The Suddenness of Opportunity (2 Kings 9:1-13)

4/30/2011 9:49:45 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  The suddenness of opportunity

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  2Kings 9:1-13

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, "Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2  "When you arrive there, search out Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and bid him arise from among his brothers, and bring 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 wait." 4  So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5  When he came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting, and he said, "I have a word for you, O captain." And Jehu said, "For which one of us?" And he said, "For you, O captain." 6  He arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ’I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. 7  ’You shall strike 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 every male person both bond and free in Israel. 9  ’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 in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’" Then he opened the door and fled.

    “11 ¶  Now Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, "Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?" And he said to them, "You know very well the man and his talk." 12  They said, "It is a lie, tell us now." And he said, "Thus and thus he said to me, ’Thus says the LORD, "I have anointed you king over Israel."’" 13  Then they hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and blew the trumpet, saying, "Jehu is king!’”

 

            I like the Chinese proverb that Warren Wiersbe quotes in his commentary on this section of Scripture:  “Opportunity has a forelock, but not a pigtail.  Once it is past, you cannot grasp it.”  This is what happened to Jehu and he did grasp this opportunity to the fullest.” 

            Jehu was not the son of the former king of Judah, but his father had the same name, Jehoshaphat.  Before Elijah had gone to heaven the Lord had given him three assignments and he must have passed two of them onto Elisha, and the third one was to anoint Jehu king of Israel, and so Elisha wisely sends of the young prophets to do this task.  It should be noted that this was the tenth king of Israel and Jehu was the first king to be anointed by someone that the Lord had sent to do it.  None of the others had this kind of anointment from the Lord by one of His servants.

            The people of Israel were a rebellious people, but they were still the people of the Lord the people of the covenant that God had given to Abraham and were his descendants’.  They were still under the covenant that the Lord gave to David also, so it is for certain that they were special to the Lord.

            When the young prophet came and spoke to Jehu there are two things worth noting, actually three, for the young prophet stayed long enough in order to give Jehu some more information as to what he was to accomplish for the Lord, the eliminating of the family of Ahab, especially his wife Jezebel.  The second thing worth noting is the humbleness of Jehu as he did not want to tell his peers what the young man had said as they had to drag it out of him so to speak.  The last thing is how his peers identified the young man as being crazy and this is not uncommon for the people of the Lord.  I think of Noah and what those neighbors of his must have said about him building an ark on dry land waiting for something that never happened before to happen, that is rain.  People thought the Lord Jesus was crazy, and they also though Paul was crazy, but actually the ones who are not sane are the ones who do not know the Lord and I am thankful that I am one who does know the Lord and I have been told that I am not too sane before.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There is one statement in Dr. Wiersbe’s notes that struck me this day and the statement is as follows:  “The people had turned away from the Lord, but He had not forsaken them.”  I know that I too have forsaken the Lord far too many times, but He has never forsaken me as I am a beloved child of His, and for this I am humbled and thankful.

            The other thing that stuck out to me in this morning’s readings was not to forsake and opportunity, but to grasp it and take advantage of it for it may not come around again.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Remember that the Lord loves me and has provided spiritual armor for the battle that is ongoing, and I am to use it to the glory of the Lord.

2.      Grasp opportunities that the Lord sends my way.

3.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

4/30/2011 10:25:13 AM

The Foolishness of Compromise (2 Kings 8:16-29; 2 Chron. 21)

4/29/2011 9:16:44 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  The foolishness of compromise

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                 Reference:  2Ki. 8:16-29; 2Chron. 21

 

            Message of the verses:  In this section the scene shifts back to the kingdom of Judah and in this section the word compromise is happening.  I did not realize just how evil Jezebel was as I read through the OT in years before when I read about her.  She is mentioned also in the NT book of Revelation’s when the Lord is speaking to one of the seven churches.  “20  ’But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”  This was written to the church at Thyatira. 

            This compromise began when Jehoshaphat had allowed his son Jehoram marry one of Ahab and Jezebel’s daughters.  It was Jezebel who introduced Baal worship into the northern kingdom, and now because her daughter was married to the now king of the southern kingdom Baal worship would be introduced there.  Her daughter was just as evil as she was and this was passed on to her husband for when he became king he killed all of his brothers so that they could not go against his plans, and part of that plan was the worship of Baal.  Again Jezebel wickedness comes through.

 

            A reign of terror (verses 2Kings 8:16-22): “16 ¶  Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. 17  He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18  He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab became his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19  However, the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, since He had promised him to give a lamp to him through his sons always. 20  In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 21  Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents. 22  So Edom revolted against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. 23  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 slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahaziah his son became king 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. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27  He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab. 28  Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram. 29  So King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.”

 

            This section tells about both the king of Israel and also the king of Judah and it explains what the Lord did to these two kingdoms because of the sin that prevailed in both of them.  The section in 2Chronicles tells in more detail about the king of Judah and how the Lord had caused him to become sick and die because of his evilness.  It also tells that he was not even given they type of burial that all of the other kings were given from Judah.  I will now move onto the section in 2Chronicles as Dr. Wiersbe has also written commentary on part of the section in 2Chronicles 21 about the letter that Elisha sent to the king of Judah. 

            I wish to point out an important item here and that is that the Lord did not destroy the kingdom of Judah at this time because of his covenant that He made with David.  Later on He would destroy them, but would bring them back after seventy years of captivity.

 

            A word of warning (2Chronicles 21:12-15): 12 ¶  Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet saying, "Thus says the LORD God of your father David, ’Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13  but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and you have also killed your brothers, your own family, who were better than you, 14  behold, the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great calamity; 15  and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.’"

 

            The letter spoken of in this section comes from Elijah the prophet and this shows again that the one who wrote 2Kings did not follow a strict chronology when writing this account.  It also must be remembered that it is the Holy Spirit who is the author of the Bible and that He used all of the authors to pen what it was that He wanted to write down.  This can be seen in two places in the NT. 19 ¶  So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20  But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21  for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (2Peter 1:19-21).” “ 2Ti 3:16  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

            This letter that Elijah wrote is probably one of the last things that he did before the Lord took him to heaven and all of the things written in it came true.  The Lord would appoint Jehu to kill both the king of Israel and also the king of Judah and it made it easy for him because they were both in Samaria at the same time.  This was the price of compromise and it was not worth it at all.

            When Jehoram king of Judah died it is said in 2Chronicles that he was not buried with his fathers, and yet the account in 2Kings says that he was.  In a footnote on this section Dr. Wiersbe writes that it was probably afterwards that his body was removed from the king’s tombs and placed somewhere else because of his wickedness. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today: “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”  This is from the book of proverbs chapter sixteen and verse twenty-five.  It seemed right in the way of theses kings to do what they did, but in the end it was their downfall and death came to them because of their wrong way of thinking and doing. 

            All temptation comes to the mind before it is acted out in sin by the body, and it is the mind that must be protected by the spiritual armor in order to not follow the temptations that come through the world or the flesh or the devil.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Remember the fierce battle that I am in and the need for the protection of the spiritual armor.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

 

4/29/2011 10:48:48 AM

The Wickedness of the Human Heart (2 Kings 8:7-15)

4/28/2011 7:47:42 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  The wickedness of the human heart

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  2Kings 8:7-15

 

            Message of the verses:  “7 ¶  Then Elisha came to Damascus. Now Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and it was told him, saying, "The man of God has come here." 8  The king said to Hazael, "Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, ’Will I recover from this sickness?’" 9  So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, "Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ’Will I recover from this sickness?’" 10  Then Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, ’You will surely recover,’ but the LORD has shown me that he will certainly die." 11  He fixed his gaze steadily on him until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept. 12  Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" Then he answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up." 13  Then Hazael said, "But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" And Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram." 14  So he departed from Elisha and returned to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he answered, "He told me that you would surely recover." 15  On the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his face, so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.”

 

            This passage seems to be a bit confusing and has some things in it that show that the human hear heart is wicked and as Jeremiah wrote “who can understand it.”

            While Elijah was still on this earth the Lord had given him three things to do and it seems like he had only done one of them.  This assignment was given to him while he was on Mount Horeb and can be found in 1Kings 9:8-18.  The one thing that he did do was anoint Elisha as a prophet and Elijah probably instructed Elisha to do the other two things that of anointing Hazael as king of Syria, and Jehu as king of Israel.  This section is about Hazel and although it does not say that Elisha anointed him king this may have happened.

            While Ben-hadad lie sick he had heard that Elisha was coming to Syria so he sent Hazel to see him with gifts, which were probably more like bribes to find out if he would recover from his illness.  The answer that Elisha gives to Hazel is a bit confusing but it did come about.  Elisha said that he would recover from his illness, but he would die anyway and that is exactly what happened.

            Elisha also told Hazel that he would become king and he did and ruled for forty-one years, but how he became king and what he did would make Elisha cry, for Hazel would kill Ben-hadad then take over the kingdom and do some awful things to Israel after being king.  Hazel would call these awful things “great things.”  I would suppose that as a military leader in that time period doing these things to one’s enemies would be considered great things as that was what happened in this period of history and they do show the evilness of the human heart.  Verse sixteen shows that Hazel kills Ben-hadad and then takes over as king of Syria.  How this act enters into his mind is not told in this story, but he was the one who did the deed.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have written on the inside cover of one of my Bibles this statement:  Total depravity:  Man is not as bad as he can be but is as bad off as he can be.  The statement helps me to understand the total depravity of man, for given the opportunity man will do some awful things and this section of Scripture shows this to be true.

            I am a born-again believer, washed in the blood of the Lamb, given a new nature that wants to only follow the Lord and do His will.  The problem is that I still have that old nature that once to do evil and not follow the Lord, so there is a constant battle going on in my mind.  Paul not only talks about this in Romans seven, but shows me how to be victorious in this ongoing battle.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Remember that I am in a spiritual battle and am in need of having on the spiritual armor.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

4/28/2011 8:25:22 AM

The Greatness of God (2 Kings 8:1-6)

4/27/2011 8:04:56 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The greatness of God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  2Kings 8:1-6

 

            Message of the verses:  Today’s SD begins the fifth chapter in Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on 2Kings and the eight chapter in 2Kings.  It also covers the 21^st and part of the 22^nd chapter of 2Chronicles.  He entitles this chapter “REAPING THE HARVEST OF SIN,” and there are five main points in this chapter that talk about the day of judgment for the dynasty of king Ahab as the prophet Elijah spoke of in 1Kings 21:21,29.  There are three sub-points under this first main point of the chapter.

            The events that occur in this first section remind the reader of the greatness of God and they happened before the healing of Naaman for Elisha’s servant Gehazi would not have been able to go into the palace of the king when he was a lepor.

 

            God controls nature (8:1-2):  “1 ¶  Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, "Arise and go with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn; for the LORD has called for a famine, and it will even come on the land for seven years." 2  So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.”

 

            The famine that is spoken of here may have been the one mentioned in 2Kings 4:38 as this event happened after Elisha had raised the woman’s son from the death.  Her husband is not mentioned here in this portion of Scripture, and perhaps he had already died for he was older than her. 

            In the Scripture that covers the OT covenant with Israel God mentions that if Israel did not obey then God would bring famine on the land, and it is a sure thing that Israel was not obeying the Lord nor keeping His covenant.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following:  “When people ignore God’s Word, the Lord may speak through His creation and remind them who is in charge.”

 

            God controls life and death (2Kings 8:3-5):  “3  At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went out to appeal to the king for her house and for her field. 4  Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done." 5  As he was  to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.’”

 

            It is not told to the reader which king that Gehazi was speaking to, but it could be Joram the son of Ahab. 

            This section recounts the miracle that Elisha did for the woman’s son by raising him from the dead by the power of the Lord.  It is also a reminder of the power and greatness of God in giving life and being able to even raise the dead when they have died.  God is the giver of life and he has the power to take it away. 

           

            God providentially controls the events in life (2Kings 8:5-6):  “5  As he was relating to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, "My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life." 6  When the king asked the woman, she related it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, "Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.’”

 

            One can see in this section how it is that the Lord prearranged this event to happen.  When this woman’s son was raised from the dead she had no idea of the coming famine nor her move to the Philistine nation for seven years nor that the raising of her son would cause the king to return her land to her.  It was no coincidence that Gehazi was talking to the king about her and her son when she walked into see the king.

            Dr. Wiersbe points out that the word “providence” comes from two Latin words pro and video which together mean “to see ahead, to see before.”  “God not only knows what lies ahead; but He plans what is to happen in the future and executes His plan perfectly.”  He goes on to write “Perhaps a better word is ‘prearrangement.’  In no way does God’s providence interfere with our power of choice or our responsibility for the choices we make and their consequences.”

            This section will prepare the reader for the great troubles which lie ahead, for even though there will be bad times ahead God is still on His throne and still in charge.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This section reaffirms to me that God is on His throne and is in control of all that is happening to me at this point in my life including the fact that the job that I have been working on is on hold or may in fact end and we will be forced to go home and find something else to do.  I know that God loves me and will work out the best for me no matter what happens here.  We like living here and are truly blessed for being here and will be glad to continue to go on live here working and serving the Lord, but at the same time realizing that God is in control of our lives and for that I am truly thankful.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Continue to trust the Lord for His leading in my life and the life of my family.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

4/27/2011 9:15:24 AM

God who Fulfills His Promises (2 Kings 7:1-20)

4/26/2011 6:50:30 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                        Focus:  The God who fulfills His Promises

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                       Reference:  2Kings 7:1-20

 

            Message of the verses:  Today’s SD will take up the entire seventh chapter of 2Kings, but in the commentary of Dr. Wiersbe he breaks it up into three different sub-titles and so I will attempt to look at each of these three sub-titles in this SD.  (Since I am not working at this time I want to take a bigger portion of Scripture, for I have more time to do this).

 

            In yesterday’s SD the king of Israel along with his servant were left outside the door of Elisha’s house wanting to come in and to kill Elisha because the king believed that it was Elisha who was causing the trouble that was going on inside the city.  In fact it was learned that the reason for the trouble was because the people of Israel had broken the covenant with the Lord and were now paying the bill for breaking it.  Did Elisha let the king into his house?  Well Dr. Wiersbe writes that he probably did, but by the time he entered he was more subdued and would begin to listen to reason.

 

            Good news from the Lord (verses 1-2):  “1 ¶  Then Elisha said, "Listen to the word of the LORD; thus says the LORD, ’Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’" 2  The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, "Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" Then he said, "Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.’”

            Elisha now tells the king and his office a Word from the Lord, and that Word was that the next day about that same time the price of food would drop considerably.  Elisha was a great prophet of God, and the Lord spoke through His prophets, unlike the priests of Baal that Joram listened to.  Hebrews 4:12 is a wonderful verse that speaks of the power of the Word of God:  “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  The king’s officer did not believe the Word of God spoken by Elisha His prophet, and so Elisha told him that he would not see this miracle from the Lord, for he would be dead.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following:  “To the humble heart that’s open to God, the Word generates faith; but to the proud, self-centered heart, the Word makes the heart even harder.  The same sun that melts ice will harden the clay.” 

 

            Good news from the enemy camp (verses 3-16):  “3 ¶  Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why do we sit here until we die? 4  "If we say, ’We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, we will but die." 5  They arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there. 6  For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, "Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us." 7  Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life. 8  When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them. 9  Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household." 10  So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and they told them, saying, "We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor the voice of man, only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were." 11  The gatekeepers called and told  doing it within the king’s household.

    “12 ¶  Then the king arose in the night and said to his servants, "I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone from the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ’When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and get into the city.’" 13  One of his servants said, "Please, let some men take five of the horses which remain, which are left in the city. Behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished, so let us send and see." 14  They took therefore two chariots with horses, and the king sent after the army of the Arameans, saying, "Go and see." 15  They went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. Then the messengers returned and told the king. 16  So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.”

            Last Wednesday I was thinking about this story of these four lepers and had gotten in mixed up with the story of 2Kings 35 and also chapter 37 of Isaiah when the angel of the Lord came and killed 185,000 Assyrians in their camp.

            The story of these four lepers parallels the story of the church today and what the church should be doing with the Good News of the Gospel.  These four lepers who lived outside of the city gate of Samaria decided to go to the camp of the Syrians to get some food, or to be killed by the Syrians, for they thought that they were going to die anyhow so it would be better to die fast with the sword, than to die slowly of starvation.  When they got there they found the camp empty for the Lord has caused them to hear a sound that they thought was a great army and so they ran away leaving everything there in the camp.

            Now these four lepers ate until they were full and then began to plunder the camp, but later on in the night they decided that it was wrong to keep this good news away from those who were starving in the city so they decided to tell the guards at the gate this good news.  The guard told the king and even though he had heard the Word of the Lord spoken through the prophet Elisha he did not believe it.  This is now unlike many people today who hear the good news of the Gospel and reject it.  An officer with good sense suggested to the king that they send some me to investigate, which they did and found out the story was true.  Verse sixteen says that all of this fulfilled what happened was “according to the word of the Lord.”  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following, “—the main lesson isn’t that God rescued His people when they didn’t deserve it, but that God fulfilled te promise He gave through His prophet Elisha.”

 

            Bad news for the king’s officer (verses 17-20):  “17  Now the king appointed the royal officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate; but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18  It happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, "Two measures of barley for a shekel and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria." 19  Then the royal officer answered the man of God and said, "Now behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?" And he said, "Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it." 20  And so it happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died.”

            Elisha not only told about the prices of the food dropping, but he also told about the king’s officer, who did not believe the Word of the Lord through his prophet Elisha, would die and not see it all happen.  The verses above tell of his plight which fulfilled the Word of the Lord.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following, “The Word of the Lord lived on but the man who denied that Word was killed.  ‘Heaven and earth will pass away,’ said Jesus, ‘but My words will by no means pass away’ (Matt. 24:35, NKJV).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Just as the four lepers did not hide the good news, but shared it so others would live, I too am to share the good news of the Gospel to those who will die without it.  I cannot make anyone believe this good news, like the king who did not believe the good news in the story there will be those who do not believe the good news of the gospel, but it is still up to me to tell those whom God brings into my path.

 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Be ready to give an account of what the Lord has done in my life so others can hear the good news of the Gospel.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

3.      Remember that I am in a battle and in need of the Spiritual armor.

4.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service today.

 

4/26/2011 8:04:52 AM

           

The God Who Keeps His Covenant (2 Kings 6:24-33)

4/25/2011 7:14:48 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  The God who keeps His covenant

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                  Reference:  2Kings 6:24-33

 

            Message of the verses:  “24 ¶  Now it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25  There was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 26  As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, "Help, my lord, O king!" 27  He said, "If the LORD does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?" 28  And the king said to her, "What is the matter with 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  When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes-now he was passing by on the wall-and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body. 31  Then he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today." 32  Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, "Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?" 33  While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, "Behold, this evil is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?’”

 

            After reading the text for today’s SD I was unsure how Dr. Wiersbe got this title for this section, but after reading his commentary I understand why he chose this title.  The people of Israel were breaking the covenant that the Lord had given them to keep.  The covenant had both blessing and curses in it and if the people refused to follow what the Lord had given them to keep and receive the blessings from the Lord then they would receive the curses from the Lord, and this is what was happening to them.  The eating of unclean food, the eating of one’s child, the attacks from other nations who would defeat them, this was all in the curses of the Law, and these people, especially the king did not get what was going on because the king was blaming Elisha for the trouble that they were in and so he vows to kill him.  God tells Elisha all that he needs to know and so he knew that the king would be sending the messenger to him to kill him and would follow him to make sure that it would get done and so he had the elders block the door even before they got there. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I realize that the covenant that God gave to Israel with the blessings and the curses is not what I live under today.  Good things can happen to “bad” people today, and bad things can happen to “good” people today.  With that said I want to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord no matter what happens to me, and be able to say with Paul that “I have learned to be content.”

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Continue to learn to be content in my life.

2.      Give myself to the Lord today for worship and for service.

3.      Trust the Lord with the outcome of whether or not my van sells.

4.      Pray that the Lord would give me grace so that Sandy and I get along better.

4/25/2011 7:46:32 AM  

The God who shows Mercy (2 Kings 6:18-23)

4/24/2011 7:58:27 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The God who shows mercy

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  2Kings 6:18-23

 

            Message of the verses:  “18  When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Strike this people with blindness, I pray." So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19  Then 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." And he brought them to Samaria. 20  When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21  Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?" 22  He answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master." 23  So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.”

 

            Elisha had just asked the Lord to open the eyes of his young servant, and now he asks the Lord to cloud the eyes of these soldiers who were sent to kill him.  I believe that it is the Lord who prompted Elisha to pray the way that he did both times here and so it was the Lord who would answer Elisha’s prayer.  In the ninth chapter of Daniel the prophet prayed about things that were already written in the Word of God, that God would honor His Word.  Did Daniel have to pray that what God had already promised to come about?  I don’t think so, but when one gets to know Daniel and this can be done by reading his book, one realizes that this is the way that Daniel operated, and it is also a wonderful example for me to follow too.  God graciously allows His servants to be a part of His plan by praying, and praying the Scriptures is a good way to pray. 

            Elisha leads the soldiers into the capital city of Samaria right to the king and then they can see where they are.  Of course this evil, double minded king wants to kill them, but Elisha convinces the king that they are his guests and that he should feed them.  Dr. Wiersbe points out that this meal with them is actually making a covenant with them and so when they go back home to their king the raiding parties stop coming into Israel.  Proverbs 25:21-22 reads as follows: “21 ¶  If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22  For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you.”  Paul repeats this verse in Romans 12:20-21, and this is exactly what Elisha had the king do for these soldiers.  It must have made a great impression on the soldiers and also the king. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This is a great example for me as a believer in Jesus Christ to follow.  Showing kindness is never the wrong thing to do even though at times the outcome is not exactly what one desires, but still it is the best thing to do.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Eph 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

2.      Continue to seek to learn contentment.

3.      Remember the battle rages on and I am in need of the spiritual armor so that I can stand.

 

4/24/2011 8:24:09 AM