“Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord.” — 2 Chronicles 21:5-6

It matters who you marry! Before my husband and I were married, he was excited to learn that a number of my extended family members were church office workers, ministers, and pastors, and one of my great uncles had even been Superintendent General of the Apostolic Faith organization. He liked to tease me that I was “church royalty” being related to so many “important people.” All joking aside, I was also happy to know that many in his family were also faithful Christian workers. Of course, what mattered most to both of us was that the other was also a born again Christian, and endeavoring to be active in the service of the Lord. 

The spiritual state of a person’s spouse often has a tremendous influence on that individual’s own spiritual life. A godly husband or wife can be a huge encouragement, while someone who is less than enthusiastic about the Gospel can influence the other to grow lukewarm or even walk away from the faith entirely. For that reason, it’s important to be extremely careful when making the life-altering decision of marriage. The same can also be said of other close friendships and even business relationships. 

Our focus verse says King Jehoram did evil “for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife.” As king, Jehoram could have followed in the footsteps of his godly father and grandfather, but he chose instead to follow in the way of his father-in-law who was one of the most wicked kings Israel ever had. While Ahab, Jezebel, and Athaliah were no doubt not the only influences on Jehoram, it was certainly decisive that he became involved with such a family. What we read could have been so different if he had made other choices. 

We want to be prayerful about all close relationships in our lives. May we always choose godly companions and examples above any others!

BACKGROUND

This chapter records the wicked reign of King Jehoram, who succeeded his father Jehoshaphat on the throne of Judah; a parallel account is found in 2 Kings 8:16-24. Verses 1-7 record the death of Jehoshaphat and the wicked deeds the new ruler committed when he became king. The revolt of the subjugated people of Edom and Libnah is described in verses 8-10, followed by a warning of coming judgment in verses 11-15, and an account of the invasion of the Philistines and Arabians in verses 16-17. The chapter concludes with a record of Jehoram’s death (verses 18-20). 

The reference in verse 3 that Jehoshaphat gave his sons “fenced cities in Judah” may indicate that he followed the policy of Rehoboam (see 2 Chronicles 11:21-23) of establishing his sons throughout the kingdom and away from the capital so they would not be a united threat to Jehoram, the son who would succeed him. 

Jehoram became king at the age of thirty-two, although he served as co-regent with his father for a few years. According to verse 5, he reigned for eight years. He was married to Athaliah, the daughter of Israel’s wicked King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. Like Athaliah, Jehoram was an idolater. One of his initial acts after ascending the throne was to slay all his brothers and some of the princes of the land, presumably in an attempt to eliminate any potential political rivals. Verse 7 indicates that God withheld judgment because of His promise to David that his descendants would continue upon the throne; the implication is that Jehoram’s wickedness was great enough to justify such judgment. 

Verses 8-10 record the revolt of Edom and Libnah, who were under the control of Judah at that time. The Edomites were descendants of Esau and longtime enemies of Israel. Libnah was a former Caananite city that had been captured by Joshua and was allotted to the descendants of Aaron (see 1 Chronicles 6:57). Seemingly the leaders of these areas sensed weakness in Judah and saw an opportunity to free themselves. 

Verse 11 notes two specific things Jehoram did to undo his father’s reform: he rebuilt the high places in Judah and compelled the people of Judah to “commit fornication” (a reference to going after idols). Verses 12-15 record that a “writing” came to him from “Elijah the prophet.” If the record in 2 Kings was written in chronological order, then Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind during the reign of Jehoshaphat; in that case, the message may have been written earlier and delivered to Jehoram after his father’s death. However, it is possible that the chapters of 2 Kings are not chronological, as is sometimes the case in Biblical accounts. That would make writing this message one of the last things Elijah did before being caught up. In the message, Jehoram was warned that because he had “walked in the way of the kings of Israel”—had followed the example of Israel’s idolatrous kings—he would die of an incurable disease. 

Further troubles in the reign of Jehoram are recorded in verses 16-17, when the Philistines and Arabians invaded—another revolt of subjugated peoples against Judah. The invaders plundered the king’s house, but since there is no indication that Jerusalem was conquered, this probably was a royal residence somewhere outside of Jerusalem. All of Jehoram’s sons were killed in this invasion except for the youngest, Jehoahaz (also known as Ahaziah). 

Verses 18-20 describe the plague that fell upon Jehoram’s family and his gruesome death, which precisely fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah in verses 14-15. The fact that “no burning” was made for him indicated that there was no kindling of fragrant spices made in his honor, as was typically done for kings of that era.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

III. The history of the kings of Judah
     E. The reign of Jehoram (21:1-20)
          1. Jehoshaphat’s death and Jehoram’s ascension (21:1-3)
          2. Jehoram’s wicked reign (21:4-7)
          3. Jehoram’s foreign difficulties (21:8-17)
               a. The revolts of Edom and Libnah (21:8-10)
               b. The invasion by the Arabs and Philistines (21:11-17)
                    (1) The reason for the invasion (21:11)
                    (2) The prophecy of Elijah (21:12-15)
                    (3) The invasion and destruction (21:16-17)
          4. Jehoram’s illness and death (21:18-20)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. Who were Jehoram’s father and father-in-law? Whose example did he choose to follow? (verses 1,6)
2. Why did the Lord not destroy Jehoram and his family? (verse 7)
3. How have your relationships threatened to pull you away from the Lord or drawn you closer to Him?

CONCLUSION

Who influences you? We want to be careful to follow godly examples and nurture relationships with those who will encourage us in our walks with the Lord.