READING: 2 Chronicles 21-24
I’ve officiated at a lot of funerals over the years. Some have been glorious homecomings of faithful followers of Jesus, but others have been painful reminders of a life not lived well. One of the most difficult things I’ve had to do is try to help a family come up with good memories when they really had none — when anything good I would have said would have seemed forced and faked. Tragic, indeed.
In today’s reading, the life of Jehoram reflects that same tragedy. He became the king after Jehoshaphat, and he then killed all of his brothers to remove any threats to his throne. He led the people of Judah to turn to false gods, and the Lord then allowed the Philistines to attack Judah in judgment. Jehoram himself died of an incurable disease of the bowels as God brought judgment on him. His brief obituary reads as follows: “He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings” (2 Chron 21:20).
He was king for only eight years, and he died when he was 40 years old — but he lived long enough to turn everyone against him. No one regretted his death. What a tragedy.
I can only wonder how many people live this way today. Sin has completely enveloped them. They’ve turned against their own family. They leave in their path only pain and destruction. Even their loved ones have given up on them. Should they die, it’s almost as if no one would care.
Except God. He cares.
He died for all of us, including those who die to no one’s regret.
ACTION STEPS:
- Make a godly difference in somebody’s life today. Offer a helping hand. Say a prayer with somebody.
- Prayerfully consider those who might die alone today, for whatever reason — perhaps a rejected prisoner, an abandoned elderly person, the lonely person dying of disease. Be willing to sit with someone who sits alone.
PRAYER: “God, help me to live my life in such a way that it pleases You and matters to others.”
TOMORROW¹S READING: 2 Chronicles 25-27