To No One’s Regret

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (2 Chronicles 21:20, NIV 1984).

My Musings – Jehoram was Jehosaphat’s son and Asa’s grandson, two of Judah’s mostly good kings. Unfortunately, “goodness” is not in the bloodline. At least not in the human bloodline. Imagine living such a life that when you pass there is no one who regrets it. A king by succession, denied burial in the “tombs of the kings.” Tombs which undoubtedly had other bad kings laid to rest in them.

What in the world could be the cause of all this? “This is what the Lord, the God of [Jehoram’s] father David, says: ‘You have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah. But you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your father’s house, men who were better than you.'” (2 Chronicles 21:12-13, NIV 1984).

“Just as the house of Ahab did.“ Ahab, a name most commonly associated with evil. “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.” (1 Kings 21:25, NIV 1984). But one thing differentiates Ahab from Jehoram. “The word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ‘Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.'” (2 Kings 21:28-29, NIV 1984). Ahab repented before the end.

There is no indication that Jehoram ever did repent, and his end seems to confirm this. “After all this, the Lord afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no fire in his honor, as they had for his fathers.” (2 Chronicles 21:18-19, NIV 1984). A vile end to a villainous person.

My Advice – What this illustrates is that repentance is never too late, until it is. For “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27, NIV 1984). Until then, it is not too late. The danger is that one’s heart becomes so hardened that repentance becomes just as hard. So, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV 1984).

So, consider Ahab and Jehoram. For “that is what some of [of us are]. But [we can be] washed, [we can be] sanctified, [we can be] justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11, NIV 1984). Therefore, “today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 3:15, NIV 1984). Lest the day comes when you can no longer “hear His voice.“

Become part of His bloodline.