Lead into Captivity, Go into Captivity

2 Kings 17:1-23
    1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became his vassal, and paid him tribute money. 4 And the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
    5 Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
    7 For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared other gods, 8 and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9 Also the children of Israel secretly did against the LORD their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city. 10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the LORD had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger, 12 for they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing."
    13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets." 14 Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God. 15 And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should not do like them. 16 So they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.
    19 Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight. 21 For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, and made them commit a great sin. 22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, 23 until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.

He who leads into captivity goes into captivity (Revelation 13:10).  The kings of Israel persisted in leading God’s people astray by committing and supporting sin against their LORD.  Hoshea Is mentioned here as doing less evil than those before him, but even he continued the chain of idolatry and disobedience.  As a leader, this captivity to sin enslaved all Israel, and eventually led to the nation being taken captive by Assyria.  They had been delivered from idolatry and the bondage to sin in Egypt under Pharaoh, then sinned against the LORD their God by following the nations around them which they had been commanded to drive out for this very reason.  They became like those they befriended and turned their back on their deliverer.  They thought by hiding on high places to worship idols that God somehow would not see, or at least that others trying to follow the LORD might not, knowing fully well that the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing."  He had sent messengers to warn and correct their course, but they turned a deaf ear to the prophets.  Israel stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God, and continued in willful disobedience.  This is a parallel to our response to the gospel of deliverance from sin and its bondage (Hebrews 10:26-28, 31); we have believed to deliverance of our lives who are reconciled and regenerated in Christ, and do not fall back into the sin of disbelief and destruction (Hebrews 10:39) as Israel did with stiff necks of unbelief and willful disobedience.  Our obedient belief and works is trusting in God and His Son (John 6:28-29).  From Him we have ears and eyes opened to trust and obey willfully and with eternal, absolute hope in this grace in which we stand (Romans 5,2).  May we learn from Israel and Judah whose leaders led them and themselves into captivity, and not do the same by our examples which teach following the ways of the world in opposition to God’s word and will.  May we then be examples to the flock in word and deed, making it our resolution for this year and all to follow as 1 John 2:15-17 reminds us.  Amen. 

Turning to Bad Examples

2 Kings 16:1-20
    1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
    5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him. 6 At that time Rezin king of Syria captured Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the Edomites went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.
    7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me." 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king's house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria. 9 So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.
    10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship. 11 Then Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus. 12 And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king approached the altar and made offerings on it. 13 So he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering; and he poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 He also brought the bronze altar which was before the LORD, from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the house of the LORD—and put it on the north side of the new altar. 15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, "On the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king's burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by." 16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded.
    17 And King Ahaz cut off the panels of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took down the Sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement of stones. 18 Also he removed the Sabbath pavilion which they had built in the temple, and he removed the king's outer entrance from the house of the LORD, on account of the king of Assyria.  19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

After a line of godly kings ruling Judah, Ahaz comes into power and imitates the kings of Israel who had been doing evil in God’s sight for a while.  He did not do what was right as his ancestor king David who set the bar for being a man after God’s own heart, but imitated those who had left him a few generations back in the idolatry of pagan worship and lifestyle.  He worked abominable things in front of the LORD his God, and set an evil example for His people in Judah to lead them away from worship of their Maker and Sustainer, the lover of their souls.  Israel made war against Judah accompanied by the king of Syria, and Ahaz did not seek the LORD for victory, but called on Assyria to assist.  That came at a cost, that of all the riches of the house of the LORD and the king’s house.  After the Assyrian army took Damascus, Ahaz visited and had Urijah the priest copy the idol altar for Ahaz to make sacrifices on when he returned.  The idolatry of the nations had penetrated even Judah now.  Ahaz went further to begin dismantling parts of the real temple to please the king of Assyria in his assimilation of God’s worship and people.  Hezekiah would then take his father Ahaz’s place, who would turn back the people of Judah and be the first ruler to not only do partly what was right, but also tear down the high places of pagan worship (2 Kings 18:4)!  There would be no better king than He who followed David’s example instead of the disobedient examples of those before and after him.  This is a lesson for us to beware following bad examples because of position, power, or charisma, but who do not imitate Christ Jesus our true Sovereign King.  He set the example while walking among us, and we have His word to now live by, along with examples of leaders He instantiates who follow Him.  The world cannot be our example if we are to please God, nor those not following Him with all their heart, mind, life, and strength.

Follow the Godly Leadership Examples

2 Kings 15:23-38
    23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. 24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 25 Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, an officer of his, conspired against him and killed him in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's house, along with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of Gilead. He killed him and reigned in his place.  26 Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
    27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. 28 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea the son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck and killed him; so he reigned in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.  31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
    32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35 However the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD.  36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 37 In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 So Jotham rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. Then Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Pekahiah and Pekah ruled Israel, doing evil against the LORD and His word.  The same phrase is found, which describes how they both “did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.”  These kings of Israel continued building God’s wrath against Israel for leading God’s people away from Him and into their sins of idolatry and disobedience.  However, Jotham the king of Judah did what pleased the LORD, what was right in His eyes according to His word as written in the Law and spoken by the prophets.  He continued the line of faithful rulers in Judah in stark contrast to those of Israel.  This does in no way mean that his rule was fully pleasing to the LORD, for there were still the high places where pagan worship continued along with true worship below, but the effort was there to set the direction and example for His people in the southern kingdom of Judah.  Jotham even had work done on the house of the LORD, building up the good effort to provide for worship by the priests and people.  The northern half of God’s people slid further away as the southern half maintained worship and obedience to a large extent - not perfectly, but with heart and effort by good examples in their leaders.  Leadership is essential to God’s people today just as much as then, though now each person is a temple of worship to be built up through teaching and discipleship, and the body of Christ is a collective temple to honor and serve Him (1 Corinthians 6:19, Ephesians 2:22, 1 Peter 2:5).  We are to lead by example (1 Timothy 4:12, 1 Peter 5:2-3) and to follow godly leadership in the areas which align with God’s word put into practice as seen in the results of following His ways as it is written (Hebrews 13:7, 1 Corinthians 11:1).  Let us learn from the good and bad examples (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11) and be godly ourselves, building our temples of obedience and holy worship on the foundation of Jesus the Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17).  May we set and follow godly leadership examples.  Amen! 

Examples by Good and Bad Rulers

 2 Kings 15:1-22

    1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, became king. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done, 4 except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 5 Then the LORD struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he dwelt in an isolated house. And Jotham the king's son was over the royal house, judging the people of the land.  6 Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 7 So Azariah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.
    8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 10 Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and struck and killed him in front of the people; and he reigned in his place.  11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.  12 This was the word of the LORD which He spoke to Jehu, saying, "Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." And so it was.
    13 Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria. 14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, came to Samaria, and struck Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him; and he reigned in his place.  15 Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and the conspiracy which he led, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 16 Then from Tirzah, Menahem attacked Tiphsah, all who were there, and its territory. Because they did not surrender, therefore he attacked it. All the women there who were with child he ripped open.
    17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi became king over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria. 18 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 19 Pul king of Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his control. 20 And Menahem exacted the money from Israel, from all the very wealthy, from each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and did not stay there in the land.  21 Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 22 So Menahem rested with his fathers. Then Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

In the first half of this chapter Azariah, king of Judah was good because he did what pleased God, while three successive kings of Israel (Zechariah, Shallum, and Menahem) did evil in God’s sight, displeasing Him.  The evildoers were described as repeating the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.  The good one of Judah was described as doing what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.  Yet king Azariah still did not stop all the pagan worship and was eventually overtaken by leprosy, leaving him alone in the palace until he died that he might reflect on what he left undone.  Two of the kings of Israel, however, died from conspirators and the other paid off the king of Syria to avoid destruction, but did so by heavily taxing the wealthy people of the land.  All this so far in this chapter demonstrates how Judah was doing mostly well in pleasing the LORD, but Israel was continuing in sin as they suffered from evil rulers who brought a chain of prophetic sinful failure by bad examples.  God-pleasing leadership is essential to build up His people.  Sinful leadership examples cause more sin and lasting consequences of suffering.  May all who lead the church take these examples and their results to heart by serving well from hearts and minds pleasing to the Lord who bought us at such a high price. 

Sinful Leadership and Affliction

2 Kings 14:23-29 

    23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. 24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 25 He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher. 26 For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter; and whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel. 27 And the LORD did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
    28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did—his might, how he made war, and how he recaptured for Israel, from Damascus and Hamath, what had belonged to Judah—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 29 So Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. Then Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Jeroboam II ruled Israel in the same sinful manner as the first Jeroboam of Nebat.  He led sinfully, which resulted in the people of the real King to follow his bad example into their own sins of idolatry and disobedience through disregard of the word of the LORD.  This Jeroboam was still used by God to save them by restoring territory lost previously, for the LORD still upheld the covenant promises He made with Israel because they were in desperate need of help.  Yet His notice of their need of a helper did not automatically mean that He would keep from blotting out the name of that sinful nation, but that He was their helper for a chance to yet change in repentance and faith to trust and obey His word again.  This is how He calls us in Christ as well, giving us a Helper who cannot allow us to fail eternally (John 14:15-18).  At this point in time for Israel, however, the help was not eternal for individuals but for the whole of His people when the Savior Messiah would pay the price of all their sin and ours.  He saved us by His own hand (Isaiah 40:10-11) and left His Helper in us to give us this eternal hope in the New Covenant of His blood, which is His own life given in place of ours to pay for our sin and open the gates of Himself to enter into the spiritual holy of holies to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  The sinful leaders who amplify our affliction for sin cannot save us, for sin os our birthright from Adam which we cannot legislate away (Romans 3:23, 6:23).  But no matter who rules which kingdom here on earth until that time, we have a King eternal in the heavens as our new bodies will be also in which to stand forever before Him at last (2 Corinthians 5:1-2, Job 19:25-27).  We are all written in His book, not as mere history like these kings of old, but as His united people called out to Himself based on His work for us and not our own vain attempts to earn that divine favor.  His son reigns in His place, and His Spirit will finish the work begun in us in a lifetime of sanctifying grace.  This is the hope of our calling (Ephesians 1:18). 

Holding Steady in Heart to Lead

2 Kings 14:1-22
    1 In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done. 4 However the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
    5 Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king. 6 But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the LORD commanded, saying, "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall be put to death for his own sin."
    7 He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel to this day.  8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us face one another in battle." 9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife'; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. 10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?"
    11 But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. 13 Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—four hundred cubits. 14 And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.
    15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did—his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 16 So Jehoash rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.
    17 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 19 And they formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20 Then they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.  21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers. 

Amaziah the son of Joash now reigned in Judah after his father passed the kingdom to him.  He did keep the spiritual status quo in how he ruled, not doing as well as king David, yet still doing what was right in the sight of the LORD as his father had done.  He did not do better, but at least did not slide away into doing evil as other kings before him in Judah or Israel.  There were still those not worshiping The LORD God, instead burning incense on strange altars.  Overall, however, Amaziah led his and God’s people well.  He began by executing judgment on the murderers of his father Joash (2 Kings 12:20).  He did not, however, kill their children because they were not held accountable for the sins of their fathers as the Law in Deuteronomy 24:16 clearly was written.  Each person is individually accountable to God for their sins.  The only seeming exception to this is that the original sin of everyone who is born is inherited from Adam and Eve, and we are all accountable for that fallen sinful nature.  Seeming, as our nature is not the same as individual acts of sin which we each do answer for - either for forgiveness obtained through confession and repentance (1 John 1:9), or for loss of reward in eternity (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).  Amaziah did pick a fight with Israel though, and would not relent from engaging in battle when it was refused.  The result was defeat for Judah and damage to Jerusalem;  six hundred feet of the wall was destroyed and the valuables from the LORD’s and king’s houses were taken, along with hostages, to be taken to Samaria where Israel was ruled from.  When Jehoash of Israel died, his heir Jeroboam assumed the throne.  Eventually, Amaziah was hunted down, killed, and his body brought back to Jerusalem for burial.  His son Azariah took over to rule Judah.  These events demonstrate how the people of God in both the northern and southern kingdoms, Israel and Judah, were not drawing closer to the LORD, but maintaining in some respects and sliding away overall.  Their rebellious nature put other things over worshiping their God, things such as power and pride and self-serving pursuits.  This is a warning for us of the deceitfulness of sin (Mark 4:19, Hebrews 3:13) which can entangle us and pull us away fro serving our Lord and Savior with a full and loyal heart as the example set imperfectly by king David and completely by his seed, our Lord Jesus Christ.  For those of us called to lead, may we hold steady in heart to lead (Romans 12:8), and let all of us lay aside the sin which weighs us down and pursue Him, warning and encouraging each other together in this race towards conformity to Christ and eternity to be before His face without shame. 

Death, Faith, Defeat, and Deliverance

2 Kings 13:14-25
    14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, "O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!"
    15 And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and some arrows." So he took himself a bow and some arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. 17 And he said, "Open the east window"; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the LORD's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them." 18 Then he said, "Take the arrows"; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground"; so he struck three times, and stopped. 19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times."
    20 Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. 21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
    22 And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the LORD was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.
    24 Now Hazael king of Syria died. Then Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place. 25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz recaptured from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times Joash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel.

The death of Elisha tested the faith of Joash the king by how much he took God at His word.  Elisha had him shoot a first arrow out the window with his hands on Joash’s, telling him plainly that it symbolized the LORD’s deliverance.  He then told the king to hit the ground, trusting in that deliverance, but Joash only struck three times, disappointing the spokesman of God that he did not believe and trust to do more.  Each time he hit the ground was a belief that the LORD would deliver Israel in battle from their enemy of Syria; if he trusted more, then the enemy could have been destroyed.  Instead of five or six times, they now would fall short with only three, leaving the salvation from the enemy incomplete.  Elisha then died.  Even then God showed His power by later giving life to a dead man buried on top of him!  Syria continued to attack God’s people, but God’s covenant of promise to watch over and protect them kept them from being cast out of His presence by destruction for the time being.  A new king of Syria took that throne, and Joash defeated them three times to recapture cities of Israel taken captive previously.  We learn here by this example to take God at His word for deliverance by an active faith in His New Covenant promises to keep us from eternal destruction of suffering for sin forever.  We learn also to fight the good fight in bringing the good news of Jesus Christ’s reconciling work of deliverance by reconciliation, and these things in light of the preexisting bad news of our hopeless defeat of sin and resultant death (spiritual).  This is the gospel which Christ was born to suffer and die to bring us on Christmas Day with a view to Good Friday’s gloom and Easter’s hope of unending light in His presence to follow.  There is death, faith, defeat, and still deliverance in this account which should give us hope and strength in who we live for - Christ who enables us and those still in darkness who need to be conveyed into His marvelous light of hope in that trust of His work (1 Peter 2:9, John 6:28-29, Colossians 1:5, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Acts 26:18, Luke 1:79, Matthew 4:16, Isaiah 42:7).  This is the hope of Christmas which we celebrate in remembrance of His finished work and our deliverance with victory (1 Corinthians 15:55-56).  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad as Psalm 21:6-7 says! 

Evil Kings Make the People Sin

2 Kings 13:1-13
    1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.
    3 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. 4 So Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, and the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 Then the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before. 6 Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the wooden image also remained in Samaria. 7 For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.
    8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 9 So Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Joash his son reigned in his place.
    10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. 11 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them. 
    12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 13 So Joash rested with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

The kings of Israel, Jehoahaz and Jehoash, are covered here.   The lesson shown us by bad examples is that evil kings make the people sin.  These both acted contrary to God’s commands in His word, both written and spoken by the messenger prophets He sent the people (Hebrews 11:36-38, Acts 7:51-53).  These willingly sinned against the LORD and were set on setting the evil examples for God’s people to imitate instead of what was good, righteous, and honoring to Him.  This brought God’s anger and just recompense on Israel, both the leaders for initiating the disobedience of a blind eye and deaf ear, as well as the lost sheep who willingly went along with what they knew and were accountable for also.  We still see the deliverance of the LORD when Syria oppressed Israel, yet they remained accountable.  This is similar to our deliverance in Christ in that we still suffer the consequences of unrepentant sin, but our Deliverer has once and for all set us free from the penalty of sin (Hebrews 9:12, 10:10, 7:25).  Let us then learn from bad examples and seek holiness to see the Lord as He is whole we run the race to conform to the image of Christ with true turning from sin each day as we seek forgiveness and grace.  Let us not grow weary while doing good in God’s eyes according to His word of grace and mercy with eternal hope at the end of our race.  Evil kings can make the people sin, but personal and corporate accountability offers hope to stay the right course.  Those who lead must also imitate Christ that we might follow their examples which are right (1 Corinthians 11:1, Hebrews 13:7, Ephesians 5:1).  Amen. 

Transitory and Lasting Labor for God’s House

2 Kings 12:1-21
    1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
    4 And Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the LORD—each man's census money, each man's assessment money—and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the LORD, 5 let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found."
    6 Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple. 7 So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, "Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take more money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple." 8 And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple.
    9 Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD; and the priests who kept the door put there all the money brought into the house of the LORD. 10 So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up and put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD. 11 Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the LORD, 12 and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to repair the damage of the house of the LORD, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple. 13 However there were not made for the house of the LORD basins of silver, trimmers, sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of the LORD. 14 But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the LORD with it. 15 Moreover they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. 16 The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD. It belonged to the priests.
    17 Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and in the king's house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem. 19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
    20 And his servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of the Millo, which goes down to Silla. 21 For Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash Lived and died for the LORD, doing what was right all his days under the instruction of God’s word through the priest Jehoiada.  He repaired the temple with all the taxes and freely offered gifts of the people.  Each priest gathered the money from those they ministered to and then looked to fix whatever they found needed repair.  It was a distributed and shared work under the chief priest by the leadership of king Jehoash (Joash).  This plan soon stalled, and so Jehoiada took a chest for offerings and put a slot in the top, placed it by the altar, and had a scribe and high priest count the money as it filled up each time.  They doled out the funds to the workers in an orderly manner and the work was done much quicker.  They did not even need an accounting from them, for all were trusted and focused in one accord on doing God’s work in His house!  This reminds us of how the first disciples in Acts 2:44-45 in a similar manner gave freely of all they had to building up the people in Christ who were the true temple (Ephesians 2:20-22, 1 Peter 2:5).  Still, there were funds dedicated to those priests ministering to others as they had a right to as Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 9:11.  Here in 2 Kings we then find that a deal was made to buy off the Syrians, including all in the temple they had worked so hard on restoring.  This bought them time to avoid destruction from an invading army.  In the end, however, king Joash was murdered in a conspiracy coup and his son assumed the throne.  Amaziah Is described in 2 Kings 14:1-6 as to his serving the LORD with less than a completely loyal heart (cf. 2 Chronicles 24:27).  He would be seen later to not do as well as the golden standard of a man after God’s own heart, king David, yet did almost as well as his father who was killed in this conspiracy, for which vengeance would follow.  We learn then that God’s work done wholeheartedly in the physical temple here was good, but can be taken away at any time by the enemy.  God’s true temple in each believer’s heart, however, is eternal salvation and rebuilding which can never be stolen or lost.  That is the work of the gospel we labor for in lasting hope, not transitory but lasting labor of eternal results!   

The LORD Cleans His House

2 Kings 11:1-21
    1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. 3 So he was hidden with her in the house of the LORD for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
    4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the escorts—and brought them into the house of the LORD to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the LORD, and showed them the king's son. 5 Then he commanded them, saying, "This is what you shall do: One-third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king's house, 6 one-third shall be at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down. 7 The two contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD for the king. 8 But you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in."
    9 So the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each of them took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields which had belonged to King David, that were in the temple of the LORD. 11 Then the escorts stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar and the house. 12 And he brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony; they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, "Long live the king!"
    13 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to the people in the temple of the LORD. 14 When she looked, there was the king standing by a pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, "Treason! Treason!"  15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them, "Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not let her be killed in the house of the LORD." 16 So they seized her; and she went by way of the horses' entrance into the king's house, and there she was killed.
    17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they should be the LORD's people, and also between the king and the people. 18 And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD. 19 Then he took the captains of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD, and went by way of the gate of the escorts to the king's house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king's house. 21 Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.

Athaliah, Joash, Jehoiada, and Jehoash.   Ahaziah was the mother of Ahaziah who was killed by Jehu in purging Judah of idolatrous leadership.  She killed the heirs except Joash who was hidden by the sister of Ahaziah for six years until he was anointed king over Judah.  The bodyguards of the king took up the weapons and shields of King David, indicating a return to righteousness in their crowning of Joash while protecting him from Athaliah.  She found out too late, attempted to undo the appointment by calling it treason, and was subsequently killed outside the house of the LORD by the priest Jehoiada who led the army protecting the young king.  This priest then covenanted with the LORD, the king, and all God’s people to follow Him with loyal hearts and their lives as in David’s time, having already armed themselves with the shields and weapons of his reign.  This can be seen as putting on righteousness as defense and to fight righty for the LORD and His people.  They demonstrated this loyalty by destroying what God hated to include the temple of Baal and executing it false priests who led the people away from following their one true God.  Then the king was in place and out of danger, able to begin leading the people of God from the young age of seven years.  God executed judgment on the sinners who led His people away into false worship and back into the truth and obedience to His word for how to live and worship, beginning with the first commandment.  He always will prevail in the end over sinful men like Ahab and Ahaziah, as well as women like Jezebel and Athaliah who also lead His flock into the unrighteousness of sin and false worship.  Though times may seem hopeless, the Sovereign Lord over all will make the paths straight in the end (Isaiah 42:16, 45:2, Luke 3:4-6) through the Messiah of the line of David.  The LORD cleans His house as in this passage.  He alone has the shield and weaponry to fight the good fight and conquer evil in the battle of the final judgment. 

Eliminating False Worship

2 Kings 10:18-36
    18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live." But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, "Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal." So they proclaimed it. 21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. 22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, "Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal." So he brought out vestments for them. 23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal." 24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, "If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his life for the life of the other."
    25 Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, "Go in and kill them; let no one come out!" And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal. 26 And they brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them. 27 Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump to this day. 28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.
    29 However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan. 30 And the LORD said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." 31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.
    32 In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel 33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.  34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35 So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. 36 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Here false worship is eliminated by Jehu from the people of God who followed the false god Baal, but unfortunately Jehu himself continued with the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.  This led him to do right against Ahab and the rampant idolatry, but his heart was not all given to God as he continued in repeating the sins of Jeroboam by leading His people into sin.  Nevertheless, the good he did garnered the promises of the LORD for his line to four generations.  Israel then began again to be whittled down in size, both geographically and spiritually, as they grew more sinful and rebellious.  Jehu finally died and was buried, leaving his son Jehoahaz to take over.  We learn simply that the wages of sin is death, and that worship not given completely to the LORD alone leads to disastrous consequences apart from God’s goodness if not turned from.  We would do well to not do the same.  Let us follow better examples of obedient faithfulness out of a heart given wholly and holy to our Lord and Savior as we eliminate false worship of all other things from our hearts and minds, putting our affections and thoughts on Him and His word instead. 

Is Your Heart Right?

2 Kings 10:1-17

    1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who reared Ahab's sons, saying:
    2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master's sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, 3 choose the best qualified of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.
    4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, "Look, two kings could not stand up to him; how then can we stand?" 5 And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, "We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight."
    6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying: If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master's sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.  Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. 7 So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.   8 Then a messenger came and told him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons."  And he said, "Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."
    9 So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, "You are righteous. Indeed I conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these? 10 Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the LORD which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah." 11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
    12 And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, "Who are you?"  So they answered, "We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother."  14 And he said, "Take them alive!" So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.
    15 Now when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, "Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?"  And Jehonadab answered, "It is."  Jehu said, "If it is, give me your hand." So he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 Then he said, "Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD." So they had him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.

Elisha had given the word of the LORD to spare king Ahab because he had repented for his evil (1 Kings 21:21, 29), but the annihilation of his line would be when his son lived.  Here that promise is kept.  First we see Jehu wrote to urge the elders in Samaria to take over the power from Ahab’s descendants by putting their best on the throne, but they were afraid and would only commit to helping.  Elisha had those who were raising Ahab’s sons bring all seventy of them to him at Jezreel.  They were killed and their heads sent to Elisha at Jezreel, where he had them pile them up at the city gate to be seen.  He commended them for taking the matter into their own hands, and blessed them for it; also he proclaimed that the word of the LORD would surely be finished in eliminating the rest of Ahab’s evil generations because of his leading God’s people away into sin and abomination.  Jehu attributed this to the word through Elisha and killed the rest in Jezreel, even Ahab’s closest friends and pagan priests.  The next day he traveled to Samaria and met the brothers of Ahaziah on their way to greet the now deceased sons of Ahab.  He captured and killed them for their allegiance to and support of the evil to keep those influences and ideas from propagating further as a cancer of idolatry and sin which Ahab and Jezebel spread across the land.  Elisha met Jehonadab and confirmed his loyal heart to the LORD, and showed him all that he had done to end the sinful Ahab’s line as the LORD had told Elisha to tell Ahab when he was given more time before judgment on his house.  This demonstrates the word of the LORD, because of His hatred of sin, was sovereign and immutable.  His will will be done and judgment will be meted out on His enemies and those of His people.  In the final judgment we will see this carried out to the last person opposing His Christ, His Word.  The good news of deliverance from this end must therefore be preached to all that some may hear who answer the question, “Is your heart right?”  (John 3:16, 20-21).

Evil Knows No Peace

2 Kings 9:14-37
    14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria. 15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, "If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel." 16 So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there; and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.
    17 Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, "I see a company of men."  And Joram said, "Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, 'Is it peace?'"  18 So the horseman went to meet him, and said, "Thus says the king: 'Is it peace?'"  And Jehu said, "What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me."  So the watchman reported, saying, "The messenger went to them, but is not coming back."  19 Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, "Thus says the king: 'Is it peace?'"  And Jehu answered, "What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me."
    20 So the watchman reported, saying, "He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!"  21 Then Joram said, "Make ready." And his chariot was made ready. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?"  So he answered, "What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?"
    23 Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, "Treachery, Ahaziah!" 24 Now Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot. 25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, "Pick him up, and throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that the LORD laid this burden upon him: 26 'Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,' says the LORD, and I will repay you in this plot,' says the LORD. Now therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground, according to the word of the LORD."
    27 But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Haggan. So Jehu pursued him, and said, "Shoot him also in the chariot." And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 28 And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David. 29 In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.
    30 Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. 31 Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?"  32 And he looked up at the window, and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 Then he said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot. 34 And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, "Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king's daughter." 35 So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, "This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, "Here lies Jezebel. "'"

Joram the king of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah were killed by Jehu, and Jezebel who moved Ahab against the LORD and into covetous murder met her prophetic end as well.  The two kings were together in Jezreel where Joram was recuperating from battle injuries when Jehu came in quickly and without warning by chariot.  The king sent out two messengers to intercept and question Jehu, but they joined him when he made it clear there was no peace to report back.  Then the kings themselves came out to ask if Jehu brought peace, but Joram was quickly reminded that the many harlotries and witchcraft of Jezebel had been allowed to flourish, and there could be no peace with her still living.  The kings fled and were killed, and Jezebel was thrown out the window to be eaten by dogs and excreted over the fields as Elisha prophesied.  This gruesome end was a result of her life set in action against the LORD and His people, and this account was to show that God is not mocked; He executes judgment in the end.  This is a warning for the world who is set against God and His Christ who offers forgiveness and reconciliation, but who will enact just punishment for those continuing in their opposition to Him in the final judgment.  How much better to turn from sin to Him now than face torment far worse than that of Jezebel!  All will be raised in the end and face Him (Hebrews 9:27-28), some to a fate much worse (John 3:18, 36, Daniel 12:2), eternal and without joy or peace as the messengers heard from Jehu here.  There is no peace for those continuing in the rebellion of disbelief and disobedience to the gospel hope of life and peace, but in Him is an everlasting life of peace.  

Jehu is King,

2 Kings 9:1-13

    1 And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, "Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room. 3 Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, 'Thus says the LORD: "I have anointed you king over Israel."' Then open the door and flee, and do not delay."
    4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 And when he arrived, there were the captains of the army sitting; and he said, "I have a message for you, Commander."  Jehu said, "For which one of us?"  And he said, "For you, Commander." 6 Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel. 7 You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free. 9 So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.'" And he opened the door and fled.
    11 Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, "Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?"  And he said to them, "You know the man and his babble."  12 And they said, "A lie! Tell us now."  So he said, "Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "I have anointed you king over Israel."'"  13 Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, "Jehu is king!"

Jehu (meaning "Jehovah is He") was chosen by God to be king in place of Joram who was busy defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael the king of Syria.  Elisha sent a prophet to anoint with oil him as king in the name of the LORD, but did it in secret.  When Jehu’s servants asked what that was all about, they initially heard that it was babbling but knew that was not true; then he told them and they rejoiced and celebrated him as king.  Jehu was chosen to replace and defeat this remaining descendant of evil Ahab who had refused to destroy the enemies of the LORD (1 Kings 20:42) and had allied with Jezebel who was to be eaten by dogs for having a man killed for the land of his inheritance (1 Kings 21:15, 23, 25-26).  They together had caused Israel to sin in disobedience and abandonment of the LORD and His word, and now would all be stopped from continuing to do so.  The evil Ahab was no longer in charge; Jehu was king!  His name was a reminder that the LORD rules over all.  

We Two (Too) Kings

2 Kings 8:16-29
    16 Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat having been king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19 Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.
    20 In his days Edom revolted against Judah's authority, and made a king over themselves. 21 So Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. Then he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; and the troops fled to their tents. 22 Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah's authority to this day. And Libnah revolted at that time.
    23 Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 24 So Joram rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
    25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel. 27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
    28 Now he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29 Then King Joram went back to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Joram and Ahaziah were successive kings of Judah, descendants of evil Ahab who continued the rebellious legacy opposed to the LORD.  these did evil in the sight of the LORD, which meant that all they did was contrary to His word of command and intent.  Their hearts were far from Him, and they followed their own sinful fallen nature in outright disobedience, which is a definition of evil from God’s perspective, the only view that matters.  Human arrogance and pride are opposed to hear God through His written or spoken word.  But even for all this, God’s promises to David kept Him from enacting final judgment to destroy Judah.  He showed grace and mercy because He had promised these for the descendants of David, descendants which would culminate in the Messiah, the Christ.  He had an unwavering plan in spite of the wavering hearts of His people whom He called.  This is a lesson for us to do what is not evil and which pleases Him by spending time in His word to understand the wisdom of living it out obediently and willingly.  We too as kings and priests to our God (Revelation 1:6, 5:10) should learn from the negative examples of disobedience (1 Corinthians 10:6) that we might choose to do what we are called to (Ephesians 2:10).  Ephesians 4:1 reminds us to live in a worthy way to our calling.  Let us strive to make that our driving force with the goal of sanctifying conformity to Christ! 

Famine, Restoration, Fulfillment and Trust

 2 Kings 8:1-15

    1 Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, "Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the LORD has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years." 2 So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.
    3 It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and for her land. 4 Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done." 5 Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life." 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him.  So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, "Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now."
    7 Then Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, "The man of God has come here." 8 And the king said to Hazael, "Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, 'Shall I recover from this disease?'" 9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I recover from this disease?'"
    10 And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover.' However the LORD has shown me that he will really die." 11 Then he set his countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, "Why is my lord weeping?"  He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child."
    13 So Hazael said, "But what is your servant—a dog, that he should do this gross thing?"  And Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you will become king over Syria."  14 Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he answered, "He told me you would surely recover." 15 But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his place.

This passage is a lesson in restoration, fulfillment, and trust.  The first message for the Shunammite woman whose son Elisha was resurrected to life from death was a warning by the prophet to flee the seven-year famine coming.  After living for those years with the Philistines, she came back to ask to have her property returned by pleading with the king.  God’s sovereign providential timing had Elisha’s servant Gehazi recalling the way his master had brought that woman’s son to life again, just as she walked in to ask the king for her land.  Such providence of grace!  This recounting moments before her entry doubtlessly swayed the king, which was what the LORD had planned and brought to pass.  The next message Elisha had to bring was certainly in the sovereign predetermined will of God, but was not as pleasant; he told the king of Syria that he would recover from his illness when he was told by the LORD that not only would he die, but that his successor Hazael who brought him there would be a cruel and evil leader who would attack Israel and Judah later.  Though this appears to condone lying, it was actually the way that events were set in motion to allow Hazael to murder Ben-Hadad king of Syria.  Elisha told him to tell the king he would love, but really die, and Hazel is the one who actually lied to the king.  Then he preemptively smothered Ben-Hadad with a wet cloth to wipe away the dying man right away in order to take the throne for himself.  His lust for power made him impatient and a murderer.  We must learn patience from this account if nothing else, yet also how expediency does not allow us to sin in order to hurry God’s plans along.  What He does is in His good time and not through our impatient disobedience.  We do better to listen to God’s word like the Shunammite for good to come than hasten our desires by disobeying the commandments.  Psalm 37:4 should remind us to seek our Lord and His will that He may fill our hearts with His desires in place of our own. 

Windows of Grace from Heaven

2 Kings 7:1-20
    1 Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.'"  2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?"  And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it."
    3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die." 5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!" 7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.
    9 Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household." 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, "We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact." 11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king's household inside.
    12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, "Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.'"
    13 And one of his servants answered and said, "Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see." 14 Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them in the direction of the Syrian army, saying, "Go and see." 15 And they went after them to the Jordan; and indeed all the road was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told the king. 16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
    17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, "Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria."  19 Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, "Now look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?"  And he had said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it." 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.

Under such a siege that children were eaten, all seemed impossible for God to do anything to those who lost faith in and obedience to Him.  Elisha brought good news from the LORD, but nobody believed God’s word through him concerning an overwhelming abundance of food to come the following day.  Later in Malachi 3:10 we find this picture describing God’s abundant provision for those worshiping Him by giving all their possessions and very lives to Him in faith resting on His every word which works through obedience.  The windows of heaven are the showering of grace in providing what His people require and so much more for the asking of the faithful.  Here the siege on Samaria made all hope seem lost because the people looked intently on the circumstance and not the Provider by faith.  Israel’s most serious sin was not the immorality, but the lack of hearing and taking God at His revealed word to them.  Well, the LORD scared off the massive overwhelming forces of the Syrians encamped outside the city with the sound of faux chariots, and it took some desperate outcast lepers to go looking for food there to find the deserted camp which remained.  The king heard this good news but still thought it was a deception, but sent a handful of men out to check the account.  They found all food and more left behind, a trail of goods leading away towards the Jordan, back to Syria.  Then the abundance came through the window of heavenly grace opened to the unbelieving.   But then also came the end of the officer who mocked the prophet Elisha who told them of the coming overflowing blessing of the LORD.  He was trampled by the hungry mob before tasting what his eyes witnessed when the heavenly window of His grace was thrown open, the one he denied that God had the will or ability to provide an abundance through.  We should then learn to trust God in the gospel for our salvation from a bitter end, but also for our daily bread and relief when times are seemingly and impossibly hopeless.  All things are possible with the One for Whom nothing is too difficult (Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 19:26, Mark 9:22-23, 10:27).  Does He truly find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8) as He looks through the open window of the gospel’s grace to us?  

Consequential Famine and God’s Will

2 Kings 6:24-33
    24 And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.
    26 Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, "Help, my lord, O king!"  27 And he said, "If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?" 28 Then the king said to her, "What is troubling you?"  And she answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.' 29 So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, 'Give your son, that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son."
    30 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body. 31 Then he said, "God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!"
    32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, "Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?" 33 And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, "Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?"

Syria besieged Samaria until a great famine overtook Samaria, a common wartime tactic used where a city was surrounded and cut off from supplies to starve its inhabitants into surrendering.  This famine was a consequence of Jehoram, king of Israel, pursuing God’s messenger while ignoring the messages from the LORD which he brought, and Israel who followed.  The starvation reached the point during the long siege where a woman told the tale of cannibalistic woes to the king where two mothers agreed to eat their children, but after one child was consumed, the other was hidden.  Such desperation led to such a low point!  This angered the king, but he blamed the prophet Elisha once more for what he LORD had meted out upon His rebellious people.  Jehoram sent a messenger to capture God’s messenger, but the LORD revealed his coming, as well as the anxious king coming on his heels to ensure Elisha was caught and dealt with.  He blamed the LORD, but then tried to handle the matter to bring about the result he wanted and not God’s will to be done.  He tried to kill the messenger of God so he could ignore God’s will.  We must beware that we do not follow Jehoram’s example of running ahead of God to force our will for our desired outcome, and not the Lord’s, whether in a physical or spiritual famine or simply in good times when we don’t like what God is doing or saying.  Submission to the Sovereign One is the only life and peace, no matter the circumstance (1 Timothy 6:6).  We exist to honor and glorify the Lord, not command Him to make life pleasing to us. 

Blinded and Taken Captive

2 Kings 6:8-23
    8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place." 9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there." 10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.
    11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?"  12 And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."  13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him."  And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan."  14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"
    16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
    19 Now Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." But he led them to Samaria.  20 So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria!
    21 Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father , shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"  22 But he answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master." 23 Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.

The king of Syria was still waging war against Israel thought he had a spy in his ranks, for every time he planned to be somewhere, the Israelites were warned and escaped a surprise attack.  He found out, however, that it was Elisha the prophet who was given the warning by the LORD to pass on to the king of Israel.  He knew the Syrian kings words as if in his bedroom.  The king of Syria sent for Elisha the prophet when he was told of his whereabouts, but his forces found him at Dothan.  There Elisha was told, but his confidence in the deliverance from God kept his calm because he knew that the battles in the spiritual places were as Ephesians 6:12 describes.  Elisha prayed for the LORD to open the eyes of the servant warning him that he might get God’s heavenly perspective on the situation.  The servant saw the chariots of fire guarding Dothan to provide protection and doing battle against His enemies in the heavens (Daniel 10:13, 20-21).  Those with Elisha and his servant were far greater than those opposed to them!  Elisha prayed as the Syrians entered the city, and God blinded them all.  He led them to another city supposedly where the prophet speaks whom they were seeking, but when their sight was given back, they found themselves captive in Israel’s city of Samaria.  There the king of Israel asked if he could kill his enemies, but Elisha reminded him they do not kill captives, only those in battle, so they fed the prisoners in a great feast and sent them back home.  This incident of God’s power and mercy stopped the raids of the Syrians.  We also fight a spiritual battle against the adversary and his minions who fight to capture God’s people and keep them from seeing the truth of the gospel and God’s work in and for their lives.  Our God rules over all, and has the battle completely in hand, knowing who is doing or planning what at all times.  May we lean in trust on His sovereign rule and in His eternal plan in the heavenly realm.  We ourselves were blind but now see by His merciful grace in Christ toward us; let us with the same confidence tell others that their eyes may be opened who were blind that they be set free from captivity to sin and death as well.