A Royal Flop II Kings 3
A Royal Flop II Kings 3 Jehoram ascended Ahab’s throne and did nothing to stop the downward trajectory his ancestor accelerated. Ahab reigned poorly over a doomed dynasty. Jehoram perpetuated a losing legacy. He did let go of some of Ahab’s idols but “clung” (covenant word used for sticking to the agreement) to a predecessor’s lifeless gods. The One True and Living God wants us to cling to Him. He especially expects this clinginess of kings who rule over God’s people. Instead, these Israelite kings were glued to the pagan gods of the surrounding culture. There is an obvious royal tone to II Kings 3. The word king is used 22 times. The verbal form is used another three times. We might expect royal power to be the theme of this chapter. Instead the theme is royal weakness. Even a coalition of three kings can’t accomplish its simple goal of reining in one rebel king. King Jehoram faced ...