April 10 / 2 Kings 9-12

We are moving quickly through the kings of Israel and Judah now, but though the names change, their sins remain the same: idolatry and all the accompanying evils.

The prophet Elisha is still the spokesman of God to the kings. In chapter nine he sends a young prophet to anoint Jehu as Israel’s next king, replacing Joram because under his reign the people are still worshipping the idols introduced by Jezebel, Ahab’s foreign wife.

It turns out that Joram has been wounded in war, and King Ahaziah of Judah is with him making a hospital visit. Too bad for him, because Jehu is coming to town.

Joram demands to know of Jehu: “Do you come in peace?” Jehu responds, speaking for the Lord as well as for himself: “How can there be peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel, are all around us?”

Joram, Ahaziah and Jezebel are all killed as judgment for their willful rebellion against God, for misleading the Lord’s people and for killing the prophets (1 Kings 18:4). The rest of Ahab’s household follows in a grisly manner: “So Ahab was left without a single survivor.”

It was a mixed blessing in those days to be a member of the royal family.

Jehu continues by traveling to Samaria where he cleverly summons then kills all the prophets of Baal and finally destroys every trace of Baal worship from Israel.

It’s hard to read these chapters because ancient war was brutal—not unlike ISIS today. Jehu was relentless and merciless in carrying out the Lord’s judgment against those who defied God by worshipping the worst of the Canaanite gods, Baal. Baalism was so horrible and violent that only a relentless man of war could defeat it.

Following this, further intrigue and treason follows in the house of former King Ahaziah, led by one of his widows. But her maneuver is countered by the priest Jehoiada. A young boy Joash (who was from Ahaziah’s family but had been hidden and protected for several years) is crowned king. The priest Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s people:

“And all the people of the land went over to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They demolished the altars, and smashed the idols to pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.”
(2 Kings 11:17-18)

Joash was seven years old when he became king and “all his life he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.”

Prayer: Lord, it is unsettling to behold how relentless evil can be, and how difficult it is to destroy—like chemotherapy and radiation treatment against cancer. Even when the evil is destroyed, there is always collateral damage and continuing effects. Victory can be bittersweet. How we long for day when there will be no more war. Amen.

April 9 / 2 Kings 4-8

These chapters continue the stories of Elisha, a great and faithful prophet of God through whom he works nine miracles.

Through these miracles, both Elijah, and Elisha his successor, highlight aspects of God’s power—his control over nature, care for the helpless, power over sickness and death and supremacy over mere idols like Baal.

The prophets show that the Lord is not merely one religious option among many, but is the one and only God, with absolute power. Human events are under his control. He is the judge of people and nations, yet his covenant love is extended to non-Israelites as well, including a poor woman who is rescued from poverty through a miracle of multiplication, and from infertility by pregnancy. Later, when her child dies, he is restored to life through Elisha’s prayer.

In addition, a foreigner named Naaman is cured of leprosy and he bears witness to the Lord: “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel…From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god, except the Lord.” (2 Kings 5:12,17)

It is ironic that a pagan outsider should bear witness to the one true God, when the Israelites themselves are breaking God’s commandment by worshipping pagan idols. Already, we begin to see more evidence of God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham coming true.

Prayer: Lord, your love for the whole world amazes us, for we tend to love only those who are like us and agree with us. Help us to see the world through your eyes so that we may be willing to share the blessing of the gospel with everyone. Amen.

April 8 / 2 Kings 1-3

In the second book of Kings, we trace the tragic fall of the divided Jewish empire.

Stepping back to see the wider picture, the books of Samuel and Kings reveal the irony that the nation chosen by God to be a witness of the one, true God to the surrounding nations, has instead become just like the surrounding nations and will soon be conquered and exiled by Assyria and Babylonia.

Nevertheless, God continues to care for his people and show grace through the ministries of the prophets. In 1 Kings it was the great prophet Elijah; in 2 Kings it will be the prophet, Elisha.

Elijah’s ministry winds down, in chapters 1 & 2, as he visits a school of the prophets at Bethel (2 Kings 2:1-3). The “group of prophets” were probably young men studying the law of Moses and the history of Israel in order to teach the people. Contrary to what you might think, the prophets were scholars, primarily involved in “forth-telling” the word of God rather than “foretelling” the future.

Elijah is mentoring a prophet, named Elisha. When asked by Elijah what he would like to receive from him before he dies, Elisha asks for a “double share” of his spirit and to become his successor.

When Elijah is dramatically taken away in a “chariot of fire” by a “whirlwind into heaven,” Elisha is deeply moved. He picks up Elijah’s cloak, i.e. his mantle, and performs some nature miracles, showing that indeed the spirit of Elijah rested upon him.

Elisha also shows that the Lord speaks through him when, in chapter 3, the Kings of Israel (Joram) and Judah (Jehoshaphat), joined by the King of Edom, team up to fight the King of Moab. But there was no water for the men or animals. King Joram became anxious because of this, so Jehoshaphat recommended that they consult with a prophet of the Lord.

They choose Elisha but Elisha is not very excited about helping them because they are not fully committed to the Lord, so he sarcastically tells them “Go to the pagan prophets of your father and mother!”

Finally, he relents, and inquires of the Lord about the conflict with Moab. The Lord tells Elisha that he is going to send plenty of water to refresh the men and animals, and then give them victory over Moab. Sure enough, God sends water in a most unusual way. The Moabites become confused, fall into a trap and are defeated.

Indeed, God has answered Elisha’s prayer and given him a “double share” of Elijah’s spirit. So, Elisha begins his ministry with miraculous signs and wonders against the enemies of God. And like Elijah, we see Elisha’s ministry combining the teaching of God’s word and the demonstration of God’s power—a witness to both the pagan nations and the divided kingdom of the Israelites.

Prayer: Lord, like these two great prophets, grant your Church a ministry of the Word and power in the world today as we pursue our calling to make disciples of all nations. We cannot do it in our own strength! Amen.