Jump Start # 831

2 Chronicles 21:20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Our passage today sums up the work of Jehoram, one of the kings of Judah. He inherited his reign from his father. He quickly executed all his brothers so there would be no rival or threat to the throne. He did evil and was not walking with the Lord. The Philistines raided his palace, kidnapped his family and looted the treasures of his palace. The Lord further struck Jehoram with an incurable bowel disease. He had it for two years. He died in great pain with his bowels coming out. Why we are left with these details are not known, other than to show the Lord’s disgust with this person.

Our verse tells us of the reaction of the people when he died. There doesn’t seem to have been any national mourning. He was not buried among the kings. In fact, from our verse, today, when he died, no one regretted it. No one was sad to see him go. What a sad legacy and shocking statement to how people feel about someone and the work one has done.

No one regretted. They were glad he was gone. It reminds me of a song from the Wizard of Oz, “Ding dong the witch is dead, which ole’ witch, the wicked witch.” I expect this king was not the only one to die with no one’s regret.  There are reasons for that.

• A selfish life will do that. Pushing your way upon people, using people, abusing people may get you to the top of the heap, but it’s a sure way to ruining relationships and making people hate you. When such a person leaves a company, no one regrets it. Rude may make T.V. shows, but it doesn’t win friendships.
• A mean life will do that. Some people are mean. They look mean. They talk mean. They intimidate and are bullies. There has always been bullies at school. Some continue on with that all of their lives. They become bullies at work. They become bullies at church. They scare people, threaten people and force their ways. They dominate meetings and no one dare challenges them because they will be attacked and destroyed. Nasty to the core are some of these bullies.

• A godless life will do that. Ever been to a ballgame where you witnessed a drunken display of ignorance? Loud, obnoxious, rude, offensive and thinking nothing of the people around him, such godless people ruin a good outing. Some want to flaunt their sinfulness in front of others. When they leave it is without regret. It is a relief when they are gone.

This king’s legacy has become a text book in how not to treat people.  He failed in life and when he was gone, everyone was glad. Some are glad when certain people simply leave a room. What a contrast to someone like Titus, who refreshed the spirit of a tired apostle Paul.

All of this makes us wonder how people view us. Are they glad when we come into a room or do they dread seeing us? Is there no regret when we leave or is there sadness when we are gone? How you treat others determines all of this. Judgmental spirits that only point out faults in others will lead to no one regretting your departure. Kindness is a characteristic found throughout the N.T. It is not being soft or weak. It is not ‘unmanly” to be kind. Jesus was kind. God is kind. Being a jerk is not cool, it is being a fool.

The king died without anyone’s regret. How sad. What a wasted opportunity and life. Make sure you are not repeating this story in your own life. Make a difference in the lives of others. Be that fresh breath of air that people need. Restore. Build up. Encourage. Strengthen. You will find many opportunities to do that, even today.

Roger