Chapter 21
Jehoshaphat dies. Jehoram, his son, rules in his place. When he ascends to the throne, he kills all his brothers, and some of the powerful men of the country. He rules 8 years, and follows the ways of Ahab because the daughter of Ahab was his wife. This was the marriage of alliance that Jehoshaphat had himself arranged to bring peace with a truly evil King of Israel. Remember the question from 2Chr 19:2. This alliance was ill-conceived, and God was not consulted about it. And now the consequences come to pass. But God won't completely destroy Jehoram, as he had Ahab and the evil kings before Ahab, since God had promised David a throne forever. Edom revolts, and they no longer serve Judah to this day. Libnah revolts also because Judah is no longer worshiping God. Jehoram builds high places and leads Judah astray in their worship.
Jehoram receives a letter from Elijah. Elijah says God will bring a great plague on the people, on Jehoram's wives and children and possessions. Jehoram himself will have a disease of the bowels, "...until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day." This would be well after Ahab and Jezebel are both dead. Elijah has outlived them both, and though this doesn't tell us where he is or what kind of life he has, we see that God is still using him. I think it is interesting that this letter comes from Elijah and not from Elisha. Perhaps that gives us a little better date for where in the history this actually falls.
2021 - This verse:
14 behold, the LORD will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, 15 and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.'" [2Ch 21:14-15 ESV] God says he will not destroy Jehoram because of His promise to David. But look what he is going to do to the nation, and to Jehoram specifically. A plague. Surely we are to read that as disease of large proportion. Can also me a great blow, or a slaughter. Probably, any or all of these transpired in Jehoram's time.
The Philistines and the Arabians invade Judah, take all the possessions from the King's house, take his wives, and all his sons except the youngest - Jehoahaz. Jehoram gets an incurable bowel disease so that at the end of two years his bowels come out and he dies in great agony. He is buried without ceremony. The actual phrase in ESV is that "...he departed with no one's regret." vs 20.
2024 -Hmm...it occurs to me that this is a case where our human judgment and God's judgment actually do coincide. Sometimes they do. For his crimes Jehoram dies a slow and painful death. He doesn't live fat and happy to be punished only in the hereafter. He dies terribly, receives no honors, and is not even buried in the family plot. They stick him someplace else. Sometimes God does what we presumptuously think he should right here on planet earth. Sometimes the punishment is now. I wonder what it was about Jehoram that made it happen that way with him? Ahab, arguably a much worse King, suffered only a few hours. Why Jehoram?
2025 - The phrasing of this verse is quite haunting. may it never be said of me...
19 ...His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers. 20 ...And he departed with no one's regret... [2Ch 21:19-20 ESV].
What a horrendous epitaph.