II Chronicles
Chapter 15
Lessons from the Reign of King Jehoram
II Chronicles 21
From Good to Bad in One Generation
While king Jehosaphat was a great king, his mistaken leadership error was making friends with people that hated God and were God’s enemies. This mistaken friendship led to his son, Jehoram, marrying the daughter of King Ahab and Jezebel. Her name was Athaliah. She is without a doubt the worst woman leader in the Bible. More about her later.
King Jehoram reigned for only eight years! During his reign, the kingdom rapidly declined.
II Chronicles 21:5 “Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.”
King Jehoram’s reign is a great lesson in how rapidly an organization will diminish when a bad leader comes in and makes horrible decisions. Americans have seen the same decline in the presidency of Joe Biden. While it may take many years to allow a country to rise to the level of being righteous and prosperous, bad seeds that are sown in the prosperous years eventually lead to failure. Again, it is important to realize that what a leader does during the time of calmness eventually leads to the crisis.
While a prosperous, God-fearing country suffers under the curse of God as the people leave and forget the importance of blessing and pleasing God. People miss the things that God is trying to do because they have lost the ability to analyze the problems and find the solutions as they have rejected the daily reading and believing of the Bible. As society degrades and heads for the judgement of God, bad leaders arise and make catastrophic decisions rapidly decreasing the country or organization. A crisis is coming!
King Jehoram’s first mistake is one a lot of leaders make. He got rid of his brothers. Many men that are insecure make the mistake thinking that everyone is against them. The way to handle people is to get them on your side. Alas, King Jehoram killed them all!
II Chronicles 21:4 “Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel.”
Often pastors that take over a church started by someone else make the mistake of “running people off” instead of turning them into friends and followers.
Jesus taught the best way to handle your personal enemies was to pray for them! The good leader will assess his enemies, and rather than eliminate them will attempt to turn the enemy into a friend.
Matthew 5:43 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Don’t attempt to make them friends the way Jehoshaphat did. You can’t look at friends with the idea of “How can this friend help me?” You must use your friendship to help them find the perfect will of God for them! God allows you to have enemies so that you grow as a Christian leader. Pray for them and lead them to God. Help them make better decisions. Find ways to use them to strengthen your organization while helping them succeed in God’s will for their personal lives. This takes time and many of your enemies will become your friends!
While nothing good is written about King Jehoram, God’s estimation of him comes in a letter from the great prophet, Elijah:
II Chronicles 21:13-15 “But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself:
Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods:
And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.”
Learn this leadership lesson: When the leader makes a mistake, it affects a lot of people! Don’t be afraid to make good decisions but be aware that bad decisions reap very catastrophic results!
