2 king 8-10

Sorry to be late with my posting.  We celebrated my birthday today.  It was a great birthday.  All of my kids and their kids were here.  My children and their spouses helped me put in a new retaining wall that will be a great new flower garden for Patty and give me more room to swing my grandchildren.  We had a cook out.  It was fantabulous!  that is my excuse now here is my meandering.


These are some of the readings that give the Old Testament a bad name, but consider this: in the opening passage of the 8th chapter and evil king (perhaps Jehu, we can't tell for certain) shows mercy on the Shunammite woman.  God can tenderize the heart of even an evil person.  Pray, pray, pray; perhaps God will show mercy and turn the hearts of even unbelievers.

The story of Elisha prophecying to Hazael illustrates one of the great difficulties that may face one who walks so closely to God that they might be allowed a foreknowledge of future events.  Elisha had such a foreknowledge and that foreknowledge broke his heart.  He could see that Hazael (king of Syria) was going to be very hard on Israel.  There would be much death and destruction in the land that Elisha loved.

Note, too, that Israel has a steady stream of evil kings.   Jehu is probably the best of them, but even he continues in the sin of Jeroboam.  Remember Jeroboam is the 1st of Israel's kings after the break up of Israel into the North (Israel) and the south (Judah).  The sin of Jeroboam was the sitting up of the 2 golden calves and directing the people to worship them as Gods.  Jehu did destroy much of the Baal worship and the priests of Baal, but he did not walk in the ways of God and he allowed many perversions in Israel.

Judah has some bad kings but they also have some God fearing kings.  Israel's demise is a continual downward spiral and in the 10th chapter we see it beginning .  Judah will remain a soveriegn state for a couple of extra centuries after Israel is carried off into exile. 

The bloody prophecies regarding Ahab's family and Jezebel's demise are fulfilled.  Evil will be rewarded in kind one day, but we should not rejoice in it.  Death of an evil person is an illustration of lost innocence and lost opportunity for the Kingdom of God in the life of that person.  Let us pray that we will be faithful in our witness that all whom we might influence will come into the saving knowledge and Grace of our Easter King, Jesus Christ.

Hope you have a most blessed Sabbath!!