Daily Bible Devotionals

“In the twenty-third year of Judah’s King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned 17 years.  He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.  So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He surrendered them to the power of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad during their reigns.  Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord heard him, for He saw the oppression the king of Aram inflicted on Israel.  Therefore, the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped the power of the Arameans.  Then the people of Israel dwelt in their tents as before, but they didn’t turn away from their sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.  Jehoahaz walked in them, and the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria.  Jehoahaz did not have any army left, except for 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them, making them like dust at threshing.”  2 Kings 13:1-7 (HCSB)

There is a surprise in today’s passage.  Jehoahaz was a devotee of the cult of Jeroboam.  This is no surprise.  We’re used to hearing it by now!  He was so committed to it that despite all the conditions the Lord allowed him to suffer, Jehoahaz “did not turn from it.”

Notice the theological segment placed amidst the usual narrative.  We should not be surprised that the wrath of the Lord ignites against Israel or that He continually gives them over to the power of Hazael and Ben-hadad.  However, we ARE surprised that Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord.

“Those who reject the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law battle against them.”  Proverbs 28:4 (HCSB)

Naturally, we are ready to shoot our Proverbs 28 arrow at Jehoahaz.  Before we launch it, however, we meet a more surprising surprise: The Lord listened to him, to a calf worshipper!  Why on earth would the Lord do that?  Because He saw how the King of Syria oppressed Israel.  God is still the same “Book-of-Exodus” God, the One who notices the afflictions of His people and desires to deliver them in hopes of winning their repentance.  In a few chapters, we will see how He is the same God of judgment and chastisement, even to his children.

How did the Lord answer Jehoahaz?  He gave Israel a “savior.”  But everyone wonders who that “savior” was.  It was certainly not Jehoahaz and was most likely subsequent kings, Jehoash and Jeroboam II.  Actually, it doesn’t matter much.  What matters is that the Lord gave Israel a savior when they needed one.  The tragedy is how Israel was so ungrateful for their deliverance.  They just kept on sinning.  The warmth of God’s pity did not soften the hardness of their infidelity.  There was no memory carryover that claimed and won their gratitude.  

This reminds me of today’s church culture.  Israel wants relief from trouble, not a relationship with God, and she craves therapy, not transformation.  Guard yourself against this mindset!

“In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king and reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, who was from Beer-sheba. Throughout the time Jehoiada the priest instructed him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight. Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.” 2 Kings 12:1-3 (HCSB)

There is a story of a British colonel whose battalion was defending a bridge in World War II.  Ammunition was nearly gone, casualties were high, and the colonel’s men had been fighting for fifty hours without let-up.  During this time, one of the battalion chaplains met the colonel, who was coming out of a toilet.

A smile lit up the colonel’s grimy, stubble-covered face.  “Father,” he said, “the window is shattered, there’s a hole in the wall, and the roof’s gone.  But it has a chain, and it works.” Amid the blasts and ruin, devastation and death, there was a welcome bit of consistency: The toilet still works!

That is the testimony of verses 1-3 of today’s chapter.  Out of the evil of Athaliah’s regime in chapter 11, with royal blood dripping from her hands and tyranny reigning on her throne, there is, nevertheless, a seven-year-old heir of David who begins to reign.

So, what is our practical application of this observation?  What seems only statistical, the rote observations of kingly rule: installation, slight reform, compromise, is, in fact, glorious.  What appears dull is thrilling.  It’s as if the writer says, “The kingdom is divided, and in shambles, people don’t have any money, the Temple is in disrepair, but the covenant still works!

It is of utmost importance that believers grasp all this; otherwise, they become ungrateful for the mundane provision of the Lord.  So often, we become ministry “adrenaline junkies,” miracle-hounds looking for the next big move of God.  Israel and Judah should have been relieved when the boiling-point drama of royal apostasy simmered down to a step-by-step kingdom.

Surely, we recognize that many of God’s gifts come wrapped in plain brown paper packages.  Still, they are gifts of the Lord.  Mundane mercies are mercies nonetheless, and simple provisions are still provisions.  

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (HCSB)

If the Lord has granted us civil order, is that no less a miracle simply because it feels ordinary?  Remember: there is nothing petty about God’s simple provision.  If you’ve ever gone without it for a season, you will praise the day it returns!

“When Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.  Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister, secretly rescued Joash, son of Ahaziah from the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom.  So he was hidden from Athaliah and was not killed.  Joash was in hiding with Jehosheba in the Lord’s temple six years while Athaliah ruled over the land.” 2 Kings 11:1-3 (HCSB)

When I was a boy, I was so excited to watch TV at Christmastime!  The reason was that I loved those “claymation” Christmas programs on network TV.  The stories always had some plot, where Christmas was about to be canceled or foiled by some villain.  In the same tradition, you may have never cared about 2 Kings 11, a baby named Joash, or his aunt who saved him…but you may be interested to know that Jehosheba is literally the “Aunt who saved Christmas.”

Jezebel’s daughter, Athaliah, was on a murderous campaign to destroy the royal Davidic family line of the house of Judah!  Talk about your anti-Christs...she was one of the worst of them!  Athaliah was just one baby away from eliminating Christmas…and your and my salvation!  You see, by God’s Word, Messiah had to come from the Line of David.

Long before Luke 2, God’s hand was at work protecting and preserving Jesus’ advent.  If Athaliah had had her way, there wouldn’t have been any shepherds and Angels in glorious appearance, swaddling clothes, or good news of great joy.  Yes, today, as we are hauling crumpled-up wrapping paper to the curb, perhaps, we should pause and remember the aunt who saved Christmas.  

We should thank God for using an otherwise forgettable individual in Israel’s history to save the line of the Savior.  We should also reflect on how He chooses to call us…otherwise insignificant humans…to receive salvation and carry His gospel to an otherwise damned people.  As someone was “Jehoshaba” for us, we have the opportunity to be “Jehosheba” for others, sheltering them from the Enemy.

What I like about today’s chapter is how absent and yet completely present God is.  Of course, He is always present and working in our midst, but He doesn’t always announce Himself in “thus sayeth the Lord” terms.  In 2 Kings 11, God is indirect in accomplishing His plan of redemption.  He does not inject a word, and there is no evidence of any explicit activity on His part.

But we know better.  We know how He works in our lives.  He usually goes about His work without attracting our attention.  Sometimes we even feel He has abandoned us because we cannot see the expected trappings of His deity.  Today’s passage is another invitation to enjoy – in Scripture, history, and experience – the refreshing subtlety and mighty silence of our God.  It is the stuff that makes faith worth it…when the Lord’s “slow reveal” is fully realized, and our “Praise God!” is matched with His “Well done.”

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of 2 Kings 10. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“So Jehu got up and went into the house.  The young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel.  You are to strike down the house of your master Ahab so that I may avenge the blood shed by the hand of Jezebel – the blood of My servants the prophets and of all the servants of the Lord.  The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will eliminate all of Ahab’s males, both slave and free, in Israel.  I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.  The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel – no one will bury her.”’  Then the young prophet opened the door and escaped.”  2 Kings 9:6-10 (HCSB)

I am writing this at a time when my own country is straddled with a “sluggish” economy.  TV News is broadcasting the endless rants of economists and politicians talking about stimulating the economy with various measures, which may make up another “stimulus package.”  I do not believe anything can alter the downward course of our nation, apart from Biblical revival.

Sometimes in Scripture, the Lord seems to “jump-start” or stimulate history’s course with His Word.  We see that in today’s passage.  No sooner does the prophet throw open the door and bolt off, and no sooner does Jehu report his words to his comrades that a revolt is underway.  What stirred that up?  What was the catalyst?  The Word of God.  No doubt, Jehu and his friends were quite happy to rebel; nevertheless, it was the Lord’s Word that emboldened them to do it.

We saw the same thing in 2 Kings 8:7-15.  Elisha itemized the disaster Hazael would inflict on Israel: Blazing fortresses, killing young draftees in war, bashing infants to death, and slicing-open pregnant women.  Elisha wept, and Hazael smiled.  But how could he do this? Elisha informs him that the Lord has shown him that Hazael is to be king of Syria.  It was Hazael’s decision to make, but Elisha’s Word from the Lord was the catalyst behind it.

The Word of God incited Peter to submission instead of rebellion.

“Then Jesus told him (Peter), ‘Put your sword back in its place because all who take up a sword will perish by a sword.  Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?  How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?’” Matthew 26:52-54 (HCSB)

What does Jesus mean – “this way”?  He means that the Scriptures have said that Messiah’s work will be accomplished through the weakness of the cross, not by the power of the sword.  Although both plans would have removed the disciples from immediate danger, only one would have provided eternal salvation.  What areas of your life are you weighing the options of faithfully following God’s Word and trusting Him to provide deliverance versus formulating your personal escape plan?

“Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, ‘Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done.’  Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son was restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land.  And Gehazi said, ‘My lord, oh king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.’”  2 Kings 8:4-5 (NKJV)

It was a conversation in the background that the writer of 2nd Kings places into the foreground, something that Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had restored to life.  Elisha gave her a tip that only a prophet could know, something about a coming 7-year famine, along with advice about what to do “Rise, go, you and your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn.”  She follows the prophet’s counsel, apparently to her advantage, and stays in Philistia seven years.

Why does it help us to know this?  Remember back in 2 Kings 4:9-10, when this woman proposed a little house remodeling project to her husband?  She sensed that Elisha was a “holy man of God,” i.e., the Lord’s prophet, and wanted to make this accommodation for him.  Why?  Simply because Elisha was the Lord’s servant.

“Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.  And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward.  And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple – I assure you: He will never lose his reward!” Matthew 10:41-42 (HCSB)

God doesn’t miss cold cups of water, and He remembered this woman’s kindness to His servant by showing kindness to her.  So, here was God’s kindness in His “famine warning system.”  Consider what that must have meant to her.  Today’s passage is not the main focus of the chapter, but what an encouragement Elisha’s tip must have been, assuring her that the “Keeper of Israel” had by no means forgotten her.  A small kindness carries a massive encouragement.

Now, after seven years, because Elisha’s short-term prophecy (concerning famine) was exactly fulfilled, this woman trusts the Word of the Lord (concerning repatriation) and returns home.  And what does she find?  Gehazi is preparing the king to give favor to her plea (concerning her property) before he even hears it!

Faith is not FACT until it is tested, and this woman received what all who faithfully trust the Lord’s Word receive: Intimate personal knowledge that the Lord can be trusted!  The prophecies concerning Jesus’ advent, crucifixion, and resurrection have been fulfilled. Now it is up to us to faithfully believe His (yet) unfulfilled promise of return and commit to following Him, knowing He’ll be talking to the King when we enter into eternity.  “Oh, just the person we were speaking of….”

“Elisha said, ‘Hear the Word of the Lord!  This is what the Lord says: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, six quarts of fine meal will sell for a shekel and 12 quarts of fine meal will sell for a shekel.”’  Then the Captain, the king’s right-hand man, responded to the man of God, ‘Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in Heaven, could this really happen?’  Elisha announced, ‘You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.’” 2 Kings 7:1-2

Today’s chapter is one of Grace and Judgment.  The message of grace was delivered to the king personally by Elisha, the prophet.  Elisha, knowing Jehoram was on his way to oversee his execution, had the men with him bar the door against the king’s executioner. The king had become impatient and figured that waiting on God was pointless.  God always seems irrelevant to those who have no place for Him in their hearts.  

Elijah brought the king’s rage to an abrupt halt with his message of Hope and Grace: The Syrian-induced famine would abruptly end, and the very next day, Samaria would enjoy abundance.  In addition, to short-circuiting his own execution, Elisha’s message of Grace set the stage for additional characters to enter the stage.

First, we have the king’s Captain.  No sooner was the promise of abundance out of Elisha’s mouth than this man offered a negative prediction: “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in Heaven, could this really happen?”  A sour and shriveled spirit pits us against everyone & everything.  A great evil to be strongly avoided, the sour spirit is never more dangerous than when it manifests itself in rejecting the Gospel.  

In the Gospel of Jesus, we have a message of Grace that makes Elijah’s message pale in comparison.  It tells us that God has, as it were, made windows in Heaven.  But many scoff at God’s plan of salvation and refuse to accept it.  This Captain is a warning for all who harbor a bitter spirit against the Lord and His provision!  Elisha’s word was fulfilled in the most frightful manner - that Captain was trampled the very next day as the people were in a frenzy to collect their portion of God’s abundance.  God’s message of Grace to King Jehoram was a message of Judgment for the king’s Captain.

In a significant role reversal that must have challenged the social paradigms of ancient Israel, the positive response to Elisha’s “message of Grace” came from four lepers.  These men rejoiced in God’s Graceful provision and shared it with others.  The lepers wasted no time enjoying the bounty; then, it occurred to them that their city was starving.

Followers of Jesus cannot help but see themselves in these men who suffered from leprosy.  We, too, have been saved by Grace!  We were suffering in our sin conditions when the Grace of God, through Jesus, intervened.  Still, we identify with them on yet another level. They realized they were doing wrong by keeping God’s Grace to themselves!  Let’s adopt their words as our motto: “…come, let us go, and tell…” (2 Kings 7:9)

“The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, ‘Please notice that the place where we live under your supervision is too small for us.  Please let us go to the Jordan where we can each get a log and can build ourselves a place to live there.’  ‘Go,’ he said.  Then one said, ‘Please come with your servants.’  ‘I’ll come,’ he answered.  So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.  As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, ‘Oh my master, it was borrowed!’” 2 Kings 6:1-5 (HCSB)

Idolatry was flourishing in the land of Israel.  We must keep that in mind as we consider today’s passage so that we can appreciate the request of the sons of the prophets.

There have been many times, throughout the generations, in which evil was so strong that it seemed the Lord’s cause would entirely fail.  Elisha’s predecessor, Elijah, had experienced such a time.  After Jezebel threatened his life, he fled (was led by God) to Mount Horeb, the mountain on which Moses received the Torah of God for Israel.  Mt. Horeb was where it all began, and Elijah went back to report that (from his viewpoint) it had all ended.  Elijah believed he was the last faithful Israelite, and his life was hanging on by a thread.  Elijah was in for a surprise: it was NOT over.  The Lord had reserved seven thousand faithful prophets in Israel who had refused to bow a knee to Baal.

The Israelite captives in Babylon (who were the recipients of the books of the Kings and the Prophets) may have very well thought that their nation had reached the end of the line, that Israel would become assimilated into the Babylonian culture and never exist again as a nation.  The fact that the school of the prophets had to build larger quarters in an evil era was a tiny reminder for them that God preserves and expands His cause, even during dark and evil times.

The presence of Elisha with these young prophets also indicates something of his personal interest in them and their endeavors.  The prophet through whom the Lord had worked mighty miracles did not allow himself to be puffed up with pride.  He did not consider himself to be of such importance that he could not associate with these men, these yeshiva students, in such a simple, mundane activity as constructing a new building.

As the Lord’s representative, Elisha’s willingness to be involved with this project is a picture for us of the Lord’s interest in the details of our lives, those details that others would consider small and insignificant.  Jesus, Himself, comforts us in the same manner.

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26 (NKJV)

Even down to such an insignificant thing as a lost ax handle, the Lord is willing to extend His miraculous hand.  He does this to encourage the Kingdom worker and to provide for

the ministry resources needed to complete His objectives through His servants, unto the glory of His Name.

“So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.  Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, ‘Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean.’  But Naaman got angry and left, saying, ‘I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and will wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease.  Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?  Could I not wash in them and be clean?’  So he turned and left in a rage.” 2 Kings 5:9-12 (HCSB)

When we first meet Naaman, he seems likable enough.  He was the “commander of the Army of Syria” and is also identified as “a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master.” (v. 1)

But we soon discover that Naaman was a very proud man.  Losing his temper outside Elisha’s house, along with his claim of the superior qualities of the rivers of Syria, put Naaman’s pride on display.  Naaman was filled with nationalistic pride.  Syria meant everything to him. He loved Syria’s military superiority, her religion, and her culture.  He loved his own station in life, and he attributed that to the greatness of Syria.

Before we leave Naaman thinking his story is just a historical account, it is important that we recognize the “Naamans” in our own culture.  We call them “men of the World.”  The man of the World is an interesting (and in many ways admirable) type of man.  He has a zest for life.  He fully enjoys the best of all the World can offer him in culture, amusement, wealth, variety, pomp, and sport. The religion of the Bible (to the Worldly man) is completely unreal compared with his (perceived) reality in the World.

He ponders Jesus and the cross and sees little to glory in compared with all he has in the World.  He feels that the Kingdom of God is distant and very unattractive compared with success in this World.  From his own point of view, the “man of the World” feels quite certain that his life is vastly superior to that of the man who confines most of his life to the sphere of faith-in-Jesus and Christian community.

No, if Naaman were going to measure life’s value and worth by the amount of excitement, amusement, and adventure it offers, then it was not really of any advantage to follow YHWH.  Oh yes, except for that whole “leprosy” thing.  You see, once “Naamans” recognize they are HELPLESS in the World and all of its idolatrous incarnations have proved worthless and cannot be trusted unto salvation, they are left to 1) DESPAIR in their “fate” or 2) HUMBLE themselves and seek God through His Word.

What I like is how Elisha humbly displayed that the Word of the Lord is more important than God’s messenger.  Through his closed front door, Elisha simply preached God’s Word for Naaman and didn’t even walk outside his house!  The power of God, working through Naaman’s obedience to His Word, is what brought about Naaman’s healing, not the prophet’s persona or eloquence or his perceived innate power.