2 Chronicles 21
Scripture:
16 The LORD aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived near the Cushites.
17 They attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah, the youngest.
18 After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels.
19 In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no fire in his honor, as they had for his fathers.
20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Observation:
There are opportunities for us to grow all around us. If we pay attention we can often learn what to do and sometimes what not to do by watching others. Yesterday, we learned from Jehoshaphat a lesson on what to do. Today, we learn from Jehoram a lesson of what not to do. Right out of the gate as Jehoram established himself as king, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. I don’t know about you, but as I was reading my heart was screaming, “NO!” It’s been so much fun over the past few days to read king after king honor God and to see the Lord bless and protect them.
If you wanted to classify this story as good, bad, or ugly, it would definitely be considered ugly. In writing this devotional the fact that I have 3 young boys matters. This story is crazy and I cannot wait to read it to my boys. They are going to say, “ewe….that’s awesome!” Boys are boys and although the story is a little extreme, I hope we are not distracted by Jehoram’s insides falling out. Over and over again the Bible is telling us, when we serve the Lord we experience His presence and when we turn our back on the Lord, His presence leaves us. I don’t know about you, but I like my intestines where they are. I’m not saying that if we do evil in the eyes of the Lord that our insides will fall out. To be honest though, I don’t think I want to find out!
Application:
- Personal Application: Be observant and grow everyday. We can learn the good, the bad, and the ugly from those around you. If you learn from others, you may save yourself from heartache and pain later in life.
- Family Devotional: Read this to passage to your family. If you have boys, well, the story takes care of itself. Talk to them about growing everyday and learning lessons from those around you. Ask them what lessons they can learn from this story. Ask them a lesson they have learned from someone near them this week. Share with your family what you have learned over the past few days. Pray with them.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for the awareness necessary to learn and grow from others.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that they will always stay teachable on their discipleship journey.
Three Year Reading Plan for Sunday, September 13 – Sunday, September 20:
- Sunday, September 13: 2 Chronicles 16
- Monday, September 14: 2 Chronicles 17
- Tuesday, September 15: 2 Chronicles 18
- Wednesday, September 16: 2 Chronicles 19
- Thursday, September 17: 2 Chronicles 20
- Friday, September 18: 2 Chronicles 21
- Saturday, September 19: 2 Chronicles 22
- Sunday, September 20: 2 Chronicles 23
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
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