2 Kings 8

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2 Kings 8:20-23,  In his days Edom broke away from the rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves. Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents. So Edom has broken away from Judah to this day. Then Libnah broke away at the same time. Now the rest of the acts of Joram and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

This is a chapter filled with much drama.  Besides the first narrative about the Shunammite widow having her home and land restored to her (a beautiful picture of God’s care for widows), the rest of the chapter is all about kings behaving badly.  One king is killed by his lieutenant who then takes the throne.  Other kings, even those with Godly fathers, were highly influenced by the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord.  Over and over again, the kings disobey God, marry women who disobey God, and then create offspring who disobey God.  It’s a vicious cycle.

In our focus verses, we find a brief description of how Edom broke away from Judah, the southern Kingdom.  The kings, with their messy, dramatic lives, operating far out of God’s design, have made Judah a weak nation.  Long gone are the days of David and Solomon.  Now, Joram, king of Judah, can’t get control of his people, his nation, and its various regions.  There is chaos in Judah.  Things aren’t going to get much better…

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, Help us stay in your design for our lives.  I know we mess up a lot, our own lives can be filled with drama and disorder.  Lord, create order where there is chaos.  Order our lives and our hearts.  Help us stay strong in you.  More of you, less of me, Jesus.  Amen.