restored, not revived

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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restored, not revived

2 Kings 14:23-15:38 (JDV).

2 Kings 14:23 In the fifteenth year of Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years.
2 Kings 14:24 He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight. He did not turn away from all the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 14:25 He restored Israel’s border from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word Yahveh, the God of Israel, had spoken through his servant, the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath-hepher.
2 Kings 14:26 Because Yahveh saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter for both slaves and free people. There was no one to help Israel.
2 Kings 14:27 Yahveh had not said he would blot out the name of Israel under the sky, so he delivered them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
2 Kings 14:28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign — along with all his accomplishments, the power he had to wage war, and how he recovered for Israel Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah — are written in the Book of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 14:29 Jeroboam lied down with his fathers, the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah became king in his place.
2 Kings 15:1 In the twenty-seventh year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Azariah son of Amaziah became king of Judah.
2 Kings 15:2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
2 Kings 15:3 Azariah did what was right in Yahveh ‘s sight just as his father Amaziah had done.
2 Kings 15:4 Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
2 Kings 15:5 Yahveh afflicted the king, and he had a serious skin disease until the day of his death. He lived in quarantine, while Jotham, the king’s son, was over the household governing the people of the land.
2 Kings 15:6 The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.
2 Kings 15:7 Azariah lied down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jotham became king in his place.
2 Kings 15:8 In the thirty-eighth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months.
2 Kings 15:9 He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He struck him down publicly, killed him, and became king in his place.
2 Kings 15:11 As for the rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 15:12 The word of Yahveh that he spoke to Jehu was, “Four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel,” and it was so.
2 Kings 15:13 In the thirty-ninth year of Judah’s King Uzziah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king; he reigned in Samaria a full month.
2 Kings 15:14 Then Menahem son of Gadi came up from Tirzah to Samaria and struck down Shallum son of Jabesh there. He killed him and became king in his place.
2 Kings 15:15 As for the rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, along with the conspiracy that he formed, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 15:16 At that time, starting from Tirzah, Menahem attacked Tiphsah, all who were in it, and its territory because they wouldn’t surrender. He ripped open all the pregnant women.
2 Kings 15:17 In the thirty-ninth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria.
2 Kings 15:18 He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight. Throughout his reign, he did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:19 King Pul of Assyria invaded the land, so Menahem gave Pul seventy-five thousand pounds of silver so that Pul would support him to strengthen his grasp on the kingdom.
2 Kings 15:20 Then Menahem exacted twenty ounces of silver from each of the prominent men of Israel to give to the king of Assyria. So, the king of Assyria withdrew and did not stay there in the land.
2 Kings 15:21 The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 15:22 Menahem lied down with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.
2 Kings 15:23 In the fiftieth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years.
2 Kings 15:24 He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight and did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:25 Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him and struck him down in Samaria at the citadel of the king’s palace– with Argob and Arieh. There were fifty Gileadite men with Pekah. He killed Pekahiah and became king in his place.
2 Kings 15:26 As for the rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 15:27 In the fifty-second year of Judah’s King Azariah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years.
2 Kings 15:28 He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:29 In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee– all the land of Naphtali– and deported the people to Assyria.
2 Kings 15:30 Then Hoshea son of Elah organized a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked him, killed him, and became king in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.
2 Kings 15:31 As for the rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 15:32 In the second year of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah.
2 Kings 15:33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha, daughter of Zadok.
2 Kings 15:34 He did what was right in Yahveh’s sight just as his father Uzziah had done.
2 Kings 15:35 Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. Jotham built the Upper Gate of Yahveh’s temple.
2 Kings 15:36 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Book of Judah’s Kings.
2 Kings 15:37 In those days Yahveh began sending Aram’s King Rezin and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.
2 Kings 15:38 Jotham lied down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz became king in his place.

restored, not revived

What was happening during much of this period is that Israel’s land was being restored, but that did not mean that worship of the LORD was being truly revived. This is a dangerous thing, because it gave the people and leaders a false confidence. Even partial control over Judah was not a sign that God had forgotten what the people were doing in their pagan high places. Judgment was coming.

LORD, help us to see our true shape, not just what we want to see.

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small victory

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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small victory

2 Kings 14:1-22 (JDV).

2 Kings 14:1 In the second year of Israel’s King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah.
2 Kings 14:2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
2 Kings 14:3 He did what was right in Yahveh’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done.
2 Kings 14:4 Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
2 Kings 14:5 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah killed his servants who had killed his father the king.
2 Kings 14:6 However, he did not put the children of the killers to death, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses where Yahveh commanded, “Fathers are not be put to death because of children, and children are not put to death because of fathers; instead, each one will be put to death for his own sin.”
2 Kings 14:7 Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomites in Salt Valley. He took Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, which is still its name today.
2 Kings 14:8 Amaziah then sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and challenged him: “Come, let’s meet face to face.”
2 Kings 14:9 King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, “The thistle in Lebanon once sent a message to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.
2 Kings 14:10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and you have become overconfident. Enjoy your glory and stay at home. Why should you stir up such trouble that you fall– you and Judah with you?”
2 Kings 14:11 But Amaziah would not listen, so King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face at Beth-shemesh that belonged to Judah.
2 Kings 14:12 Judah was routed before Israel, and each man fled to his own tent.
2 Kings 14:13 King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down two hundred yards of Jerusalem’s wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
2 Kings 14:14 He took all the gold and silver, all the articles found in Yahveh ‘s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
2 Kings 14:15 The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, along with his accomplishments, his might, and how he waged war against King Amaziah of Judah, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 14:16 Jehoash lied down with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam became king in his place.
2 Kings 14:17 Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash lived fifteen years after the death of Israel’s King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz.
2 Kings 14:18 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.
2 Kings 14:19 A conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. However, men were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there.
2 Kings 14:20 They carried him back on horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
2 Kings 14:21 Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
2 Kings 14:22 After Amaziah the king lied down with his fathers, Azariah rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah.

small victory

Jehoash did not want to do battle with Amaziah, not because he thought he might lose, but because he knew that Judah could not afford the damage he would do. Nevertheless, Amaziah insisted on picking a fight. His defeat was humiliation for Judah, and a setback for hopes of reunification. Sometimes a small victory can embolden us too much.

LORD, give us wisdom not to bite off more than we can chew.

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not loyal enough

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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not loyal enough

2 Kings 13:1-25 (JDV).

2 Kings 13:1 In the twenty-third year of Judah’s King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years.
2 Kings 13:2 He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
2 Kings 13:3 So Yahveh’s anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to King Hazael of Aram and to his son Ben-hadad during their reigns.
2 Kings 13:4 Then Jehoahaz sought Yahveh’s favor, and Yahveh heard him, for he saw the oppression the king of Aram inflicted on Israel.
2 Kings 13:5 Therefore, Yahveh gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped from the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel returned to their former way of life,
2 Kings 13:6 but they didn’t turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Jehoahaz continued them, and the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria.
2 Kings 13:7 Jehoahaz did not have an army left, except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them, making them like dust at threshing.
2 Kings 13:8 The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and his might, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 13:9 Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash became king in his place.
2 Kings 13:10 In the thirty-seventh year of Judah’s King Joash, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.
2 Kings 13:11 He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight. He did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he continued them.
2 Kings 13:12 The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and the power he had to wage war against Judah’s King Amaziah, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 13:13 Jehoash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
2 Kings 13:14 When Elisha became sick with the illness from which he died, King Jehoash of Israel went down and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!”
2 Kings 13:15 Elisha responded, “Get a bow and arrows.” So, he got a bow and arrows.
2 Kings 13:16 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Grasp the bow.” So, the king grasped it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
2 Kings 13:17 Elisha said, “Open the east window.” So, he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” So, he shot. Then Elisha said, ” Yahveh’s arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. You are to strike down the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them.”
2 Kings 13:18 Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So, he took them. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So, he struck the ground three times and stopped.
2 Kings 13:19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.”
2 Kings 13:20 Then Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to come into the land in the spring of the year.
2 Kings 13:21 Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a raiding party, so they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. When he touched Elisha’s bones, the man revived and stood up!
2 Kings 13:22 King Hazael of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz,
2 Kings 13:23 but Yahveh was gracious to them, had compassion for them, and turned toward them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was not willing to destroy them. Even now he has not banished them from his presence.
2 Kings 13:24 King Hazael of Aram died, and his son Ben-hadad became king in his place.
2 Kings 13:25 Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the cities that Hazael had taken in war from Jehoash’s father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad three times and recovered the cities of Israel.

not loyal enough

Israel was to have victory over Syria, but not total victory. God had provided a savior (probably Assyria) which would distract Syria. Israel was not loyal enough to the LORD, so that generation would not see peace from its enemies. Peace with God must come first. Unless our disappointments turn us toward him, we miss the point.

LORD, help us to see our real problem, and seek you, for you are the real answer.

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hoarding contributions

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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hoarding contributions

2 Kings 12:1-21 (JDV).

2 Kings 12:1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba.
2 Kings 12:2 Throughout the time the priest Jehoiada instructed him, Joash did what was right in Yahveh’s sight.
2 Kings 12:3 Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
2 Kings 12:4 Then Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated silver brought to Yahveh’s temple, census silver, silver from vows, and all silver voluntarily given for Yahveh’s temple —
2 Kings 12:5 each priest is to take it from his assessor and make strong again whatever damage is found in the temple.”
2 Kings 12:6 But by the twenty-third year of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not made strong again the damage to the temple.
2 Kings 12:7 So King Joash called the priest Jehoiada and the other priests and asked, “Why haven’t you made strong again the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any silver from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.”
2 Kings 12:8 So the priests agreed that they would receive no silver from the people and would not be the ones to make strong again the temple’s damage.
2 Kings 12:9 Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters Yahveh’s temple; the priests who guarded the threshold put into the chest all the silver that was brought to Yahveh’s temple.
2 Kings 12:10 Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king’s secretary and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in Yahveh’s temple.
2 Kings 12:11 Then they would give the weighed silver to those doing the work– those who oversaw Yahveh’s temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on Yahveh’s temple — the carpenters, the builders,
2 Kings 12:12 the masons, and the stonecutters — and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to make the damage to Yahveh’s temple strong again and for all expenses for making the temple strong.
2 Kings 12:13 However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver were made for Yahveh’s temple from the contributions brought to Yahveh’s temple.
2 Kings 12:14 Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they made Yahveh’s temple strong with it.
2 Kings 12:15 No accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.
2 Kings 12:16 The silver from the reparation offering and the sin offering was not brought to Yahveh’s temple since it belonged to the priests.
2 Kings 12:17 At that time King Hazael of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he planned to attack Jerusalem.
2 Kings 12:18 So King Joash of Judah took all the items consecrated by himself and by his ancestors– Judah’s kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah — as well as all the gold found in the treasuries of Yahveh’s temple and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to King Hazael of Aram. Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
2 Kings 12:19 The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.
2 Kings 12:20 Joash’s servants conspired against him and attacked him at Beth-millo on the road that goes down to Silla.
2 Kings 12:21 It was his servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer who attacked him. He died and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became king in his place.

hoarding contributions

It is wrong to rob God by not contributing to his ministry (Malachi 3). It is also wrong for those in ministry to hoard those contributions instead of investing them. Kingdom work requires maintenance.

LORD, give us the courage to spend in faith, not to hoard in fear or neglect.

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Judah’s Jezebel

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Judah’s Jezebel

2 Kings 11:1-21 (JDV).

2 Kings 11:1 When Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.
2 Kings 11:2 Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister, secretly rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from among the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. So, he was hidden from Athaliah and was not killed.
2 Kings 11:3 Joash was in hiding with her in Yahveh’s temple for six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.
2 Kings 11:4 In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards. He had them come to him in Yahveh’s temple, where he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son
2 Kings 11:5 and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath are to provide protection for the king’s palace.
2 Kings 11:6 A third are to be at the Foundation Gate and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns providing protection for the palace.
2 Kings 11:7 “Your two divisions that go off duty on the Sabbath are to provide the king protection at Yahveh’s temple.
2 Kings 11:8 Completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king in all his daily tasks.”
2 Kings 11:9 So the commanders of hundreds did everything the priest Jehoiada commanded. They each brought their men — those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty– and came to the priest Jehoiada.
2 Kings 11:10 The priest gave to the commanders of hundreds King David’s spears and shields that were in Yahveh’s temple.
2 Kings 11:11 Then the guards stood with their weapons in hand surrounding the king — from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.
2 Kings 11:12 Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and made him king. They anointed him and clapped their hands and cried, “Long live the king!”
2 Kings 11:13 When Athaliah heard the noise from the guard and the crowd, she went out to the people at Yahveh’s temple.
2 Kings 11:14 She looked, and there was the king standing by the pillar according to custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed “Treason! Treason!”
2 Kings 11:15 Then the priest Jehoiada ordered the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, “Take her out between the ranks, and put to death by the sword anyone who follows her,” for the priest had said, “She is not to be put to death in Yahveh’s temple.”
2 Kings 11:16 So they arrested her, and she went through the horse entrance to the king’s palace, where she was put to death.
2 Kings 11:17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between Yahveh, the king, and the people that they would be Yahveh’s people and another covenant between the king and the people.
2 Kings 11:18 So all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed its altars and images to pieces, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars. Then Jehoiada the priest appointed guards for Yahveh’s temple.
2 Kings 11:19 He took the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king from Yahveh’s temple. They entered the king’s palace by way of the guards’ gate. Then Joash sat on the throne of the kings.
2 Kings 11:20 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, because they had put Athaliah to death by the sword in the king’s palace.
2 Kings 11:21 Joash was seven years old when he became king.

Judah’s Jezebel

The Southern kingdom had its Jezebels as well – and Athalia was one of them. She attempted to wipe out the entire royal line of Judah so that she would reign. Thwarting that plan was another woman: Jehosheba, who hides young Joash. God is at work behind the scenes preventing the elimination of David’s line, because Christ will come from that family. When Joash is seven years old he is proclaimed king, and Athaliah is put to death, and Baalism is dealt another crushing blow. The high priest and the palace guards cooperated with God’s plan.

LORD, give us the wisdom and courage to cooperate with your plan.

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God’s heart of wrath

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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God’s heart of wrath

2 Kings 10:1-36 (JDV).

2 Kings 10:1 Since Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria, Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab’s sons, saying:
2 Kings 10:2 Your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots, horses, a fortified city, and weaponry, so when this letter arrives
2 Kings 10:3 select the most qualified of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.
2 Kings 10:4 However, they were terrified and reasoned, “Look, two kings couldn’t stand against him; how can we?”
2 Kings 10:5 So the overseer of the palace, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever you think is right.”
2 Kings 10:6 Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying: If you are on my side and if you will obey me, bring me the heads of your master’s sons at this time tomorrow at Jezreel. The city’s prominent men brought up all seventy of the king’s sons.
2 Kings 10:7 When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered all seventy, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
2 Kings 10:8 When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” the king said, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”
2 Kings 10:9 The next morning when he went out and stood at the gate, he said to all the people, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him. But who struck down all these?
2 Kings 10:10 Know, then, that not a word Yahveh spoke against the house of Ahab will fail because Yahveh has done what he promised through his servant Elijah.”
2 Kings 10:11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel — all his great men, close friends, and priests — leaving him no survivors.
2 Kings 10:12 Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,
2 Kings 10:13 Jehu met the relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah and asked, “Who are you?” They answered, “We’re Ahaziah’s relatives. We’ve come down to greet the king’s sons and the queen mother’s sons.”
2 Kings 10:14 Then Jehu ordered, “Take them alive.” So, they took them alive and then slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked — forty-two men. He didn’t spare any of them.
2 Kings 10:15 When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab coming to meet him. He greeted him and then asked, “Is your heart one with mine?” “It is,” Jehonadab replied. Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So, he gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot with him.
2 Kings 10:16 Then he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for Yahveh!” So, he let him ride with him in his chariot.
2 Kings 10:17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained from the house of Ahab in Samaria until he had annihilated his house, according to the word of Yahveh spoken to Elijah.
2 Kings 10:18 Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot.
2 Kings 10:19 Now, therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. None must be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” However, Jehu was acting deceptively to destroy the servants of Baal.
2 Kings 10:20 Jehu commanded, “Consecrate a solemn assembly for Baal.” So, they called one.
2 Kings 10:21 Then Jehu sent messengers throughout all Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; no one failed to come. They entered the temple of Baal, and it was filled from one end to the other.
2 Kings 10:22 Then he said to the custodian of the wardrobe, “Bring out the garments for all the servants of Baal.” So, he brought out their garments.
2 Kings 10:23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look carefully to see that there are no servants of Yahveh here among you — only servants of Baal.”
2 Kings 10:24 Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside, and he warned them, “Whoever allows any of the men I am placing in your hands to escape will forfeit his life for theirs.”
2 Kings 10:25 When he finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them. Don’t let anyone out.” So, they struck them down with the sword. Then the guards and officers threw the bodies out and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.
2 Kings 10:26 They brought out the pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it,
2 Kings 10:27 and they tore down the pillar of Baal. Then they tore down the temple of Baal and made it a latrine — which it still is today.
2 Kings 10:28 Jehu eliminated Baal worship from Israel,
2 Kings 10:29 but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit — worshiping the gold calves that were in Bethel and Dan.
2 Kings 10:30 Nevertheless, Yahveh said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”
2 Kings 10:31 Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of Yahveh God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 10:32 In those days, Yahveh began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory
2 Kings 10:33 from the Jordan eastward: the whole land of Gilead — the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites — from Aroer which is by the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.
2 Kings 10:34 The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and all his might, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.
2 Kings 10:35 Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz became king in his place.
2 Kings 10:36 The length of Jehu’s reign over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

God’s heart of wrath

Sometimes I am weary of all the talk of God I hear today. There seems to be something left out. We hear a lot of God’s love, but little of his wrath. Passages like today’s text remind us that the God who loves the world also hates sin. Jehu was commended for doing what was in God’s heart. He destroyed the family of Ahab, the prophets, and the temple of Baal. We read in the New Testament that when Christ returns, God’s wrath will be unleashed, and his enemies destroyed (Col. 3:6; Rev. 16:19; 19:15). Jesus warns us to fear God because he is able to destroy body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28). This is consistent with who God is. His love for the repentant does not diminish his hatred for sin and evil.

LORD, give us wisdom to stay on the side of right because you will have justice.

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their dark day

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by paul voie on Pexels.com

their dark day

2 Kings 9:1-37 (JDV).

2 Kings 9:1 The prophet Elisha called one of the sons of the prophets and said, “Tuck your mantle under your belt, take this flask of oil with you, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
2 Kings 9:2 When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Go in, take him away from his colleagues, and take him to an inner room.
2 Kings 9:3 Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘This is what Yahveh says: “I anoint you king over Israel.” ‘ Open the door and escape. Don’t wait.”
2 Kings 9:4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead.
2 Kings 9:5 When he arrived, the army commanders were sitting there, so he said, “I have a message for you, commander.” Jehu asked, “For which one of us?” He answered, “For you, commander.”
2 Kings 9:6 So Jehu got up and went into the house. The young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, “This is what Yahveh — God of Israel says: ‘I anoint you king over Yahveh’s people, Israel.
2 Kings 9:7 You are to strike down the house of your master Ahab so that I may avenge the blood shed by the hand of Jezebel — the blood of my servants the prophets and of all the servants of Yahveh.
2 Kings 9:8 The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males, both slave and free, in Israel.
2 Kings 9:9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.
2 Kings 9:10 The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel — no one will bury her.'” Then the young prophet opened the door and escaped.
2 Kings 9:11 When Jehu came out to his master’s servants, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this crazy person come to you?” Then he said to them, “You know the sort and their ranting.”
2 Kings 9:12 But they replied, “That’s a lie! Tell us!” So Jehu said, “He talked to me about this and that and said, ‘This is what Yahveh says: I anoint you king over Israel.'”
2 Kings 9:13 Each man quickly took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. They blew the ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”
2 Kings 9:14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Joram and all Israel had been at Ramoth-gilead on guard against King Hazael of Aram.
2 Kings 9:15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought against Aram’s King Hazael. Jehu said, “If you commanders wish to make me king, then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go tell about it in Jezreel.”
2 Kings 9:16 Jehu got into his chariot and went to Jezreel since Joram was laid up there and King Ahaziah of Judah had gone down to visit Joram.
2 Kings 9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu’s mob approaching and shouted, “I see a mob!” Joram responded, “Choose a rider and send him to meet them and have him ask, ‘Do you come in peace? ‘”
2 Kings 9:18 So a horseman went to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Do you come in peace? ‘” Jehu replied, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.” The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them but hasn’t started back.”
2 Kings 9:19 So he sent out a second horseman, who went to them and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Do you come in peace? ‘” Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”
2 Kings 9:20 Again the watchman reported, “He reached them but hasn’t started back. Also, the driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi — he drives like a madman.”
2 Kings 9:21 “Get the chariot ready!” Joram shouted, and they got it ready. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu at the plot of land of Naboth the Jezreelite.
2 Kings 9:22 When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be as long as there is so much prostitution and sorcery from your mother Jezebel?”
2 Kings 9:23 Joram turned around and fled, shouting to Ahaziah, “It’s treachery, Ahaziah!”
2 Kings 9:24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow went through his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.
2 Kings 9:25 Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. Because — remember when you and I were riding side by side behind his father Ahab, and Yahveh uttered this pronouncement against him:
2 Kings 9:26 ‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday’ — this is Yahveh’s declaration — ‘so will I repay you on this plot of land’ — this is Yahveh’s declaration. So now, according to the word of Yahveh, pick him up and throw him on the plot of land.”
2 Kings 9:27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what was happening, he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, shouting, “Shoot him too!” So, they shot him in his chariot at Gur Pass near Ibleam, but he fled to Megiddo and died there.
2 Kings 9:28 Then his servants carried him to Jerusalem in a chariot and buried him in his fathers’ tomb in the city of David.
2 Kings 9:29 It was in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab that Ahaziah became king over Judah.
2 Kings 9:30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it, so she painted her eyes, fixed her hair, and looked down from the window.
2 Kings 9:31 As Jehu entered the city gate, she said, “Do you come in peace, Zimri, killer of your master?”
2 Kings 9:32 He looked up toward the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him,
2 Kings 9:33 and he said, “Throw her down!” So, they threw her down, and some of her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses, and Jehu rode over her.
2 Kings 9:34 Then he went in, ate, and drank, and said, “Take care of this cursed woman and bury her, since she’s a king’s daughter.”
2 Kings 9:35 But when they went out to bury her, they did not find anything but the skull, the feet, and the hands.
2 Kings 9:36 So they went back and told him, and he said, “This fulfills Yahveh’s word that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, the dogs will eat Jezebel’s flesh.
2 Kings 9:37 Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel so that no one will be able to say: This is Jezebel.'”

their dark day

Who is responsible for the deaths of these kings, and Jezebel? An inscription at Tel Dan claims that the king of Syria did it. This passage says it was Jehu. But the prediction – particularly of how they would die – goes all the way back to Elijah. Ultimately, these enemies of God and his people were doomed by God himself. But he did not arbitrarily set them apart for destruction. It was their own sins that caught up with them on that dark day.

LORD, forgive us and cleanse us. Separate us from our sins so that they do not come back to meet us on a dark day – your day of judgment.

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the pain of knowing

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by Bruno Thethe on Pexels.com

the pain of knowing

2 Kings 8:1-29 (JDV).

2 Kings 8:1 Elisha said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Get ready, you and your household, and go live as a resident alien wherever you can. Because Yahveh has announced a seven-year famine, and it has already come to the land.”
2 Kings 8:2 So the woman got ready and did what the man of God said. She and her household lived as resident aliens in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
2 Kings 8:3 When the woman returned from the land of the Philistines at the end of seven years, she went to appeal to the king for her house and field.
2 Kings 8:4 The king had been speaking to Gehazi, the attendant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things Elisha has done.”
2 Kings 8:5 While he was telling the king how Elisha restored the dead son to life, the woman whose son he had restored to life came to appeal to the king for her house and field. So Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”
2 Kings 8:6 When the king asked the woman, she told him the story. So, the king appointed a court official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, along with all the income from the field from the day she left the country until now.”
2 Kings 8:7 Elisha came to Damascus while King Ben-hadad of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “The man of God has come here.”
2 Kings 8:8 So the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift with you and go meet the man of God. Ask Yahveh through him, ‘Will I recover from this sickness? ‘”
2 Kings 8:9 Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift: forty camel-loads of all the finest products of Damascus. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son, King Ben-hadad of Aram, has sent me to ask you, ‘Will I recover from this sickness? ‘”
2 Kings 8:10 Elisha told him, “Go say to him, ‘You are sure to recover.’ But Yahveh has shown me that he is sure to die.”
2 Kings 8:11 Then he stared steadily at him until he was ashamed. The man of God wept,
2 Kings 8:12 and Hazael asked, “Why is my lord weeping?” He replied, “Because I know the evil you will do to the people of Israel. You will set their fortresses on fire. You will kill their young men with the sword. You will dash their children to pieces. You will rip open their pregnant women.”
2 Kings 8:13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog, do such a mighty deed?” Elisha answered, ” Yahveh has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”
2 Kings 8:14 Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha say to you?” He responded, “He told me you are sure to recover.”
2 Kings 8:15 The next day Hazael took a heavy cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king’s face. Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.
2 Kings 8:16 In the fifth year of Israel’s King Joram son of Ahab, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, replacing his father.
2 Kings 8:17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
2 Kings 8:18 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, because Ahab’s daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight.
2 Kings 8:19 For the sake of his servant David, Yahveh was unwilling to destroy Judah, since he had promised to give a lamp to David and his sons forever.
2 Kings 8:20 During Jehoram’s reign, Edom rebelled against Judah’s control and appointed their own king.
2 Kings 8:21 So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders, but his troops fled to their tents.
2 Kings 8:22 So Edom is still in rebellion against Judah’s control today. Libnah also rebelled at that time.
2 Kings 8:23 The rest of the events of Jehoram’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.
2 Kings 8:24 Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.
2 Kings 8:25 In the twelfth year of Israel’s King Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
2 Kings 8:26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Israel’s King Omri.
2 Kings 8:27 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight like the house of Ahab, since his father had married into the house of Ahab.
2 Kings 8:28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against King Hazael of Aram in Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram.
2 Kings 8:29 So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead when he fought against Aram’s King Hazael. Then Judah’s King Ahaziah son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.

the pain of knowing

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet, but in this passage, it is Elisha. Elisha knew that king Ben-hadad was not going to die of his sickness, but he also knew that Hazael was going to murder Ben-hadad, take his place, and then commit great atrocities against Israel. Elisha wept. When a servant of God has revealed truth, but cannot affect the destiny of those who ignore it, it is a great burden. No wonder Elisha wept. Just as Jesus lamented over the city of Jerusalem. The burden of knowing the truth is sometimes worse than the burden of not knowing.

LORD, thank you for your truth. Give us courage to proclaim it, even when it pains us to know it.

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the cynical captain

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by Maria Orlova on Pexels.com

the cynical captain

2 Kings 6:24-7:20 (JDV).

2 Kings 6:24 It happened after this, King Ben-hadad of Aram brought all his military camps together and marched up and laid siege to Samaria.
2 Kings 6:25 So there was a severe famine in Samaria, and they continued the siege against it until a donkey’s head sold for thirty-four ounces of silver, and a cup of dove’s dung sold for two ounces of silver.
2 Kings 6:26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “My lord the king, help!”
2 Kings 6:27 He answered, “If Yahveh doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?”
2 Kings 6:28 Then the king asked her, “What’s the matter?” She said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.’
2 Kings 6:29 So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him,’ but she has hidden her son.”
2 Kings 6:30 When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. Then, as he was passing by on the wall, the people saw that there was sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
2 Kings 6:31 He announced, “May God punish me and do so severely if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”
2 Kings 6:32 Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger got to him, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to remove my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”
2 Kings 6:33 While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. Then he said, “This disaster is from Yahveh. Why should I wait for Yahveh any longer?”
2 Kings 7:1 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of Yahveh! This is what Yahveh says: ‘About this time tomorrow at Samaria’s gate, six quarts of fine flour will sell for a half ounce of silver and twelve quarts of barley will sell for a half ounce of silver.'”
2 Kings 7:2 Then the captain, the king’s right-hand man, responded to the man of God, “Look, even if Yahveh were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” Elisha announced, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”
2 Kings 7:3 Now four men with a skin disease were at the entrance to the city gate. They said to each other, “Why just sit here until we die?
2 Kings 7:4 If we say, ‘Let’s go into the city,’ we will die there because the famine is in the city, but if we sit here, we will also die. So now, come on. Let’s surrender to the Arameans’ camp. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”
2 Kings 7:5 So the diseased men got up at twilight to go to the Arameans’ camp. When they came to the camp’s edge, they discovered that no one was there,
2 Kings 7:6 because Yahveh had caused the Aramean camp to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army. The Arameans had said to each other, “The king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to attack us.”
2 Kings 7:7 So they had gotten up and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents, horses, and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had fled for their lives.
2 Kings 7:8 When these diseased men came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they picked up the silver, gold, and clothing and went off and hid them. They came back and entered another tent, picked things up, and hid them.
2 Kings 7:9 Then they said to each other, “We’re not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our punishment will catch up with us. So, let’s go tell the king’s household.”
2 Kings 7:10 The diseased men came and called to the city’s gatekeepers and told them, “We went to the Aramean camp, and no one was there — no human sounds. There was nothing but tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.”
2 Kings 7:11 The gatekeepers called out, and the news was reported to the king’s household.
2 Kings 7:12 So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the open country, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and go into the city.'”
2 Kings 7:13 But one of his servants responded, “Please, let messengers take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their fate is like the entire Israelite community who will die, so let’s send them and see.”
2 Kings 7:14 The messengers took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.”
2 Kings 7:15 So they followed them as far as the Jordan. They saw that the whole way was littered with clothes and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in their haste. The messengers returned and told the king.
2 Kings 7:16 Then the people went out and plundered the Aramean camp. It was then that six quarts of fine flour sold for a half ounce of silver and twelve quarts of barley sold for a half ounce of silver, according to the word of Yahveh.
2 Kings 7:17 The king had appointed the captain, his right-hand man, to oversee the city gate, but the people trampled him in the gate. He died, just as the man of God had predicted when the king had come to him.
2 Kings 7:18 When the man of God had said to the king, “About this time tomorrow twelve quarts of barley will sell for a half ounce of silver and six quarts of fine flour will sell for a half ounce of silver at Samaria’s gate,”
2 Kings 7:19 this captain had answered the man of God, “Look, even if Yahveh were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” Elisha had said, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”
2 Kings 7:20 This is what happened to him: the people trampled him in the city gate, and he died.

the cynical captain

Bad things happen at times, and we cannot prevent them. We need to avoid getting an attitude of pessimism when things are not going well. The captain had seen much suffering, and he had grown cynical. When the prophet Elisha predicted a dramatic economic turn-around, he was not able to accept it. When we read from God’s word what he promises for us, we are sometimes guilty of the same cynicism.

LORD, forgive our faithlessness.

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horses and chariots of fire

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by Rebecca Diack on Pexels.com

horses and chariots of fire

2 Kings 6:1-23

2 Kings 6:1 The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please notice that the place where we live under your supervision is too small for us.
2 Kings 6:2 Please let us go to the Jordan where we can each get a log and can build ourselves a place to live there.” “Go,” he said.
2 Kings 6:3 Then one said, “Please come with your servants.” “I’ll come,” he answered.
2 Kings 6:4 So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.
2 Kings 6:5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Oh, my master, it was borrowed!”
2 Kings 6:6 Then the man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a piece of wood, threw it there, and made the iron float.
2 Kings 6:7 Then he said, “Pick it up.” So, he reached out and took it.
2 Kings 6:8 When the king of Aram was waging war against Israel, he conferred with his servants, “My camp will be at such and such a place.”
2 Kings 6:9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.”
2 Kings 6:10 Consequently, the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had told him about. The man of God repeatedly warned the king, so the king would be on his guard.
2 Kings 6:11 The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel?”
2 Kings 6:12 One of his servants said, “No one, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom.”
2 Kings 6:13 So the king said, “Go and see where he is, so I can send men to capture him.” When he was told, “Elisha is in Dothan,”
2 Kings 6:14 he sent horses, chariots, and a massive army there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
2 Kings 6:15 When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So, he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”
2 Kings 6:16 Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.”
2 Kings 6:17 Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So Yahveh opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:18 When the Arameans came against him, Elisha prayed to Yahveh , “Please strike this nation with blindness.” So, he struck them with blindness, according to Elisha’s word.
2 Kings 6:19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you’re looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.
2 Kings 6:20 When they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “Lord, open these men’s eyes and let them see.” So Yahveh opened their eyes, and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.
2 Kings 6:21 When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Should I kill them, should I kill them, my father?”
2 Kings 6:22 Elisha replied, “Don’t kill them. Do you kill those you have captured with your sword or your bow? Set food and water in front of them so they can eat and drink and go to their master.”
2 Kings 6:23 So he prepared a big feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. The Aramean raiders did not come into Israel’s land again.

horses and chariots of fire

The miracles described in this text were not parlor tricks designed to mystify. Nor were they random displays of supernatural power. They were displays of God’s power intended to help God’s people do his will, or hinder their enemies from doing theirs. Often we do not see God at work in our lives because they are so filled with us, and not directed toward him and his glory.

LORD, direct us to your plan, and open our eyes that we might see you fulfilling it.

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