Jump Start # 1703

2 Chronicles 21:4 “Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rules of Israel also.”

The Presidential campaign continues to get nastier, meaner and personal. Less is being said about policy and what each will do and more and more is being pulled out of the past to throw suspicion upon the character. I don’t follow polls nor take part in them, but I think many are feeling like I am and that is we are tired of the name-calling, mud slinging and destructive behavior. When this is all over, some how this country is supposed to pull together and function. The divide is getting so wide between the two parties and the feelings are so bitter toward each side, that most likely very little will change, no matter who wins.

And as bad as this may seem to us, it is nothing like we find in our verse today. Jehoram, was the first born son of Jehoshaphat. There were a total of seven sons in that family. Each of the sons was given riches and fortified cities to live in. But the oldest, Jehoram, was given the throne. Our verse identifies one of the first acts as king. He killed his brothers. He was eliminating competition and potential rivals to the throne. With all the brothers dead, his place was set. Jehoram was wicked. He allowed idolatry to fill the land.

A letter is receive in the palace. It was written by Elijah the prophet. The letter was a condemnation of Jehoram’s wicked ways. The letter identified Jehoram’s sins, including the killing of his brothers, who the letter claimed were “better than you.” The letter ends with a chilling pronouncement. Jehoram’s family would be wiped out, including his wives and children. The king would suffer a painful disease in which is intestines would come out and he would die. Jehoram reigned eight miserable years and died “with no one’s regret.” A terrible end to a terrible king.

Throughout life we often find the wrong people in the place of authority. There have been school teachers who hated their jobs and that was obvious. There were college professors who made it their mission to make life miserable for their students. There were bosses who didn’t know what they were doing. There were politicians who were bought off and weak. There were elders in the church who were crushing the spirit of the church. Most of us can look back and remember those difficult times we had when the wrong person was in charge. As a student, as an employee, you are limited to what you can do. Most times, the only option is to suffer through it. Some office managers do not know how to manage. They play favorites and are inconsistent with the rules. Even in ancient Israel, shepherds of God’s people were dominating the people with severity and force. Terrible situations.

What can a Christian do when he is in this kind of situation?

First, pray. Always pray. Pray for your strength to endure through the day and your example. It is so easy to become frustrated and bitter that you say and sometimes do things that you shouldn’t. Also, pray for the person in charge, the one that doesn’t know what they are doing and is over bearing. Pray for change.

Second, look for little windows of opportunity to drop hints, make suggestions and try to improve the atmosphere. I have found that most people who are overbearing do not see themselves that way. They are clueless. They are destroying the spirit of the place but they see everything as fine. In many ways, terrible leaders are often bullies. Jehoram was. Instead of killing people today, people are fired, transferred, threatened and silenced by intimidation. Bullies do not respond well to counter threats or a mass of people challenging them. They will just dig in and fight for their position. Threatening to report a teacher, boss often doesn’t turn out well in your favor. The bullies have secured their place, as Jehoram had. They have gotten the administration, the upper management in their pocket and have won their support. But talking, quietly, calmly, non-threatening, in a suggesting approach, one on one, can bring some changes. The best situation would be if that person would retire, move or die. That usually doesn’t happen.

Third, realize through all of this, your patience is being tested and developed. There is one way to get patience and that is to endure trying circumstances. Patience is more than just waiting. It is keeping yourself together and not become unglued. We all have to wait. You have to wait in restaurants. You have to wait in traffic. You have to wait on your kids. Waiting and patience are not always the same. Some wait, but it nearly kills them. They get so upset that that lash out. You see drivers who can’t wait in construction traffic, so they turn around, right in front of a “No U-Turn” sign and go the other way. Patience. It’s one of the characteristics of love that Paul defined in 1 Cor 13. It heads the list. Love is patient. Waiting on the Lord is something God’s people have learned to develop. “In His time,” is often not our time. We want results NOW. God doesn’t operate in our way of thinking. He sees things that we cannot.

Fourth, remember Jesus. Peter tells us that the suffering Jesus is an example for us. When reviled, he uttered no threats in return. He could have…He could have called down the angels. He didn’t. He could have come off of that cross. He didn’t. He could have assigned them all to Hell. He didn’t. Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. Knowing those times is essential. Speaking at the wrong time will not lessen our troubles. God is aware of your situation.

Fifth, this isn’t Heaven. There are many things down here that are not right, fair nor good. The boss’ cousin becomes your boss, not because he is gifted and proven, but because of blood lines. The guy is irresponsible, over his head and is making a mess of things. You want to scream. It might help to go sit in your car and do that. When a change is finally made, his replacement is worse. You may have to look for another job. You may have to move if the neighborhood isn’t safe or good for your family. You may have to find another congregation if the church you attend is toxic and crushing your spirit. Those are all hard choices. They involve a lot of work and often expenses on your part. You may have to take a pay cut. You may have to move from a house that you love. You may have to drive miles and miles to find a good congregation. But remember, this isn’t Heaven. This is all just temporary. Some don’t want to make those sacrifices. What happens is they suffer. They become so discouraged and bitter that they turn into the very things that they are oppressed by. Change is hard. I’ve had to move. I had to do it for my family. It wasn’t easy but it turned out for the best. Someday all of our problems will be left here. Someday we will be in Heaven. Do not let a boss, a neighbor, a friend, a family member, or even a congregation keep you from Heaven. Do not allow others to get you so discouraged and so upset that you throw in the towel on Jesus. Nothing is worth that. NOTHING.

I like the saying, “The guy who says all his problems are behind him, probably drives a school bus.” What a wicked person Jehoram was. For eight years the nation suffered with his poor leadership and selfish ways. In the end God was triumphant. He always is. God always wins.

Hang in there…

Roger