"(Jehoram) was 32 years old when he began to reign; he reigned 8 years in Jerusalem. He departed with no one's regret. They buried him int he city of David, but not in the tomb of the kings."
(2 Chronicles 21:20)
When King Jehoshaphat died, his eldest son, Jehoram, assumed the throne. Then in what had all the makings of a Quentin Tarantino film, he killed his 6 brothers and some of the royal officials (who, I assume, he felt were disloyal to him). He was 32 years old. The Chronicler tells us that "he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD" (v.6) throughout his entire 8-year reign. He died in great agony (see v.18-19 for the gruesome details!). And, here's the kicker... "He departed with no one's regret."
Setting aside the whole kill-your-brothers and do-what-is-evil-in-the-sight-of-the-Lord thing (which, I know, are two biggies!)... how sad to die and have not a single person feel badly about your passing. That tells me that Jehoram lived his entire life only for himself. It was all about him. If anyone else got in the way, they were simply eliminated (whacked!). And in the end, he died in agony and alone. He thought he "had it all," but actually, he had nothing. Nothing.
I was also reading John 12 today... and there Jesus tells his followers, "Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25). I think he means those who live only for themselves will be left with nothing... but those who give themselves away for others (like Jesus did) will gain eternity.
Unfortunately, Jehoram, with all his power and authority, didn't understand that. And he departed with no one's regret. It makes me stop and re-evaluate what I've got planned for my day. Not just today, but everyday. Is it all about me, or others? Hmmm....
AMEN.
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