Rule of Jehoram of Judah 

As mentioned before, after Jehoshaphat's death, his firstborn son Jehoram, who reigned with him for the last few years of Jehoshaphat's life, became sole king over Judah. Although Jehoshaphat had been, generally speaking, a righteous king, his son Jehoram was extremely wicked—even slaughtering his brother and other princes. This helps to show that the righteousness of parents is not automatically passed on to their children. Of course, Jehoshaphat did not help matters through the terrible mistake of having Jehoram marry Athaliah, the daughter of wicked King Ahab. In fact, this directly contributed to the corruption of Jehoram's character. Indeed, we are specifically told that she influenced him to walk in the way of the kings of Israel, who lived in idolatrous rebellion against God (2 Chronicles 21:6). Still, Jehoram bore responsibility for his own actions. The letter from Elijah rebuked him for the terrible things he had done (verse 13).

Since Jehoram and the nation of Judah had forsaken God, God forsook them, enabling nations like Edom and Libnah to revolt against Judah (verses 8-10; 2 Kings 8:20-22). (Edom designates the descendants of Jacob's twin brother Esau, who sold his birthright for a stew of lentils, Genesis 25:31-43.)

As the apostasy of Jehoram and the people worsened (2 Chronicles 21:11), God Himself stirred up enemy nations to attack Judah (verses 16-17). When Jehoram still refused to repent, God struck him with an incurable disease. As we will soon see in a later reading, he dies from this disease in severe pain (verses 18-19), exactly as Elijah had warned him (verse 15). Listen to this unflattering summary of the life and death of this evil king, which we will read again in sequence when we soon come to this later reading: "He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one's sorrow, departed" (verse 20).

Since God was faithful regarding the covenant He had made with David, He would not cut off the kingship from the house of David. Rather, He would see to it that there would always be a descendant of David sitting on David's throne (verse 7; 2 Kings 8:19; see 2 Samuel 7:14-16; Jeremiah 33:20-22, 25-26). So Jehoram remains on the throne until his death. And after Jehoram's death, his one remaining son, Ahaziah, will become the next king of Judah, sitting on the throne of David (2 Chronicles 21:17; 2 Kings 8:24). It is this seat of power, the present form of which is the throne of Great Britain, to which Jesus will return and on which He, as a descendant of David, will sit and from which He will rule the nations (see Luke 1:31-33; "The Throne of Britain: Its Biblical Origin and Future").