We Two (Too) Kings

2 Kings 8:16-29
    16 Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat having been king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19 Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.
    20 In his days Edom revolted against Judah's authority, and made a king over themselves. 21 So Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. Then he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; and the troops fled to their tents. 22 Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah's authority to this day. And Libnah revolted at that time.
    23 Now 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? 24 So Joram rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
    25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel. 27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
    28 Now he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29 Then King Joram went back to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Joram and Ahaziah were successive kings of Judah, descendants of evil Ahab who continued the rebellious legacy opposed to the LORD.  these did evil in the sight of the LORD, which meant that all they did was contrary to His word of command and intent.  Their hearts were far from Him, and they followed their own sinful fallen nature in outright disobedience, which is a definition of evil from God’s perspective, the only view that matters.  Human arrogance and pride are opposed to hear God through His written or spoken word.  But even for all this, God’s promises to David kept Him from enacting final judgment to destroy Judah.  He showed grace and mercy because He had promised these for the descendants of David, descendants which would culminate in the Messiah, the Christ.  He had an unwavering plan in spite of the wavering hearts of His people whom He called.  This is a lesson for us to do what is not evil and which pleases Him by spending time in His word to understand the wisdom of living it out obediently and willingly.  We too as kings and priests to our God (Revelation 1:6, 5:10) should learn from the negative examples of disobedience (1 Corinthians 10:6) that we might choose to do what we are called to (Ephesians 2:10).  Ephesians 4:1 reminds us to live in a worthy way to our calling.  Let us strive to make that our driving force with the goal of sanctifying conformity to Christ!