2 Chronicles 21:1-20--Jehoram Reigns in Judah

2 Chronicles 21
English Standard Version

Jehoram Reigns in Judah
21 Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3 Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn. 4 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. 5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. 7 Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

8 In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. 9 Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. 10 So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. At that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.

11 Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray. 12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father, ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father's house, who were better than you, 14 behold, the LORD will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, 15 and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.’”

16 And the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians. 17 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.

​18 And after all this the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. 19 In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers. 20 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.

---

We see the influence that marrying into the family of Ahab had on Jehoshaphat's children as his son Jehoram acted just like the kings of Israel and the pagan kings around him that he killed all potential "threats" to him by killing all his brothers and some of the princes of Israel (probably close relatives of his) that could have tried to take the throne away from him.  This in his mind also established his dominance and made people fear him because they saw that he didn't even have compassion for his own family.  His reign was a short 8 years, and we are told that he walked in the ways of King Ahab (remember how usually we are told that kings walked in the ways of King David--not so much with Jehoram).  If it were not for the Davidic Covenant, the LORD would have likely destroyed Jehoram and all of his family line, but there needed to be another son of David from the line of Solomon to reign on the throne, so instead the LORD allowed Edom to become strong again and to rebel against Judah establishing their own king.

Jehoram built many high places (places of worship where people would worship nature and idols) and led many people astray.  He was so evil that he caught the attention of Elijah the prophet who prophesied against Jehoram, the people of Judah that worshiped diols, the household of Jehoram and all that Jehoram owned and possessed.  Jehoram was to die an excruciating death by a disease that would make his bowels come out and kill him.

The LORD then raised up the Philistines to punish Judah and carry away all their possessions as well as the Arabians that were from Africa near Ethiopia.  The LORD left Jehoram with only one son, Jehoahaz, to rule in the place of his father when his father died (again, the LORD would have destroyed this son too had it not been for the Davidic Covenant).  This was Jehoram's youngest son.

The disease that Elijah prophesied about struck Jehoram and took two years to kill him.  There was no state funeral for him like with the previous kings, but instead they buried him in Jerusalem, but not among the kings of Judah.  He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign and died eight years later at the age of forty.  Some of the harshest words spoken in the death of anyone are spoken here when the author tells us that no one was sorry to see him die.  Would the people repent after his death, or is this the beginning of the end for the people of Judah?  We'll see next time when we talk about Ahaziah.