lost hope

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

3148_1085075600461_1033500961_30194430_1400723_n2 Kings 12

It was  a time of decline in Judah.  Tribute was flowing from Judah to Syria, not the other way around.  Even the temple repairs were being neglected.  The priests probably felt it would be a waste of money to repair the temple, because it would never be as glorious as it had been in the past.  So, the state stepped in and managed the repairs.  Even good king Joash could not escape the depression that was eating away at the people.  It led two of his servants to assassinate him.  The people were letting the depression of the present seal away their hope for the future. 

LORD, our hope is in you.  It can never be lost, for you are immortal.

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the Jezebel of Judah

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

SDC139202 Kings 11

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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for God so hates…

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

SDC139172 Kings 10

Sometimes I 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 and the prophets and 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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a dark day

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

LAND15 (3)2 Kings 9

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 burden of knowing

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

jd-at-beach2 Kings 8

Elisha knew that king Ben-hadad was not going to die of his sickness, but he also knew that Hazael was going to murder him, 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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believing God’s promises

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

016_162 Kings 6:24-7:20

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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seeing God at work

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

n1257512658_30117341_12357322 Kings 6:1-23

The miracles described in this text were not parlor tricks designed to mystify.  They were displays of 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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keeping emotions in check

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

baptism 1082 Kings 5

Even when God is at work among us, our emotions can hide the glory of his presence if we are not in right relationship with him.  Consider how emotions sent these three people in the wrong direction:

  1. the fear of the king of Israel (7)
  2. the pride of Naaman (11)
  3. the greed of Gehazi (19-21)

These first two men were allowed to repent and get back on track, but Gehazi’s greed affected him and his descendants after him.

LORD, help us to keep our emotions in check, and not to test your grace.

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we want more

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

SDC139212 Kings 4

Elisha’s miracles are evidence that there is a power beyond the natural.  Both the poor widow and the wealthy Shunnamite woman need this power.  The LORD heals, provides, and restores life.   The limits of our present world are not limits to him.  This present life is  a kind of test.  Will we be satisfied with the natural with its limits, or will we seek more.

LORD, we want more.

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incomplete victory

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Jefferson Vann

SDC139202 Kings 3

The combined armies of Israel, Judah and Edom accomplish all that Elisha predicts, but stops short of eliminating Moab altogether. It appears that the Moabite king’s sacrifice of his oldest son changes things.  We must be careful not to assume that God honored this act, because he condemns it elsewhere.  Instead, the wrath that came was the rage felt by the Moabites.  Not only were they losing the battle, but they had just lost their future king.  They would have fought ferociously to the last man. The LORD’s armies – sensing this – appropriately chose to retreat.

LORD, give us wisdom to settle for incomplete victories until Christ returns and his kingdom is restored.

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