Buried with the Kings | Not all leaders are sensational (2 Chronicles 21-27)
Have you ever experienced a leader in your life that you do not respect? Leaders come in all shapes and sizes and cross many paths of our lives: teachers, Pastors, elected officials, Presidents, bosses, etc. As we all know, no one is perfect, but a leader is held to a different standard. When they leave their position, do they leave with your respect? For the Israelites, being buried with the Kings was a sign of respect and God’s favor; what about those who weren’t buried with the Kings?
Almost every kingly narrative throughout Kings and Chronicles ends with:
- a blurb about their life,
- if there were additional recordings of their reign,
- whether they were ‘buried with the kings’, and
- who their successor was.
It’s never too late to start….
One life to live…
We all know we face the same earthly destiny, but when the time comes for our earthly bodies to pass away how will we be remembered?
YOLO was a common worldly phrase to indicate a moral exemption to live however you pleased. As Christians, let's do a remake of this phrase for our own walks. Click To TweetWe have one life on this earth. One. Back in the day, YOLO was a common worldly phrase to indicate a moral exemption to live however you pleased. As Christians, let’s do a remake of this phrase for our own walks.
You only live once.
You literally only live once on this earth, are you living it to give glory to God? Does everyone around you know you unabashedly stand for Christ? Are you willing to endure trials and ridicule to hold up His name in honor?
But did you miss him?
He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
2 Chronicles 21:20
And he departed with no one’s regret.
Jehoram was a wicked leader and it showed. Not only that, but we see this narrative is missing the reference to additional resources for his reign; I can’t help but suspiciously consider this was intentional as the Chronicler also points out that he was NOT buried in the tombs of the kings. The man was not respected. Nor missed.
Good riddance, some leaders need to leave their positions for the betterment of those ‘under them’. These stories are so helpful still today as we face unconscionable leaders throughout our days. Some directly oppose the Bible and try to enforce wicked mandates, some manipulate and deceive you, others will flat out lie while gaslighting your experiences. There are many, many examples of leaders today that we wish would surrender their positions.
Yet, God walks us through the examples here. These were not merely stories, but people who lived through these leadership styles.
How did it end for them?
Maybe the next generation will swing that pendulum. Not quite unfortunately. Jehoram’s son, Ahaziah, is directly influenced by a wicked woman… his own mother (Jehoram’s wife).
He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly.
2 Chronicles 22:3
No breakdown of his reign in other recordings, no mention of his burial with the prior kings, no successor mentioned.
Except that his wicked mother decided she wanted more power.
Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah.
2 Chronicles 22:10, emphasis added
After murdering her own children and grandchildren, she usurped the throne. Again, how does the Chronicler report she died? She eventually fled, was seized and put to death with the sword.
Next up, Joash. Joash only did what was right while his mentor, Jehoiada, was alive.
Who was buried with the kings?
Jehoiada was the mentor every Christian would want, even his son grew up following the Lord. Jehoiada received more honor from the Chronicler than any wicked king. He received a blurb about his life which included the age he died, confirmation he was buried WITH the kings, and the reason for that decision.
But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.
2 Chronicles 24:15-16, emphasis added
His mentee, on the other hand, did not have a heart truly aligned with God. Joash not only turned against God, but he had Jehoiada’s son stoned to death just because he was relaying the same warnings his father would have.
Joash’s own servants conspired to kill him. He must have been a peach.
When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
2 Chronicles 24:25, emphasis added
He was not buried with the kings. Do you see there was a standard used for who was buried with the kings?
What about you?
A question to ponder, if you were king, would you be buried with the kings?
If not, it may be time to reevaluate what leader you most emulate.
JEHORAM
He was part of Judah, walked in evil ways like those of Ahab, did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Are you part of the church, living in outright rebellion against the word of the Lord, and living in sin?
JOASH
He was part of Judah, walked uprightly while his mentor was alive, then turned to follow the true desires of his heart, and did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Are you part of the church, following your pastor in deed only while your heart is cold?
JEHOIADA
He was part of Judah, walked uprightly with the Lord, led others in His ways, and died with honors greater than his position called for. Are you part of the church, leading boldly for the Lord, and will die with Christians praising the Lord that your heart was right with His?
You only live once.
Last Week
2 Chronicles 14-20
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Rounding the last few year before 60, I am determined to finish well, and am finding that thisbis as good a motivation as any for persevering in some things I’d abandon otherwise. The question that shapes my planning is,”What story do you want to be able to tell?”
As concerning the Word of life, Luke 10 section 25-28 says: On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Luke 18 section 18-25 says: A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 5 section 43-48 says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
In Old Testament, the Jewish people and their ancestors were given the Law to observe. First, What Adam and Eve should observe was that they could not eat the fruits from the tree of wisdom. Then, their son Cain was told that he should not kill. As sins became increased, the laws were also added more. Up to the generation of Moses, the Law in Old Testament was given to Israelites. We know that the Law is good and the Law is used to punish people who commit sins, but people cannot obey the Law because the sinful spirits are in people. Even that we know stealing and giving false testimony are sinful, but greedy and pride spirits in us drive us to do sinful things. So as Old Testament prophesied we need to get rid of our sinful nature from our spirits.
Jeremiah 31 section 31-33 says: “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Ezekiel 36 section 24-27 says: “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
The prophecies are fulfilled when Jesus begins to teach love. The two greatest commandments are ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Love is above the Law and if people have love they are free from the law of sin and death. People who are full of love will not think about stealing or giving false testimony but are merciful and they feed hungry people or give thirsty people something to drink or invite strangers in or clothe people who need clothes. The Law is for people who commit sins. Nobody will say that he will get reward because he does not steal before. But love is the grace we get. And with love we will get eternal life.
Romans 13 section 8-10 says: Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Luke 17 section 20-21 says: Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say,’ Here it is,’ or ‘ There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
John 4 section 23-24 says: Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”