December 30th, 2012
2 Chronicles 21
“Help”
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. — James 1:12
Background information:
- Jehoshaphat had to have been a bad judge of character because the only times he gets in trouble he tends to think better of people than what reality revealed.
- As we have seen, Jehoram’s father, Jehoshaphat, had taken his responsibilities as an undershepherd for the Lord seriously (see 19:4-11). But within the short reign of 8 years, Jehoram was able to dismantle what his father had so carefully built up. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 248)
- The chiastic pattern is employed by the Chronicler in 2 Chronicles 21 to place emphasis on the message of Elijah to Jehoram.
A Chronology (5)
B Wrongdoing (royal sons) (4, 6-7)
C Rebellion of Edom and Libnah (8-11)
D Letter from Elijah (royal sons) (12-15)
C’ Rebellion of Philistines and Arabs (16-17)
B’ Punishment for wrongdoing (royal sons) (17-19)
A’ Chronology (20) (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 164)
- (v. 1) As soon as Jehoshaphat died, the results of the marriage alliance with the house of Ahab became obvious. Jehoram, the new occupant of the throne, displayed the same wickedness as his father-in-law, Ahab, urged on by his wife, Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel (v. 6). (Broadman & Holman Pub, Shepherd’s Notes, 1, 2 Chr, 74)
- (v. 2) He also murders certain “officials of Israel.” Doubtless these are not northern officials, but members of the Judean bureaucracy loyal to Jehoshaphat’s other sons; note that Jehoshaphat himself is called “the king of Israel” (in the MT of 21:2. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 185)
- (v. 4) In direct contrast to his father Jehoshaphat, who “walked in [God’s] commandments, and not according to the ways of Israel” (2 Chr 17:4), Jehoram “walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done; for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: (21:6). Jehoram’s downfall is his marriage to Athaliah, arranged by Jehoshaphat and Ahab to seal their ill-fated alliance (see 2 Chr 18:1). (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 185)
- The Chronicler traces the wickedness of Jehoram directly to his marriage to “a daughter of Ahab” (21:6). Tragically, the corruption of godly kingship through intermarriage is a repeated theme in the history of the Israelite monarchy (e.g., 1 Kgs 11:3; 16:31). According to the indictment of King Ahab by Jehu, the ways of the house of Ahab were idolatry and witchcraft–the antithesis of the code of conduct that the Israelites received at Mount Sinai (2 Kgs 9:22; cf. Ex 20:4; Dt 18:10). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 514)
- The execution of political rivals, even family members, is not unprecedented in the OT (e.g., Jdg 9:5; 2 Kgs 10:11; 11:1). The practice was common in the biblical world and especially in Canaanite culture. The custom was probably imported into the monarchy of Judah by the counsel of Jehoram’s wife Athaliah, since her mother, Jezebel, was a Phoenician princess who worshiped the god Baal. No doubt this influence contributed to Athaliah’s vendetta against the family of David (2 Chr 22:100. (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 513-14)
- (v. 4) some officials of Israel. May point to the presence of Israelite officials in Judah. That is quite possible considering the relationship between Judah and Israel at the time. (Jacob M. Myers, 1 Chronicles, a New Translation, 120)
- (v. 10) Though Libnah had originally been one of the ancient Canaanite cities, it had been under the rule of God’s people for such a long time that its inhabitants could hardly have considered the rule of the house of David to be a domination by some foreign power, as was the case of Edom. Why, then, would these people of Judah revolt against their own king? This was the hand of God, now turned against the house he had once upheld–all because Jehoram had “forsaken…the God of his fathers” (v. 10). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 246-47)
- If the identification of Libnah with Tell es-Safi is correct, Jehoram not only had trouble to the east in Edom, but also to the west in the Philistine plain. Tell es-Safi (“Lobana”) is at the western end of the Valley of Elah, i.e., on the border between Philistia and Judah. If Libnah’s revolt was roughly simultaneous with the rebellion in Edom, Jehoram would have been in the tenuous position of fighting on two fronts. The city was regained by the time of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 19:8). (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 166)
- (v. 12) Elijah has not been mentioned in the text of Chronicles to this point; he was, after all, a prophet of Israel, not of Judah. However, as the great prophetic foe of the northern king Ahab, his wife Jezebel, and their family (see 1 Kgs 16:29-19:21; 21:1-29; 2 Kgs 1:1-18), it is certainly appropriate that Elijah should rebuke Ahab’s son-in-law. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 186)
- Elijah was alive during part of Jehoram’s reign since he was apparently a coregent with Jehoshaphat as early as 853 B.C. Prophetic documents like letters and written oracles are known at the same time period (cf. 1 Chr 29:29; 2 Chr 20:34). Finally, 2 Kings suggests that Elijah and Elisha were complementary prophets at least for a time and that Elijah’s letter may have been written during this period of his old age before his translation into heaven (cf. 2 Kgs 2:1-2). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 515)
- That Jehoram “received a letter from Elijah” (v. 12) has been labeled “a pure product of the imagination, since Elijah had nothing to do with the S. Kingdom, and clearly was not living at this time (2 Kgs 3:11 [i.e., before Jehoshaphat’s death and Jehoram’s installation in 848 B.C])” (Curtis, 415-16). Both criticisms, however, are answerable. Elijah’s career did involve the south, specifically “Beersheba in Judah” (1 Kgs 19:3); his flight took him, indeed, as far south as Sinai (v. 8). Also, though Elijah’s last dated act occurred in 852 (*2 Kgs 1:3, 17), his translation to heaven (2:11) still need not have occurred till after Jehoram’s accession as sole monarch over Judah and his crimes of slaughtering his brothers and his officials, in the year 848 (8:16). The words in 2 Kgs 3:11 about Elisha “tell us only that the latter was Elijah’s assistant…not that Elijah was no longer upon earth” (Keil, 397). Elijah may, however, have been gone by the time of the delivery of his letter, so that its sentence of doom could have had the force of a voice coming from the dead. (Frank E. G belein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 506-07)
- There is a slight problem in that a plain reading of 2 Kgs 2-3 would suggest that Elijah was by now dead. (2 Kgs 3:11 shows that Elisha, Elijah’s successor, had begun his ministry already in Jehoshaphat’s reign.) It may be, of course, that Elisha was recognized as a prophet before taking Elijah’s mantle, and there is therefore some uncertainty about the chronology here. But the Chronicler may well intend us to understand that Elijah’s letter came from heaven. The appropriateness of Jehoram’s condemnation coming from Elijah rather than another prophet lies in the fact that he was the great antagonist of Ahab (1 Kgs 17-18), with whom Jehoram is now compared. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 199)
- (v. 18-19) As with most illnesses mentioned in the OT a technical vocabulary is not used to name or describe the disease; conjectures about the nature of Jehoram’s illness have included ulcers, colitis, chronic diarrhea, and dysentery. (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 168)
- (v. 20) It has been observed that usually the royal epilogues of Chronicles contain at this point a reference to sources of further information (cf. 20:34). By omitting such a reference the Chronicler is recording his own conviction that Jehoram was not worthy of further investigation. He was best forgotten. It is a tragic obituary of a wasted life and a failure to live up to one’s heritage. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 321)
The question to be answered is . . . Why did the Chronicler reveal this tragic story of evil Jehoram and his rebellion against the ways of his righteous father Jehoshaphat?
Answer: Because there was for the people of Judah a real temptation to forsake the ways of the Lord and follow evil leaders because it was popular, convenient and seemed best. Just like the post-exilic audience to whom this was addressed, we all need help to never lose in the dark what we knew to be true in the light.
Mark Hatfield tells of touring Calcutta with Mother Teresa and visiting the so-called “House of Dying,” where sick children are cared for in their last days, and the dispensary, where the poor line up by the hundreds to receive medical attention. Watching Mother Teresa minister to these people, feeding and nursing those left by others to die, Hatfield was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the suffering she and her co-workers face daily. “How can you bear the load without being crushed by it?” he asked. Mother Teresa replied, “My dear Senator, I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful.”
The Word for the Day is . . . help
What can we learn from the Chronicler’s telling of 2 Chronicles 21?:
I. We all need help to persevere when those who are evil and in leadership are killing, threatening and torturing those who resist them. (2 Chr 21:4-6, 12-13; Ps 119:86, 161; Prv 3:5-6; 14:12; 16:25; Jer 15:15; Mt 5:10-12; Mk 10:30; 1 Cor 4:12; 2 Cor 4:7-9; 12:10; 2 Thes 1:4; 2 Tm 3:11-12)
The essence of Ahab’s wickedness lay in the fact that he had turned the possession of kingship to his own advantage, notably in the Naboth episode (1 Kgs 21). Jehoram quickly shows, in the massacre of his brothers, that he is no more predisposed to a proper discharge of his divinely ordained duties. Rather he is motivated by a jealous protection of his own interests, and perhaps by covetousness of that wealth which his father’s will had denied him (v. 3). Jehoram’s sin is based, therefore, on the illusion that life and security can be achieved by human means and without regard for morality or compassion. Ironically, Jehoram’s efforts to safeguard his royal position put at risk the very continuance of the dynasty, the massacre being the first in a sequence of events which will result in its near extinction. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 198)
II. We all need help to persevere because God is always faithful to His promises even when we are not. (2 Chr 21:7; Gn ch. 15; Ps 18:25; 33:4; 85:8; 119:50, 57-58; 145:13; 146:6; Rom 4:20-21; 2 Cor 1:20; 1 Thes 5:24; 2 Thes 3:3; 2 Tm 2:13; Heb 6:12-17; 10:23, 36; 11:11-13; Jas 1:12; 2 Pt 1:4)
The Chronicler’s treatment of the validity of the Davidic covenant in the past no doubt spoke also to the dynastic aspirations of his post-exilic audience; it is hard to believe that the author would invoke God’s fidelity to this promise to David for the past unless hope of a dynastic restoration was also a feature of his own faith. (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 169)
God’s judgment was surely going to fall on such a wicked king. Yet “because of the covenant the LORD had made with David, the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever” (v. 7). He does not annul his grace because the evil people do. God had promised David that his house and his kingdom would endure (1 Chr 17). Even if the world were full of Jehorams, the Lord would not renege on what he had said. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 245)
Despite the wickedness of Jehoram and Athaliah, God’s faithfulness to David’s house remained intact, “because of the covenant that he had made with David” (2 Chr 21:7; see 1 Chr 17:1-15; 2 Chr 13:5). God’s promise to David is expressed poetically as “a lamp to him and to his descendants forever” (2 Chr 21:7//2 Kgs 8:19). (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 185)
His retelling of Israel’s history is a reminder that God’s promise remains operative and that the lamp of David still burns. That truth is no less important for the NT writers as Israel awaits the coming of David’s kingdom and the triumph of his root (Mk 11:10; Rv 5:5). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 514)
Significantly the Chronicler changes “Judah” in 2 Kgs 8:19 to “the house of David,” blatantly juxtaposing it with “the house of Ahab.” In logical terms the former had chameleon-like so donned the character of the latter that it deserved the fate of Ahab’s house (see 1 Kgs 21:22, 29; 2 Kgs 9:7-9). However, grace in the form of the “covenant” promises made by God to David (see 1 Chr 17:12) intervened, altering the wages of sin into eternal life for the Davidic dynasty. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 318)
They (Jehoram and Ahaziah) are the first reigns to be judged in totally negative terms; as such they form a dark backdrop to God’s redeeming purpose (21:7). “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom 5:20). (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 317)
III. We all need help to persevere because when evil is rampant it is easy to think God is on vacation. (2 Chr 21:8-10; Ps 62:1-6; 94:14; Isa 41:17; 42:16; Jn 14:18; Heb 13:5)
IV. We all need help to persevere because the world desires for us to commit adultery against God. (2 Chr 21:11, 13; Jer 2:20; 3:1-9; 9:2; Ezek 6:9; 16:15-41; 23:3-45; Hos 1:2; 3:1; 5:3-4; 9:1; Mt 12:39; 16:4; Jas 4:4; 2 Pt 2:14)
The church is a prostitute, but she is my mother.” – St. Augustine
The terminology of prostitution refers to the practice of idolatry (see 1 Chr 5:25; also 2 Chr 21:13). The metaphor stemmed from the practice of fertility prostitution in Canaanite worship (see Jer 3:1; Ezek 16:35f.) and the belief that Israel was the bride of God (see Hos 1:2-7). (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 353)
Jehoram built up the “high places,” the very shrines that his father and grandfather had tried to eradicate. Here the people “prostituted themselves” (“committed fornication”). But though the Canaanitish worship thus reintroduced did involve sexual immorality (cf. 1 Kgs 22:46), the emphasis at this point is how the king “led Judah astray,” into faithlessness in respect to Yahweh, her divine husband. To Moses and the prophets, idolatry was adulterous prostitution (v. 13; Lv 20;5; cf. Nm 25:1-2). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 506)
When we sin, we are in essence saying to God: I love what this other thing does for me more than what YOU do for me God. We are like a spouse who is found in adultery with another lover. Repentance can only be seen properly when we see ourselves as an adulterer going back to our faithful mate when we have sought the arms of another.
A wife who is 85% faithful to her husband is not faithful at all. There is no such thing as part-time loyalty to Jesus Christ. We are the bride of Christ! — Vance Havner.
V. We all need help to persevere because, in His time, God always reciprocates evil with justice for, “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord”.(2 Chr 21:14-20; Isa 35:4; 61:1-2; Jer 16:18; 20:12; 25:14; 50:15, 28; 51:6; Ezek 25:17; Mic 5:15; Nah 1:2; Rom 12:19; Heb 10:30)
Elijah’s letter condemns Jehoram for “walking in the way of the kings of Israel” (21:13; compare 21:6), particularly his father-in-law Ahab, and for the murder of his brothers. Because of this, the Lord declares, a great plague will come upon Jehoram’s people, his family, and his possessions, while he himself will die of a loathsome and painful disease of the bowels (21:14-15). The plague, it develops, is Philistia and Arabia; nations that had been loyal to Jehoshaphat (17:11), but now turn violently upon the kingdom of his son. Jehoram’s treasures are stolen, and his wives and sons (save Athaliah and the youngest son, Jehoahaz) are kidnapped. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 187)
First, the Philistine and Arab invasion demonstrates conclusively the Lord’s judgment upon Judah, as well as upon Jehoram. That the culprits were nations who had formerly been friendly to Jehoram’s father Jehoshaphat intensifies the contrast between righteous Jehoshaphat and sinful Jehoram. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 187)
Jehoram’s final illness is described in gory detail (2 Chr 21:18-19). Christian readers may be reminded of the grisly deaths of Judas and Herod Agrippa in Acts, which are likewise meted out for egregious acts of impiety (Acts 1:16-20 and 12:20-23). (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 187)
Jehoram’s breach of faith cannot negate God’s promise regarding David’s house; it does, however, have direct consequences for Jehoram’s reign. Edom rebels against Jehoram, as it had earlier rebelled against Jehoshaphat (see 2 Chr 20:2, 10); this time, however, the rebellion succeeds. Edom, joined in revolt by Libnah, would never again be subject to Judah (21:10; but see 25:11-20). According to the Chronicler, this took place “because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his ancestors” (21:10). Just as security had come to Jehoshaphat through faithfulness and obedience to the divine word, insecurity and rebellion strike Jehoram because of faithlessness and disobedience. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 186)
If Jehoshaphat’s virtue was to seek God (17:4; 19:3; 22:9), his son’s vice was to forsake Him. The Chronicler’s view of moral providence was a high one: he delights to demonstrate how God keeps short accounts in the payment of moral debts. So if the reward of his father’s seeking God was the consolidation of his kingdom (17:5), Jehoram’s own recompense for forsaking Him was its depletion. Evil does not go unpunished. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 319)
Jehoram’s murder of his brothers will be rewarded by the violent death of his sons. (H.G.M. Williamson, The New Century Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Chr, 307)
God took from him not only everything he had tried to secure for himself, but also many of the blessings given to his two predecessors. In so doing, God was making it clear to his OT people that earthly blessings come to those whose lives are spiritually in order. But for those who let their lives fall into spiritual disarray, trouble and sorrow would be all they could hope to find. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 252)
Irony permeates the account of Jehoram’s reign. Rather than enlarging the scope of his power through seizing his brothers’ cities, he loses control over Libnah and Edom; rather than securing the succession of his own children by slaughtering his brothers, he sees them suffer a similar fate; rather than securing life and happiness for himself, he suffers an agonizing and premature death; rather than gaining the devotion of his subjects, he dies unmourned and without the customary honors attending a royal funeral (McConville, 1989). So it is for those who forgot that the kingdom is God’s (1 Chr 10:14; 17:14; 28:5; 29:11; 2 Chr 13:8). (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 169-70)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: What does this message have to do with Christ and me?:
A. We persevere by listening to and following God, not the world. (Dt chpts 28-32; Ps 1; 63:1; 69:6, 32; 119; Prv 3:5-6; 30:5; Jer 50:4; Lam 3:25; Amos 5:4-6, 14; Zep 2:3; Lk 11:28; Rom 10:11, 17; 15:4; Eph 6:17; 1 Thes 2:13; 1 Tm 4:13-16; 2 Tm 3:15-16; 1 Pt 1:23)
The Christian faith flies in the face of social Darwinism and its principles of perfection. Ours is not the “survival of the fittest” but the “survival of the weakest.” That is, those alone who come to terms with their spiritual impotence are granted the grace of God to persevere in his strength. You will fall. Stop trying to live the “victorious Christian life” and simply live, as you feed on God’s Word and grow by his Spirit. (Michael Horton, Putting Amazing Back into Grace, p. 213)
B. We persevere by acknowledging that this world and its lies are fallen and are at war with God and His truth and his ways.(Gn 3:1-15; Ps 2:2; Jn 15:19; Rom 8:17-25; 1 Jn chpts 3-5; Jas 4:4; 1 Jn 2:15-17)
C. We persevere by recognizing that the world will always fail us but that God always keeps His promises.(Ps 73:26; Isa 51:6; Lam 4:17; Rom 4:20-21)
The central point here relates rather to the folly and wickedness of usurping the place of God. Jehoram did not merely aim to exercise authority. He sought to control destinies. The same urge is not absent from the 20th century. It is indulged wherever there is systematic suppression of, or discrimination against, classes of people for the preservation of group-interests. It is indulged most hideously in the realm of genetic manipulation and convenience-abortions. In every area of life (government, science, arts, etc.) men and women are under the necessity of distinguishing between an authority derived from God and the sovereign province of God himself. There is infallibly a moral dimension in the perception of the distinctions. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 199)
D. We persevere by recognizing the end of those that follow the world and those who keep their eyes on Jesus (2 Chr 21:20; Ps 30:5; 112:10; Jer 17:18; 52:3; Gal 6:7; Mt 8:12; 10:22; 13:39-50; 22:13; ch 25; Mk 13:13; Heb 10:36)
In the words of Lewis Smedes:
Vengeance is a passion to get even. It is a hot desire to give back as much pain as someone gave you. . . The problem with revenge is that it never gets what it wants; it never evens the score. Fairness never comes. The chain reaction set off by every act of vengeance always takes its unhindered course. It tries both the injured and the injurer to an escalator of pain. Both are stuck on the escalator as long as parity is demanded, and the escalator never stops, never lets anyone off. (Philip Yancey, What’s so Amazing About Grace?, 115)
Miroslav Volf (a Croatian theologian) talking about non-violence with the Serbs, wrote in his book Exclusion and Embrace . . . it is easy for us in our pleasant living room in the West, to come up with high-minded theories of nonviolence. Our villages have not been burned, our brothers and sisters have not had their throats slit, our sisters have not been assaulted. His had. And he lumps the idea of a noncoercive God in with “many other pleasant captivities of the liberal mind.” But there is one thing that can save us from becoming vengeful people. It’s a belief in divine vengeance. “The certainty of God’s just judgment at the end of history is the presupposition for the renunciation of violence in the middle of it.” (Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Preaching the Word: Isaiah, 125)
E. We persevere by keeping our eyes on Jesus (Ps 37:3; 105:4; 115:9-11; 125:1; Prv 3:5-6; Isa 25:6; 31:1; Mk 11:22; Heb 12:1-2)
A.
The measure of Jehoram’s sin, therefore, becomes a measure of God’s disposition to make ever new beginnings. Chronicles’ insistence on this as a reason for the dynasty continuing, in an age when in fact no king sat upon the throne, betrays a conviction that that disposition of God to put human sin behind and to persevere with humanity through a son of David had yet to reach its full expression. In Jesus Christ the eternal Covenant with David has been vindicated, nor can it ever be frustrated by human frailty–though the divine imperative lies still upon the participants in it. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 200)
Worship point: When you begin to realize just how insecure and evil this world really is, and how God is working with us to try and redeem and save us; then worship will become more and more in spirit and in truth.
Spiritual Challenge: To assist you in your perseverence: Read the Bible (Lowell Biggins). See the world as the believer’s enemy. Know that even though we fail, God is forever faithful (semper fi). Begin to see the end of those in the world and the end of those who are “in Christ”. Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
“Look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” — Hebrews 12:2
Christ:
Our Helper
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