Nothing Happens By Chance

Transcript

GRS 2-105
4/6/2008
Nothing Happens By Chance
2 Kings 8
Gil Rugh

We are studying Second Kings, the history of Israel’s kings, and we are in Second Kings Chapter 8 in your bibles. These chapters continue the events that took place within the context of the ministry of Elisha the prophet. After Chapter 9, Elisha will not play a permanent role again till we get to Chapter 13 and in Chapter 13 beginning with verse 14 we will have the events relating the death of Elisha the prophet. So as far as the biblical record is concerned it pretty much concludes the ministry of Elisha after Chapter 9 in that it doesn’t record much else about him until we come to events associated with his death.

It has been clearly displayed in what is going on in these chapters and what will come out in Chapters 8 and 9 very clearly is the sovereignty of God in all that is taking place. He is sovereign in the affairs of nations. He is sovereign in the activities of individual. He directs the pagan nations as well as the nation that he has chosen for himself, the nation Israel both in its northern and its southern aspects. It is interesting to see, there will be some very ungodly vile man placed on the throne by the sovereign direction of God. He is not responsible for their vile sinful actions, but he places them in the position of authority and rulership so that their vileness does accomplish his intended purposes, some of which will involve the chastening of those who have rebelled against him.

Chapter 8 opens up with an encouraging little personal vignette if you will. God is dealing with kings, with nations, with the ruler of Israel, the ruler of Judah, the ruler of Samaria, but he is also dealing very directly and clearly with a little widow woman. One of whom on the stage of human history would not merit, noticed, but in the working of God, he is just as much an object of his attention as the rulers that he is dealing with. Amazing our God is never too busy, too occupied. I have to deal with a king, I don’t have time to deal with a little widow woman. She doesn’t affect the affairs of nations. I have to work with those who have great influence, that’s not our God. His greatness is displayed in his ability to control even the smallest details in the most insignificant people as well as control the events on the national scene.

The first six verses are about the Shunammite woman. We came into contact with her back in Chapter 4. Remember when Elisha would come by, she would have him stay in her home, had her husband add a room to the roof so he would have a place to stay, the prophet, when he was travelling in that area. She was barren. Her husband was elderly. So Elisha brought about a birth of a son for her then the son died and Elisha brought him back to life. So back in Chapter 4, she played a significant role. We read in verse 1. Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored the life saying, “Arise and go with your household and sojourn wherever you can sojourn for the Lord has called a famine and it will even come upon the land for seven years.”

The events here would seem to indicate that her husband has obviously died. He is not in the picture. We were told back in Chapter 4 that her husband was elderly. She was a younger with a much more aged husband which was not usual in those days. Now, she has the son that God had given her through the ministry of Elisha. You note the statement Elisha tells her you need to leave the area, leave the land, and look for a place to live because we have seven years of famine and it would be difficult for a widow woman with a son to support to survive here. And the way it is stated is important in verse 1, “The Lord has called for a famine.” Here a simple statement but we are reminded the sovereign God is in control.

Now we talk about Mother Nature and what happens when nature is turned loose and on as though had some kind of controlling, but right down the detail a famine is going to come into the land. God has called for the famine. In his sovereign authority he has determined a famine will affect the land for seven years. This is consistent we won’t go back. We have been back in previous studies. Deuteronomy Chapter 11 verses 16 and 17, Chapter 28 verses 38 to 40, remember God promised one of the judgments He would bring on Israel when they rebelled against Him and turned to other gods that He would bring famine. So a land of plenty would be turned into a land of nothing and a place of starvation.

As it is characteristic of this woman she is obedient to the word of the Lord. So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. What a beautiful testimony this woman has. We don’t even know her name. She is identified as the Shunammite woman. She is from the town of Shunem. But we don’t know who she is really, you couldn’t look up for a name if you had a register of names but she hears the word of God so she does it. You know a woman of great faith. Remember she went and sought out Elisha when her son died indicating clearly she believed that God could do a miracle through the prophet just like he brought about the miracle of the birth of the son. So here she just packs up according to the word of the prophet. She doesn’t wait to be overtaken by the famine and goes to look for another place to live in. Really where she goes, she goes to the land of the Philistines which borders Israel over toward the Mediterranean to the west of the land of Israel.

And that land will not be devastated by the famine the way Israel will be. 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 her field. Again as would be the land remained with the Israelites and even though she has been offered others may have settled on it, been using it, been planting whatever crops they could get as they attempted to have more land since they were getting fewer crops, smaller harvest and so on. Others may have become if you will squatters on her land. Now she is back after seven years so she goes to the king and appeals as she had the right to do to have her land restored. It belonged to her and her family.

Now it just so happens that at this very time Gehazi the servant of Elisha is with the king and he is talking about the ministry of Elisha. So verse 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.” He was relating to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead. That’s remember the woman’s young son who was out in the field and told his my head hurts and they took him home and he died and then Elisha brought him back to life. So as he was relating this very story, 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 he Elisha restored to life. What a remarkable coincidence. I mean isn’t it amazing how it happened. Then you see how sovereign God is.

You know he is not even just dealing on national level this coming together of events just as this time the king is talking to the servant of Elisha. He wants to hear more about Elisha, a king who will never become a believer in the word of God but he likes to hear about these things. Totally different than the Shunammite woman and here she is back now. And just as Gehazi is talking about this very event lo and behold hey this is that woman, this is her son. When the king asked the woman, verse 6, she related to him. So she told the story and it is the same story Gehazi just told. So the king appointed for her a certain officer saying restore all that was hers. All the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even to now, whatever that land produced over seven years. You see that she gets all seven years back.

So how the Lord has blessed her for obedience to his word. She not only was spared the suffering of the famine, she comes back and she hasn’t lost a thing. Everything that would have been produced on that land for seven years is restored to her. So go continues to reward her and bless her for her faithfulness to his word and for her kindness toward Elisha. Remember this was the woman who didn’t have need of anything. This was the woman when Elisha said would you want me to speak to the king for you for something. She said no I have everything I need. So she is not a selfish woman. She didn’t even ask for a son. Gehazi told Elisha she doesn’t have a son and she has an old husband. But now God is blessing her. So you see the greatness of God and his loving care for this widow woman and her son.

We move on, nothing else is told. You know there is no interesting details to flesh it out for us. How did her husband die? How long has he been dead? What did they do in the land of the Philistines? That's not important. What is pertinent here is to see the hand of God in control directing and guiding, caring for a faithful widow woman in a nation that has turned away from him. In the presence of a king who is listening to the mighty works of God that had been accomplished through Elisha but who himself will never come to believe in the God who accomplished that.

Now we move to the national scene to a pagan king. So you see we just move from the intensely personally little nobody, a widow woman in Israel, to now a king of the neighboring land of Syria to the north of the land of Israel, Damascus. And Elisha came to Damascus, we are not told anything about him going there. Obviously it was the plan of God for him to be there. Perhaps God directed him there. It is interesting to find the prophet of God traveling like this outside the land of Israel to this pagan land and the capital of the enemy of Israel, Syria, ongoing problem for Israel. He comes to the capital city Damascus where he is known and recognized.

Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram, if you remember Aram is Syria, was sick and it was told to him saying the man of God has come here. So Elisha stands out as we noted there are the school of the prophets but Elisha is the leading prophet of the day. He is well enough known that when he arrives in Damascus a pagan outside the boundaries of Israel it is well enough known the word is given to the king that the man of God has come to our city. The king said to Hazael, his key servant, military commander, take a gift in your hand, and go meet the man of God and enquire of the Lord by him saying will I recover from this sickness.

Now, this shouldn’t be an indication that the king of Damascus Ben-Hadad is in anyway a godly man. You know these men were willing to consult a variety of gods and he is familiar with the ministry of Elisha. So, he is interested to hear what Elisha’s God would have to say. He has an illness, am I going to get better? So Hazael goes to meet him, verse 9, and he took a gift by his hand even every kind of good thing of Damascus 40 camel loads. Hey when the king goes he sends a gift befitting his role as a king, 40 camels loaded with every kind of good thing. Damascus was on a major trade route so they would have materials coming from all surrounding places down to Egypt and other places so were well off. They are a great gift to the prophet.

He comes and says your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to you saying will I recover from this sickness. Elisha’s answer is interesting. He said to him go say to him you will surely recover but the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die. At first he says well go tell him a lie, no. Will you recover from this illness? Yes, you will recover from this illness. In other words, you are not going to die from this sickness but you are going to die. So the message to the king of Aram is no you won’t die from this illness, if that’s your question, the answer is no, you are not going to die from this illness. But then Elisha tells Hazael but you know what he is going to die. The Lord has shown me you will certainly die.

Then Elisha fixes his penetrating gaze on Hazael. Imagine this prophet of God as he fixed that stare on Hazael, it would be a penetrating look and he looked until he wept. Hazael is ashamed like he is being exposed to the gaze of the prophet and the prophet begins to weep and Hazael said why does my Lord weep. Then Elisha answered because I know the evil that you will do the sons of Israel, their stronghold you will set on fire, their young man you will kill with the sword, their little ones you will dash in pieces, their woman with a child you will rip up. I mean it’s an awesome prophecy. I mean the terrible things Hazael is going to do. You are going to do terrible things to the children of Israel and this crushes Elisha. These are the people that he loves, that he administers to, and he sees these terrible things are going to happen through the hands of this man that he is staring at and it moves him to tears.

You know the prophet, the difficult ministry he has in carrying the word of God to a people who will not hear, he still loves these people as the people of God. He doesn’t develop that cold heart indifference to them as though when they get what they deserve then they will know I am right. But he is greatly moved that Israel will have to experience such devastating punishment from the Lord at the hands of this man. Then Hazael said but what is your servant who is but a dog that he should do these great things. That was a proverbial expression of the # servant but a dog of humility. I am nothing. How can I ever do this?

The response is Elisha said the Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram. So clear statement, he will be able to do this because he will be the next king of Aram, the next king of Syria. He is Ben-Hadad’s replacement. Now turn back to First Kings Chapter 19 and in First Kings Chapter 19 we are in the ministry of Elijah back here. In First Kings Chapter 19 verse 15, “The Lord said to him go return your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you have arrived you shall Hazael king over Aram. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint prophet in your place.” These three things he was to do but as far as we can tell Elijah only did one of them directly. He anointed Elisha his successor and then evidently it was entrusted to Elisha to carry out the next two activities at God’s appointed time.

And Jehu will be anointed as king over Israel and we will come to that when Elisha sends his representative to anoint Jehu. So Elijah is told this is what is to be done evidently once he anoints Elisha the responsibility for carrying out the anointing of the king of Syria and the anointing of the king of Israel will be carried out through his successor Elisha. So when we come over to Second Kings Chapter 8 we are ready for the carrying out of the anointing of Hazael and the appointing of him.

So come back to Second Kings Chapter 8 verse 14, so Hazael goes to king Ben-Hadad. Now you don’t walk in say, why did he say? Well, he said you are going to recover but I am going to be the next king and you are going to die. I mean that wouldn’t be wise. So he just tells him what Elisha said regarding his request. Am I going to recover from this illness? He told me that you would surely recover. That’s true. On the following day he took a cover, heavy cloth dipped in water, put it over the face of Ben-Hadad, and suffocated him. I mean it doesn’t leave any mark if you don’t run him through with the sword. So it looks like oh Ben-Hadad died of his illness because they couldn’t do an autopsy in those days. So I found the king dead in his bed and Hazael as the military commander is in a position now to assume the rulership over Syria. He will rule for a long time. He will rule a long rule in Syria, 40 years from 841 to 801 B.C. He will be there to be a real problem to Israel for many years to come.

All right Chapter 8 verse 16, we turn attention to the southern kingdom of Judah. Remember Kings is primarily concerned with unfolding events related to the kings of the northern kingdom. Chronicles unfolds more of the southern kingdom but we do go back to the southern kingdom periodically. If you have your list of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah let me just remind you that we are in a little bit of a confusing period. It is hard enough to keep the kings going since we have two nations going now, the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom, but in the northern kingdom the tenth king is Jehoram and in Israel the fifth king, I mean in Judah the southern kingdom, the fifth king is Jehoram.

But if you note their dates they pretty well run together so it makes it even more difficult because now you have to try to keep track of which Jehoram are we talking about and as you might expect the nickname for them is the same. Jehoram is Joram. So you can’t even tell if you are talking about Jehoram or Joram because it could be either one. So you just have to pay attention to the context since you have two kings ruling at the same time and they will die at the same time because they will both die at the hands of Jehu. So when you say it is an interesting coincidence they both in 841, but it is not just a coincidence they both die at the hands of the same man and they basically at the same time. So just keep that in mind and we pick this up.

Verse 16, now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat became king. Now Joram is just the shortened form of Jehoram, but here we have it so a little bit of a distinction but you could say now in the fifth year of Jehoram became king. So we are talking about men of the same name, the king of Israel, the king of the southern kingdom. Jehoram then king now of the southern kingdom is the son of the godly king Jehoshaphat. We looked a little bit into Jehoshaphat’s decision where he ended up his son marry into the family of Ahab and we looked in Chronicles and we will see some overlap on that material as we move along.

Jehoram was a coregent with his father Jehoshaphat for five years. Then he rules after his father’s death for eight years. From 853 to 841 he is the sole king. So he is a coregent for five years with Jehoshaphat and then Jehoshaphat dies and he is the sole king over the southern kingdom for eight years. He is a godless man. He follows the ways of the northern kings. Verse 17, “He was 32 years old when he became king. He reigned eight years in Jerusalem.” Referring to the time when he is the king on his own. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel just as the house of Ahab had done for the daughter of Ahab became his wife. Remember we talked about that terrible decision by Jehoshaphat to form an alliance by marriage with the family of Ahab that is ruling in the northern kingdom and arranges for his son Jehoram to marry the daughter of Ahab.

Remember we looked at some of the disasters that will be and they will come out. But here you see and the connection is made. He follows the pattern of the kings of the north. He doesn’t follow his dad’s pattern. But he follows the godless pattern of the northern kings and at least part of that is due we are told because the daughter of Ahab was his wife. However the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah for the sake of David his servant since he had promised him to give him a lamp through his sons always back in the Davidic covenant in Second Samuel Chapter 7. And so God’s graciousness to the southern kingdom is related to his promises to David. So the line of David is preserved and God honors those promises to David.

So the southern kingdom does better than the northern kingdom but not because all their kings were better and Jehoram is not a good king. In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah and made a king over themselves. Edom and Edom is to the east of Israel down below the Dead Sea, that territory down to the Arab lands, the region of Edom on the east side of the Dead Sea down below the Dead Sea there. For a hundred years Israel had exercised sovereignty over the region of Edom. Now it revolts and Jehoram leads an army to put down the revolt in verses 20 to 24. They made themselves a king.

So verse 21, “Jehoram crossed over with all his chariots. He rose by night; he struck the Edomites who had surrounded him.” So the Edomites had been successful in surrounding Jehoram but he is successful in breaking out from that encirclement. But he returns home with his army in somewhat of a disarray. He is not able to put down the rebellion. So he breaks through; he is able to escape, but he hasn’t been successful in dealing with the Edomites. He ends up escaping and running for home. And his army fled to their tents. In other words, you know there is a disarray; everybody is running for home.

So Edom revolted against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. This is connected to the fact he does evil in the sight of the Lord. So you see now the discipline of the Lord coming, things are unraveling. Edom is to the east of Israel. Libnah is to the west over on the border where the Philistines are, the south west of Jerusalem. So both sides now there is revolt. Verse 23, “The rest of the acts of Jehoram, and all he did, are they not written in The Book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah. So Jehoram slept with his fathers and was buried with his father’s in the city of David and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.” So it is just a brief overview as God unfolds what is taking place for us in summary kind of fashion.

Before we leave him turn over to Second Chronicles Chapter 21. We looked at some of these materials more fully in our previous study when we were looking at Jehoshaphat but just a reminder, in Second Chronicles Chapter 21, the chapter opens up, “Then Jehoshaphat slept with his father.” Now remember Jehoram had reigned for five years as something of a coregent. But Jehoshaphat is the official king if you will. When Jehoshaphat dies now Jehoram assumes complete rule and authority. But what did he do? He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat they are named their father had given them gifts and sent them away because Jehoram was the first born.

And then verse 4, “When Jehoram had taken over the kingdom his father made himself secure. He killed all his brothers with the sword. Some of the rulers of also.” It wasn’t enough that he had been the designated successor and the other sons had been set off with certain you know provisions fitting sons of king as long as they were alive they were a threat to him as Jehoram sees them. So he sends out now his men now his father is dead, he has them all executed. You see something of his character coming to the fore.

Down in verse 10, we are told what we just read in Kings, so Edom revolted against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time against Israel. Note the reason, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. You know if you were to look at this, if you were just a secular observer you would have thought it was just the events of the day but it is the sovereign hand of God stirring up the Edomites, stirring up those of Libnah as part of his judgment on Judah and their king for turning away from him. We are told in Chapter 21 verse 12 that he had received a letter from Elijah the prophet condemning him for his sin and prophesying the calamity that we come upon him and his family.

Verse 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, another godly king, but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot as the house of Ahab played the harlot. You have also killed your brothers your own family who are better than you. Behold the Lord is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possession with the great calamity. You will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels until your bowels come out because of the sickness day by day.”

I mean you talk about a devastating judgment. This is the only written piece of literature from Elijah the prophet we have. Here we are told the letter that Elijah wrote. It indicates that Elijah was not translated to heaven until after 848 when Jehoshaphat died. So we get a line here. Sometimes it is hard for us to sort out is Elijah off the scene now, is Elijah still alive where this goes because we are just picking if you will when you take the duration of time we are talking about little snippets of the history as God is determined to reveal what he is doing, but we find now that Elijah lived down through Jehoshaphat’s ministry, or rulership rather, and into the beginning the reign at least of Jehoram. So interesting event here that Elijah has prophesied; terrible judgment going to come on Jehoram.

I mean that is a rather graphic thing, you will suffer severe sickness a disease of your bowels until your bowels come out because of the sickness. I mean that is rather gruesome. So verse 16, the Lord stirred up against Jehoram, the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians, they came against Judah and invaded it, carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives so that no son was left to him except Ahaziah the youngest of his sons.

I mean he is now seeing his whole family carried out by the enemy. His wives, his sons, he has one young son left. After all these the Lord smote him in his bowels with an incurable sickness. It came about in the course of time; at the year of two years his bowels came out because of the sickness and he died in great pain. I mean I guess so. You know the days before modern medicine, days before things to alleviate the pain like we have and we have a graphic description of his death and nobody regretted that he died. Verse 20, he was 32 years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He departed with no one’s regret. I mean what a legacy to live, what a way to go.

Come back to Second Kings Chapter 8 verse 25, in the twelfth year of Jehoram the son of Ahab,” now we are to Jehoram who is king of the northern kingdom, the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king. He reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. She is the granddaughter of Omri who was king of Israel. What is significant about that is who is daddy? Well, who was the son of Omri who became king of Israel? It was the infamous Ahab who was married to the even more infamous Jezebel.

So here we have his mother and she is of the character of her mother, Athaliah, who will become the only woman to ever sit on the throne of the northern kingdom or the southern kingdom and amazingly she will sit on the throne of the southern kingdom. As we looked at in our previous study the devastating consequences of the terrible decision of godly Jehoshaphat in marrying his son into the family of Ahab. All right his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. He walked in the way of the house of Ahab. He did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

Then he went with Jehoram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. Okay, so we have these family connections and your life has taken on the characteristics of your in-laws if you will and naturally you are bound here. These are family; our thrones are joined together because of our connection in marriage. So when Jehoram the son of Ahab is going to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead he goes along to help, he joins him. And it doesn’t go well. At Ramoth-gilead the king is wounded. The king of Israel is wounded. So he leaves the battle and returns to Israel.

Ramoth-gilead is on the east side of the Jordan over there outside the territory of Israel proper over where the two and a half tribes would have been. And so he retires back into Israel to recover of his wounds which he got in the battle with Hazael. Now Ahaziah goes down to visit with him. Ahaziah the king of Judah goes to see how he is doing. He comes back from the battle. They leave their soldiers out there and now you have the king of Israel and the king of Judah together at Jezreel. One of them is sick. He is wounded and he is recovering and the king of Judah is visiting with him.

What happens in Chapter 9 and I thought we might do Chapter 9 but you have taken so long this evening we are not going to get to that. But we have set the stage for judgment on both households, the king of the northern kingdom and the king of the southern kingdom, have been brought together in the sovereign plan of God for judgment and both will die at Jezreel and then God’s devastating judgment will be brought on the house of Ahab under the hands of Jehu.

Just a couple of things on Chapter 8 as we conclude. Number one being the recipient of God’s great blessings does not mean you will be spared trial and hardship. The Shunammite woman had experienced great blessings from the Lord. Miracles, great miracles, had been poured out upon her. You might think that she will lead a sheltered life but not so. Now we meet her as a widow and a widow is in a very vulnerable position even in Israel at this time. And Elisha graciously directs her to leave the land because a widow would experience even greater hardship with no one to care for her and provide for her, so her and her son go. So she has to flee the land.

I mean now her husband’s dead, she has got a son to care for and now she has to take off as a widow going to where? Leave the land of Israel and go live in the land of foreigners. So even experiencing God’s great blessings doesn’t mean that he will never bring hardship and trial in into our lives. But he even uses those for the accomplishing of his purposes.

Secondly God arranges the chance happenings in our lives, if I can call them “chance happenings.” You know we have nothing unexpected, nothing that just happens in our lives. You know it is awesome to me to consider. All the little details that Gehazi just happens to be visiting with the king and the king just happens to be asking him tell me about some of the things that Elisha has done and the event that Gehazi happens to be talking about is the Shunammite woman and her son. God arranges these chance happenings. He is sovereign in all the details of our lives. And you see these chance happenings become major events because it is God’s provision for the Shunammite woman and brings her prosperity seven years of what the land would have produced. I mean great blessing to her.

A third observation, God is never “too busy to be bothered.” You know in this chapter he removes kings, he sets up kings, and he takes care of a Shunammite widow. I mean you know it’s not that I don’t have to come to Lord and say I know you are awful busy and you have got to try to work out who is going to be the next president of our country and I watch the news and nobody is sure what is going to happen and how it is going to come out and I hate to bother you Lord with the little details of my life. You understand our God is so great it is not a bother. I am his child.

You know it’s like your father is the president but you are his child you come in. You know on the days when one of our presidents had little children. You see the little children playing in the Oval Office. I mean you know statesmen who are ought to go in there. Kids don’t think any think of it. That’s their father’s office. So he is our heavenly father, never too busy to be bothered.

Number four, even godless rulers served by divine appointment. Look in Chapter 8 verse 10, Elisha said to Hazael Ben-Hadad will recover but he will die. Verse 13, you will be king, verse 14, that section there at the end of verse 13. The Lord has shown me you will be king. We are going to appoint Hazael king. If you remember Daniel Chapter 4 verse 17, God sets up rulers even the lowliest of men. They served by his appointment. There will be no accidents. I don’t know who the next president of our country will be but the Lord does and it will be the individual of his appointment. I can’t see any good coming out of you fill in the blank of who you wouldn’t like to see but look at verse 12.

Here is what the man that God is going to appoint will do to God’s people. Their strongholds you will set on fire, their young men you will kill with the sword, their little ones you will dash in pieces, their women with child you will rip up. Remember back Elisha was instructed you are to have Hazael anointed king, that’s my divine appointment. Are you going to do this? I mean I realize God is sovereign, do I understand everything he does, and why he doesn’t, we read it as history now things are clearer.

You understand there were godly people like the Shunammite living through this stuff. There were 5,000 who hadn’t bowed the knee to Baal like Elijah. They had to live through this stuff they didn’t see it as clearly as we see it now reading it as accomplished history. A reminder to us I don’t have the answers. I don’t know what happens next but I serve a God who does and I live with the confidence it’s in his control. I am not concerned, I am not worried. Does that I won’t vote in our country? I can vote and I can live with the outcome because when all said and done my God will rule over all. Nothing will have changed and his purposes are being accomplished.

Another point we have noted ungodly influence has a corrupting effect. Verse 18, as we noted he walked in the ways in the kings of Israel just as the house of Ahab had done for the daughter of Ahab became his wife. That doesn’t excuse his conduct but ungodly influence has an ungodly impact. That principle continues down in verse 26 where we have read Ahaziah and his mother’s name was Athaliah and he walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab, because he was son-in-law of the house of Ahab. You know we never want to think that we are above being influenced by this. So I can have friends who are evil and corrupt. I can be involved in this, I can be, you could be corrupted. You think Jehoshaphat ever gave thought that this was going to be how his family would come out as a result of that decision. You just cannot join in these kinds of relationships.

Well, we see the story so far and the next account even gets more gruesome as the hand of the Lord comes down very heavily to fulfill the words of the prophecies that he gave and interestingly the man who will be in the instrument in the hand of God to carry out the prophecies that he gave through Elijah and then through Elisha will recognize that I am fulfilling what God promised and at the same time he will be a godless man who will not submit himself to the Lord. You know some of those things you say how do you explain this. He says I am fulfilling what the God of Israel has said, and at the same time he will not bow himself before the God of Israel. There is no explanation for the irrational actions of sinful people.

Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord for your grace. Thank you for the unfolding of the history of your people. Lord, it’s easy for us to sit somewhat self-righteously and shake our heads in wonder at the sad, foolish, sinful things they would do in rebellion against you, but Lord we remind ourselves that it’s easy to sit in judgment of others, and less easy to live our lives with the pattern of faithfulness. Lord we take these lessons to heart.

We are encouraged to see your faithfulness. How you care for the Shunammite woman, how you reach out to your people through the ministry of Elisha, how gracious and kind you are, how you remember the promises to David, how you keep your word? Lord, we are so blessed to be your servants. Lord, we are blessed to know that you are sovereign over all in our day, thousands of years later, you still sit on the throne of your creation and it is your will being accomplished in every detail, and we walk with full confidence in our service for you. Bless the days of the week ahead of us. May we be faithful as we represent you in a variety of ways, in a variety of places. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.