Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king of Judah. His father, Jehoshaphat, had trained him to be a leader among his brothers and over the people. It seems like Jehoshaphat had taken the time to develop his oldest son into a wise and God fearing leader. But in a possible attempt to reunify Israel Jehoshaphat arranged a marriage between his son Jehoram and Ahab’s daughter; Athaliah. The influence of a bad wife was greater on Jehoram than his wise and honorable father. In no time Jehoram’s reign in Judah conformed to the pattern of the house of Ahab. Elijah the prophet wrote a letter to the king of Judah. The gist, if not the whole letter, is recorded in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15. I don’t think it was a coincident that the prophet who relayed God’s words of condemnation to Athaliah’s parents was the one who penned the letter condemning her husband.
Stuart
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