“Your [David’s] house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” - 2 Samuel 7:16
Following the Biblical sequence, Jehoram, the younger son of Ahab, became king over Israel in 2 Kings 1:17 after his childless, older brother Ahaziah died. Around this time, Elijah was translated into heaven and Elisha took his place as the prominent prophet in the northern kingdom. For the past several chapters (2-7) we have focused primarily on the ministry of Elisha during Jehoram’s 12 year reign. This morning, as we examine 2 Kings 8, it is safe to say that we have progressed in time just over a decade to near the end of Jehoram’s tenure.
In today’s sermon, we will discuss a final story from Jehoram’s rule in Israel, see a transition of power in the neighboring kingdom of Aram, and find out what’s been going on in the southern kingdom of Judah all this time. This message is titled “Jehoram and Jehoram”. It is the 18th installment of our current sermon series on the “Divided Kingdom Era”.
I. JEHORAM RESTORES PROPERTY (2 Kings 8:1-6)
Throughout most of Jehoram’s reign, there was a severe and long-lasting famine in Israel (2 Kings 4:38, 6:25, 7:4). Earlier during his kingship, Elisha had raised the Shunammite woman’s child from the dead (2 Kings 4:8-37). With these 2 facts in place, let us consider the passage described in the opening verses of 2 Kings 8, and discover (as Paul Harvey used to say) “the rest of the story…”
Going back a few years, after he had brought the Shunammite woman’s son back to life, Elisha had instructed her and her family to sojourn to another land because God had called for a 7 year famine to take place in Israel. She and her household went to Philistia, where they lived throughout the entire famine. When it ended, they returned to Israel and she met with King Jehoram to ask that her home and property might be returned to her. Apparently, it had been confiscated due to her family’s desertion.
The king spoke with Gehazi, who apparently was still Elisha’s servant at this point and had not yet contracted leprosy. He recalled how, some 7 years before, his master had raised the Shunammite’s son to life. Then the woman’s resurrected son appealed to the king and Gehazi confirmed their identity as the recipients of this great miracle. Upon hearing her second appeal, Jehoram restored the Shunammite woman’s property and produce to her. Thus, the family returned to and resettled in their abandoned home.
II. HAZAEL BECOMES KING OF ARAM (2 Kings 8:7-15)
Elisha went to Damascus, the capital of Aram (Syria), presumably to see Ben-hadad who was deathly sick. The king sent Hazael, his servant, to greet Elisha with a gift and ask if he would recover from his illness. So Hazael brought the generous gift to Elisha and asked him about the king’s fate. Elisha instructed Hazael to tell Ben-hadad that he would (given sufficient time) recover, but predicted that he would die (of other causes) before the recovery took place.
Then Elisha gazed deeply at Hazael and began to weep. When Hazael asked him why he was crying, Elisha answered that as the new king of Aram, Hazael would bring great calamity and destruction upon Israel. Hazael seemed surprised by the prophecy, but Elisha assured him that he would indeed become king and these terrible things would occur. So Hazael returned to Ben-hadad and told him that, according to the word of Elisha, he would surely recover from his sickness. But then, the very next day, the murderous and treacherous Hazael suffocated the ailing king with a wet cloth and usurped his place on the throne. Hazael’s rise to become Aram’s king had been foretold to Elijah years earlier during the reign of Ahab (1 Kings 19:15).
III. ANOTHER JEHORAM IN JUDAH (2 Kings 8:16-24; 2 Chronicles 21:1-20)
In the 5th year of Jehoram’s (aka, Joram’s) reign in Israel, another man also named Jehoram replaced his father Jehoshaphat as the new king in Judah. So, for a few years, the kings of both the northern and southern kingdoms had the same name. Jehoram was 32 years old when he became the sole king of Judah after Jehoshaphat’s death and he reigned for 8 years in Jerusalem. He had co-reigned with his father for around 6 years prior to this. Jehoram was married to Athaliah, the corrupt daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and was heavily influenced by her wicked ways. In order to secure his grip on the throne, he killed all of his brothers and several other rulers in the land. Jehoram did evil in the sight of the LORD, but God tolerated him for the sake of His covenant with David.
During his kingship, Edom revolted against Judah and set up a king for themselves. Jehoram and his army marched against and struck the Edomites, nevertheless its rebellion continued. So also, the city of Libnah (in Judah) revolted against Jehoram as well in outright objection to his evil rule and practice. Jehoram set up high places in the mountains of Judah to worship false gods and led the southern kingdom astray.
As his immoral reign wore on, Jehoram received a letter written by the prophet Elijah. It strongly condemned him for his evil ways and for forsaking the righteousness of his father Jehoshaphat and grandfather Asa. It went on to prophesy that the LORD was about to strike Jehoram’s kingdom, his family, and his possessions. Furthermore, God would cause Jehoram himself to contract a terrible bowel disease. The receipt of this letter, as we discussed earlier in this series, suggests that Elijah was not taken up into Heaven but rather was translated to a remote location on the earth where he quietly kept abreast of the ongoing events in Israel and Judah which precipitated the writing of this letter.
Sure enough, not long after a combined force of Philistines and African Arabs came up against Judah, invaded it, and carried away the king’s possessions, including all of his wives and sons except for Jehoahaz, his youngest, who was also called Ahaziah. Furthermore, Jehoram came down with a severe bowel disease. He suffered in extreme pain for 2 years before he finally died. Jehoram (Joram) had been such a bad ruler that the people of Judah did not mourn or honor his death with fire (2 Chronicles 16:14). Though they did bury him in Jerusalem, they did not lay his body in the tomb of the kings.
CONCLUSION
As we come to the end of another message, let me make 3 observations from today’s text. First, as it pertains to the Shunammite woman’s property, we see that God is able to restore a land that has been abandoned and deserted years later to its rightful owner. In like fashion, the LORD providentially restored the Promised Land to Israel in 1948, almost 2,000 years after its independence had been lost. This land of milk and honey had been given to the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by God as an eternal inheritance. The revival and restoration of Israel in its Biblical homeland is unprecedented in human history.
Second, the ascension of Hazael to the kingship of Aram is yet another example of the reliability of God’s prophetic word. He had revealed this future occurrence to Elijah and had spoken it through Elisha. Once again, the truthfulness of God’s word was confirmed. Over the next few weeks, we will read more about Hazael’s evil leadership.
Third, Jehoram of Judah was 1 of the worst kings to ever rule over the southern kingdom. His father Jehoshaphat, who was a good and godly king for the most part, repeatedly allied himself with the northern kingdom and had allowed his son, Jehoram, to marry Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter Athalia. Swayed by her wicked influence, Jehoram provoked God and led the people of Judah astray. His idolatrous actions almost led to the severing of David’s royal dynasty. His story, and those which will follow in the coming chapters, vividly illustrate the danger of compromising with evil.
Following the Biblical sequence, Jehoram, the younger son of Ahab, became king over Israel in 2 Kings 1:17 after his childless, older brother Ahaziah died. Around this time, Elijah was translated into heaven and Elisha took his place as the prominent prophet in the northern kingdom. For the past several chapters (2-7) we have focused primarily on the ministry of Elisha during Jehoram’s 12 year reign. This morning, as we examine 2 Kings 8, it is safe to say that we have progressed in time just over a decade to near the end of Jehoram’s tenure.
In today’s sermon, we will discuss a final story from Jehoram’s rule in Israel, see a transition of power in the neighboring kingdom of Aram, and find out what’s been going on in the southern kingdom of Judah all this time. This message is titled “Jehoram and Jehoram”. It is the 18th installment of our current sermon series on the “Divided Kingdom Era”.
I. JEHORAM RESTORES PROPERTY (2 Kings 8:1-6)
Throughout most of Jehoram’s reign, there was a severe and long-lasting famine in Israel (2 Kings 4:38, 6:25, 7:4). Earlier during his kingship, Elisha had raised the Shunammite woman’s child from the dead (2 Kings 4:8-37). With these 2 facts in place, let us consider the passage described in the opening verses of 2 Kings 8, and discover (as Paul Harvey used to say) “the rest of the story…”
Going back a few years, after he had brought the Shunammite woman’s son back to life, Elisha had instructed her and her family to sojourn to another land because God had called for a 7 year famine to take place in Israel. She and her household went to Philistia, where they lived throughout the entire famine. When it ended, they returned to Israel and she met with King Jehoram to ask that her home and property might be returned to her. Apparently, it had been confiscated due to her family’s desertion.
The king spoke with Gehazi, who apparently was still Elisha’s servant at this point and had not yet contracted leprosy. He recalled how, some 7 years before, his master had raised the Shunammite’s son to life. Then the woman’s resurrected son appealed to the king and Gehazi confirmed their identity as the recipients of this great miracle. Upon hearing her second appeal, Jehoram restored the Shunammite woman’s property and produce to her. Thus, the family returned to and resettled in their abandoned home.
II. HAZAEL BECOMES KING OF ARAM (2 Kings 8:7-15)
Elisha went to Damascus, the capital of Aram (Syria), presumably to see Ben-hadad who was deathly sick. The king sent Hazael, his servant, to greet Elisha with a gift and ask if he would recover from his illness. So Hazael brought the generous gift to Elisha and asked him about the king’s fate. Elisha instructed Hazael to tell Ben-hadad that he would (given sufficient time) recover, but predicted that he would die (of other causes) before the recovery took place.
Then Elisha gazed deeply at Hazael and began to weep. When Hazael asked him why he was crying, Elisha answered that as the new king of Aram, Hazael would bring great calamity and destruction upon Israel. Hazael seemed surprised by the prophecy, but Elisha assured him that he would indeed become king and these terrible things would occur. So Hazael returned to Ben-hadad and told him that, according to the word of Elisha, he would surely recover from his sickness. But then, the very next day, the murderous and treacherous Hazael suffocated the ailing king with a wet cloth and usurped his place on the throne. Hazael’s rise to become Aram’s king had been foretold to Elijah years earlier during the reign of Ahab (1 Kings 19:15).
III. ANOTHER JEHORAM IN JUDAH (2 Kings 8:16-24; 2 Chronicles 21:1-20)
In the 5th year of Jehoram’s (aka, Joram’s) reign in Israel, another man also named Jehoram replaced his father Jehoshaphat as the new king in Judah. So, for a few years, the kings of both the northern and southern kingdoms had the same name. Jehoram was 32 years old when he became the sole king of Judah after Jehoshaphat’s death and he reigned for 8 years in Jerusalem. He had co-reigned with his father for around 6 years prior to this. Jehoram was married to Athaliah, the corrupt daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and was heavily influenced by her wicked ways. In order to secure his grip on the throne, he killed all of his brothers and several other rulers in the land. Jehoram did evil in the sight of the LORD, but God tolerated him for the sake of His covenant with David.
During his kingship, Edom revolted against Judah and set up a king for themselves. Jehoram and his army marched against and struck the Edomites, nevertheless its rebellion continued. So also, the city of Libnah (in Judah) revolted against Jehoram as well in outright objection to his evil rule and practice. Jehoram set up high places in the mountains of Judah to worship false gods and led the southern kingdom astray.
As his immoral reign wore on, Jehoram received a letter written by the prophet Elijah. It strongly condemned him for his evil ways and for forsaking the righteousness of his father Jehoshaphat and grandfather Asa. It went on to prophesy that the LORD was about to strike Jehoram’s kingdom, his family, and his possessions. Furthermore, God would cause Jehoram himself to contract a terrible bowel disease. The receipt of this letter, as we discussed earlier in this series, suggests that Elijah was not taken up into Heaven but rather was translated to a remote location on the earth where he quietly kept abreast of the ongoing events in Israel and Judah which precipitated the writing of this letter.
Sure enough, not long after a combined force of Philistines and African Arabs came up against Judah, invaded it, and carried away the king’s possessions, including all of his wives and sons except for Jehoahaz, his youngest, who was also called Ahaziah. Furthermore, Jehoram came down with a severe bowel disease. He suffered in extreme pain for 2 years before he finally died. Jehoram (Joram) had been such a bad ruler that the people of Judah did not mourn or honor his death with fire (2 Chronicles 16:14). Though they did bury him in Jerusalem, they did not lay his body in the tomb of the kings.
CONCLUSION
As we come to the end of another message, let me make 3 observations from today’s text. First, as it pertains to the Shunammite woman’s property, we see that God is able to restore a land that has been abandoned and deserted years later to its rightful owner. In like fashion, the LORD providentially restored the Promised Land to Israel in 1948, almost 2,000 years after its independence had been lost. This land of milk and honey had been given to the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by God as an eternal inheritance. The revival and restoration of Israel in its Biblical homeland is unprecedented in human history.
Second, the ascension of Hazael to the kingship of Aram is yet another example of the reliability of God’s prophetic word. He had revealed this future occurrence to Elijah and had spoken it through Elisha. Once again, the truthfulness of God’s word was confirmed. Over the next few weeks, we will read more about Hazael’s evil leadership.
Third, Jehoram of Judah was 1 of the worst kings to ever rule over the southern kingdom. His father Jehoshaphat, who was a good and godly king for the most part, repeatedly allied himself with the northern kingdom and had allowed his son, Jehoram, to marry Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter Athalia. Swayed by her wicked influence, Jehoram provoked God and led the people of Judah astray. His idolatrous actions almost led to the severing of David’s royal dynasty. His story, and those which will follow in the coming chapters, vividly illustrate the danger of compromising with evil.