Parents and Money

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Remember the last act of Jehoshaphat? 

2 Chronicles 20:35 (ESV) After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly.

It's one verse that outlines a horrible moment for this once inspirational servant of God. He enters into partnership with the Northern Kingdom's heinous king Ahaziah - son of Ahab. These actions leave an indelible mark on his son. 

2 Chronicles 21:1 (ESV) Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

For as righteous and committed to God Jehoshaphat was in his early and middle-aged life, his later years proved troubling for his son who would take his place. Jehoram goes down as Judah's most uncelebrated king because of his wickedness and rage. Look at what happens.

2 Chronicles 21:2–3 (ESV) He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3 Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.

There is a common assumption among parents. If we give our kids money they will love us and live rightly. Many parents shelve every righteous endeavor in seeking their child's financial success and well-being. If we turn back to the last part of Jehoshaphat's life, we learn that he joined Ahaziah to build a fleet of ships in search of gold as is recorded in the 1 Kings account:

1 Kings 22:48 (ESV) Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

Jehoshaphat was rich and wanted more. His later days were consumed with acquiring as much gold as he could. Nothing was enough. He was even willing to sacrifice his righteous legacy and join with wickedness to accomplish this pursuit. 

The lavish lifestyle he was able to "provide" his children would seem like a dream scenario for almost any American parent. But for his children, it only bred intense animosity among them. Jehoram would kill all his brothers and sisters to secure his authority and then abandon God entirely. 

2 Chronicles 21:4 (ESV) When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel.

2 Chronicles 21:6 (ESV) 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.

Jehoram first killed his siblings perhaps to acquire their inheritance for himself and then aligned closely with the reputation of Ahab after having married his daughter. Why would he have married her? Because his father had formed an unholy alliance with this man in the quest for financial gain. 

You see the deception of riches? We seek them because they promise us a life that only God can actually provide for us - one of security and significance. Then in the process of seeking them, we sacrifice our children. This is the lesson of Jehoshaphat's end and Jehoram's reign. 

The end of Jehoram serves as a warning to all of us. He faces rebellions from neighboring nations and internal sickness as well and international conflict. Yet he does not repent. 

2 Chronicles 21:18–20 (ESV) And after all this the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. 19 In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers. 20 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

His life ends in disgrace. His legacy a horror. Why? We can trace the root of this problem to Jehoshaphat's enchantment with money. 

Dear Christian, watch yourself here as you get older. The older we get, the more financially stable we tend to be. But let us not look to riches. Proverbs 23:5 (NLT) In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.

There is no substitute for a life devoted to God until the end. May we look to Christ who emptied Himself of the glory He had in heaven, became a poor carpenter to give us His life and let us find in that the riches of grace to fill our hearts and establish our lives.