How would it make you feel if you knew nobody would miss you at all when you died?
Most people would be bothered by that - they would probably examine their life and what they need to change.
We have an example of a king from the Old Testament who had that happen to him. Jehoram was the king nobody missed when he was gone.
And we can learn some important lessons from him.
Background Info on Jehoram.
Family.
Jehoram’s grandfather – Asa – reigned for 41 years and served God most of his reign until near the end, when he forgot God.
Jehoram’s father – Jehoshaphat – reigned for 25 years and served God as well, although God rebuked him for his alliance with the Northern Kingdom during Ahab’s reign (2 Chronicles 19:1-3). This is an important detail in Jehoram’s life because that alliance was made through a marriage (2 Chronicles 18:1).
That marriage was between Jehoram and Ahab’s daughter (2 Chronicles 21:6) – Athaliah (2 Chronicles 22:1-2).
Political Situation.
The reigns of Asa and Jehoshaphat (66 years) were mostly peaceful, prosperous times in the nation because they sought the Lord and turned to God for help when enemies did come.
The military and the nation’s defenses grew strong under the reign of Asa and Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:12-19).
However, Jehoram’s father had a bad habit of making alliances he should not have made – he did this twice with two different kings of Israel (2 Chronicles 18:1-3; 20:35-37). These choices would set the stage for the disaster that was about to unfold over the next three generations.
Religious Situation.
While Asa had cleaned idolatry out of the land (2 Chronicles 15), under Jehoshaphat, it had crept back in among the people (2 Chronicles 20:32-33).
It seems Jehoshaphat’s overly friendly behavior with the wicked, idolatrous kings of Israel had an effect on the religion among the people.
However, Jehoshaphat had served the Lord and had been a “stickler” for justice in the land – such as warning judges not to accept bribes (2 Chronicles 19:4-10).
The Overview of Jehoram’s Reign (2 Chronicles 21).
Jehoram was made king by his father at 32 because he was the firstborn. But his father gave many gifts to Jehoram’s brothers.
The analysis of Jehoram’s reign is about as bad as it gets – he walked in the ways of Ahab, the king of Israel (his father-in-law). The reason for this is because of the influence his wife – Ahab’s daughter – had in his life.
Jehoram ends up killing all his brothers and some of the “princes of Israel” when he gets established on the throne. This was done to “eliminate the competition.”
God could have destroyed the house of David at this point because of Jehoram’s wickedness, but He did not do so because of the covenant He had made with David (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
But what did happen was Judah’s days of peace with the surrounding nations were over – Edom and Libnah revolted, and Jehoram failed to bring them back under his control (Genesis 27:39-40). This happened because Jehoram abandoned the Lord – he built high places in the hills to worship idols, caused the moral corruption of the people, and led the nation astray.
One day, a letter arrived from the prophet Elijah. The word from God called attention to Jehoram’s sins.
He had walked in the ways of the wicked kings of Israel rather than in the ways of his faithful grandfather and father.
He caused the nation to turn away from God.
He killed his brothers, “who were better” than him.
The consequences for his sin would be severe.
God would strike the nation, his family, and his possessions with something terrible.
Jehoram would be struck with many illnesses – including the one that would eventually kill him with a slow, painful death.
It all happened exactly as God said.
The Philistines and Arabs carried off all of Jehoram’s possessions and most of his family except his youngest son, Jehoahaz.
The Lord struck him with an incurable disease of his intestines – which took two full years to kill him in an agonizing way. When he died, no funeral was held in his honor, no one missed him, and he wasn’t buried in the king’s graveyard.
3 Lessons from Jehoram’s Reign.
1) Don’t Overlook the Spiritual Significance of Marriage.
Jehoram’s marriage to Ahab’s daughter clearly played a significant role in the spiritual direction of his life – as well as the nation.
When marriage follows the example of Christ and the church, marriage is everything God wants it to be (Ephesians 5:22-33). But when it does not – the couple is in danger of being ruined.
2) Envy and Jealously Will Rot You From the Inside Out.
The implication of our text is that Jehoram killed his brothers because of what their father had given them and because they were “better” than him.
Jehoram basically rotted from the inside out as a consequence of his sin, and eventually, everyone knew. Envy and jealousy are like that – you might be able to keep the rotten effects inside yourself for a while, but eventually, it will come out, and everyone will know.
It was envy that caused the Jewish religious leaders to hand Jesus over to Pilate (Mark 15:10).
3) The Darkness Cannot Overcome the Light.
God was merciful to the family of David – even though Jehoram’s sin could have led to God destroying the entire family. God remembered His promise and showed that the darkness cannot overcome the Light (John 1:4-5; 8:12).
Even when the darkness is actively opposing the light and trying its best to defeat the light- it cannot prevail.
Jehoram’s wickedness and unfaithfulness to God caused him to be someone that no one missed when he was gone – in fact, that’s how he’s remembered in Scripture. Jealousy and wickedness caused him to be someone that no one was sad to see go.
On the other hand, Jesus’ death is such a significant moment, partly because He had done nothing wrong and did it all for others – even for people currently walking the same path as Jehoram.
Good message