(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(2 Kings 8:1-24) Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go with your household, and live wherever you can live; for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will indeed come on the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and acted in accordance with the word of the man of God: she went with her household and resided in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3 Then at the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to appeal to the king for her house and for her field. 4 Now the king was speaking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please report to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 And as he was reporting to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 When the king asked the woman, she told everything to him. So the king appointed an officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”
7 Then Elisha came to Damascus. Now Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, was sick, and it was told to him, saying, “The man of God has come here.” 8 And the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 10 Then Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You will certainly recover’; but the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.” 11 And he stared steadily at him until Hazael was embarrassed, and then the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” And he answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: you will set their fortified cities on fire, you will kill their young men with the sword, their little ones you will smash to pieces, and you will rip up their pregnant women.” 13 Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant—a lowly dog—that he could do this great thing?” And Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” 14 So he left Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” 15 But on the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face, so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
16 Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 18 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 However, the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, since He had promised him to give him a lamp through his sons always.
20 In his days Edom broke away from the rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves. 21 Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents. 22 So Edom has broken away from Judah to this day. Then Libnah broke away at the same time. 23 Now the rest of the acts of Joram and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
24 So Joram lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
7 Then Elisha came to Damascus. Now Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, was sick, and it was told to him, saying, “The man of God has come here.” 8 And the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 10 Then Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You will certainly recover’; but the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.” 11 And he stared steadily at him until Hazael was embarrassed, and then the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” And he answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: you will set their fortified cities on fire, you will kill their young men with the sword, their little ones you will smash to pieces, and you will rip up their pregnant women.” 13 Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant—a lowly dog—that he could do this great thing?” And Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” 14 So he left Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” 15 But on the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face, so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
16 Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 18 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 However, the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, since He had promised him to give him a lamp through his sons always.
20 In his days Edom broke away from the rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves. 21 Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; but his army fled to their tents. 22 So Edom has broken away from Judah to this day. Then Libnah broke away at the same time. 23 Now the rest of the acts of Joram and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
24 So Joram lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Interestingly both kings (of Israel and Judah) at the same time had named their sons Joram (Jehoram). Who knows why. Maybe they intentionally wanted to confuse people, or maybe it was to become better allies. As well, probably to become better allies, king Joram of Judah married a sister or half-sister of king Joram of Israel. So now both families (and regions) inherited the evil influences of Ahab and Jezebel.
Even so, because of His promise to king David, God will never destroy Judah. The throne of David is eternal, because through his lineage, Jesus was born. The lamp is the light of Jesus, who left heaven to come to earth - 100% man while still 100% God. Only because of this, Jesus was able to live a perfect life on earth, not only to be the perfect sacrifice for all sin for all time and have victory over death, but to be the perfect king of Israel. Israel rejected Him the first time because they didn't recognize their Messiah (the Christ), the King of kings.
From Abraham on, his children, the Israelites were chosen to be the light of the world, but failed. And no one else would have done any better. This is why Jesus Himself has to do it for us. And now when anyone becomes a believer, they receive the light of Jesus. We are not to hide that light, but let it shine to be seen by those around us.
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