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2 Kings Chapter 13
Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel
- 2Kings 13:1 In the
three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of
Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in
Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
- 2 And he did that
which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins
of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he
departed not therefrom.
- 3 And the anger of
the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into
the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad
the son of Hazael, all their days.
The sad words, of "He did evil in the
sight of the Lord" and "Which made Israel to sin," is grievious. I
pray the that Lord helps all of us to stay true to what is right and
not depart from it so that our children will follow after the Lord
and not evil. How important it is to teach our children the ways of
the Lord but not in harshness that might drive them away but with
firmness, love and compassion. Above that is to live a righteous
life in front of them showing them how to live by example.
- 2Kings 13:4 And
Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for
he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria
oppressed them.
- 5 (And the LORD gave
Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of
the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as
beforetime.
- 6 Nevertheless they
departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made
Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove
also in Samaria.)
- 7 Neither did he
leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten
chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had
destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.
- 8 Now the rest of
the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are
they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of
Israel?
- 9 And Jehoahaz slept
with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his
son reigned in his stead.
In his desperation Jehoahaz sought the
Lord but it seems as if he had no intention of following the Lord
after the Lord brings him help. So the kings that chose to do evil
knew better. They were not innocent people who didn't know what was
right but they followed the example of those that came before them.
Because of the gospel of Jesus, it's
hard for the reader who follows the Lord to understand why anyone
would depart from God and worship idols that can do no good or evil.
It must be that those that follow idols are so badly deceived that
their eyes are blinded by deception or else they want a religion of
some kind, but one that allows them to live how they want to live no
matter who it hurts. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can
overcome the desires of the flesh that end up destroying us but we
still have our own will power to choose who we want to serve. God
doesn't want puppets but He desires that we serve Him because we
love Him and love who He is and what He stands for. This is the way
of holiness without which we will not see the Lord. Not a manmade
holiness but one brought about by the Holy Spirit of God dwelling
within us.
Jehoash Reigns in Israel
- 2Kings 13:10 In the
thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the
son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned
sixteen years.
- 11 And he did that
which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from
all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin:
but he walked therein.
- 12 And the rest of
the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith
he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in
the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
- 13 And Joash slept
with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash
was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
These names really get confusing. There
are two kings named Joash. One was king of Israel and one the king
of Judah. Many names are similar but I prefer to concentrate on what
we can get out of their failures and successes. What kind of kings
were they? Some departed from God and allowed idolatry which caused
the citizens of their nation to follow after them. We always see
however, that God has people that stay true to Him even in the midst
of chaos and evil. We see that today also. Elijah thought he was
alone once and God reminded Elijah that He had 7000 that had not
bowed their knees to Baal. God always has a people to carry on His
name and work. Always.
The Death of Elisha
- 2Kings 13:14 Now
Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And
Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his
face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel,
and the horsemen thereof.
- 15 And Elisha said
unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and
arrows.
- 16 And he said to
the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his
hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.
- 17 And he said, Open
the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot.
And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance,
and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite
the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
- 18 And he said, Take
the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of
Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
- 19 And the man of
God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten
five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst
consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
This king of Israel even though he did
not follow God in all things were not as bad as the other kings
before him. He respected the prophet of God here. While the other
kings wanted to get rid of the prophets of God, he at least at times
sought out prophets when he got in trouble. He was what we might
call weak and wishy washy. So we can see that compromise in not the
answer either. He only struck the ground three times, showing a
little half heartedness. So he would be able to defeat Syria only 3
times. If we are going to live for God, we must make up our minds to
live for Him completely and not be half hearted or lukewarm. The
latter day lukewarm church is warned by Jesus Himself in Revelation
chapter 3.
- Revelation 3:14
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These
things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the
beginning of the creation of God;
- 15 I know thy
works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert
cold or hot.
- 16 So then
because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue
thee out of my mouth.
Compare this to the words of Jesus in
the same chapter.
- Revelation 3:7
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These
things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the
key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth,
and no man openeth;
- 8 I know thy
works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man
can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my
word, and hast not denied my name.
This is the goal we need to strive for.
To keep His word and not deny His name. His name means His
authority, and the leading of the Holy Spirit in all we do. God help
us.
- 2Kings 13:20 And
Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites
invaded the land at the coming in of the year.
- 21 And it came to
pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a
band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha:
and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha,
he revived, and stood up on his feet.
This is how powerful the anointing of
the Holy Spirit is upon a faithful servant of God. It can raise the
dead. Back then they were not buried in coffins but wrapped in
cloth.
- 2Kings 13:22 But
Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
- 23 And the LORD was
gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect
unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his
presence as yet.
- 24 So Hazael king of
Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his stead.
- 25 And Jehoash the
son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son
of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of
Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and
recovered the cities of Israel.
Three times according to the prophecy
of Elisha before he died, God had mercy and helped them although
this king didn't serve him with all his heart but was weak. The king
of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. -DC
2 Kings Chapter 14
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