigns in his father's place. "When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword." Jehoshaphat did nothing like that. Jehoram went even further than his father in alliance with evil: "for he had the daughter of Ahab as his wife, and he did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD." Yet still, "the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David."
- Rest — Death puts Jehoshaphat at last beyond the reach of the enemy's snares, and into the rest of those who die in the Lord.
- Reputation — He is buried with his fathers in the city of David. On the whole he was a good king, but his blemishes are there for us to learn from.
- Regent — He had already placed Jehoram on the throne beside him, probably fearing what would happen after his death.
- Reaping — The marriage he arranged with Ahab's family bore fruit. His son walked in wickedness, and killed his own brothers.
- Refusal — God's government fell on Judah. Yet He would not destroy David's house, because of the covenant He had made with David.
And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat Azariah and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah all these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
The verse does nothing but list Jehoram's six younger brothers by name. Read on its own it is a family record; read with the next two verses it becomes the roll of men their eldest brother would kill.
One writer sets the list beside what Jehoram did once he had the throne.
Jehoshaphat had seven sons. He gave the kingdom to Jehoram, the firstborn. He also gave great gifts to each of Jehoram's six brothers, including fortified cities in Judah. But Jehoram had a very different character from his father. He soon showed his wickedness. As soon as he had firm hold of the kingdom he killed all his brothers, and he also killed other princes of Israel whom he might suspect of wanting to reign.
One writer reads the gifts as a worried father's way of securing the succession — and finds a hint of trouble in the names themselves.
Of the seven sons of Jehoshaphat, Jehoram was the eldest. His father gave him the kingdom, "because he was the firstborn." From 2 Kings 8:16 it seems that he made Jehoram co-ruler with him during his lifetime. He probably foresaw and feared what was likely to happen after his death... To keep his other six sons content, he "gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah." They were probably not all children of one mother, since two of them carry the very same name — Azariah. That would make quarrelling among them even more likely. It is a warning to us all to see Jehoshaphat ending his days with this threatening storm-cloud hanging over his house.
The verse calls Jehoshaphat king of Israel, though he ruled Judah. One writer asks why, and answers that the title records what Jehoshaphat should have been.
In history Jehoshaphat was clearly King of Judah. The second passage had to say so, and so does the whole chapter, which shows him in a guilty alliance with the King of Israel of that day. But he was a man of faith, and he should have kept clear of such a compromising partnership... Was not the name "King of Israel" given to Jehoshaphat to mark that he should have stood as sovereign by right, while he owned the chastening that had in fact broken their unity?... How much more would Jehoshaphat have done for Jehovah's glory if in his life he had kept clear as "King of Israel," the title given to him after death?
One writer traces the murder of these six sons back to a marriage their father arranged years earlier.
When Jehoram was in power, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and princes in Israel too. The daughter of the murderer Ahab may have prompted the horrible crime. Jehoshaphat had joined himself to Ahab (18:1), and married his son Jehoram to Athaliah. "What a man sows that will he reap." His unholy alliance began to bear fruit. And how often have Christian parents watched their children turn away from God! They give themselves fully to the wicked ways of the world, because the parents themselves had set the example.
Later in the chapter God's message to Jehoram weighs the murdered brothers against the brother who killed them.
"...and also you have killed your brothers of your father's house, who were better than yourself. See, Jehovah will strike your people, your children, your wives and all your goods with a great plague; and you yourself will have a great sickness." And so he was to die... In short, "Jehovah struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease," and so he died. "And his people made no fire in his honour like the fire made for his fathers." He had gone on in sin, and he died in sorrow and shame. Such was the end of a son of David — truly and literally the son of Jehoshaphat, whose name means "Jehovah is judge."
Murder inside the family and then invaders from outside almost ended the line. One writer sees an enemy at work behind both.
It seems Satan had almost succeeded in destroying the house of David, either by the enemy's sword or by treachery inside the family. He plotted against that house without stopping. If he could only destroy that family — by now he knew that the One who would crush his head would come from it — then all Israel would be his prey... Jehoram, like Cain, had killed all his brothers. Now the Philistines and Arabians come to finish off the chosen family.
- Sown — Jehoshaphat's alliance with Ahab led to a marriage, and the marriage bore fruit in murder. "What a man sows that will he reap."
- Named — the verse gives all six brothers their names before their eldest brother kills them, so the crime is never a statistic.
- Guarded — silver, gold and fortified cities were a father's way to secure a shaky succession. Wealth could not hold back a brother's hand.
- Titled — the verse calls Jehoshaphat king of Israel, the wider place he should have held if he had kept clear of compromise.
- Preserved — treachery inside and enemy swords outside almost destroyed the house of David. Almost — the chosen family was not wiped out.
And their father had given them great gifts of silver and of gold and of precious things, besides fortified cities in Judah; but the kingdom he gave to Jehoram, for he was the firstborn.
Jehoshaphat's long reign ends with a piece of family business: six sons get silver, gold and fortified cities, and the eldest gets the throne. It looks like careful planning, yet the next verse turns it into murder — so what can a father really secure for his children?
The verse shows a king settling everything before he dies. One writer sees in the details a man bracing for trouble.
Of Jehoshaphat's seven sons, Jehoram was the eldest. His father gave him the kingdom, "because he was the firstborn." From 2 Kings 8:16 it seems he put Jehoram on the throne beside him while he was still alive. He probably foresaw and feared what was likely to happen after his death. So, before he died, he tried to secure the throne firmly to Jehoram. He hoped to prevent any such disaster. And to keep his other six sons content, he gave them "great gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah." They were probably not all children of one mother, since two of them have the same name — Azariah. That would make quarrelling among them even more likely. It is a warning to everyone to see Jehoshaphat ending his days with this threatening storm-cloud hanging over his house.
The verse gives one reason for the crown: birth order. Yet in David's own family the throne did not follow that rule.
Among people, being born first usually brings the firstborn's rights, but not always. By the natural order of birth Esau had the birthright, yet it passed to Jacob, the younger brother. David had many sons born before Solomon (1 Chron. 3), yet the royal right to succeed to David's throne went to Solomon... God's sovereign grace gave this high distinction of "firstborn" to the son of David and Bathsheba (Ps. 89:27). So being born first did not always decide the firstborn's rights.
The six brothers were given wealth and walled cities. Neither kept them alive once their brother felt secure on the throne.
Jehoshaphat had seven sons, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, the firstborn, though he also gave great gifts to each of his six brothers, including fortified cities in Judah. But Jehoram was a far different character from his father, and soon showed the wickedness of his character by killing all his brothers as soon as he was established over the kingdom, and killing also other princes of Israel whom he might suspect of having any ambitions to reign.
The contrast between what parents store up and what they actually pass on is put in a single line elsewhere in the writings:
Many parents are careful to lay up portions for their children, but they do not lay up prayers for them.
Why did the heir turn out so unlike his father? One writer traces it to the marriage Jehoshaphat arranged for him into Ahab's family.
Jehoram was Jehoshaphat's firstborn. He walked in wickedness... When Jehoram was in power, he killed all his brothers with the sword and also princes in Israel. The daughter of the murderer Ahab may have prompted the horrible crime. Jehoshaphat had joined himself to Ahab (18:1), and married his son Jehoram to Athaliah. "What a man sows, that will he reap." His unholy alliance began to bear fruit. How often have Christian parents seen their children turn away from God and follow the world's wicked ways completely! The reason: the parents themselves had set the example.
Jehoshaphat's planning protected neither his sons nor his heir's character. One thing held, and he had not arranged it.
Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, reigns in his father's place. "Now when Jehoram had risen up to the kingdom, he strengthened himself, and killed all his brothers with the sword." 2 Chronicles 21:4. Jehoshaphat did no such thing. Jehoram went even further than his father in alliance with evil — "for he had the daughter of Ahab as his wife: for he did what was evil in the eyes of Jehovah." Even so, "Jehovah would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David."
- Gave the gifts. Jehoshaphat gave six sons silver, gold and fortified cities. He wanted to keep them content while he secured the throne for the eldest.
- Gave the crown. Birth order gave Jehoram the kingdom. Yet in David's line God's grace gave the throne to Solomon, who was not the eldest.
- Gave no safeguard. Wealth and walled cities did not protect the six. Jehoram killed them all once he held power.
- Gave the example. Jehoram's character grew out of his marriage into Ahab's house. A father's compromise bore fruit in his children.
- God gave the guarantee. Jehoshaphat's plans did not survive Jehoram's crimes. God's covenant with David did.
And Jehoram established himself over the kingdom of his father, and strengthened himself; and he slew all his brethren with the sword, and [certain] also of the princes of Israel.
Jehoshaphat's reign ends, and his son Jehoram takes the throne of Judah. His first recorded act as king is the murder of his own brothers — so where did that come from?
The verse ties two things together: Jehoram made himself strong, and he killed. Writers note that the second was his method for the first, and that his father had never done anything like it.
Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, reigns in his father's place. "Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom, he strengthened himself, and slew all his brethren with the sword." Jehoshaphat did not do such a thing.
The princes killed alongside the brothers point to the same motive — clearing away anyone who might one day claim the crown.
Jehoram was a very different character from his father. He soon showed the wickedness of his character. As soon as he was established over the kingdom, he killed all his brothers. He also killed other princes of Israel whom he might suspect of wanting to reign.
Jehoram's wife, Athaliah, was a daughter of Ahab. One writer traces the killing back to that marriage.
He had married the daughter of a "murderer" (2 Kings 6:32). As a natural result, he soon stained his own hands with blood.
Jehoshaphat himself arranged that marriage. One writer traces the harvest it produced, and then turns to parents today.
When Jehoram was in power, he killed all his brothers with the sword and also princes in Israel. The daughter of the murderer Ahab may have pushed him into the horrible crime. Jehoshaphat had joined himself to Ahab (18:1), and married his son Jehoram to Athaliah. "What a man sows, that will he reap." His unholy alliance began to bear fruit. And how often have Christian parents seen their children turn away from God and follow the wicked ways of the world completely! They themselves had set the example.
Years later a written message from the prophet Elijah reached Jehoram. It named this act, and it passed judgment on the men he removed.
Elijah wrote that Jehoram had killed his brothers who were better than himself (v. 13).
The man who emptied his father's house of sons did not keep his own. One writer sees God's government answering the crime in kind.
A letter from Elijah prophesied the doom of Jehoram, who walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. The government of God also overtook him. The man who killed all his brothers lost his own sons to the Arabians (2 Chr. 22:1). Only one son escaped that slaughter: Ahaziah. He reigned for one year only. Then Jehu killed him while carrying out God's judgment on the house of Ahab.
One writer looks behind the palace killings and sees a longer campaign. Satan had his own reason to want this family gone.
Satan seemed to have almost succeeded in destroying the house of David, either by the enemy's sword or by treachery from within. He never stopped plotting against that house. By this time he knew that the One who would crush his head would come from that family. If he could only destroy it, all Israel would be his prey, the two tribes as well as the ten. He already had the world at large, where he reigned. Jehoram, like Cain, had killed all his brothers. Now the Philistines and Arabians come to complete the destruction of the chosen family.
The house of David survived, and one writer names the reason.
Jehoram went even further than his father in joining himself with evil. Yet the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David.
- Sown. Jehoshaphat joined himself to Ahab and married his son to Ahab's daughter. This verse is the first fruit of that seed.
- Strengthened. Jehoram secured his throne by killing every brother and every prince who might rival him. His character was nothing like his father's.
- Stained. He had married into a murderer's family, and a murderer's instincts became his own.
- Judged. Elijah's letter called the murdered brothers better than the king who killed them. God's government then repaid him: the Arabians killed his own sons, all but one.
- Spared. Satan attacked the house of David, because the One who would crush his head would come from it. God would not destroy that house, because of His covenant with David.
Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
Two numbers open the account of Jehoram: his age and the length of his reign. Behind them sits a question — how did the son of one of Judah's best kings ruin the throne in eight years?
The verse fixes both ends of Jehoram's life as king, and the closing verse of the chapter repeats them. One writer works out the span plainly:
He reigned from the age of 32 until he was 40, a brief eight years, and died with no one to mourn for him. Though he was buried in Jerusalem, his grave was not with the kings. What a sad end for the son of the faithful King Jehoshaphat!
Those eight years are not all years of sole rule. Comparing the dates given in Kings, one commentator explains how the figure is reached:
The eight years of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, seem to include the time he reigned with his father. His father settled the other sons in other places, but made Jehoram king. He seems to have reigned two years and more with his father, and five or six after his father's death.
The joint reign was not an accident of record-keeping. Jehoshaphat appears to have seen trouble coming and tried to lock the succession down:
Of the seven sons of Jehoshaphat, Jehoram was the eldest. His father gave him the kingdom, "because he was the firstborn." It seems, from 2 Kings 8:16, that he put Jehoram on the throne with him during his lifetime. He probably foresaw and feared what would happen after his death. To prevent such a disaster if he could, he tried to secure the throne for Jehoram before he died. To keep his remaining six sons content, he gave them large gifts of silver, gold and precious things, along with fortified cities in Judah.
The verse that follows traces the evil to a wife, and commentators trace that wife back a step further — to Jehoshaphat's friendship with Ahab, king of Israel:
The Holy Spirit seems to cover some of Jehoshaphat's failure, for love covers a multitude of sins. Only when we get to 2 Chronicles 21:6 do we find that Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, had the daughter of Ahab as his wife. And this daughter of Ahab made the son of this good king Jehoshaphat go far astray. "He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD." How could it be otherwise? What a sad record of a wicked king: the son of one of the best of all the kings of Judah — and all because of his wife. And that wife came through his father's unholy alliance, perhaps only for a short time, with an evil man. What a solemn lesson for us.
The reign is located in the city God had chosen, which makes what Jehoram did there worse. One writer sees the whole experiment of the kingdom narrowing to a single point:
We see in all this history how much turns on the king. It was no longer a question of the people, for they had completely failed long ago. There is a new trial. Suppose the blessing turns on a family instead of the people. Someone might say the odds are heavily against the people's faithfulness. So take the family of a faithful man — the most faithful man in the deep distresses of evil, David, the ancestor of the Messiah. Perhaps, if it turns on that family, one might be found faithful! Not so; there is unfaithfulness everywhere. There was only one faithful witness, and He had not yet come.
A king like this could have ended David's line. One writer explains why God kept a lamp burning in that house:
This future Son had to be "the offspring of David," so David's line had to stay alive until He appeared. That is why God promised David "to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever" (2 Chron. 21:7). Now, how was this lamp going to shine in the royal house until the promised Son appeared? How was it to pass through man's poisoned air and moral darkness without being put out — which would have made the appearing of David's true Heir impossible? Satan understood this. If he could manage to put out the lamp, all of God's purposes concerning the "Just Ruler over men" would come to nothing.
The chapter's last verse repeats the length of the reign and adds how it ended:
"He reigned eight years in Jerusalem, and he departed with no one's regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings." He is one of the least likable of all the kings of Judah. His name means "Exalted by the LORD," yet his wickedness thrust him down to a dishonoured grave. He took the kingdom at its highest glory since the days of Solomon. After eight short years he left it with "Ichabod" — the glory has departed — written large across it.
- Eight years counted. The reign runs eight years from age thirty-two. It seems to include two or more years ruling beside his father.
- Eight years secured. Jehoshaphat crowned his firstborn early and gave the other six sons cities and treasure, fearing what would come after his death.
- Eight years explained. The evil traces back through Ahab's daughter to his father's alliance with an evil man. One writer calls it a solemn lesson.
- Eight years survived. God kept David's line alive. He had promised a lamp to David and his sons, and that line had to reach the true Heir.
- Eight years wasted. He took a kingdom at its greatest glory since Solomon and left it with the glory gone. No one was sorry when he died, and his grave was not with the kings.
And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of Jehovah.
Jehoram inherited Judah's throne from one of its best kings. Yet his reign reads like that of Israel's worst kings. The verse gives the reason in one short clause about his marriage. So how did a son of David's line come to marry into the house of Ahab? And why should one wife decide a whole reign?
The verse does not only report Jehoram's wickedness. One commentator traces it back to the example his father set:
Why did he not follow the godliness of his father? One reason is that his father had left him the bad example of having bad friends. Since Jehoshaphat was friendly with Ahab, his son Jehoram married Ahab's daughter Athaliah, who was no less wicked than her parents.
Earlier chapters tell of Jehoshaphat's friendship with Ahab. They never mention this marriage. It comes out only here:
The Holy Spirit seems to cover some of the failure of Jehoshaphat, for love covers a multitude of sins. Not until 2 Chronicles 21:6 do we find that Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, had the daughter of Ahab for his wife. And this daughter of Ahab made the son of this good king Jehoshaphat go far astray. "He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD." How could it be otherwise? Sad record of a wicked king, son of one of the best of all the kings of Judah — and all because of his wife. And that wife came through his father's unholy alliance with an evil man, perhaps only for a short time.
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, had made a friend of Ahab, king of the northern kingdom. Here is where that friendship ended:
Then came the expedition to Ramoth-gilead. Ahab lost his life there, and Jehoshaphat barely escaped. God then met him with a very serious message through Jehu the prophet: "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD" (2 Chronicles 19:2). The final outcome of the whole affair was that Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram married Ahab's daughter, the notoriously wicked Athaliah. She was a true daughter of her mother, Jezebel, and the cause of untold misery to Judah.
The damage did not stop with Jehoram. Through him, Ahab's court reached into Judah's palace:
Is he a son of the house of David? Yes; but he is married to Ahab's daughter, and was better pleased with Ahab's court than with his father's. See what Jehoshaphat's alliance with Ahab led to. For the first time we read of a king of Judah following Ahab's wickedness and bringing it into the court of Judah. And it is not only worse idolatries. Later in life his wife Athaliah becomes a murderer and kills even her own grandchildren, except Joash, who is kept safe from her fury.
The verse names Jehoram's wife. The verses just before it name his crime. One writer links them:
It was all the result of his ill-advised alliance with the ungodly house of Ahab, and what he sowed he reaped, at least in dreadful anticipation. And his descendants were made to reap it in reality, in a most terrible way. "When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel." He had married the daughter of a "murderer" (2 Kings 6:32), and as a natural consequence he soon stained his own hands with blood.
Jehoshaphat's choice shaped his son. One writer brings that warning home to parents today:
Jehoshaphat had joined himself to Ahab (18:1), and married his son Jehoram to Athaliah. "Whatever one sows, that will he also reap." His unholy alliance began to bear fruit. And how often have Christian parents seen their children turn away from God and follow the wicked ways of the world completely! It happened because the parents themselves had set the example.
- Cause. The verse names its own reason: Jehoram walked like the house of Ahab because Ahab's daughter was his wife.
- Choice. That wife came from Jehoshaphat's friendship with Ahab. God had already rebuked that friendship through the prophet Jehu.
- Character. Jehoram liked Ahab's court better than his father's. So Ahab's idolatry entered Judah's palace for the first time.
- Consequence. Married to a murderer's daughter, he soon shed blood himself, killing his own brothers.
- Continuation. The harvest ran on past him. Later in life Athaliah murdered her own grandchildren — all but Joash, who survived her.
But Jehovah would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he had promised to give to him always a lamp, and to his sons.
Jehoram of Judah murdered his own brothers and married a daughter of Ahab. Right in the middle of that dark record God says what He will not do, and gives two reasons: a covenant with David, and a lamp promised to him and his sons.
after_note: DELETE
God gives this promise to a king who had just murdered his own brothers. One writer sets the son beside his father, and shows that the mercy rested on something outside the king himself.
Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, reigns in his father's place. "When Jehoram came to the throne, he made himself strong and killed all his brothers with the sword." Jehoshaphat did nothing of the kind. Yet he went even further than his father in alliance with evil: "he had the daughter of Ahab as his wife, for he did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD." Still, "the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David."
Jehoram had every reason to expect ruin. The covenant stood between him and it, and kept working long after the man who received it had died.
His son, Jehoram, followed his father's bad example and married Ahab's daughter and did evil before Jehovah as Ahab his father-in-law did. But Jehovah would not exterminate the house of David. His covenant with David prevented His righteous wrath being executed on Judah. That covenant was a powerful influence for mercy in dark days of unbelief and evil.
The lamp in this promise comes from ordinary household life, where it stood for the family itself.
People had a custom, still kept by the country people of Palestine, of keeping a lamp burning in the tent at all times. If the lamp went out, it meant the family was gone. The Lord remembered the house of David and his covenant, and because of that covenant He held back the judgment they deserved.
God had promised a Son who would come from David's line. That promise depended on the family surviving.
This future Son had to be "the offspring of David," so David's line had to survive until He appeared. That is why God had promised David "to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever." Now, how was this lamp going to keep shining in the royal house until the promised Son appeared? How would it pass through man's poisoned air and moral darkness without going out? If it went out, David's true Heir could never appear. Satan understood this. If he could put out the lamp, all of God's purposes for the "Just Ruler over men" would come to nothing.
One generation later this promise was all that stood between David's family and the end of the line. Jehoram's own wife Athaliah tried to wipe it out, and the rescue of one baby was God's mercy at work.
She heartlessly slaughtered her own grandchildren in her lust for power... Joash was only an infant at the time... Jehosheba was the child's aunt and the wife of the high priest Jehoiada. She hid him and his nurse, first in one of the palace bedrooms, and later in the temple, among her own children... It was God's mercy to the house of David, just as God had said in the reign of Athaliah's husband Jehoram.
Every attempt to put out the lamp failed. One writer asks why, and points to something the enemy never understood.
Despite all the enemy's efforts to put out this light, the Son of David appeared in the world and won the victory over Satan... What, then, is the reason for his defeat? One thing explains it: the only thing that Satan, who knows so much, has never thought of and could never think of. The secret he does not know is grace, for his cunning mind is completely closed to love.
In the end no king of David's line was left on the throne, and the light seemed to go out. But commentators do not treat that as the end of the promise.
Today there is no king reigning in the house of David. But when the times of the Gentiles are completed this will change. In Christ there will be a successor and a testimony (a lamp) for the house of David, and this will last as long as sun and earth exist.
- Covenant. The house of David survived Jehoram. Not because of anything in Jehoram, but because of God's own promise to David. Mercy rested on God's word, not on the king's record.
- Lamp. A lamp kept burning in a tent meant the family was still there; putting it out meant the family was gone. God pledged that David's lamp would keep burning.
- Guard. The promised Son would come from David's line, so God kept that line alive. Every attempt to put out the lamp aimed at stopping His coming, and grace defeated every one.
- Test. Athaliah killed the royal children and pushed the promise to breaking point. God kept it alive in one hidden baby.
- Result. No king of David's line reigns today, but commentators see the lamp secured in Christ — a testimony for David's house lasting as long as sun and earth.
In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and they set a king over themselves.
Jehoram of Judah married into the house of Ahab and walked in the ways of Israel's kings. Now a nation David had once brought under Judah's rule breaks free and crowns a king of its own. It reads like political news. Writers ask what lay behind it.
The previous verse says God would not destroy David's line because of the covenant He made with David. One writer links our verse to that promise. Mercy to the family did not cancel the consequences for the nation.
Yet despite Jehoram's wickedness, the Lord would not destroy the house of David because of His promise to David and to David's descendants (v. 7). So the grace of God stands out as greater than judgment, though in righteous government God would bring serious suffering on Israel. Verse 8 shows this, as Edom revolted against the rule of Judah.
Jehoram killed his brothers and led Judah into idolatry. The revolt of Edom is presented as the outward symptom of an inward rot that other nations were watching for.
Decline of power set in at once, and the neighbouring nations were quick to notice it and take advantage… Jehoram went out with his princes and all his chariots. He rose up by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him. This happened at Zair (2 Kings 8:21), in Idumea, south of the Dead Sea. He barely escaped being killed or captured, because the enemy had him surrounded. He got out by a surprise night attack, but the expedition was a failure. The spirit of rebellion spread: at the same time Libnah revolted too, because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.
Until now a governor under Judah's throne ruled Edom. Now Edom sets up its own king. One writer traces the loss back to the marriages that tied David's house to Ahab's.
Ahab's daughter was the wife of Jehoram of Judah. Ahaziah, Jehoram's son, was also "the son-in-law of the house of Ahab." These unholy alliances led both of them into the ways of the kings of Israel. The same holds true at all times. A Christian yoked together with a child of the world is bound to lose his testimony and even the appearance of his Christianity. The world is never improved by the Christian's alliance with it… Edom, which until now had a governor dependent on the throne of Judah, revolts and chooses a king for itself.
Edom was the nation descended from Esau, Jacob's brother. When Isaac blessed Esau, he said the day would come when Esau would break his brother's yoke off his neck — and writers point to this revolt as the moment it happened.
Isaac's blessing on Esau said that he would live by his sword, that he would serve his brother, and that when he had the upper hand he would break his brother's yoke off his neck (Gen. 27:37-40). The words of Isaac were fulfilled. David put garrisons throughout all Edom, where the descendants of Esau lived (Gen. 36:8), and all the people of Edom became his servants (2 Sam. 8:14). But later, in the days of Joram, Edom revolted from the rule of Judah. Joram was able to punish them, yet Judah was growing weaker, and Edom stayed out from under Judah's rule to this day (2 Kings 8:20-22). Obadiah announces Edom's final judgement: no remnant is restored.
The same writer who makes this link elsewhere notes how long-lasting the result was. Judah never got Edom back.
David, who came of Jacob, set garrisons in Edom, and the Edomites became his servants and brought gifts. But Jehoram, who also came of Jacob, later loses the Edomites as his servants and tributaries. They revolted during his reign, and continue so to this day. (2 Sam. 8:14; 2 Chr. 21:8)
One writer starts from David's garrisons in Edom and reads the nation as a picture of something in us.
David put garrisons throughout all of Edom. Edom (which is only Adam with the vowels changed) is a picture of the flesh. While we are on earth the flesh will not leave us, but garrisons are necessary to restrain it from acting as it pleases. The authority of the Lord Jesus over His own involves His restraining hand to keep the flesh under control.
On that reading, the revolt marks the moment the garrison came off.
In Jehoram's days Edom revolted from the authority of Judah and made a king over themselves (2 Kings 8:20). Jehoshaphat had at least kept Edom under control, but not so Jehoram. By faithfully walking with God we shall be able to keep the flesh under control. But when faith wavers, the flesh will soon assert itself in wilful evil.
- Cause — Jehoram married into Ahab's house and left the Lord. Losing Edom was the outward result.
- Kept — God would not destroy David's line. Grace held firm, even while His government struck the kingdom hard.
- Noticed — inward decline becomes public weakness. The nations around Judah saw it and moved at once.
- Fulfilled — Isaac had said Esau would one day break his brother's yoke. It happened here, and Judah never got Edom back.
- Applied — Edom pictures the flesh, held down only by a restraining hand. When faith wavers, the garrison comes off and the old nature crowns itself king.
And Jehoram went over with his captains, and all the chariots with him; and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites who had surrounded him, and the captains of the chariots.
Jehoram of Judah rides out with his chariots against a province that has thrown off his rule. By morning he has cut his way out of an Edomite trap, yet Edom is never won back. Why can a king win a fight and still lose a kingdom?
Edom's break with Judah did not begin with Edom. Writers trace it back to Jehoshaphat's friendship with Ahab, and to the marriage that followed.
In helping Ahab he almost lost his life. But neither the danger nor the prophet's rebuke kept him from repeating the same mistake. He made an alliance with Ahab's son Jehoram. This defiling tie bore its fruit. Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, walked in the ways of Ahab. He had married a daughter of Ahab. When a godly family makes friends with a godless one, the results are very terrible.
One writer names the place where the Edomites closed in, and gives the outcome.
This happened at Zair, in Idumea, south of the Dead Sea. Surrounded by the enemy, he only just escaped being destroyed or captured. He got himself out by a surprise attack at night, but the campaign was a failure. The spirit of rebellion spread: at the same time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.
So the breakout saved the army, not the kingdom.
Jehoram struck a real blow. The rebellion still outlived him.
Until now Edom had a governor who answered to the throne of Judah. Now it revolts and chooses a king for itself. The result is war. Jehoram has the advantage, but the revolt is not crushed, and this unbeaten enemy carries on "to this day." At the same time Libnah revolted. Libnah was a city of Judah that belonged to the priests, the sons of Aaron. What a shame for Jehoram! In his own kingdom one of the cities that mattered most morally broke away from him. The sons of Aaron could not join themselves to a man who had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.
Writers read Edom as a picture of the flesh, and draw a warning from Jehoram's failed campaign.
Jehoram (also called Joram) tried to bring Edom back under his rule. He took all his chariots with him and attacked by night, but his own troops fled. Edom was too strong, just as the flesh is too strong for mere human energy. So Judah won back no authority over Edom, right up to the day of this report. Libnah also revolted at that time. Libnah means "whiteness," and this teaches us that Judah lost control of moral purity at the same time as it lost control of the flesh. This will always be true. If we do not keep the flesh in check, we will not have moral purity.
Commentators differ on the battle. Grant says Jehoram's own troops fled. Knapp reads the night attack as an escape. Both agree the campaign settled nothing.
Jehoram held Edom down for a moment only. Another writer warns about exactly that state:
An enemy half conquered is an enemy unconquered. Unless you completely overthrow the power of evil that would keep you from one corner of your inheritance, you will find that enemy come up again. You may hold him down for a time. You may make him pay tribute and treat him as a secondary thing — the way people sometimes speak of the flesh as a secondary thing they have some measure of control over. Still, if the enemy is not truly a conquered enemy, he will conquer us one day.
Jehoram struck Edom and still lost ground. One writer sets both facts beside the reason God did not end his line.
He went even further than his father in joining himself to evil. He had married the daughter of Ahab, and he did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD. Yet the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant He had made with David. So we find that when the Edomites revolted and Jehoram went out, he struck them. Still, God disciplined him, for at the same time Libnah revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.
That covenant explains the limited win. God would not wipe out David's house, and He would not hand Edom back either.
- Root. The revolt grew from an earlier seed. Jehoshaphat's friendship with Ahab's house, and the marriage that followed, brought Ahab's ways into Judah's court.
- Escape. At Zair, Jehoram broke out of an Edomite trap by night. He saved himself. The campaign achieved nothing.
- Unsubdued. He had the advantage in battle, yet never crushed the revolt. Edom stayed free. Libnah, a city of his own priests, broke away too.
- Warning. Edom pictures the flesh, too strong for human energy alone. An enemy only half conquered is an enemy unconquered. He comes back.
- Restraint. God disciplined Jehoram, but He would not destroy David's house. He had made a covenant with David.
But the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Jehovah the God of his fathers.
Jehoram took the throne after his father Jehoshaphat, and the kingdom began to break apart in his hands. This verse records two revolts, and then names one cause for both.
The loss of Edom and Libnah is not presented as bad luck or poor strategy. One writer puts both revolts under God's hand, next to the promise that kept David's line standing:
Yet despite Jehoram's wickedness, the Lord would not destroy the house of David because of His promise to David and to David's descendants (v. 7). So God's grace stands out as greater than judgment, though in righteous government God would bring serious suffering on Israel. We see this in verse 8, as Edom revolted against the rule of Judah. Jehoram attempted to bring Edom back under subjection, but could do nothing (vv. 9-10). Libnah also revolted, and the reason is simply given. The Lord allowed this because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord.
Commentators differ on how the night battle of verse 9 ended. Some read it as a failure, others as a partial win. Either way, verse 10 ends the same, and one writer draws out the sting:
So we find that when the Edomites revolted, and Jehoram went out, he struck them. Still, God disciplined him, for "at that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers."
Edom was a nation on the border. Libnah was not. The second revolt came from inside Judah, and from the city where the priests lived:
Edom, which until now had a governor dependent on the throne of Judah, revolts and chooses a king for itself. The consequence is war. Jehoram has the advantage, but the revolt is not crushed, and this unsubdued enemy continues on "to this day." At the same time, Libnah revolted. Libnah was a city of Judah, a priestly city belonging to the sons of Aaron (Joshua 21:13; 1 Chr. 6:57). What a shame for Jehoram! Inside his own kingdom one of the morally most important cities broke away from him. The reason is given in verses 10 and 11. The sons of Aaron could not join themselves to a man who "had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers," and who pushed Judah into that path by his high places and his immorality. Some testimony was still left in Judah, and this testimony was to Jehoram's shame. The Lord separated a part of the priesthood from him — the one thing that could still keep Jehoram in relationship with Himself.
One writer reads the two place names as a picture of something that happens in a believer's life:
Edom was too strong, just as the flesh is too strong for mere human energy. So Judah regained no authority over Edom to the day of the writing of this report. Libnah also revolted at that time. Libnah means "whiteness." This teaches us that Judah lost control of moral purity at the very time they lost control of the flesh. This will always be true. If we do not keep the flesh in subjection, we will not keep moral purity.
Other writers treat Edom the same way, as the picture of what we are by nature. Edom's name is bound up with Adam's, and the enmity is not something that can be negotiated away:
Nor can you change this enmity into friendship; and so exactly with the flesh: "the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
Jehoram did not drift into this on his own. His father tied the family to Ahab's house by marriage, and this verse is part of the harvest:
But soon the sorrowful fruits of his league with Ahab ripen and bring Judah into distress. Jehoram, his son, Ahab's son-in-law, walks in the ways of the kings of Israel. The Edomites revolt, and Libnah, a city of Judah, does the same... It is His government which we see here; for He rules over those who are in covenant with Him, those who are His house.
- Forsaking first. Two revolts, one reason: Jehoram "had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers." The kingdom broke apart in public because the king had already turned away in private.
- Then the hand weakens. What a king has forsaken, he can no longer hold. Edom slips out of his hand and the loss stands "to this day" — his one advantage in battle never won the ground back.
- Then it spreads inward. Edom was a foreign nation; Libnah was his own, a city set apart for the priests. Rebellion that starts at the border ends up in the sanctuary.
- The pattern repeats. As pictures, Edom is the flesh, which human strength cannot subdue. Libnah means "whiteness." Lose your grip on the first and you will not keep the second.
- But one hand does not let go. God still spared the house of David. Not because Jehoram earned it, but because of the promise made to David. Grace runs alongside God's government, and proves greater than it.
Moreover he made high places on the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah [thereto].
Jehoram of Judah did not just drift from God. He built shrines across his own hills and pushed his people onto them. Two questions follow. What were these "high places" for? And how did one man drag a whole nation with him?
Jehoshaphat had spent his reign pulling Judah toward God. Then his son took the throne.
His attitude toward idolatry was the exact opposite of his father's. He "made Judah go astray" — a phrase also rendered "seduced Judah." He undid, as far as he was able, all the good work of his father Jehoshaphat.
The high places did not begin as open idol shrines. What they became is a warning about worship today.
Jehoshaphat had not done away with the high places, but Jehoram added to them. He led the people of Jerusalem into harlotry — that is, idolatry through the high places. At first they claimed the high places were for the worship of God. But this very soon developed into the worship of idols. In the same way, our desire for men to think highly of our outward worship will very easily become idolatry in practice. God will be displaced and Satan's counterfeit will take God's place.
Idol worship did not only change what Judah believed. It changed how they lived.
This was part of the wickedness of heathen religion. It made men more immoral than they would otherwise have been. And it did so on principle, as a way of honouring their gods.
Judah did not choose the high places. The king built them and forced the nation up the hill.
We see in all this history how much turns upon the king. It was no question of the people now, for they had completely failed long ago. There is a new trial. Suppose the blessing turns on a family instead of the people. It might be said that the odds were heavily against the people's faithfulness. So take the family of a faithful man. Take the family of the most faithful man in the deep distresses of evil: David, the ancestor of the Messiah. Perhaps, if it turns on that family, one faithful man might be found! Not so; there is unfaithfulness everywhere. There was only one faithful witness, and He had not yet come.
Jehoram's idolatry did not start with him. His father had already tied the royal house of Judah to the house of Ahab.
A prophet is sent and rebukes Jehoshaphat: "Should you help the wicked?" … This defiling connection produced its fruits. Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, walked in the ways of Ahab. He had married a daughter of Ahab. When a godly household makes friendship with an ungodly one, the consequences are very terrible. God resents the unholy intimacy, and allows the evil of the ungodly to appear in the once godly household. The nation followed in the steps of evil, and Judah became like Israel. Jehoshaphat did not intend this, but it was God's judgment in return.
Jehoram builds the high places. The next thing that reaches him is a letter from Elijah.
The king makes high places, and compels Judah to worship at them. The judgment of God is soon shown. God raised up Elijah as a witness against the sins of the house of Ahab. Elijah had already foreseen the fruit of those sins in Judah. Now a writing of his reaches the king, threatening him with the terrible judgments of God… This was of Jehovah. It is His government which we see here; for He rules over those who are in covenant with Him, those who are His house.
Jehoram tried to corrupt David's line, but God did not end it. The reason had nothing to do with Jehoram.
Yet in spite of Jehoram's wickedness, the Lord would not destroy the house of David because of His promise to David and to David's descendants. So the grace of God stands out as greater than judgment. Yet in righteous government God would still bring serious suffering.
- Compromise — Jehoshaphat tied his house to Ahab's. His son reaped the fruit, and the whole nation ate it.
- Counterfeit — The high places started as worship of the true God, then turned into worship of idols. The same drift threatens any worship built to impress people.
- Coercion — Jehoram did not only stray. He seduced Judah and forced it, and so much turned on the king that his sin became the nation's sin.
- Consequence — Elijah's letter came at once. This was God governing His own house, not bad luck.
- Covenant — David's line survived a king who tried to corrupt it. Grace rests on God's promise, and it proves greater than judgment.
And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
Jehoram killed his own brothers and married into Ahab's family. Now a letter reaches him from a prophet who had already left the earth, and it names the family road he refused to walk.
How could a letter come from Elijah at all? One writer answers from the wording of the text itself:
Elijah had been taken to heaven a number of years before this. To solve the difficulty, some say the name Elijah should be Elisha, who was alive at that time and serving in connection with Samaria. There is no need for that. It does not say that Elijah sent that letter. It says: "A letter came to him from Elijah the prophet." Elijah knew Jehoshaphat and he knew his son Jehoram, who ruled alongside his father for several years. The Lord showed him beforehand the evil course Jehoram would take, and how he would follow the wicked ways of Ahab, which Elijah knew so well... Elijah probably entrusted this message to Elisha, and when the right moment came this man of God delivered the writing to Jehoram, telling him at the same time that it was from Elijah.
Why did the letter come so late? One writer points to God's hand on the timing:
In a remarkable way a prophetic writing comes to the king from Elijah. God's over-ruling hand held it back until the right moment, after the prophet's death, when the threat in it might — humanly speaking — have greater effect on him. But it does not appear to have brought about any change in him.
Jehoram had two examples in front of him, and the letter asks which one he followed:
On one side, Jehoram had the example of his grandfather Asa and of his father Jehoshaphat, who sought the honor of the Lord (v. 12). On the other side, the kings of Israel had left an example of ungodly rebellion against the truth. Jehoram followed them.
Why does God name Himself "the God of David your father" here? One writer finds the answer in what David did when God judged him:
Most of David's life showed how God supported and cared for His servant in all kinds of circumstances. Twice He judged His servant for his sins: first over Bathsheba, with real consequences for David's house; second over his pride in counting the people, and the sorrow that brought on Israel. At both of these sad blots on David's honourable life for God, David repented bitterly of his folly. David's God was a righteous and holy God. Did Jehoram follow David's example? It would not seem so from the narrative. There was no repentance and the threatened judgment followed.
Jehoram's marriage tied his house to Ahab's. One writer says what such a link costs:
Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, walked in the ways of Ahab. He had married a daughter of Ahab. When a godly household makes friends with an ungodly one, the results are terrible. God resents that unholy closeness, and He lets the evil of the ungodly appear in the once godly household.
Judgment followed, and one writer names the hand behind it:
God raised up Elijah as a witness against the sins of the house of Ahab, and he has foreseen their fruits in Judah. A writing of Elijah's comes to the king, threatening him with the terrible judgments of God. Enemies also attack Judah. They plunder the land, lay waste even the king's house, and kill all his sons except one. This was from the Lord. What we see here is His government, for He rules over those who are in covenant with Him, those who are His house.
The letter said how this would end. It ended exactly so:
And so he was to die, and outward troubles came upon him... His people made no funeral fire for him, like the fires made for his fathers. He had gone on in sin, and he died in sorrow and shame. Such was the end of a son of David, really and literally the son of Jehoshaphat ("Jehovah is judge").
- Seed — Jehoshaphat's friendship with Ahab was the seed. Tie a godly home to an ungodly one, and the evil of the ungodly shows up in the godly home.
- Choice — Jehoram had Asa and Jehoshaphat on one side and the kings of Israel on the other, and he chose Ahab's road.
- Warning — The letter came from a prophet already gone. God held it back until the moment it would tell most.
- Name — God signs it "the God of David your father." David sinned and repented. Jehoram had the same door open and would not walk through it.
- Government — Judgment fell because God rules those in covenant with Him. Jehoram never repented, so the writing came true, and he died in sorrow and shame.
but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, like the fornications of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren, thy father's house who were better than thyself
Elijah's letter reaches King Jehoram of Judah like a charge sheet: he copied the wrong family, he pulled a whole nation into idolatry, and he killed his own brothers. Why is his sin measured against his father and grandfather, and why does the letter call it whoredom?
Jehoram did not lack good examples. The letter points to his own family before it names his crime.
On the one hand, Jehoram had the example of his grandfather Asa and of his father Jehoshaphat. They sought the honour of the Lord (v. 12). On the other hand, the kings of Israel had left an example of godless rebellion against the truth. These were the ones Jehoram followed. He was guilty of making Judah and the people of Jerusalem play the harlot, just as Ahab did in Israel. Elijah also wrote that Jehoram had killed his brothers, who were better than himself (v. 13).
The letter calls what Jehoram did whoredom. That word points to Judah's worship, and the trouble started with something that looked harmless.
Jehoshaphat had not removed the high places. Jehoram added to them, and so he led the people of Jerusalem into harlotry — that is, into idolatry through the high places. It was idolatry because, although at first they claimed to have the high places for the worship of God, this very soon developed into the worship of idols. In the same way, our desire for high recognition from men in our outward worship of God will very easily become virtual idolatry. This pushes God aside, and Satan's counterfeit takes His place.
The harlotry was not only a figure of speech. False worship dragged real behaviour down with it.
Jehoram "made high places in the mountains of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, and made Judah go astray." This was part of the wickedness of the pagan religions. It made men more immoral than they would otherwise have been, and it did so on principle, as a matter of honour to their gods.
The comparison to Ahab is not just an insult. Jehoram had tied himself to that house by marriage.
We see the cruel policy of a tyrant: he killed all his brothers and some of the princes. Is he a son of the house of David? Yes; but he married Ahab's daughter, and he liked Ahab's court better than his father's. See what Jehoshaphat's marriage tie with Ahab led to. For the first time we read of Judah's king following Ahab's wickedness and bringing it into the court of Judah.
Jehoram killed his brothers to secure the throne. In the end that throne cost him everything.
Jehoram, king of Judah, was incredibly cruel. To strengthen his position as king he killed all his own brothers and some of the princes of Israel (2 Chr. 21:4)... His evil ways exhausted the patience of God with him, and God sent Elijah the prophet to him with a message of condemnation. There would be no pause for the king to repent. The judgment was righteous, and it could not be reversed... There was no repentance and the threatened judgment followed. Jehoram lost all — his wives, his sons (except the youngest), his health, and at last his life. No one mourned when he died.
Elijah had been taken up years before this letter arrived. One writer explains how the message still reached the king.
The Lord showed him beforehand the evil course Jehoram would take, and how he would follow the wicked ways of Ahab, which Elijah knew so well. Then Elijah received the message. It exposed Jehoram's wickedness, like the whoredom of Ahab's house, and announced the judgment coming on him. Elijah probably entrusted this message to Elisha. When the right moment came, this man of God delivered the writing to Jehoram, and told him it was from Elijah.
The judgment came just as the letter said, and God meant others to see it.
What a terrible recompense for his murders and idolatries! God made him a striking example, so that his successors would "see it and fear."
- Pattern — Two family lines stood before Jehoram. Asa and Jehoshaphat sought the Lord's honour; the kings of Israel rebelled. He chose the rebels.
- Marriage — He married Ahab's daughter and preferred Ahab's court to his father's. For the first time, Ahab's wickedness entered the court of Judah.
- Drift — The high places began as worship of God and ended as worship of idols. The same slide starts whenever we want men's praise for how we worship.
- Reach — One king's choice spread to a whole nation. He led Jerusalem into idolatry, and that false worship dragged real morals down with it.
- Recompense — He killed brothers better than himself and never repented. He lost wives, sons, health and life, and God made him an example, so that those who came after him would see it and fear.
behold, Jehovah will smite with a great stroke thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy substance,
Jehoram of Judah murdered his own brothers and pushed his kingdom into idolatry. Now a letter arrives, names his crimes and passes sentence. The blow falls on more than the king. It reaches his people, his children, his wives and all he owned. That raises a hard question: why does a man's household pay for his sin?
How could a letter come from Elijah? One writer answers from the wording of the text itself:
The letter that came to Jehoram from the prophet Elijah presents some difficulties. Elijah had been taken up to heaven many years before. To solve the difficulty some say the name Elijah should be Elisha, who was then living and ministering near Samaria. There is no need for that. It does not say that Elijah sent that letter; it says a letter came from Elijah the prophet. Elijah knew Jehoshaphat, and he knew his son Jehoram, who was co-regent with his father for several years. The Lord showed him beforehand the evil course Jehoram would take.
Another writer points to the timing of the letter:
God's over-ruling hand kept this writing back until the right moment, after the prophet's death, when the threat in it might, humanly speaking, have greater effect on him. But it does not appear to have changed him at all.
The verse names four things: his people, his children, his wives, his goods. Invading enemies stripped away every one:
Elijah's ministry and field of work had been, it seems, only among the ten tribes, the kingdom of Israel. But God uses His servant here to send a message to the king of Judah. And what the prophecy said came true. "The LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians. And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son." ... What a terrible repayment for his murders and idolatries! God made a clear example of him, so that his successors might see it and fear.
That "your children" is not arbitrary. It answers, blow for blow, what Jehoram had done to his own family:
A letter from Elijah foretold the doom of Jehoram, who "walked in the way of the kings of Israel." The government of God also overtook him. The man who killed all his brothers had his own sons killed by the Arabians.
The plague is not random misfortune. It is God ruling over people who stand in a relationship with Him:
But soon the sorrowful fruits of Jehoshaphat's alliance with Ahab ripen and bring Judah into distress. Jehoram, his son, is Ahab's son-in-law, and he walks in the ways of the kings of Israel... God raised up Elijah as a witness against the sins of the house of Ahab, and Elijah has foreseen their fruits in Judah. So a letter of his comes to the king, threatening him with the terrible judgments of God. Judah's enemies attack as well. They plunder the land, laying waste even the king's house, and they kill all his sons except one. This was of the LORD. It is His government which we see here; for He rules over those who are in covenant with Him, those who are His house.
One writer marks the limit of this principle:
In the government of God, children have to suffer for the sins of their parents. Nations suffer for the sins of their rulers. Men may complain about this and call it injustice. But the fact remains. If a man squanders his inheritance and abuses his body, his children will suffer for it in want and weakness. But this does not extend beyond the present life, and the sorrows here on earth are short-lived. God will never make anyone undergo the judgment of hell for the sins of others, but only for the sins he has committed himself.
Everything threatened here fell. Yet the line of David survived, and the reason lies outside Jehoram:
A murderer of his brothers, an idolater of the worst kind, he died just as Elijah's letter predicted. And again we may ask: is he a descendant of the house of David? Yes — and therefore he and his are not destroyed beyond repair. "Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David."
- Sown. Jehoshaphat allied with Ahab, and his son married into Ahab's family. This plague is the harvest of that friendship.
- Sealed. A prophet long dead wrote the sentence. God held it back until it would weigh most heavily on the king.
- Struck. People, children, wives, goods — the Philistines and Arabians carried off every item named in the threat.
- Squared. The man who killed his brothers lost his own sons. God repaid him in his own currency, and made him a warning to later kings.
- Spared. Judgment fell, yet one son survived. God's covenant with David held firm where Jehoram did not. And no earthly loss settles anyone's eternity.
and thyself with sore sicknesses, with a disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.
Jehoram of Judah murdered his brothers and pulled the nation into idolatry. A letter from Elijah named both crimes and their punishment. This verse is its last line: the punishment falls on the king's own body, a wasting illness that drags on "day by day" until it kills him.
Elijah had gone to heaven years before this letter arrived. So where did it come from? One writer answers without altering the text:
The letter that came to Jehoram from the prophet Elijah is interesting, and it raises some difficulties. Elijah had been taken up to heaven many years before. To solve the difficulty, some say the name should be Elisha, who was alive at the time and serving in connection with Samaria. There is no need for that. The text does not say that Elijah sent the letter. It says: "A letter came to him from Elijah the prophet." Elijah knew Jehoshaphat, and he knew his son Jehoram, who ruled for several years alongside his father. The Lord showed Elijah beforehand the evil course Jehoram would take.
Another writer, who speaks of Elijah's departure as his death, reads the delay as deliberate: God held the message back until it would land hardest.
In a remarkable way a prophetic letter comes to the king from Elijah. God's overruling hand held it back until the right moment, after the prophet's death, when the threat in it might (humanly speaking) have greater effect on him. But it does not appear to have changed him at all.
The illness is not random. It is the last item in a list of charges. The letter sets Jehoram's record against the better example in his own family.
On one side, Jehoram had the example of his grandfather Asa and of his father Jehoshaphat, who sought the honour of the Lord (v. 12). On the other side, the kings of Israel had left an example of godless rebellion against the truth, and it was these whom Jehoram followed. He was guilty of leading Judah and the people of Jerusalem into unfaithfulness to God, just as Ahab did in Israel. Elijah also wrote that Jehoram had killed his brothers, who were better than he was (v. 13).
The verse gives more than a diagnosis. It names the part of the body — the bowels, or intestines — and the slow pace of the death.
So he added that God would judge Jehoram severely for this. A serious affliction would fall on his people, his children, his wives and everything he owned. Jehoram himself would also suffer a dreadful disease of his intestines, so severe that his intestines would come out, "day by day" (v. 15). This would mean long, drawn-out suffering. This solemn message was written before Jehoram was born. It ought to have had a deep effect on the wicked king, because it reached him in a most unusual way. That was clear evidence that the message came from the all-knowing God of creation.
A quick death leaves no room for a change of mind. This illness left two years of room, and the king used none of it.
The Lord then struck him with an incurable disease of the intestines. It afflicted him for two years, until his intestines came out and he died in severe pain. So God gave him two extra years to repent. But he had clearly sold himself to do evil, as Ahab had done (1 Kings 21:25). To the end he resisted the goodness of God that might have led him to repentance.
Jehoram did not start this rot on his own. His father Jehoshaphat tied the family to Ahab's house, and Jehoram's marriage into that house grew out of the tie.
Jehoshaphat made an alliance with Jehoram, Ahab's son. This defiling link bore its fruit. Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, walked in the ways of Ahab. He had married a daughter of Ahab. When a godly household makes friends with a godless one, the results are very terrible. God resents the unholy closeness, and He lets the evil of the godless show up in the once godly household.
The verse promised a death no one would envy. His burial matched the promise.
He is one of the least attractive of all the kings of Judah. His name means "Exalted by the Lord," yet his wickedness pushed him down to a dishonoured grave. He took over the kingdom at its highest glory since the days of Solomon. After a reign of only eight years he left it with "Ichabod" — the glory has departed — written large across it.
- Seed — Jehoshaphat tied his family to Ahab's house. Ahab's evil then grew inside a godly family, and Jehoram married into it.
- Warning — God showed Elijah the evil course Jehoram would take, then held the letter back until the right moment. It named the crimes and the illness in advance.
- Sentence — Not a quick death, but a wasting disease "day by day" — long suffering, spelled out before the man was born.
- Space — Two years of illness were two years of room to repent. He resisted the goodness of God that was meant to lead him there.
- End — Eight years on the throne, a death no one mourned, a grave outside the kings' tombs. He inherited the kingdom at its height and left it with the glory gone.
And Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, who [are] near the Ethiopians;
Elijah had already sent Jehoram of Judah a written warning. It changed nothing. Now raiders come up against his kingdom — and the verse says who moved them. Not their own ambition, but the Lord.
This verse traces the attack back to God: He stirred up the anger of these peoples. (Some older translations read "the spirit of the Philistines" here.) One writer reads the looting of the palace as more than a political setback:
Judah is also attacked by their enemies. They pillage the land, laying waste even the king's house, and killing all his sons except one. This was of Jehovah. It is His government which we see here; for He rules over those who are in covenant with Him, those who are His house.
Another commentator ties the invasion to Jehoram's refusal to turn. He also names what a life that pleases God would have brought instead:
It seems that God's message by Elijah's letter did not turn Jehoram to the Lord at all, as it should have. So the Lord stirred up his enemies against him. If a person's ways please the Lord, He would make his enemies be at peace with him. With Jehoram it was just the reverse.
These were not new enemies. Under Jehoshaphat the surrounding nations had been paying tribute, and the contrast between father and son is sharp:
In the reign of Jehoshaphat, "the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah… also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute" (2 Chr. 17:10-11). But then Jehoram his son came to the throne, and he "walked in the ways of the kings of Israel." So "the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines." They and other nations broke into Judah, and "carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house" (2 Chr. 21:6, 16, 17). As in the days of the Judges, the Lord used the Philistines to chasten His wayward people.
The same nations that once brought gifts now came to loot. The enemy had not changed. The king had.
One writer traces the trouble back a generation. Jehoshaphat had tied his own family to the family of Ahab, king of the northern kingdom:
Jehoshaphat had made a marriage alliance with Ahab (18:1), and married his son Jehoram to Athaliah. "Whatever one sows, that will he also reap." His unholy alliance began to bear fruit. And how often have Christian parents seen their children turn away from God and fully follow the wicked ways of the world! It happened because the parents themselves had set the example. Then the enemies of Judah came and different revolts took place.
Jehoram had secured his throne by killing his own brothers. What the raiders took from him matched that crime:
A writing from Elijah prophesied the doom of Jehoram, who "walked in the ways of the kings of Israel." The government of God also overtook him. The man who killed all his brothers had his own sons killed by the Arabians (2 Chr. 22:1).
Another writer notes where Elijah normally worked, and how fully the letter came true:
Elijah's ministry and place of work had been, it seems, only among the ten tribes, the kingdom of Israel. But God's servant is used here for a message to the king of Judah. And as it was prophesied to him, so it came to pass… What a terrible repayment for his murders and idol worship! God made a striking example of him, so that his successors might "see it and fear."
One commentator sees a deeper aim behind the raid than plunder — an attack on the family through whom the promised King would come:
By this time Satan knew that the One who would crush his head would come from that family. If he could only destroy it, then all Israel would be his prey — the two tribes as well as the ten, besides the world at large where he reigned. Jehoram, like Cain, had killed all his brothers. Now the Philistines and Arabians come to complete the destruction of the chosen family, so that Jehoram was left with no son except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons (2 Chron. 21:17).
Yet one son was left. The family God had chosen was not wiped out.
- Sown — a generation earlier, Jehoshaphat married his son into Ahab's house. The raid is that seed's fruit. Parents who set a worldly example may watch their children reap it.
- Stirred — the raiders did not come on their own. The Lord stirred them up. What looks like a border raid is God ruling those in covenant with Him.
- Reversed — the nations that brought Jehoshaphat tribute came to loot his son's palace. What changed was the king, not the enemy.
- Measured — the man who killed his brothers lost his sons. God made him a public example, so that the kings after him would see it and fear.
- Spared — the raid stripped the royal family down to one last son. Even so, the chosen family was not wiped out.
and they came up into Judah, and broke into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was no son left him, except Jehoahaz the youngest of his sons.
Jehoram's reign ends in disaster: an invasion strips his palace and his family. Why is a king of David's own line punished this far — and why is one son left?
The chapter names the Lord as the one who stirred up the Philistines and Arabians. One commentator draws out how sharply this reverses the normal experience of a man walking with God.
God's message through Elijah's letter apparently did not turn Jehoram to the Lord at all, as it should have. So the Lord stirred up his enemies against him. If a person's ways please the Lord, He would make his enemies be at peace with him. With Jehoram it was just the reverse. The Philistines and Arabians invaded Judah, and Judah did not have enough defence to stop them plundering the king's house.
Those same nations had once paid Jehoram's father tribute.
In the reign of Jehoshaphat, the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms around Judah, and some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute (2 Chr. 17:10-11). But when Jehoram his son came to the throne, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. So the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and with other nations they broke into Judah and carried away everything of value in the king's house (2 Chr. 21:6, 16, 17). As in the days of the Judges, the Lord used the Philistines to discipline His wayward people.
Jehoram had secured his throne by killing his own brothers. One writer sets that crime beside what God then allowed to happen to his sons.
A band of Arabians killed all of Jehoram's older sons, and the people of Jerusalem made the youngest, Ahaziah, king. In his wickedness, Jehoram had killed all his brothers. In His government, God allowed all his sons but one to be killed.
The one surviving son carries a name full of promise. One writer traces his story back to a choice made before he was born.
When the Philistines and Arabians invaded Judah they carried away Jehoram's treasures and killed his sons. Only Jehoahaz, the youngest son, was left (21:17). He is also known as Ahaziah and Azariah. In Hebrew these names all mean the same thing: "upheld by Jehovah." Poor young Ahaziah is still reaping the harvest of his grandfather Jehoshaphat's unfortunate alliance. The evil keeps spreading and doing its dreadful work. His mother Athaliah, granddaughter of the wicked Omri and daughter of Ahab, advised him to do evil.
One writer sees more than politics behind the near-destruction of David's family.
Satan had apparently almost succeeded in destroying the house of David, either by the enemy's sword or by treachery from within. He was always plotting against that house. By this time he knew that the One who would crush his head would come from that family. If he could only destroy it, then all Israel would be his prey — the two tribes as well as the ten — besides the world at large where he reigned. Jehoram had killed all his brothers, and now the Philistines and Arabians come to complete the destruction of the chosen family.
The same writer traces the survival of that one boy back to a promise God made.
Is he a descendant of the house of David? Yes — and so he and his family are not destroyed beyond repair. The Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David.
A letter from the prophet Elijah had already told Jehoram what was coming. One writer points out how unusual that letter was, and who God meant to warn by it.
Elijah's work had been, it seems, only among the ten tribes — the kingdom of Israel. But here God uses His servant to send a message to the king of Judah. And it happened to Jehoram just as Elijah had prophesied… What a terrible repayment for his murders and idolatries! God made a striking example of him, so that his successors might see it and fear.
- Sown. Jehoram killed his brothers to take the throne, and his marriage into Ahab's family came out of his father Jehoshaphat's alliance.
- Stirred. The raid was no accident. The Lord stirred up nations that had once brought his father tribute.
- Stripped. Goods, wives and sons all go. The punishment matched the crime — sons for brothers — so that his successors would see it and fear.
- Spared. One son remains, named "upheld by Jehovah," and by him the line of David hangs on by a thread while Satan works to cut it.
- Sure. The thread holds because of the covenant God made with David. Judgment falls hard, but never far enough to break His promise.
And after all this, Jehovah smote him in his bowels with an incurable sickness.
A letter from the prophet Elijah had already told Jehoram of Judah how he would die, and raiders had already carried off his wives and sons. Now the blow falls on his own body — why did God keep striking a king who would not turn?
The verse opens by pointing backwards. Earlier losses had failed to move him, so the hand that had touched his possessions now touched his body:
"The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians... And after all this (terrible as the stroke was) the Lord struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease." What a terrible payment for his murders and idolatries! God made a clear example of him, so that his successors might "see it and fear."
Nothing here was random. A message written before Jehoram was born had already set out what would fall on his family and on his own body:
So he added that God would judge Jehoram severely for this. The judgment would bring a serious affliction on his people, his children, his wives and all his possessions. Jehoram himself would also suffer a dreadful disease of his intestines, so severe that his intestines would come out, "day by day" (v. 15). This would mean drawn-out suffering. This solemn message was written before Jehoram was born. It should have had a deep effect on the wicked king, because it came to him in a most unusual way. That was clear evidence that it was a message from the all-knowing God of creation.
Why did it reach him so late, after the prophet was gone?
In a remarkable way a prophetic writing comes to the king from Elijah. God's over-ruling hand kept it back until the right moment, after the prophet's death, when the threat it contained might (humanly speaking) have greater effect on him. But it does not appear to have made any change in him.
The disease was incurable, but it was not quick. The delay left the king room to turn:
The Lord then struck him with an incurable disease of the intestines. It afflicted him for two years. Then his intestines came out and he died in severe pain. So God allowed him an extra two years for repentance, but he had evidently sold himself to do evil, as Ahab had done (1 Ki. 21:25), so that to the end he resisted the goodness of God that might have led him to repentance.
How did the son of a godly king reach such an end? Writers point back to the marriage that tied his house to Ahab's:
Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, walked in the ways of Ahab. He had married a daughter of Ahab. When a godly household makes friends with an ungodly one, the results are terrible. God resents the unholy intimacy, and allows the evil of the ungodly to appear in the once godly household.
His father's name, Jehoshaphat, means "the Lord is judge." The son proved it on himself:
In short, "the Lord struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease," and so he died. "And his people made no burning for him like the burning of his fathers." He had gone on in sin, and he died in sorrow and shame. Such was the end of a son of David, really and literally the son of Jehoshaphat ("the Lord is judge").
The strokes fell hard, but they stopped short of wiping out the royal line. The reason had nothing to do with Jehoram himself:
A murderer of his brothers, an idolater of the worst type, he died just as Elijah's writing predicted. In judgment his was a miserable, dishonoured and unregretted end... And again we may ask: is he a descendant of the house of David? Yes — and therefore he and his are not beyond repair. "Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David."
- Alliance. It began with a marriage into Ahab's family. A godly household made friends with an ungodly one, and the next generation paid for it.
- Announcement. Elijah's letter named the disease before Jehoram was born. God struck nothing He had not first warned about.
- After. Earlier losses had failed to move him. This last stroke made him a public example for the kings who came next.
- Allowance. Two years of lingering illness were space for repentance; he resisted the goodness of God to the end.
- Anchor. Judgment fell in full, yet the house of David stood — held not by the king's worth but by God's covenant.
And it came to pass, from day to day, and at the time when the second year was drawing to a close, that his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness, and he died in cruel sufferings. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
Jehoram's reign ends with two hard facts. A two-year illness killed him, and at his funeral his own people lit no fire in his honour. Behind both lies a letter from Elijah, and behind that letter, a marriage his father arranged.
Jehoram was the son of one of Judah's best kings, yet his record is the opposite of his father's. One writer traces the whole collapse to one family tie — Jehoram's marriage to a daughter of Ahab:
The Holy Spirit seems to cover some of Jehoshaphat's failure, for love covers a multitude of sins. Only when we reach 2 Chronicles 21:6 do we find that Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, had Ahab's daughter for a wife. And this daughter of Ahab made the son of this good king Jehoshaphat go far astray. "He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." How could it be otherwise? He reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed with no one's regret. What a sad record of a wicked king: the son of one of the best of all the kings of Judah, and all because of his wife. And that wife came through his father's unholy alliance with an evil man, perhaps only a short one. What a solemn lesson for us.
A written message had reached Jehoram long before, naming the sickness in advance:
God would judge Jehoram severely for this. He would bring a serious affliction on his people, his children, his wives and all his possessions. Jehoram himself would also suffer a dreadful disease of his intestines, so severe that his intestines would come out, "day by day" (v. 15). This would mean drawn-out suffering. This solemn message was written before Jehoram was born. It should have had a deep effect on the wicked king. It came to him in a most unusual way, and that was clear evidence that it came from the all-knowing God of creation.
One writer weighs why the end came so slowly:
The Lord then struck him with an incurable disease of the intestines. It afflicted him for two years. Then his intestines came out, and he died in severe pain. So God allowed him an extra two years for repentance. But he had clearly sold himself to do evil, as Ahab had done (1 Kings 21:25). To the end he resisted the goodness of God that might have led him to repentance. The people made no fire in his honour, as they had for his fathers, because they were not sorry for his death.
The "fire in his honour" was a known royal custom, not a cremation. One writer describes it in a passage where God promises another king that kind of funeral:
"You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, 'Alas, lord!' For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord." In other words, he would have a funeral fitting his dignity as a king, in the usual manner of the Jews. They would prepare a bed of spices to burn the king's body, and they would mourn over him.
Jehoram received none of it.
Jehoram's name means "exalted by the Lord." Set that against how he left:
"He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one's regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings." He is one of the most unlovely of all the kings of Judah. "Exalted by Jehovah," he was for his wickedness thrust down to a dishonoured grave. He took the kingdom at its highest glory since the days of Solomon. After a reign of eight short years he left it with "Ichabod" — the glory is departed — written large upon it.
The message that named his disease came through Elijah, whose work had been among the northern tribes of Israel:
Elijah's work as a prophet had been, it seems, only among the ten tribes, the kingdom of Israel. But God uses His servant here to send a message to the king of Judah. And it happened to Jehoram exactly as the message said. … What a terrible repayment for his murders and idolatries! God made a clear example of him, so that his successors might see it and fear.
- Alliance. The ruin traces back to a marriage. Ahab's daughter turned the son of a good king into an evil one.
- Announcement. Elijah's letter named the disease before Jehoram was born. That was clear evidence it came from the all-knowing God.
- Allowance. Two years of slow illness were an extra window for repentance, which he resisted to the very end.
- Absence. No fire, no spices, no lament, no royal tomb. His people gave him none of the honours they gave other kings.
- Admonition. God made him a public example, so that the kings who followed might see it and fear.
He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being regretted. And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.
Jehoram's eight years as king of Judah end with a death notice that has no grief in it. Nobody was sorry to see him go, and that blunt verdict raises the question every reader ends up asking: what does a life leave behind?
One writer sets what Jehoram's name meant against where he ended up:
He is one of the most unpleasant of all the kings of Judah. His name means "exalted by the LORD," yet his wickedness thrust him down to a dishonoured grave. He took the kingdom at its highest glory since the days of Solomon. After a reign of eight short years he left it with "Ichabod" (the glory is departed) written large over it.
His death matched the way he had lived. One writer names whose son he was:
He had gone on in sin, and he died in sorrow and shame. Such was the end of a son of David, really and literally the son of Jehoshaphat ("the LORD is judge").
The disease that killed him was slow, and one commentator reads that slowness as an offer:
The Lord then struck him with an incurable disease of the intestines. It afflicted him for two years. Then his intestines came out and he died in severe pain. So God allowed him an extra two years for repentance. But he had clearly sold himself to do evil, as Ahab had done (1 Kings 21:25). To the end he resisted the goodness of God that might have led him to repentance.
Kings before him received a fire in their honour at death. Jehoram got none:
The people made no fire in his honour as they had for his fathers, because they were not sorry for his death. He reigned from the age of 32 until he was 40, a brief eight years, and died with no one to mourn for him. Though he was buried in Jerusalem, his grave was not with the kings. How sad an end for the son of the faithful King Jehoshaphat!
The judgment also had an audience:
What a terrible repayment for his murders and idolatries! God made a clear example of him, so that his successors might "see it and fear."
The ruin had a source. Jehoram married into Ahab's family, and one writer states the rule behind what followed:
Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, walked in the ways of Ahab. He had married a daughter of Ahab. When a godly family makes friends with an ungodly one, the results are very terrible. God resents the unholy closeness, and He lets the evil of the ungodly family show up in the once godly one. The nation followed in the steps of evil, and Judah became like Israel. Jehoshaphat never meant that, but it was God's judgment in return.
A burial place was a public judgment on a life. Jehoiada received what Jehoram did not:
"They buried him in the city of David among the kings" — as well they might. The reason: "he had done good in Israel, both toward God and toward His house." He had remembered the claims of the Holy One of Israel, and he met them with energy and faithfulness.
The damage was not confined to Jehoram. A single person can wreck what others spent their lives building:
The proverb, "One sinner destroys much good" (Ecclesiastes 9:18), found a sad example in this unhappy Jehoram's life. Such a "sinner" can easily and quickly ruin, or spoil, the lifetime's labour of some devoted man of God. … "Nevertheless" — blessed word! — "God's firm foundation stands." And the exhortation is, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity" (2 Timothy 2:19). Oh, let me not be the "sinner" who destroys the work of God.
- Name. His name meant "exalted by the LORD." He took the kingdom at its brightest since Solomon and left it with "the glory is departed" written over it.
- Root. The rot came in through marriage into Ahab's house. When a godly family befriends an ungodly one, the evil shows up in the godly family.
- Mercy. Two years of incurable illness gave him time to repent. He resisted the goodness of God that could have led him there.
- Grief. No honouring fire, no royal tomb, no mourners. God made him a warning his successors could see and fear.
- Contrast. They buried Jehoiada among the kings "because he had done good in Israel." That is what a life leaves behind — so "let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."