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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter
Speaker 1: twenty one, and we'll be reading from the New Living Translation.
Speaker 1: When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried with his ancestors in
Speaker 1: the city of David. Then his son Jehoram became the
Speaker 1: next king. Jehoram's brothers, the other sons of Jehoshaphat were Azariah,
Speaker 1: jehiel Zechariah, Azarihu Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the
Speaker 1: sons of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah. Their father had given
Speaker 1: each of them valuable gifts of silver, gold, and costly items,
Speaker 1: and also some of Judah's fortified towns. However, he does
Speaker 1: Jehoram as the next king because he was the oldest.
Speaker 1: But when Jehoram became solidly established as king, he killed
Speaker 1: all his brothers and some of the other leaders of Judah.
Speaker 1: Jehoram was thirty two years old when he became king,
Speaker 1: and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. But Jehoram followed
Speaker 1: the example of the kings of Israel and was as
Speaker 1: wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of
Speaker 1: Ahab's daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the
Speaker 1: Lord's sight. But the Lord did not want to destroy
Speaker 1: David's dynasty, for he had made a covenant with David
Speaker 1: and promised that his descendants would continue to rule, shining
Speaker 1: like a lamp forever. During Jehoram's reign, the Edomites revolted
Speaker 1: against Judah and crown their own king. So Jehoram went
Speaker 1: out with his full army and all his chariots. The
Speaker 1: Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he went
Speaker 1: out at night and attacked them under cover of darkness.
Speaker 1: Even so, Edom has been independent from Judah to this day.
Speaker 1: The town of Libna also revolted about that same time.
Speaker 1: All this happened because Jehoram had abandoned the Lord, the
Speaker 1: god of his ancestors. He had built pagan shrines in
Speaker 1: the hill country of Judah, and had led the people
Speaker 1: of Jerusalem and Judah to give themselves to pagan gods
Speaker 1: and to go astray. Then Elijah the Prophet wrote Jehoram
Speaker 1: this letter. This is what the Lord, the God of
Speaker 1: your ancestor David, says. You have not followed the good
Speaker 1: example of your father Jehoshaphat or your grandfather, King Aesa
Speaker 1: of Judah. Instead, you have been as evil as the
Speaker 1: kings of Israel. You have led the people of Jerusalem
Speaker 1: and Judah to worship idols, just as King Ahab did
Speaker 1: in Israel. And you have even killed your own brothers,
Speaker 1: men who were better than you. So now the Lord
Speaker 1: is about to strike you, your people, your children, your wives,
Speaker 1: and all that is yours with a heavy blow. You
Speaker 1: yourself will suffer with a severe intestinal disease that will
Speaker 1: get worse each day until your bowels come out. Then
Speaker 1: the Lord stirred up the Philistines and the Arabs who
Speaker 1: lived near the Ethiopians to attack Jehoram. They marched against Judah,
Speaker 1: broke down its defenses, and carried away everything of value
Speaker 1: in the royal palace, including the king's sons and his wives.
Speaker 1: Only his youngest son, Ahaziah, was spared. After all this,
Speaker 1: the Lord struck Jehoram with an incurable intestinal disease. The
Speaker 1: disease grew worse and worse, and at the end of
Speaker 1: two years, it caused his bowels to come out, and
Speaker 1: he died in agony. His people did not build a
Speaker 1: great funeral fire to honor him, as they had done
Speaker 1: for his ancestors. Orum was thirty two years old when
Speaker 1: he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
Speaker 1: No one was sorry when he died. They buried him
Speaker 1: in the city of David, but not in the royal cemetery.
Speaker 1: Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word, and
Speaker 1: we thank you for the privilege of being able to
Speaker 1: look at it today. And Lord, as we look at
Speaker 1: this portion of scripture and see how the life of
Speaker 1: Jehoram was lived, and as we also see how he
Speaker 1: led the people of Israel to worship pagan idols, and
Speaker 1: he made alliances with people who were not concerned with
Speaker 1: what mattered to you, Lord, we read a very tragic
Speaker 1: account that took place because of Jehoram's unbelief. Lord. It's
Speaker 1: sad to read the line that no one was sorry
Speaker 1: when Jehoram died, but it's understandable when we look at
Speaker 1: how he lived and how he ruled. Lord, We're grateful
Speaker 1: for the fact that you are our perfect King, that
Speaker 1: in Jesus Christ we have a messiah, a lord, a
Speaker 1: sin behavior, and a perfect king who is ultimately the
Speaker 1: one who rules and reigns on the throne of David,
Speaker 1: continuing that lineage, but fulfilling that role is only you,
Speaker 1: God can So we're grateful, Lord for the fact that
Speaker 1: the role that these kings couldn't fulfill we see fulfilled
Speaker 1: in your son Jesus Christ perfectly, and we're grateful to
Speaker 1: be part of your kingdom through faith in Jesus Lord,
Speaker 1: We're grateful that you're with us today and we commit
Speaker 1: this day to your care, and we just thank you,
Speaker 1: Lord for all your goodness and all your blessings. We
Speaker 1: pray that we won't take them for granted, but that
Speaker 1: we would be grateful for each of them every single day.
Speaker 1: We love you, Lord, We thank you for all these things,
Speaker 1: and we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.