Jehoram was the king of Judah. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Though Jehoram was the son of King Jehoshaphat, who is regarded as a good king. But it seems that Jehoram was given in marriage to Athaliah, the daughter of wicked King Ahab of Israel, and apparently she led him to become evil himself. Upon his ascension to the throne, Jehoram killed all his brothers, no doubt to secure his grip over Judah, and he promoted idolatry throughout the kingdom (2 Chronicles 21).
During his reign, the nation of Edom rebelled against Judah, and so did the Judean town of Libnah. Jehoram attacked Edom to try to regain control over it, but failed. Even his royal palace was attacked by Philistines and Arabs, who killed all of his sons except his youngest, Ahaziah. Because of his wickedness, Jehoram died of an incurable bowel disease, just as he had been warned in a letter from the prophet Elijah.
As the Bible makes clear, marriage plays a very significant role in determining the direction of our life (2 Corinthians 6:14–18). For Jehoram, his marriage to Athaliah led him to practice all kinds of idolatry and wickedness, even though he had been raised by a father who wholeheartedly worshipped the Lord. We should make sure that we regard a person’s spiritual walk as a critical factor in our choice of a mate or in our children’s choice of a mate.