Shallum and One Month

Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned the space of a month in Samaria. And Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 15:13-14

What would you do if you were king for a month? Would you be able to right some wrong. Would you try to enact policies and decrees to fix some of the issues ailing mankind? King Shallum of Israel reigned for the space of a month; that was it. His reign was so inconsequential that all that is said of him is that he reigned for a month and then Menahem executed him and took over the throne. It is certainly not the happiest of outcomes, but remember the sinful origins of the Northern kingdom seemed to bring continual bloodshed. This is how Shallum came to power.

The Scripture does not even say if he did evil. We just know that he came in by the sword and went out by the sword. The people did not even have the time to really know what kind of king he would be. This can at minimum teach us that time is fleeting. How are we using our time each day? What could we do better? How could we love better? How could we teach better? We will become better if we ask these questions and act upon what we find.

I would encourage you to keep a calendar. If Bible study is difficult to find time for, you need to pencil it in first before other things. If prayer is something that gets lost by the wayside, plan it. Plan time with your Father. Maybe you call your parent on a specific day at a specific time. Why not do the same with your father? This is a good starting point and can lead to a more meaningful prayer life and Bible study time. Why not try a month? A month does not have to be inconsequential if you are seeking righteousness.

Grace and Peace,

R.D. Beavers

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