Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, "Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and run; don't delay!"
So the young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. "I have a message for you, commander," he said.
"For which of us?" asked Jehu.
"For you, commander," he replied.
Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu's head and declared, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I anoint you king over the Lord's people Israel. You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel — slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.' "
Then he opened the door and ran.
When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, "Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?"
"You know the man and the sort of things he says," Jehu replied.
"That's not true!" they said. "Tell us."
Jehu said, "Here is what he told me: 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' "
They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, "Jehu is king!"
2 Kings 9:1-13
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 9 opens, we find the Lord working once again through Elisha to carry out his will. This time, we find Elisha summoning “a man from the company of the prophets”. He tells the selected prophet to:
"Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and run; don't delay!"
And so the prophet obediently does what Elisha commands, going to Ramoth Gilead where “he found the army officers sitting together”.
The prophet announces, "I have a message for you, commander," and after Jehu the message was for, he learns it was for him.
And so Jehu “got up and went into the house” where “the prophet poured…oil on (his) head” and declared, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I anoint you king over the Lord's people Israel. You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel — slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.' "
Then he opened the door and ran.
Wow! Can you imagine how you would have felt at that moment if you were Jehu?
For in a moment and by the Lord’s bidding, he went from army commander to an anointed king of Israel with some very specific tasking which essentially ordained Jehu to be an instrument of the Lord’s judgment against the house of Ahab.
Some might consider that crazy. That is…those who don’t know the awesome works of the Lord and His ability to do anything and everything through His chosen ones.
We sort of get an idea that Jehu’s fellow officers fell into that category. Their disdain for the Lord’s followers was evident as they asked Jehu, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?"
In the eyes of Jehu’s fellow officers, a prophet…a messenger of the Lord…was a lunatic…a religious fanatic. And despite their assumption of the visiting prophet’s mental state, it’s interesting how curious the officers were about what he had to say.
Jehu tried to play off their curiosity saying, “You know the man and the sort of things he says" but the officers wouldn’t let him off so easy. They pressed him to tell them what the prophet had said.
Finally, Jehu relented and said, “Here is what he told me: 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' "
The words had an instant impact on the officers. Suddenly they weren’t in the presence of someone who had entertained a madman. No…they were in the presence of a king…not just anointed by just anyone…but anointed to rule by the Lord. And so in the presence of royalty, the officers “took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps” before blowing a trumpet and shouting, “Jehu is king!"
I couldn’t help but think about two others who were thought to be crazy by those who were convinced they were entertaining a madman.
First, the apostle Paul as he was in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). Scripture tells us that Paul was “greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols” and so he reasoned daily in the marketplace with those who were there and “in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks”.
In the midst of his reasoning, a “group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him” with some asking, “What is this babbler trying to say?" while still others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods."
Indeed, what Paul was saying was babble because those who were hearing him refused to believe what he was preaching…the message of the good news about Jesus and the resurrection he brings.
Then, of course, there was Jesus. We know that as He preached the good news and the resurrection, He was accused of blasphemy. Only a madman would say the things that He was saying, especially calling out the Jewish authorities for their blatant hypocrisy.
Yes, the Jews believed they were entertaining a madman and so they thought they could get rid of Him by killing Him…nailing Him to a cross and putting Him on display, just in case some other lunatic emerged that might try to pick up where He left off. And they thought they had been successful as He drew His last breath and was placed in a tomb…but as we know Jesus rose from the grave in victory over death.
And in the final translation, the only madmen were the ones who thought they could ever stop Him from carrying out the will of His Father.
Well…as we go on to do as Jesus did and carry out the will of the Father in our own lives…we still face the same scrutiny as He did…as Paul did. For as we preach the good news of the gospel…as we tell of the resurrection and the eternal hope that it brings…people will think of us as being mad as well. It happens each and every day.
And I’m certain that there are people who read what I write every day and think I’m a madman.
You know…that’s OK with me.
For if being a madman means I am a man who is madly in love with my Lord…than please Lord let it be so forever.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
CHOOSING THE WRONG WAY
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
In the fifth year of Joram, son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. So Jehoram went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home. To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time.
As for the other events of Jehoram's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.
In the twelfth year of Joram, son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab's family.
Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram; so King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram.
Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.
2 Kings 8:16-29
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Why do children who have good parents decide to go the wrong way?
It’s a question that so many ask, not only today, but I’m sure in biblical days as well.
It seems that no matter how hard parents try to model proper living and teach their children the right way to live, there are children who are bound and determined to do just the opposite…rebelling against authority…and snubbing their noses at reason.
Well, in our scripture today we see such a case as we look at two kings who succeeded Jehoshaphat as king of Judah.
You’ll recall these words that were written about Jehoshaphat at the end of 1 Kings, Chapter 22:
“In everything, he walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.”
So what was said about Asa, Jehoshaphat’s father?
1 Kings, Chapter 15 tells us, he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done”. In fact, when you go back and look at what Asa did as king, you’ll see that he didn’t follow in the evil ways of his father Abijah or Abijah’s father Rehoboam. Instead, Asa decided to not continue going down the wrong road but instead walk a new path…one that was righteous and pleasing to God.
Now, as we see in 2 Kings, Chapter 8, the streak of good and obedient rule came to an end as “Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah”. For we read where Jehoram decided to walk “in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab”. You’ll recall that Ahab had introduced Baal worship to Israel, influencing his people to sin and come into disfavor with God. Now, Jehoram was doing the same.
Scripture tells us that “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord” and raised God to anger against Judah. But despite His anger, God honored the covenant He had made with David and thus “was not willing to destroy Judah”. You’ll recall that in the covenant God had “promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever”.
Still trouble came for Jehoram and Judah. We read where “Edom rebelled…and set up its own king”, leading Jehoram to go to “Zair with all his chariots”. When he did, we read where the Edomites “surrounded him and his chariot commanders” but Jehoram and his army were able to break “through by night” and flee back home.
Edom would remain in “rebellion against Judah” but we’ll see that things will change as we get deeper into 2 Kings.
Well, Jehoram’s reign soon ended and he “rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David”.
We read where his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.
So would things change again?
Would Ahaziah realize the wrongs of his father and choose to change course?
Unfortunately, he didn’t.
For scripture tells us that Ahaziah, who only reigned for one year, decided to walk “in the ways of the house of Ahab” and do “evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done”. He joined forces with Joram, king of Israel, “to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead”. And in the ensuing battle, the “Arameans wounded Joram” causing the king of Israel to return to “Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth”. And Joram was joined by Ahaziah in Jezreel as he recovered.
So will this legacy of evil continue when future kings take the throne?
Stay tuned.
But I think the question for each of us today is...How well are we traveling down the path set forth by our Father of fathers…our King of kings…our Lord of lords?
For Jesus said:
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14
Are you on the narrow road of righteousness, traveling toward the small gate of life eternal that only a few will find? Or in other words, are you walking the road that Christ walked…the road that he wants to walk along with you each and every day?
Or are you choosing to walk the broad road toward that wide gate of destruction…the road that Satan is more than willing to walk with you on?
Only you know the answer.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
In the fifth year of Joram, son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. So Jehoram went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home. To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time.
As for the other events of Jehoram's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.
In the twelfth year of Joram, son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab's family.
Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram; so King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram.
Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.
2 Kings 8:16-29
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Why do children who have good parents decide to go the wrong way?
It’s a question that so many ask, not only today, but I’m sure in biblical days as well.
It seems that no matter how hard parents try to model proper living and teach their children the right way to live, there are children who are bound and determined to do just the opposite…rebelling against authority…and snubbing their noses at reason.
Well, in our scripture today we see such a case as we look at two kings who succeeded Jehoshaphat as king of Judah.
You’ll recall these words that were written about Jehoshaphat at the end of 1 Kings, Chapter 22:
“In everything, he walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.”
So what was said about Asa, Jehoshaphat’s father?
1 Kings, Chapter 15 tells us, he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done”. In fact, when you go back and look at what Asa did as king, you’ll see that he didn’t follow in the evil ways of his father Abijah or Abijah’s father Rehoboam. Instead, Asa decided to not continue going down the wrong road but instead walk a new path…one that was righteous and pleasing to God.
Now, as we see in 2 Kings, Chapter 8, the streak of good and obedient rule came to an end as “Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah”. For we read where Jehoram decided to walk “in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab”. You’ll recall that Ahab had introduced Baal worship to Israel, influencing his people to sin and come into disfavor with God. Now, Jehoram was doing the same.
Scripture tells us that “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord” and raised God to anger against Judah. But despite His anger, God honored the covenant He had made with David and thus “was not willing to destroy Judah”. You’ll recall that in the covenant God had “promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever”.
Still trouble came for Jehoram and Judah. We read where “Edom rebelled…and set up its own king”, leading Jehoram to go to “Zair with all his chariots”. When he did, we read where the Edomites “surrounded him and his chariot commanders” but Jehoram and his army were able to break “through by night” and flee back home.
Edom would remain in “rebellion against Judah” but we’ll see that things will change as we get deeper into 2 Kings.
Well, Jehoram’s reign soon ended and he “rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David”.
We read where his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.
So would things change again?
Would Ahaziah realize the wrongs of his father and choose to change course?
Unfortunately, he didn’t.
For scripture tells us that Ahaziah, who only reigned for one year, decided to walk “in the ways of the house of Ahab” and do “evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done”. He joined forces with Joram, king of Israel, “to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead”. And in the ensuing battle, the “Arameans wounded Joram” causing the king of Israel to return to “Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth”. And Joram was joined by Ahaziah in Jezreel as he recovered.
So will this legacy of evil continue when future kings take the throne?
Stay tuned.
But I think the question for each of us today is...How well are we traveling down the path set forth by our Father of fathers…our King of kings…our Lord of lords?
For Jesus said:
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14
Are you on the narrow road of righteousness, traveling toward the small gate of life eternal that only a few will find? Or in other words, are you walking the road that Christ walked…the road that he wants to walk along with you each and every day?
Or are you choosing to walk the broad road toward that wide gate of destruction…the road that Satan is more than willing to walk with you on?
Only you know the answer.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Sunday, October 18, 2009
THE SADNESS OF SIN
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, "The man of God has come all the way up here," he said to Hazael, "Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult the LORD through him; ask him, 'Will I recover from this illness?' "
Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a gift forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him, and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, 'Will I recover from this illness?' "
Elisha answered, "Go and say to him, 'You will certainly recover'; but the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die." He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael felt ashamed. Then the man of God began to weep.
"Why is my lord weeping?" asked Hazael.
"Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites," he answered. "You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women."
Hazael said, "How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?"
"The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram," answered Elisha.
Then Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master. When Ben-Hadad asked, "What did Elisha say to you?" Hazael replied, "He told me that you would certainly recover."
But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king's face, so that he died. Then Hazael succeeded him as king.
2 Kings 8:7-15
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
How does sin effect you?
Does it bring you to guilt?
Does it bring you to anger?
Does it bring you to sadness?
Or have you become to numb to sin with it all around you that it doesn’t effect you at all?
The matter of sin and its effect on a person is center stage in today’s scripture passage.
For as the passage opens, we find Elisha going to Damascus and the king of Aram ill. The king is told that Elisha was in his vicinity and, knowing of Elisha’s prophetic power and connection to God, he asks his second in command Hazael to “Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult the Lord through him; ask him, 'Will I recover from this illness?' "
And so Hazael did as the king requested. He “went to meet Elisha” and took “forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus” to present as a gift. As Hazael finds Elisha, he goes to him and says, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, 'Will I recover from this illness?' "
Note the words of Hazael. By Ben-Hadad saying through Hazael that he was Elisha’s son, he was acknowledging that the man of God was more powerful that he. Or in other words, the king of Aram was submissive to the King of Kings.
As Elisha received the question, we read his reply. For he tells Hazael, "Go and say to him, 'You will certainly recover'; but the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die." This on the surface doesn’t seem unusual. We have read where Elisha had made prophecies before. But something was different this time around.
For after Elisha tells Hazael what to tell the king of Aram, he stares “at him with a fixed gaze” and he did so “until Hazael felt ashamed”. Then something else even more bizarre happened.
Because Elisha…”the man of God”…began to weep.
Why was he weeping? This is what Hazael asked as well, although one has to think that he has had thoughts and motivation to do terrible things…thoughts and motivation that Elisha could now see as he peered into Hazael’s soul.
And so Elisha explains his sadness.
For as he looked inside Hazael, he saw that he would soon do “harm…to the Israelites, setting “fire to their fortified places”, killing “their young men with the sword”, dashing “their little children to the ground”, and ripping “open their pregnant women”." Indeed, terrible things were to come at the hand of Hazael…terrible things done out of his willingness to surrender to sin.
Hazael wonders how he could ever do the things that Elisha predicted, especially given his current position. But Elisha tells him that the Lord revealed he would become the king of Aram.
And so Hazael returns to Ben-Hadad and when asked, "What did Elisha say to you?" he replied, "He told me that you would certainly recover." Note that Hazael didn’t tell the king about the second part of Elisha’s prophecy…that he would in fact die. This is because Hazael knew inside that he had a plan to assume the throne. All he had to do was kill Ben-Hadad himself and it would appear that the king died from his illness.
So the next day, Hazael “took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king's face”, suffocating him. The king’s death opened the way for Hazael to assume the throne just as the lord had predicted.
Would the rest of Elisha’s prophecy come true? Soon we will see where it tragically does.
Elisha’s weeping would be validated as sin would soon consume Hazael and lead him to do even more horrific acts than killing Ben-Hadad.
Indeed, sin is saddening.
Saddening when we see others fall into it.
Saddening when we’re victims of it.
Saddening when we’re the perpetrators of it.
It’s a matter we need to be in constant prayer over. For the only way to avoid the sadness, is for each and every person to embrace God will, way and word…submitting to His righteousness and putting our sinful nature in remission.
Lord, please help us all, I pray.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, "The man of God has come all the way up here," he said to Hazael, "Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult the LORD through him; ask him, 'Will I recover from this illness?' "
Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a gift forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him, and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, 'Will I recover from this illness?' "
Elisha answered, "Go and say to him, 'You will certainly recover'; but the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die." He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael felt ashamed. Then the man of God began to weep.
"Why is my lord weeping?" asked Hazael.
"Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites," he answered. "You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women."
Hazael said, "How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?"
"The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram," answered Elisha.
Then Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master. When Ben-Hadad asked, "What did Elisha say to you?" Hazael replied, "He told me that you would certainly recover."
But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king's face, so that he died. Then Hazael succeeded him as king.
2 Kings 8:7-15
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
How does sin effect you?
Does it bring you to guilt?
Does it bring you to anger?
Does it bring you to sadness?
Or have you become to numb to sin with it all around you that it doesn’t effect you at all?
The matter of sin and its effect on a person is center stage in today’s scripture passage.
For as the passage opens, we find Elisha going to Damascus and the king of Aram ill. The king is told that Elisha was in his vicinity and, knowing of Elisha’s prophetic power and connection to God, he asks his second in command Hazael to “Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult the Lord through him; ask him, 'Will I recover from this illness?' "
And so Hazael did as the king requested. He “went to meet Elisha” and took “forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus” to present as a gift. As Hazael finds Elisha, he goes to him and says, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, 'Will I recover from this illness?' "
Note the words of Hazael. By Ben-Hadad saying through Hazael that he was Elisha’s son, he was acknowledging that the man of God was more powerful that he. Or in other words, the king of Aram was submissive to the King of Kings.
As Elisha received the question, we read his reply. For he tells Hazael, "Go and say to him, 'You will certainly recover'; but the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die." This on the surface doesn’t seem unusual. We have read where Elisha had made prophecies before. But something was different this time around.
For after Elisha tells Hazael what to tell the king of Aram, he stares “at him with a fixed gaze” and he did so “until Hazael felt ashamed”. Then something else even more bizarre happened.
Because Elisha…”the man of God”…began to weep.
Why was he weeping? This is what Hazael asked as well, although one has to think that he has had thoughts and motivation to do terrible things…thoughts and motivation that Elisha could now see as he peered into Hazael’s soul.
And so Elisha explains his sadness.
For as he looked inside Hazael, he saw that he would soon do “harm…to the Israelites, setting “fire to their fortified places”, killing “their young men with the sword”, dashing “their little children to the ground”, and ripping “open their pregnant women”." Indeed, terrible things were to come at the hand of Hazael…terrible things done out of his willingness to surrender to sin.
Hazael wonders how he could ever do the things that Elisha predicted, especially given his current position. But Elisha tells him that the Lord revealed he would become the king of Aram.
And so Hazael returns to Ben-Hadad and when asked, "What did Elisha say to you?" he replied, "He told me that you would certainly recover." Note that Hazael didn’t tell the king about the second part of Elisha’s prophecy…that he would in fact die. This is because Hazael knew inside that he had a plan to assume the throne. All he had to do was kill Ben-Hadad himself and it would appear that the king died from his illness.
So the next day, Hazael “took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king's face”, suffocating him. The king’s death opened the way for Hazael to assume the throne just as the lord had predicted.
Would the rest of Elisha’s prophecy come true? Soon we will see where it tragically does.
Elisha’s weeping would be validated as sin would soon consume Hazael and lead him to do even more horrific acts than killing Ben-Hadad.
Indeed, sin is saddening.
Saddening when we see others fall into it.
Saddening when we’re victims of it.
Saddening when we’re the perpetrators of it.
It’s a matter we need to be in constant prayer over. For the only way to avoid the sadness, is for each and every person to embrace God will, way and word…submitting to His righteousness and putting our sinful nature in remission.
Lord, please help us all, I pray.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Saturday, October 17, 2009
THE REWARDS OF OBEDIENCE
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, "Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years." The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.
At the end of the seven years, she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to the king to beg for her house and land. The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, "Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done." Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to beg the king for her house and land.
Gehazi said, "This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life." The king asked the woman about it, and she told him.
Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, "Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now."
2 Kings 8:1-6
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
How much does the Lord favor and reward obedience?
Well, we need only go back to the first 19 chapters of Genesis to answer the question by looking at what happened when God’s people decided to be disobedient.
When Adam and Eve decided to not follow the Lord’s orders and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God placed specific consequences on each of them. (Genesis 3)
When God’s people decided that living in sin was more acceptable than seeking righteousness, God decided to wipe out everything with the execption of Noah, his family members and the animals God prescribed to be spared. (Genesis 7)
When God’s people decided to build a city and tall tower because of their own will and not God’s, He confused their language so they couldn’t understand each other and scattered the people. The place was called Babel and spawned a similar word in our language today…babble. (Genesis 11)
And when the people of Sodom and Gomorrah decided that it was acceptable to openly sin in the eyes of the Lord, burning sulfer was sent and both cities were destroyed. (Genesis 19)
Go on through the Old Testament and you’ll see over and over how God holds His people accountable when they decide to disobey him.
Truly, the Lord expects that we follow His word, will and way unconditionally.
Fast forward to our passage in 2 Kings.
You may recall that the Lord had resurrected the son of a Shunammite woman through His prophet Elisha. (2 Kings 4)
As Chapter 8 opens, we see where Elisha warned the woman of the coming famine saying, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years." And the woman obeyed the word from Elisha, taking her family and staying in “land of the Philistines” for seven years.
Once the seven years had ended and the famine was over, we read where the woman “came back from the land of the Philistines and went to the king to beg for her house and land”. It’s apparent that while the woman was away, someone decided to take her home and land for themselves.
Well, the king consults Elisha’s servant Gehazi and asks him, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done." And so Gehazi told the king about how Elisha had brought the Shunammite woman’s son back to life…the same woman who was now asking the king to return her house and property to her. The woman then told the king about what had happened after he asked her.
So what would the king’s decision be? Would the woman get her home and property back?
Well, we know that God favors the obedient. The woman in faith went to Elisha when her son dies, knowing that only He, with the power of God working through him, could help her and possibly save her son. He faith was exceptional and resulted in her son’s lfe being restored. She then listened to Elisha when he told her to go to the land of the Philistines to escape the coming famine. She obviously had faith in what Elisha had to say and that things would be fine when she returned.
Well, as we can see in our scriptures, the woman did receive blessings for her obedience. For the king “assigned an official to her case” and ordered him to "Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now." Not only was the woman getting back her property but income as well. Indeed, she had been rewarded.
Question: Are you being obedient in your life? When the Lord tells you to do something, do you do so without question…obeying His commands?
It’s obvious that the Lord favors those who do what He expects. It’s also obvious that He disciplines those who don’t.
Which way will you choose?
The Lord is watching to find out.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, "Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years." The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.
At the end of the seven years, she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to the king to beg for her house and land. The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, "Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done." Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to beg the king for her house and land.
Gehazi said, "This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life." The king asked the woman about it, and she told him.
Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, "Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now."
2 Kings 8:1-6
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
How much does the Lord favor and reward obedience?
Well, we need only go back to the first 19 chapters of Genesis to answer the question by looking at what happened when God’s people decided to be disobedient.
When Adam and Eve decided to not follow the Lord’s orders and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God placed specific consequences on each of them. (Genesis 3)
When God’s people decided that living in sin was more acceptable than seeking righteousness, God decided to wipe out everything with the execption of Noah, his family members and the animals God prescribed to be spared. (Genesis 7)
When God’s people decided to build a city and tall tower because of their own will and not God’s, He confused their language so they couldn’t understand each other and scattered the people. The place was called Babel and spawned a similar word in our language today…babble. (Genesis 11)
And when the people of Sodom and Gomorrah decided that it was acceptable to openly sin in the eyes of the Lord, burning sulfer was sent and both cities were destroyed. (Genesis 19)
Go on through the Old Testament and you’ll see over and over how God holds His people accountable when they decide to disobey him.
Truly, the Lord expects that we follow His word, will and way unconditionally.
Fast forward to our passage in 2 Kings.
You may recall that the Lord had resurrected the son of a Shunammite woman through His prophet Elisha. (2 Kings 4)
As Chapter 8 opens, we see where Elisha warned the woman of the coming famine saying, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years." And the woman obeyed the word from Elisha, taking her family and staying in “land of the Philistines” for seven years.
Once the seven years had ended and the famine was over, we read where the woman “came back from the land of the Philistines and went to the king to beg for her house and land”. It’s apparent that while the woman was away, someone decided to take her home and land for themselves.
Well, the king consults Elisha’s servant Gehazi and asks him, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done." And so Gehazi told the king about how Elisha had brought the Shunammite woman’s son back to life…the same woman who was now asking the king to return her house and property to her. The woman then told the king about what had happened after he asked her.
So what would the king’s decision be? Would the woman get her home and property back?
Well, we know that God favors the obedient. The woman in faith went to Elisha when her son dies, knowing that only He, with the power of God working through him, could help her and possibly save her son. He faith was exceptional and resulted in her son’s lfe being restored. She then listened to Elisha when he told her to go to the land of the Philistines to escape the coming famine. She obviously had faith in what Elisha had to say and that things would be fine when she returned.
Well, as we can see in our scriptures, the woman did receive blessings for her obedience. For the king “assigned an official to her case” and ordered him to "Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now." Not only was the woman getting back her property but income as well. Indeed, she had been rewarded.
Question: Are you being obedient in your life? When the Lord tells you to do something, do you do so without question…obeying His commands?
It’s obvious that the Lord favors those who do what He expects. It’s also obvious that He disciplines those who don’t.
Which way will you choose?
The Lord is watching to find out.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Thursday, October 15, 2009
ARE YOU A SKEPTIC?
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, "We went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there — not a sound of anyone — only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were." The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.
The king got up in the night and said to his officers, "I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, 'They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.' "
One of his officers answered, "Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here — yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened."
So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, "Go and find out what has happened." They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said.
Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. It happened as the man of God had said to the king: "About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria."
The officer had said to the man of God, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" The man of God had replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!" And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
2 Kings 7:10-20
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 7 of 2 Kings ends, we find yet again another of Elisha’s prophecies comes true. And since Elisha is referred to as a man of God, we know and understand that when he speaks, he speaks under the authority of the Lord.
Now you would think with Elisha’s track record and all that the Lord has done in and through him, that when he spoke, people would listen. But even as we see today, no matter how much the Lord has done to show us He is capable of doing any and all things…there are always those who tend to doubt whether He will deliver…whether He will carry out what He said He would do…whether He will fulfill His word.
These people are the skeptics.
In today’s scripture, we’ll see two people exercising their skepticism. For one, nothing bad happens…at least not for all. For the other, we will see how Elisha’s prophecy comes true and how it costs the skeptic his life.
Let’s set the scene first.
The lepers who had left the city gate to see if the Arameans might take them in and spare them, went to the Aramean camp and surprisingly found it vacated. They begin to loot the camp and hide away valuables for themselves when their conscience got the best of them and they were convicted to return to the city with the news about what they had seen.
So scripture tells us the “went and called out to the city gatekeepers” saying, “We went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there — not a sound of anyone — only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were." And the gatekeepers, in turn, “shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace”.
Well, when the news got to King Joram, he didn’t even start to consider that what had happened might have been ordained by God. No, instead he came up with an assumption that the vacated camp was just a trap…meant to lure the hungry Israelites out of the city so they could be taken prisoner and allow the Arameans to take over the city.
So one of Joram’s officers proposed a plan. They would send out an advance party to see what might happen when they went to the Aramean camp. The thought was that losing an advance party was better than seeing the city population and the city taken captive. And so they “selected two chariots with their horses and the king sent them after the Aramean army”, commanding them to "Go and find out what has happened."
Well, the advance party did as King Joram ordered and followed the Aramean trail “as far as the Jordan”. Along the way, they found the “whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight”. It was obvious that the Arameans had indeed fled and left everything behind and the “messengers returned” and made the report to the king.
And with it known to be safe, “the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans”, leading to financial improvement such as “a seah of flour sold for a shekel” and “two seahs of barley sold for a shekel”…all “as the Lord had said” would happen.
Now, we know that the Lord spoke through Elisha to predict that these matters would happen. And we know he did so in the presence of the king and one of his officers.
And yet, the king decided to rely on his own judgment and confirmation. God’s word spoken through His prophet wasn’t good enough.
Friends, are you ever like the king?
Do you, despite knowing of God’s promises and perfect power to fulfill those promises, still refuse to trust Him and want to find out first hand for yourself before you believe?
If so, then you are a skeptic and as we’re about to find out with the second part of this scripture, being a skeptic can have some very dire consequences.
For scripture next reintroduces us to the officer who was with Joram when Elisha prophesized that the famine was soon coming to an end. You’ll recall that when Elisha said, "About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria" that the king’s officer replied, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?"
In other words, the officer couldn’t fathom that the Lord, even if He performed one of the most miraculous acts imaginable and opened the floodgates of heaven, would be able to pull Israel out of their famine.
Joram’s officer, you see, was a skeptic and how often are we like him? We find ourselves in the midst of difficult circumstances and we start to think that God can’t help us, even though we’re quick to attest that God is powerful enough to do anything
Well, as we look back at the passage, we remember that Elisha had told the skeptical officer that he would see the prophecy with his own eyes but then would not be able to eat any of the benefits gained. Only the faithful could do that…and Joram’s officer was far from faithful…a truth that would cost him his life.
For we read where Joram’s officer was placed “in charge of the gate” and while he was there, he was “trampled…in the gateway by the people and died. Elisha’s prophecy had come true. The officer wouldn’t have a chance to eat any of the flour or barley as it was now available.
Friends, this passage is meant to reach down into the deepest recesses of our souls to demonstrate what can happen when we decide to lose out faith and trust in the Lord. True believers have no reason to doubt that God can’t deliver on anything He said He would deliver on.
That’s why I have a hard time believing that any true believer could also be a skeptic when it comes to the Lord…to His word and to His way.
What’s your position today?
Believer or skeptic?
If I were you, I would choose to believe.
And if Joram’s officer were given a second chance and could speak to you, he would tell you to do the same.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, "We went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there — not a sound of anyone — only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were." The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.
The king got up in the night and said to his officers, "I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, 'They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.' "
One of his officers answered, "Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here — yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened."
So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, "Go and find out what has happened." They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said.
Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. It happened as the man of God had said to the king: "About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria."
The officer had said to the man of God, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" The man of God had replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!" And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
2 Kings 7:10-20
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 7 of 2 Kings ends, we find yet again another of Elisha’s prophecies comes true. And since Elisha is referred to as a man of God, we know and understand that when he speaks, he speaks under the authority of the Lord.
Now you would think with Elisha’s track record and all that the Lord has done in and through him, that when he spoke, people would listen. But even as we see today, no matter how much the Lord has done to show us He is capable of doing any and all things…there are always those who tend to doubt whether He will deliver…whether He will carry out what He said He would do…whether He will fulfill His word.
These people are the skeptics.
In today’s scripture, we’ll see two people exercising their skepticism. For one, nothing bad happens…at least not for all. For the other, we will see how Elisha’s prophecy comes true and how it costs the skeptic his life.
Let’s set the scene first.
The lepers who had left the city gate to see if the Arameans might take them in and spare them, went to the Aramean camp and surprisingly found it vacated. They begin to loot the camp and hide away valuables for themselves when their conscience got the best of them and they were convicted to return to the city with the news about what they had seen.
So scripture tells us the “went and called out to the city gatekeepers” saying, “We went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there — not a sound of anyone — only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were." And the gatekeepers, in turn, “shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace”.
Well, when the news got to King Joram, he didn’t even start to consider that what had happened might have been ordained by God. No, instead he came up with an assumption that the vacated camp was just a trap…meant to lure the hungry Israelites out of the city so they could be taken prisoner and allow the Arameans to take over the city.
So one of Joram’s officers proposed a plan. They would send out an advance party to see what might happen when they went to the Aramean camp. The thought was that losing an advance party was better than seeing the city population and the city taken captive. And so they “selected two chariots with their horses and the king sent them after the Aramean army”, commanding them to "Go and find out what has happened."
Well, the advance party did as King Joram ordered and followed the Aramean trail “as far as the Jordan”. Along the way, they found the “whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight”. It was obvious that the Arameans had indeed fled and left everything behind and the “messengers returned” and made the report to the king.
And with it known to be safe, “the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans”, leading to financial improvement such as “a seah of flour sold for a shekel” and “two seahs of barley sold for a shekel”…all “as the Lord had said” would happen.
Now, we know that the Lord spoke through Elisha to predict that these matters would happen. And we know he did so in the presence of the king and one of his officers.
And yet, the king decided to rely on his own judgment and confirmation. God’s word spoken through His prophet wasn’t good enough.
Friends, are you ever like the king?
Do you, despite knowing of God’s promises and perfect power to fulfill those promises, still refuse to trust Him and want to find out first hand for yourself before you believe?
If so, then you are a skeptic and as we’re about to find out with the second part of this scripture, being a skeptic can have some very dire consequences.
For scripture next reintroduces us to the officer who was with Joram when Elisha prophesized that the famine was soon coming to an end. You’ll recall that when Elisha said, "About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria" that the king’s officer replied, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?"
In other words, the officer couldn’t fathom that the Lord, even if He performed one of the most miraculous acts imaginable and opened the floodgates of heaven, would be able to pull Israel out of their famine.
Joram’s officer, you see, was a skeptic and how often are we like him? We find ourselves in the midst of difficult circumstances and we start to think that God can’t help us, even though we’re quick to attest that God is powerful enough to do anything
Well, as we look back at the passage, we remember that Elisha had told the skeptical officer that he would see the prophecy with his own eyes but then would not be able to eat any of the benefits gained. Only the faithful could do that…and Joram’s officer was far from faithful…a truth that would cost him his life.
For we read where Joram’s officer was placed “in charge of the gate” and while he was there, he was “trampled…in the gateway by the people and died. Elisha’s prophecy had come true. The officer wouldn’t have a chance to eat any of the flour or barley as it was now available.
Friends, this passage is meant to reach down into the deepest recesses of our souls to demonstrate what can happen when we decide to lose out faith and trust in the Lord. True believers have no reason to doubt that God can’t deliver on anything He said He would deliver on.
That’s why I have a hard time believing that any true believer could also be a skeptic when it comes to the Lord…to His word and to His way.
What’s your position today?
Believer or skeptic?
If I were you, I would choose to believe.
And if Joram’s officer were given a second chance and could speak to you, he would tell you to do the same.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
LET YOUR CONSCIENCE BE YOUR GUIDE
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate.
They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die? If we say, 'We'll go into the city' - the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let's go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die."
At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!"
So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.
The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
Then they said to each other, "We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let's go at once and report this to the royal palace."
2 Kings 7:3-9
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
One of the greatest marvels installed in every man and woman that God creates is a conscience. You know what I’m talking about. That inherent, innate sense we all have when we’re doing something right or wrong.
When I was younger, this matter of conscience was portrayed in cartoons by the appearance of a little white angel and a little red devil on opposite shoulders of a person who had to make a decision whether to do good or bad.
Of course, the little white angel would try and convince the person to do good…to make the right choice. But then the little red devil would work equally hard if not harder to tempt the person into doing what was bad. We look at this as cartoonish but, in reality, it’s closer to the truth than we maybe want to admit.
Because rest assured that when we are faced with doing good or bad in life, there are two competing factors at work…the Holy Spirit and Satan. The Holy Spirit…the Mighty Counselor…will always try and steer us the right way…to what is good. Conversely, Satan is also active, ever seeking to convince us to not follow the way of the Spirit and to do wrong…to act badly even when we know it isn’t what the Lord expects.
Indeed, we are on the battlefield every day and under siege from sin and temptation. Consider these words from Paul as he wrote to the Romans:
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. Romans 7:15-23
Can you relate to Paul?
I know I can.
So how should we respond when faced with our conscience?
Let’s look at today’s scripture.
For as Samaria has been under siege, we are introduced to “four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate”. Lepers were considered unclean and not allowed to live in the community so they were forced to be on the fringe…the entrance to the city gate in this case.
The lepers were in a bit of a dilemma for they were hungry and in need of something to eat. And so they weighed their options and didn’t see any real good solution…for every possibility led to them dying. But since there was a slight chance that the Arameans might spare them, the lepers decided to go to the camp of the Arameans vice remain at the gate or enter the city where famine had struck.
So “at dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans” and “when they reached the edge of the camp”, surprisingly “not a man was there”. Scripture tells us that it was because “the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army” which they mistook as Hittite and Egyptian forces hired by the king of Israel to attack them. And so they “fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys”, running for their lives.
This is why the lepers found the camp vacated. And so the men “entered one of the tents”, eating and drinking before they “carried away silver, gold and clothes” which they hid. Then they returned to the camp, “entered another tent”, and took more things from it which they also hid.
You could say that life was getting pretty good for the lepers. They had been cast out because of society because of their affliction…treated without dignity and made to feel unwanted. But now they had come upon riches in the vacant Aramean tents…riches that may have made them feel for once, “Who’s on top now?”
But then something happened.
For the lepers said to one another, “We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let's go at once and report this to the royal palace."
And this is exactly what they did.
So what happened?
The lepers allowed their conscience to be their guide. They listened to the guidance of the Holy Spirit which obviously included a warning of punishment if they chose to disobey…and the lepers couldn’t deal with any more trouble. Life was difficult enough already.
And although the lepers were still afflicted with their leprosy, they were as clean that day as any non-afflicted person. All because they chose to follow their conscience and do the right thing.
So how about you?
How well do you deal with decisions that place you in a situation to choose right or wrong?
Do you delight in doing the Lord’s will, thus choosing a good and righteous way?
Or do you surrender to your own selfish desires, allowing sin to make you a prisoner to wrong?
Our scriptures are speaking loudly to us if we would just take the time to listen.
They are saying…do what the lepers did…and let your conscience be your guide.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate.
They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die? If we say, 'We'll go into the city' - the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let's go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die."
At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!"
So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.
The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
Then they said to each other, "We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let's go at once and report this to the royal palace."
2 Kings 7:3-9
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
One of the greatest marvels installed in every man and woman that God creates is a conscience. You know what I’m talking about. That inherent, innate sense we all have when we’re doing something right or wrong.
When I was younger, this matter of conscience was portrayed in cartoons by the appearance of a little white angel and a little red devil on opposite shoulders of a person who had to make a decision whether to do good or bad.
Of course, the little white angel would try and convince the person to do good…to make the right choice. But then the little red devil would work equally hard if not harder to tempt the person into doing what was bad. We look at this as cartoonish but, in reality, it’s closer to the truth than we maybe want to admit.
Because rest assured that when we are faced with doing good or bad in life, there are two competing factors at work…the Holy Spirit and Satan. The Holy Spirit…the Mighty Counselor…will always try and steer us the right way…to what is good. Conversely, Satan is also active, ever seeking to convince us to not follow the way of the Spirit and to do wrong…to act badly even when we know it isn’t what the Lord expects.
Indeed, we are on the battlefield every day and under siege from sin and temptation. Consider these words from Paul as he wrote to the Romans:
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. Romans 7:15-23
Can you relate to Paul?
I know I can.
So how should we respond when faced with our conscience?
Let’s look at today’s scripture.
For as Samaria has been under siege, we are introduced to “four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate”. Lepers were considered unclean and not allowed to live in the community so they were forced to be on the fringe…the entrance to the city gate in this case.
The lepers were in a bit of a dilemma for they were hungry and in need of something to eat. And so they weighed their options and didn’t see any real good solution…for every possibility led to them dying. But since there was a slight chance that the Arameans might spare them, the lepers decided to go to the camp of the Arameans vice remain at the gate or enter the city where famine had struck.
So “at dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans” and “when they reached the edge of the camp”, surprisingly “not a man was there”. Scripture tells us that it was because “the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army” which they mistook as Hittite and Egyptian forces hired by the king of Israel to attack them. And so they “fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys”, running for their lives.
This is why the lepers found the camp vacated. And so the men “entered one of the tents”, eating and drinking before they “carried away silver, gold and clothes” which they hid. Then they returned to the camp, “entered another tent”, and took more things from it which they also hid.
You could say that life was getting pretty good for the lepers. They had been cast out because of society because of their affliction…treated without dignity and made to feel unwanted. But now they had come upon riches in the vacant Aramean tents…riches that may have made them feel for once, “Who’s on top now?”
But then something happened.
For the lepers said to one another, “We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let's go at once and report this to the royal palace."
And this is exactly what they did.
So what happened?
The lepers allowed their conscience to be their guide. They listened to the guidance of the Holy Spirit which obviously included a warning of punishment if they chose to disobey…and the lepers couldn’t deal with any more trouble. Life was difficult enough already.
And although the lepers were still afflicted with their leprosy, they were as clean that day as any non-afflicted person. All because they chose to follow their conscience and do the right thing.
So how about you?
How well do you deal with decisions that place you in a situation to choose right or wrong?
Do you delight in doing the Lord’s will, thus choosing a good and righteous way?
Or do you surrender to your own selfish desires, allowing sin to make you a prisoner to wrong?
Our scriptures are speaking loudly to us if we would just take the time to listen.
They are saying…do what the lepers did…and let your conscience be your guide.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
THE BLAME GAME
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria.
There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey's head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels.
As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, "Help me, my lord the king!"
The king replied, "If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?" Then he asked her, "What's the matter?"
She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we'll eat my son.' So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, 'Give up your son so we may eat him,' but she had hidden him."
When the king heard the woman's words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and there, underneath, he had sackcloth on his body. He said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!"
Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "Don't you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's footsteps behind him?"
While he was still talking to them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, "This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?"
Elisha said, "Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says:
‘About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.‘ "
The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?"
"You will see it with your own eyes," answered Elisha, "but you will not eat any of it!"
2 Kings 6:24-33, 7:1-2
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we finished the last message, we saw Samaria dining in peace with the soldiers of Aram. Their hospitality resulted in the Arameans ceasing to raid Israeli territory.
Unfortunately, this peace did not last. For as Chapter 6 of 2 Kings closes, we find Israel under siege at the hands of “Ben-Hadad king of Aram” and “his entire army”.
The siege was so severe and prolonged that a “great famine” occurred in the city and desperation set in for the people as quickly as inflation did. Scripture tells us that “a donkey's head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels”. A lot bought very little.
In the midst of this impoverished scene, we find the king, Jehoram, “passing by on the wall” when he heard a woman cry out to him saying, “Help me, my lord the king!" In response, Jehoram acknowledged the Lord as the One through which the woman’s help should come…not him. We read the king say to her, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?"
Still…despite feeling helpless to aid the woman, Jehoram asked her to tell him what was troubling her. And the woman’s testimony horrified the king, leaving him angry.
For so deep was the famine that the woman had made a deal with another woman to cook and eat their children. The woman talking with the king had given her son up and he was cooked and eaten. But when the next day came, the other woman refused to give her son up and hid him.
Well…Jehoram was so troubled by what he heard that he “tore his robes” and when he did, the people saw that he was wearing “sackcloth on his body” underneath the robe. But as soon as we think Jehoram did this as a sign of repentance for his sins and the sins of Israel…seeing that the siege and famine were all part of God’s judgment on His disobedient people…we see him do quite the opposite.
In fact, he blames the Lord by way of accusing Elisha as being responsible for what was happening to Samaria. And his anger burned so strong that he wanted the prophet executed.
Meanwhile, scripture shifts the scene to Elisha who was “sitting in his house” with the elders. And as Jehoram sent a “messenger ahead”, we read where Elisha already knows what is coming. For he says to his elders, “Don't you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's footsteps behind him?" The plan was to bar the door and bide time until the king himself showed up.
Well…Jehoram and his messenger showed up and we read where the king asks Elisha, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?"
In other words, Jehoram was blaming the famine on the Lord. He didn’t even stop to consider that the famine was part of God’s judgment on His people for their disobedience. Perhaps the king had forgotten how the Lord had warned about the things that would happen if His people failed to follow His commandments. For there were warnings of consequences like famine…and even how this would result in cannibalism…things that we know had happened in Samaria.
So Chapter 6 ends with the king of Israel blaming the Lord. But notice that he is also leaving room open for Elisha to bring him back to faith and trust.
For as Chapter 7 opens, we see Elisha tell Jehoram, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says:
‘About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.‘ "
In other words, better days were just ahead. All Jehoram had to do was have faith.
But in the midst of this was a naysayer…an “officer on whose arm the king was leaning”. For he said to Elisha, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" His words smacked of mockery and skepticism although Elisha had never been wrong before when he gave the king information.
Well, Elisha countered the officer’s words by reassuring him saying, "You will see it with your own eyes…but you will not eat any of it!"
Such is what will happen to the skeptic. In the end, they will realize how very wrong they were but they will not be able to enjoy the spoils.
Friends, how much are we like Jehoram? Surrounded by challenge and trial, we quickly turn our blame on the Lord because surely we aren’t receiving any discipline that we deserve because of our sinful nature. Surely, the Lord wouldn’t penalize me…would He?
And as we play the blame game, we begin to lose faith and trust in the only One we can truly count on…in good times and bad.
We also can fall into the sin of skepticism when things don’t seem to be going the way we would like it in life. For we will have people who will try and encourage us…and we will also have the word of God to lift our spirits…but neither of these two heaven sent blessings will be able to help us unless we fully believe that the Lord will deliver us. Even the slightest hint of sarcasm or doubt can doom us to despair and apostasy…just the place where Satan wants us to be.
So how do you deal with difficulties when they arise?
Will you play the blame game and put everything on the Lord?
Or will you like the Psalmist David proclaim, “O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.” (Psalm 143:1)
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria.
There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey's head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels.
As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, "Help me, my lord the king!"
The king replied, "If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?" Then he asked her, "What's the matter?"
She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we'll eat my son.' So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, 'Give up your son so we may eat him,' but she had hidden him."
When the king heard the woman's words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and there, underneath, he had sackcloth on his body. He said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!"
Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "Don't you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's footsteps behind him?"
While he was still talking to them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, "This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?"
Elisha said, "Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says:
‘About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.‘ "
The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?"
"You will see it with your own eyes," answered Elisha, "but you will not eat any of it!"
2 Kings 6:24-33, 7:1-2
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we finished the last message, we saw Samaria dining in peace with the soldiers of Aram. Their hospitality resulted in the Arameans ceasing to raid Israeli territory.
Unfortunately, this peace did not last. For as Chapter 6 of 2 Kings closes, we find Israel under siege at the hands of “Ben-Hadad king of Aram” and “his entire army”.
The siege was so severe and prolonged that a “great famine” occurred in the city and desperation set in for the people as quickly as inflation did. Scripture tells us that “a donkey's head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels”. A lot bought very little.
In the midst of this impoverished scene, we find the king, Jehoram, “passing by on the wall” when he heard a woman cry out to him saying, “Help me, my lord the king!" In response, Jehoram acknowledged the Lord as the One through which the woman’s help should come…not him. We read the king say to her, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?"
Still…despite feeling helpless to aid the woman, Jehoram asked her to tell him what was troubling her. And the woman’s testimony horrified the king, leaving him angry.
For so deep was the famine that the woman had made a deal with another woman to cook and eat their children. The woman talking with the king had given her son up and he was cooked and eaten. But when the next day came, the other woman refused to give her son up and hid him.
Well…Jehoram was so troubled by what he heard that he “tore his robes” and when he did, the people saw that he was wearing “sackcloth on his body” underneath the robe. But as soon as we think Jehoram did this as a sign of repentance for his sins and the sins of Israel…seeing that the siege and famine were all part of God’s judgment on His disobedient people…we see him do quite the opposite.
In fact, he blames the Lord by way of accusing Elisha as being responsible for what was happening to Samaria. And his anger burned so strong that he wanted the prophet executed.
Meanwhile, scripture shifts the scene to Elisha who was “sitting in his house” with the elders. And as Jehoram sent a “messenger ahead”, we read where Elisha already knows what is coming. For he says to his elders, “Don't you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's footsteps behind him?" The plan was to bar the door and bide time until the king himself showed up.
Well…Jehoram and his messenger showed up and we read where the king asks Elisha, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?"
In other words, Jehoram was blaming the famine on the Lord. He didn’t even stop to consider that the famine was part of God’s judgment on His people for their disobedience. Perhaps the king had forgotten how the Lord had warned about the things that would happen if His people failed to follow His commandments. For there were warnings of consequences like famine…and even how this would result in cannibalism…things that we know had happened in Samaria.
So Chapter 6 ends with the king of Israel blaming the Lord. But notice that he is also leaving room open for Elisha to bring him back to faith and trust.
For as Chapter 7 opens, we see Elisha tell Jehoram, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says:
‘About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.‘ "
In other words, better days were just ahead. All Jehoram had to do was have faith.
But in the midst of this was a naysayer…an “officer on whose arm the king was leaning”. For he said to Elisha, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" His words smacked of mockery and skepticism although Elisha had never been wrong before when he gave the king information.
Well, Elisha countered the officer’s words by reassuring him saying, "You will see it with your own eyes…but you will not eat any of it!"
Such is what will happen to the skeptic. In the end, they will realize how very wrong they were but they will not be able to enjoy the spoils.
Friends, how much are we like Jehoram? Surrounded by challenge and trial, we quickly turn our blame on the Lord because surely we aren’t receiving any discipline that we deserve because of our sinful nature. Surely, the Lord wouldn’t penalize me…would He?
And as we play the blame game, we begin to lose faith and trust in the only One we can truly count on…in good times and bad.
We also can fall into the sin of skepticism when things don’t seem to be going the way we would like it in life. For we will have people who will try and encourage us…and we will also have the word of God to lift our spirits…but neither of these two heaven sent blessings will be able to help us unless we fully believe that the Lord will deliver us. Even the slightest hint of sarcasm or doubt can doom us to despair and apostasy…just the place where Satan wants us to be.
So how do you deal with difficulties when they arise?
Will you play the blame game and put everything on the Lord?
Or will you like the Psalmist David proclaim, “O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.” (Psalm 143:1)
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
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