2 Kings 8:16

2 Kings 8:16 says, And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Joram, or Jehoram began to reign in Judah,  Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign in Judah.  Leaders continued to change in both kingdoms, just as they do in countries today.  Verse seventeen adds, Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.  Jehoram was thirty-two when he became king, and he reigned for eight years.  He should have been mature when he started to reign, and he didn't reign long enough to be mentally declining.  People in positions of power today are often in their prime mentally, but the doesn't mean that they rule with wisdom.  Verse eighteen continues, And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.  Jehoram followed the ways of the kings of Israel, worshipping false gods instead of remaining true to the only real God.  He did this in part because he was married to Ahab's daughter.  He followed one of the good kings of Judah, but he chose to pattern himself after the evil king of Israel.  We as followers of Christ must be careful who we pattern our lives after.  Too often, if a Christian marries a non-Christian, the Christian will begin to follow the ways of the non-Christian, especially if it is the man who is the Christian.  This is especially wrong, since he is supposed to be the spiritual leader of the family.  Verse nineteen states, Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.  God did not destroy Judah because of His promise to David, and he will not destroy us today because His salvation plan is still working and reaching some.  If there comes a time when it doesn't, I believe we can expect His judgment to come.  Verse twenty adds, In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.  During Jehoram's reign, the people of Edom revolted and set up their own king.  They had been under the rule of Israel for over one-hundred and fifty years according to Matthew Henry, but now they chose to revolt.  When God's people are not following His will the opposition to them may become even stronger.  Verse twenty-one continues, So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.  Jehoram, here called Joram, sent troops to put the rebellion down and was temporarily successful.  If we are acting without God's guidance, we may temporarily be successful in defeating sin on our own, but the victory will never be forever.  The only way to be permanently successful over sin is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-two says, Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.  Not only did Edom successful revolt in the end, but the people of Libnah, a city in Judah, did so as well.  Joram was losing his power over even his own people.  If we stand in defiance to God, one day we will see how little power we really have.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  This is all that we are told about Joram at this time, but as with all the kings, we are told that their actions are recorded in the chronicles of the kings.  It doesn't really matter what the people of the world remember about us, but only what God does.