seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Kings 3:1 Joram[a] son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to pay the king of Israel a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. 7 He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”
4 Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to pay the king of Israel a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. 7 He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”
a. 2 Kings 3:1 Hebrew Jehoram, a variant of Joram; also in verse 6
So the sacred stone to Baal is gone but the golden calves in Jeroboam's churches were still there.
This is from the easy English site.
Joram was a bad man. However, he removed an idol that his father had set up. That idol was for the false god called Baal. The worship of Baal was an evil religion that Elijah had done much to oppose. We do not know when or why Joram removed that idol. Perhaps he did it to please Elisha, because Elisha helped the king on several occasions.
So Joram was not as bad as his father (Ahab) or his mother (Jezebel). But Joram still followed a false religion. Earlier, Jeroboam had set up images that were like young bulls. Joram continued to worship those images.
Moab’s king Mesha had to pay a very large tax to Israel’s king every year. When Mesha rebelled, Joram’s older brother Ahaziah did nothing. Now Joram, however, prepared to attack. He asked the king of Judah to help him. The king of Judah was King Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was a good king who was loyal to God. But Jehoshaphat had established a close relationship with the wicked kings of Israel, who belonged to Ahab’s family. Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, married Athaliah who was Joram’s sister. In the end, this close relation with wicked people would cause great troubles in Judah.
So Joram was not as bad as his father (Ahab) or his mother (Jezebel). But Joram still followed a false religion. Earlier, Jeroboam had set up images that were like young bulls. Joram continued to worship those images.
Moab’s king Mesha had to pay a very large tax to Israel’s king every year. When Mesha rebelled, Joram’s older brother Ahaziah did nothing. Now Joram, however, prepared to attack. He asked the king of Judah to help him. The king of Judah was King Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was a good king who was loyal to God. But Jehoshaphat had established a close relationship with the wicked kings of Israel, who belonged to Ahab’s family. Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, married Athaliah who was Joram’s sister. In the end, this close relation with wicked people would cause great troubles in Judah.
So... when Ahab died [remember the dogs licked his blood so it wasn't an easy death]..... when Ahab died, Ahaziah was in charge. Ahaziah was the oldest son. He lasted twelve years and then Joram took over. Ahaziah hadn't done much. He didn't bother collecting the taxes from the sheep herders in Moab. Moab was still under Israel's protection and the citizens were required to pay tariffs or taxes as the case may be to Israel. Now Joram is going to go collect those tariffs and taxes and the king of Moab is not happy.
