2 Kings 8:16-29 - Daily Devotion - 25 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

16 In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat succeeded his father as king of Judah. 17 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

18 And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.

19 Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.

20 In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. 21 So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes.

22 So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.

23 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoram, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

24 And Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.

25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

27 And Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

28 Then Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram. 29 So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Alex Chen

It’s shocking but not surprising that Jehoram and his son Ahaziah, two kings of God’s people in Judah, did evil. They had terrible influences to lead them astray. Even though they were descendants of King David, they became close friends with king Joram of the northern kingdom of Israel, who was part of the evil dynasty of King Ahab. Jehoram even married the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.

It’s a bit too close to home when we remember how easily the secular culture we live in can drag us away from God and trusting in Jesus – sometimes we don’t even notice it. It might be accepting bits of extra work which mean sacrificing good time with God, or the latest fad we chase too hard.

But we’re also reminded of God’s faithfulness. God relents from destroying Judah because of his promises to David and his descendants. We can know God will be faithful to all his promises through Christ, including the assurance of forgiveness when we turn back to him. It’s also comforting to know we have the Holy Spirit now, so we can swim against the culture and live a life that rightly serves God. Pray about the pressures and influences you feel, and ask for God’s help in saying “no” to ungodliness and “yes” to living joyfully for him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex is one of our student ministers..