16 Jul 2014

King Jehoram (Joram)

Posted by joncooper

How He Became King: After his brother Ahaziah died
When He Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 12 years
Ruled Over: Israel
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Elisha
Death: Assassinated by Jehu
Burial: His dead body was cast into Naboth’s field

After Ahaziah died, his brother Jehoram ruled over Israel for 12 years and did evil. He did not worship Baal like his parents had, but he still clung to the two golden calves of Jeroboam:

2 Kings 3:1: “Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.
3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.”

When Jehoram became king, Moab rebelled and stopped providing their tribute of sheep, rams, and wool. Jehoram persuaded Jehoshaphat (the king of Judah) to help him attack Moab:

2 Kings 3:4: “And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.
7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.”

The kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom gathered together and went out against Moab. However, during their journey they ran out of water. When Jehoram said that they were all going to die, Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet who could help them. When one of Jehoram’s servants mentioned Elisha, the kings went to visit him and ask for his help:

2 Kings 3:9: “So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.
10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.”

Elisha was not pleased to see them, and told them that if they had not brought Jehoshaphat along he would have refused to talk to them at all. Elisha then asked for a minstrel to come, and when the minstrel played Elisha said that they should dig some ditches:

2 Kings 3:14: “And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
16 And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.
17 For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.”

Elisha’s word came to pass. In the morning the ditches filled with water. The Moabites saw the water and thought that it was blood. They mistakenly believed that the three kings had attacked each other and were dead. When the Moabites rushed to loot Israel, the kings rose up and defeated them:

2 Kings 3:22: “And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.”

As Elisha had ordered, they completely destroyed the land of the Moabites:

2 Kings 3:25: “And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.”

This was not the last time that Jehoram encountered Elisha. During his reign, Naaman (the captain of the Syrian army) sought a cure for his leprosy. When one of his servants said that a prophet in Israel could cure him, the Syrian king sent Naaman to Jehoram and asked him to cure Naaman’s leprosy:

2 Kings 5:5: “And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.”

Jehoram was not at all pleased with this request. However, Elisha told the king to send Naaman over to visit him:

2 Kings 5:7: “And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

When Naaman came to Elisha, he was told to wash in the Jordan seven times. At first Naaman was angry, but when his servants talked to him Naaman did as Elisha had asked – and he was cured of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:9-27).

After this the king of Syria tried to assassinate Jehoram. However, Elisha told the king about their plans, and Jehoram was able to escape them:

2 Kings 6:8: “Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.”

When the king of Syria found out that Elisha was ruining his plans, he sent a great army against the city where Elisha was staying. However, the Lord sent an army of chariots of fire to protect Elisha. After Elisha prayed that God would smite the army with blindness, he led them to Jehoram. Jehoram wanted to kill them all, but Elisha commanded him to feed them and let them go:

2 Kings 6:18: “And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.”

Some time after this, Benhadad besieged Samaria. The famine was so great that people began eating their own children. Jehoram became exceedingly angry and threatened to kill Elisha:

2 Kings 6:30: “And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
31 Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.”

However, the king did not carry out his threat. The prophet told the people that the next day the famine would be over and the siege would be broken. Elisha’s word came to pass: the Lord made the Syrians hear the noise of a great army, and they panicked and fled. A group of lepers discovered that the Syrians were gone and they told the city porter. The Israelites then looted the Syrian camp and the famine came to an end (2 Kings 7).

During Jehoram’s reign, God’s judgment came upon the house of Ahab. God had promised to utterly destroy that house and He fulfilled His word. God commanded Jehu to kill the entire royal family:

2 Kings 9:7: “And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel.
8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:
9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:”

Jehu obeyed the Lord. He went on a rampage and slaughtered them all – including Jehoram:

2 Kings 9:22: “And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?
23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.
24 And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.”

After killing Jehoram, Jehu commanded that his body be cast into Naboth’s field, as punishment for what his father Ahab had done:

2 Kings 9:25: “Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him;
26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord.”

After Jehoram was killed, Jehu ruled over Israel.

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