Saturday Scripture Speaks

So Jehoram went out with his full army and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he went out at night and attacked them under cover of darkness. Even so, Edom has been independent from Judah to this day. The town of Libnah also revolted about that same time. All this happened because Jehoram had abandoned the Lord, the God of his ancestors. He had built pagan shrines in the hill country of Judah and had led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to give themselves to pagan gods and to go astray. 2 Chronicles 21:9-11 (NLT)

This was in my Bible reading for today and it hit me funny. Jehoram had married a daugher of King Ahab (remember him?) and had become throughly wicked as a result. (2 Chronicles chapter 21). As a result of his turning from the LORD, Judah suffered - a whole lot of people followed the example of their wicked king. If you continue reading about Jehoram, you'll find that the LORD inflicted him with a serious bowel disease. This disease was horrible enough to cause them to "spill out" upon the ground. I can only imagine the king's agony and pain.

But he deserved the agony and pain. He didn't turn to God in repentance and thus, he suffered the consequences of his decisions.

Jehoram's troubles began when he married a wicked woman from a wicked family - who eventually led him completely from the LORD. We have to remember that, although he was greatly influenced by Ahab's family, Jehoram made his own decisions. He could have avoided even spending a moment's time with his future wife. There are a whole lot of "could have's" that he might have done, but the fact remains that he allowed other people to create his legacy.

Also in today's passages was this passage:

The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them. Proverbs 20:7 (NLT)

Jehoram's wife, Athaliah, had everyone in the family line killed after her son, Ahaziah, died. (Remember that Ahaziah took his father's throne after he had died from the bowel disease.) She missed her grandson, Joash, however, when the child's mother rushed him away to the temple to be hidden.

God reigns and it is true that the godly have blessed children. It is also true that the ungodly bestow a lot of pain and suffering upon their children by failing to teach them to love and live for God.

There's a lot that we parents can learn from this - but we need to put our faith in action. May you be blessed as you raise children who will be blessed by your godly example.