The many sons of Jehoshaphat were a sign of God’s blessings on this godly and righteous King even despite his many flaws. However, the son who succeeded him on the throne, Jehoram, saw his brothers as a threat to his own power and authority. He was probably urged on by his wife Athaliah, the Baal worshipping daughter of Ahab and his unholy wife Jezebel. Jehoram’s actions and his entire reign dishonored God. Because of his lack of faithfulness to God’s covenant, the whole nation fell into apostasy and was torn apart by the rebellion of tributary nations. All the gains his father had achieved were wiped out by his sin. For this reason the Lord cursed Jehoram with a painful, disgusting, and extremely humiliating illness that did not lead him to repentance but to death.
The Chronicler used this incident to remind us that although God honors His covenant we still hold us accountable for our actions. In addition, our actions affect those around us. We and our families and other people are blessed if we worship the Lord and trust in Him alone rather than in philosophy or in material things. We and they both suffer if we stray. This is especially true of our families. The covenant God made with our parents or forefathers when they came to faith will not save us. This is true even if we were baptized as infants or children and/or were brought up in the church. Though such a covenant and upbringing bless us and lead us in the right direction, we still need to come to repentance and to place our faith in Christ. Yet many people think they are saved just because they were raised as Christians or because they carry our certain rituals. Such an attitude can lead to destruction unless one gets right with God based on the covenant blood of Jesus.
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