To No One's Regret

Our daughter-in-law’s grandfather recently passed away. He was well loved and will be

greatly missed.

Family and friends held a memorial service for him. During the memorial, many very

honoring things were said about his life, his faith and his service to the Lord. He

definitely left a godly heritage.

Contrast him with this man (from 2 Chronicles 21):

 He took control of his father’s kingdom and became powerful. Then he killed all

his brothers, as well as some of the officials of Israel.

 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD.

 He rejected the LORD God of his ancestors.

 He built high places on the hills of Judah and caused the people of Jerusalem to

prostitute themselves.

 He led Judah astray.

This man was a king. His name was Jehoram. The account says that at the time of his

death, he wasn’t honored with a funeral fire as was his predecessors. In fact, he wasn’t

even buried in the tomb of kings even though he had been a king.

But even more sad is this glimpse into how well the people esteemed him: “He passed

away, to no one’s regret.” (2 Chr 20:21)

I almost can’t think of a more sad commentary on how this man lived his life than to say

that no one regretted his passing.

An old saying comes to mind: “Live so the preacher won’t have to lie at your funeral.”

In the case of our daughter-in-law’s grandfather, no one needed to lie.

In Jehoram’s case, it appears that no one even cared enough to lie!