The King Who Lost His Intestines
The life and reign of King Jehoram (Joram).
Although Jehoshaphat had faithfully served the Lord, his son, Jehoram, was nothing like him.
More consequences of Jehoshaphat’s unwise alliance with the northern kingdom of Israel appear during his son’s reign.
The Overview of Jehoram’s Reign.
His wickedness.
During the fifth year of Joram, Ahab’s son who reigned in the northern kingdom, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram began to reign in Judah (2 Kings 8:16; 2 Chronicles 21:1). He was 32 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years (2 Kings 8:17; 2 Chronicles 21:5).
Jehoram followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just like Ahab, because Ahab’s daughter was Jehoram’s wife (2 Kings 8:18; 2 Chronicles 21:6). This marriage was the result of an alliance Jehoram’s father - Jehoshaphat - made with King Ahab (2 Chronicles 18:1).
It did not take long for King Jehoram to show his “true colors” after his throne was established. Jehoram killed all his brothers with the sword (2 Chronicles 21:2-4).
In addition to his murder, Jehoram also “made high places” of idol worship in Judah’s mountains, as well as “caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry” (2 Chronicles 21:11).
Thus, Jehoram “led Judah astray.”
His military failures.
During Jehoram’s reign, several surrounding nations that paid tribute to Judah rebelled from being under their control.
Edom revolted against Judah and made a king for themselves, and while Jehoram (Joram) went after the Edomites, he failed, and Edom remained in revolt against Judah - fulfilling what Isaac prophesied many years earlier (Genesis 27:39-40). In addition to Edom, Libnah also revolted against Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20-22; 2 Chronicles 21:8-10).
These revolts happened because Jehoram “had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers” (2 Chronicles 21:10).
Jehoram Gets a Letter.
The Lord was well aware of Jehoram’s wickedness and one day, a letter from God’s prophet Elijah arrived in Jehoram’s mailbox.
Thus says the LORD God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father's household, who were better than yourself, behold, the LORD will strike your people with a serious affliction—your children, your wives, and all your possessions; and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day. (2 Chronicles 21:12-15)
God lists several reasons for the consequences coming upon Jehoram.
For refusing to walk in the ways of his father Jehoshaphat or his grandfather Asa, and choosing to walk after the ways of the kings of Israel - and especially after the house of Ahab.
For turning the people of Judah after idols and harlotry.
For killing his brothers, who God says, “were better than yourself.”
Because of Jehoram’s wickedness, this is what would happen.
All his family and possessions would be struck by the Lord with a “serious affliction.”
Jehoram himself would become very sick with an intestinal disease and would die only after a long, slow painful death due to his intestines coming out.
It all happened just as the Lord said through His prophet Elijah.
First, God stirred up the Philistines and the Arabians against Jehoram, and they carried away all the king’s possessions in his house, captured all his wives, and killed (2 Chronicles 22:1) all his sons except Jehoahaz (or Ahaziah), his youngest son (2 Chronicles 21:16-17).
After this, God struck Jehoram with an “incurable disease” in his intestines (2 Chronicles 21:18). Jehoram’s end was a slow, excruciating death.
Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain. (2 Chronicles 21:19)
When he died, there was no “burning for him” - no great funeral (2 Chronicles 21:19). No one was sad to see Jehoram die, and although they buried him in Jerusalem, he was not buried with the kings (2 Chronicles 21:20).
Crowning Principles.
What will you do with people who are better than you?
It’s considered wise for leaders to surround themselves with people who are smarter and “better” than themselves. However, Jehoram did just the opposite - he was threatened by his brothers who were “better” than him, and he murdered them all.
Later in the New Testament, a Christian named Diotrephes resented the godly influence of others and did everything he could to hold on to his power and prominence in the church (3 John 9-10).
Paranoid, power-hungry people have no place among God’s people (3 John 11).
Will people be sad to see you go?
Could there be any sadder conclusion to someone’s life on this earth than no one being sorry to see them die? No great mourning was done for Jehoram when he died - which was customary at this time. He wasn’t even honored to be buried along with the other kings of Judah.
Jehoram had lived such a sorry, wicked life - nobody regretted his death.
When you and I die, will we have lived in such a way and impacted people’s lives for the better - so that people will be sorry to see us go? Of course, what ultimately matters is not what people think of us, but what God thinks of us.
RE: When the digitally-marked (SS#) soul of a foolish virgin from Christ’s holy-theocratic Bride dies, the democratic testimony left behind by their socially-secured life will be seen to be antithetical to the digitally-unmarked soul of a wise virgin’s repentant holy life in Christ’s Bride. In obedience to God’s holy commandment in Revelation 18:4, a wise virgin joyfully takes up their martyrs cross and comes out of the Beast’s abominable Socialistic Security System within Babel’s UN Global Village. Bewitched by Democracy’s Satanic Social Justice Gospel, the deluded foolish virgin is happily held captive and enslaved, from cradle to grave, within WHO-eugenics Socialistic Security System of the Marxist UN Beast. With their empty oil-lamps, foolish virgins democratically lived in such a lukewarm loving Laodicean way that impacted carnal minded people’s religious lives for the better - so that socially-secured church-going people will be sorry to see them go. Of course, what ultimately matters is not what people think of us, but what God thinks of us.