Key events in today’s reading:

• Dedication of the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-10)
• Queen of Sheba’s Visit (2 Chronicles 9:1-12)
• Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 10:1-11:4)
• Asa’s Reforms (2 Chronicles 15)
• Jehoshaphat’s Miraculous Victory (2 Chronicles 20:1-30)

Verse that stood out: 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 – 2 Chronicles 21:20

One of the things I’ve noticed the most about the period of the kings is the sin of presumption. While it’s something all the people of Judah and Israel fall into at one time or another, the kings carry this sin to its extreme. They seem to think that because they are the king of God’s people they can do as they please. But God cannot be mocked, as Paul will later say, a man reaps what he sows. Just because you start off as king, doesn’t mean you can get away with taking advantage of others. Jehoram experienced that. He presumed upon the covenant of God, presumed upon the affections of his people. As a result he died a horrific death, after which, the Bible tells us, no one was sad. What a pathetic commentary upon a life.

Unfortunately, the Jehorams of this world still exist. People who presume they can do whatever they want because of their position or their relationships to others. I’ve seen children take this posture with their parents, parents with their children, spouses with one another. The lives of those around these selfish souls become marked with bitterness and sorrow, so that when the person finally dies, he or she departs “to no one’s regret.”

Don’t be a Jehoram. Don’t presume upon other’s love. Be kind. Be compassionate. Be loving. Or as Jesus put it, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

For tomorrow:

• Cover to Cover: 2 Chronicles 22:7-34:26
• Key Passage: 2 Chronicles 24:17-22
• Verse of the Day: 2 Chronicles 24:20