Not Willing To Destroy The House Of David

2 Chronicles 21:1-8 – Then Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king. Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and articles of value, as well as fortified cities in Judah, but he had given the kingdom to Jehoram because he was his firstborn son. When Jehoram established himself firmly over his father’s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever. In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king.

1 Kings 12:30 – And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.

2 Samuel 7:15 – But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

2 Chronicles 20:20,30 – Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”… And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

Application:

• ·         Jeroboam’s royal policy promoted violation of the second commandment. It inevitably led to Israel’s violation of the first commandment also and opened the door for the entrance of fully pagan practices into Israel’s religious rites.
• ·         “My love” is God’s special and unfailing favor.
• ·         “Have faith in the Lord your God and…in His prophets” was a particularly apt word for the Chronicler’s contemporaries to hear from this son of David—at a time when their only hope for the future lay with the Lord and the reassuring words of His prophets.
• ·         Righteous kings have victory in warfare, while wicked rulers experience defeat.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV