And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 21:6
Jehoram was a leader. He had tremendous influence. But he used his influence for evil. And in just eight years of his reign, Judah went from a faithful covenant nation to a pagan immoral nation. He led the nation to abandon the faithful worship of the Lord.
Jehoram's leadership was evil because he selfishly sought to hold his power. He had all his brothers killed so that they could not evoke memories of his father's faithfulness to God. The text says that they were better men than he was (2 Chronicles 20:13). And God was very displeased with Jehoram's casual disregard for their lives.
He was easily swayed to worship Baal and the false Canaanite gods that Israel had come to follow. He married Ahab's daughter and quickly adopted the idolatry of his wife's people. He aggressively instituted idolatry in Judah. But his unfaithfulness to God with the love of these new gods gained him nothing. Judah lost political power. Nations that Jehoram's father had subdued rose up and broke away from Judah's rule. Threats again emerged to the safety of Judah when the nation was uprooted from the spiritual security of their covenant with Yahweh.
Jehoram was warned by Elijah that these actions would lead to a painful tragic end of judgment (2 Chronicles 20:12-15). And he died slowly and painfully from an intestinal disease in which his bowels finally emerged from his body. He died unmourned by the nation that he had led. But his idolatry remained as a loathsome legacy. Tragic ungodly leadership leaves a painful and permanent stain on a culture.
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