All in the Family...

 

II Kings 8:25 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 began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27 He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.

In the long lists of the kings of Israel we have seen that repeated phrase he "...walked in the way of his (father) and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord...". But here we find it used of a king of Judah. Ahaziah was influenced - rather "infected" by his father-in-law and the rest of the family. He quickly "caught" the culture and arrogance of the clan, turning away from God to seek power and popularity. As we will see, his reign was brief, but the impact of this one year had a lasting effect on the kingdom of Judah.  How quickly, and easily, do we allow others to have such an influence on us?

Blame the Messenger!

II Kings 6:24 Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five shekels of silver. 26 Now as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” 27 And he said, “If the Lord will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?” 28 And the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” 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 on the next day I said to her, ‘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 and he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

Like Elijah, Elisha was called upon by God to proclaim judgment on the Northern Kingdom of Israel for her deep disobedience, but rather than bring them to repentance, they chose to blame the messenger for their desperation. Even when the king witnessed the depravity of the situation, he did not set the example and call out to God in confession for forgiveness. He wanted to kill the prophet.  How many of our woes do we blame on others? How deeply does that hurt others?

Did Not My Heart Go?

 

II Kings 5:23 And Naaman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants. And they carried them before Gehazi. 24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. 25 He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” 26 But he said to him, “Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow.

The healing of Naaman is a wonderful well-known account of proclaiming God before the nations. God used the loving encouragement of a little girl and His healing power through Elisha to demonstrate His love and power to a needy leader and his people. The account is tainted however by the greed of Gehazi, Elisha's assistant. Why not make a little money on the side you could hide? But God knew, and He let Elisha know. Elisha's response is telling: his heart left him - it took the wind out of his sails. He was very discouraged because God's glory was diminished by this servant. May we do nothing to do so to the Lord.

Admitting We Don't Know It All

II Kings 4:25When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite. 26 Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’” And she answered, “All is well.” 27 And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me?’” 29 He said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not reply. And lay my staff on the face of the child.” 

In these early chapters of II Kings, the historian is demonstrating how much Elisha was like Elijah in his ministry, having a similar experience in ministering to a Gentile woman and her family.  The small details help us realize this is much more than some redacted repetitive account. Elisha admits "the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me." Eventually Elisha himself goes and brings the son back to life.  There are many things we all have to learn about God's will and plan for us. We need to be open to His leading daily, allow him to change our plans, and keep an open heart to any He brings our way, like he did.

Unspeakable Horror

 

II Kings 3:24 But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites, till they fled before them. And they went forward, striking the Moabites as they went. 25 And they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees, till only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and attacked it. 26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom, but they could not. 27 Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.

After Ahab died, the surrounding nations tested the waters to see if they could gain back some control. In particular, Moab rebelled against Israel and were intent on invading and plundering the land. Once again, Israel called on Judah for help, and a true prophet of God announced victory for Isreal.  We get a glimpse of how twisted the thinking of the Moabites was, as the king of Moab offered his heir to the throne as a sacrifice, seeking victory from his gods.  When we choose to go against God's will it is horrifying what we will do to resist it. 

Hear All You Peoples!

 

I Kings 22:24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 26 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.”’” 28 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

God had given Ahab, the king of Israel mentioned above, a stay of sentence. But three years later, he again refused to listen to God's message. Ahab's 400 yes men - false prophets - had said: "go ahead into battle." But Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, who often disagreed with Ahab, said otherwise.  Ahab's solution was to put Micaiah under house arrest until he returned from battle. As seen above, Micaiah said: "you won't." The passage goes on to tell us that Ahab disguised himself so as to not be obvious during battle, but he was killed anyway.  He did not return. The people had proof Micaiah spoke for the Lord.  Would they now believe him, and even more so, God? 

Hope for the Worst of Us

 I Kings 21:25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.) 

27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. 28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”

This chapter begins with the account of Ahab and Jezebel stealing Naboth's vineyard. It was in a sense the last straw, resulting in God pronouncing judgment on Ahab and all his heirs to the throne. Shockingly, after all the things Ahab had done, he humbled himself in repentant action and God gives a "stay" on his punishment.  Finally, Ahab had responded not to fire on the mountain, but words spoken by the Lord May God's Word penetrate hearts in the same way today.