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 21st and part
of the 22nd 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
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