Today's encouragement comes from 2 Chronicles 21:20a, where we read these words:
"He [King Jehoram of Judah] was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one’s sorrow, departed [di-ed]."This is one of the most tongue-in-cheek texts in all the Bible. (But it is also very tragic.) Jehoram finally dies, after suffering grievously in his body, be-cause of all his flagrant rebellion against the Lord, and his unrepented-of sins—and nobody is sad about it. Instead, if anything, the people of Judah are relieved.
Many people, when they die, leave a legacy of disgrace and shame. The memory of the Christ-loving sinner-saint, however, always brings joy to the re-generate, and glory to God, (cf. Prov. 10:7).
[Puritan quote of the day: "Never think to be kings when you die, and slaves while you live. The crown of glory is for conquerors, not for captives.”
—Thomas Watson, in, "A Body of Divinity"]
