May 18, 2024

As we saw in my blog yesterday, Jehu, anointed king by a young prophet sent by Elisha, tasked himself to rid Israel of all Ahab's descendants. However, Ahab had seventy sons! He devised a plan and sent a letter to their caretakers to put one of them on the throne and fight against him. They refused because they were scared. So he sent another letter telling them that since they refused to make one of them king, they had one day to deliver Ahab's son's heads to him. These people were pathetic and complied to save their own skin. Remember, these people were Baal worshippers, so you know without a doubt that they cannot be trusted. We have these same kinds of worshippers in Hollywood, sports, and politics. If it's on television, you know they've made a deal with the devil and cannot be trusted. Elijah's prophecy about Ahab's lineage being destroyed came true that day. However, that was just the beginning of Jehu's task to rid Israel of Baal worship; he now focused on the worshippers! He enlisted the help of Jehonadab, a good man of God, someone he could trust. 

To convince the people, he told them a lie, saying he was more of a Baal worshipper than Ahab. He called them all together for a solemn assembly for Baal and posted guards outside. Once he made sure none of God's worshippers were there, he had them slaughtered. Jehu destroyed all the idols and temples of Baal. Even though he did good and removed everything associated with Baal, he still didn't follow God's law and worshipped the golden calf. 

Is the United States coming to a Jehu moment? Could we be nearing the end and the return of Christ? Like Jehu, God will sort us out and save us from evil, like separating the wheat from the weeds. If this text teaches us anything, it is not to trust anyone as a friend but a true believer in Christ. Friends of the enemy are no friends at all! They have aligned themselves with evil.

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. Psalms 58:10

And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. 2 Kings 10:30

May 17, 2024

Elisha was getting old, so he sent one of the younger prophets to Jehu, a captain in the army, to anoint him king over Israel. He instructed him to do this out of the sight of others and then get out of there fast. Jehu knew he had to eliminate the house of Ahab and Jezebel. After telling the other captains that the prophet anointed him to become king of Israel, they announced it to the others and set out to Jezreel. When they came to Jezreel, Joram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, went out to meet Jehu, each in his chariot, and asked if he came in peace. Jehu told Joram that there was no peace as long as his mother Jezebel, and her witchcraft was still alive. Joram fled to Ahaziah and told him it was treason; that’s when Jehu shot an arrow through his heart and killed him. Jehu went after Ahaziah and had him shot, and he fled to Megiddo and died there. 

Now, what we’ve all been waiting for! Remember Elijah saying that Jezebel would die and the dogs would eat her? Jehu saw Jezebel looking out the window and asked who was on his side, and two or three eunuchs answered. He told them to throw her down, and her blood splattered on the wall, and the dogs ate her. Jehu was going to have her buried because she was the daughter of a king, but there was nothing left of her except her skull, feet, and the palms of her hands. There was no memorial for her, but she would become dung in the field. 

What’s the lesson? Do not dishonor God by delving into witchcraft or other sorcery. Stay free from evil and trust only in the Lord.

And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel. 2 Kings 9:37 

May 16, 2024

To confuse things, Ahab and Jehoshaphat named their children the same names! It has taken me a couple of days of reading this scripture to finally figure it out, likely only because of the Holy Spirit and some help from Matthew Henry's commentary. 

Joram, Ahab's son, reigned in Israel when Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, was made king of Judah. Jehoram was as bad as the kings of Israel, really bad, probably because Ahab's daughter was his wife! We have to be careful of who becomes the mothers of our children; they have a lot of influence on how a child is raised and what they become as adults. God didn't destroy them because he had promised David he would always have a successor until the kingship ended with Jesus, the one and only true King and a light forever. David had subdued the Edomites, but Jehoram stirred them up by trying to destroy them, but they revolted and became the enemy of Judah forever, even to this day. 

Jehoram's son, Ahaziah, succeeded him. Having Ahab's daughter as a mother, he was doomed to follow in the footsteps of Ahab.  Joram, king of Israel, teamed up with Ahaziah to fight against Hazael, king of Syria, at Ramoth-Gilead. Ahaziah was wounded in battle and went back to Jezreel to recover. Joram went and visited him—two evil kings consulting together. Even Jesus had evil in his "lineage." He was related to Ahab! Good people can come from bad people; Jesus exemplifies this truth. 

Jesus’ lineage in Matthew:

and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, Matthew 1:8 ESV. 

And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. 2 Kings 8:16

May 15, 2024

Benhadad, the king of Syria, was sick and wanted to know if he would recover. So, he sent his right-hand man, Hazael, with forty camels loaded with provisions, to ask Elisha about his fate. He told Hazael that he would recover but would surely die, and Elisha began to weep because God also told him Hazael would become king and would hurt the men, women, and children of Israel. Back in 1 Kings 19, Elijah appointed Hazael king over Syria. God’s prophecies are falling into place. Hazael went back to the king and told him he would recover. However, he suffocated him with a wet rag and began to reign over Syria. We might see Benhadad again because he seemed to trust God and made Elisha his oracle. After all, he knew of the healing of Naaman. Remember Naaman? He was leprous, and Elisha told him to wash in the Jordan River seven times. He did what Elisha told him to do, and God healed him. 

This account of Benhadad, who was once Elisha’s enemy, now called him a man of God and sought healing, such as Naaman, while no longer trusting in his idols. Sickness will sometimes bring people who otherwise would continue in their evil ways to their knees and seek the prayer and counsel of the godly. If an unbeliever asks you to pray for them, pray. It could mean the difference between them going to heaven or hell because for them to ask means they are seeking God’s intervention with a tiny amount of trust. 

And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 2 Kings 8:8

May 14, 2024

The Lord had told Elisha that there would be famine in the land for seven years, so he warned the Shunammite woman to leave the country until it was over. When she returned, other people had taken over her house and land. She cried to the king, and it just so happened that right before she called on the king for help, Gehazi, who had served Elisha, had told the king all the wonderful things Elisha had done, including raising the Shunammite woman’s son from the dead. The Shunammite confirmed that the son with her was the one he brought back to life. The king then restored her land and gave her back all the money it had earned while she was gone. 

Can you imagine doing everything God told you to do only to find out that others had taken away all you owned? But, through the king, God restored everything the Shunammite had and more. We can be sure that when we submit to God as she did, though the enemy tries to devour us, God will restore what we had and give us more. I can testify that this is true, and the recovery is more than I could ever ask for or imagine. Share your testimony so others can see and believe. God is so good. 

And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 2 Kings 8:2

May 13, 2024

The army of Syria's encampment had cut off Samaria from the outside world, causing famine within the city. Elisha told them their hunger was about to end and the price of flour and barley, would become affordable. The king's right-hand man didn't believe him, so Elisha told him he would see it with his eyes but not taste it. It was nightfall, and four lepers, outside the city gate because it was the law that they stay away, were bantering among themselves that if they entered the city, they would die of hunger. Still, if they stayed outside, they would be at the mercy of the army of Syria. They decided they would take their chances with the army; if they die, they die because they would die one way or the other. When they approached the camp, they found it empty, except the army had left all their belonging: the horses, donkeys, food, gold, and silver. God had caused sounds of horses and chariots in the night to spook them, thinking Samaria had hired the king of Egypt or Hittites to help them, and they fled. When the four lepers found the camp empty, they entered the tents, ate, and began plundering them. However, they began to feel guilty about their actions and sent word to the king. He was hesitant at first, thinking it was a trap, but eventually found out it was true. He sent his right-hand man to coordinate the plundering; he saw the food but was trampled by the people and died, thus making Elisha's prediction about him come true. 

Elisha was God's spokesman, and the man knew it and should have believed him. Many people will see the goodness of God through Jesus but will never enter God's kingdom because of their unbelief. Strengthen your faith and walk in God's way, sealing your eternal life in Jesus.

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2 Kings 7:1 

May 12, 2024

Benhadad, king of Syria, had his army surround Samaria and caused famine there. One mother came to another mother, each having a son, and told her that if they ate her son today, they could eat her son tomorrow. The woman said yes, and they ate him. The next day came, and the other woman hid her son. The woman, whose son was eaten, cried to the king about the unfairness, and he tore his clothes in despair. Then he sent a messenger to cut off Elisha's head. He failed.

The government was quick to blame Elisha, the servant of God, for their despair rather than look upon themselves as the villain for not denouncing their worship of false gods and idols. They were so wicked that they didn't bat an eye at eating another human. Sick! Today, who does the government blame for their misfortune? Us! The Christians. Know this: we are not the villains for following Jesus. Hold tight to your convictions; we may be okay now, but things could get rough. Trust God in all situations; He will help us get through it.

This occurrence was a prophecy foretold in Deuteronomy 28, that came true.

Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. 2 Kings 6:31