2 Chronicles 21:4-7,12-15
⁴Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also.
⁵Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
⁶He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (for Ahab’s daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
⁷Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever. Revolt against Judah
¹²Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet saying, “Thus says the Lord God of your father David, ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and the ways of Asa king of Judah, ¹³but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and you have also killed your brothers, your own family, who were better than you, ¹⁴behold, the Lord is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great calamity; ¹⁵and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.
King Jehoram is completely different from his father Jehoshaphath.
He kills his brothers, his reign begins with violence.
No wonder, if you know that Jehoram is married to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.
Athaliah and Jehoram want to turn Judah into a pagan land as soon as possible.
The idols are worshiped and they deliberately try to ruin the people by making them worship the idols.
How fast can a country go downhill.
But God doesn’t just let this happen.
The famous prophet Elijah writes a warning letter to the king. “King, the enemy is coming, you are getting sick. King, do repent.”
Joram does not want to listen, so the enemy comes and plunders the land, Joram himself becomes very sick and dies after two years.
Now there is no mourning among the people in distress.
Sad when a life ends like this, rebelling against God, unbowed and died unconverted.
Yet Joram was warned, God always does.
Again and again God speaks to you through His Word, because He loves you, because He does not want people to die unconverted and perish.
That is why Elijah’s letter also applies to us: Do not continue in the way of sin, but break with it and seek the face of the Lord..!
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