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Day 116, or April 26. Marriages are made in heaven, or should be?

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Our thoughts today are rooted in two chronicles, chapter 21, verse 20. Jehoram was 32 years

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old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. He passed away

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to no one's regret, and was buried in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the

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kings.

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First, the big picture surrounding this verse. Even though one of the greatest prophets of

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Judaism, Elisha, was active during the reign of Jehoram and his father Jehoshaphat, it

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seems his godly example didn't rub off on to Jehoram, nor did the good life of his grandfather

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Asa. It would be more than a hundred years before the northern tribes would fall to the

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Assyrians, who would sweep in from the north, but already their wickedness was destroying

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their heritage and badly influencing their fellow Jews in southern Judah. The chronicler

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looks back at this low time in the monarchy of Judah, when some of the worst kings reigned,

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including their only queen, Athaliah, who was worse than most of the kings.

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Our action step for today. Despite his name, which means Yahweh is high, King Jehoram was

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a very wicked king, so bad that the Bible records that no one mourned him or regretted

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his passing. What dreadful words! What an awful epitaph for anyone to bear! He was married

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to a woman called Athaliah, who was daughter of Jezebel, and just as wicked as her mother.

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Jehoram was son of the godly king Jehoshaphat, but it seems was fatally influenced by his

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wife. I sense this is a timely reminder to all of us, parents and grandparents alike,

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to pray now for a suitable godly partner, for our children and grandchildren. Of course,

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I am not laying all the blame for the sins of Jehoram at the feet of his wife, but I

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can't help wondering if he might have been different if he had chosen a different wife.

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Our partners are vital to our spiritual life, at least mine is, so be much in prayer for

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future partners, for all your descendants. It's never too soon to start.