1 Chronicles 8

I apologize for the late post. I slept through my alarm, but the good news is that I have the next couple days to catch up on rest.

Genealogies are incredible in that they provide every detail concerning how we got from so and so to so and so. If there were no genealogies, there would be no way to identify if Jesus really came from David, Israel, or Abraham. Because of which, we see further proof for the accuracy of the Bible because of the accuracy of Prophecy.

More genealogies and I have nothing left to say. One thing I did notice was how the name Ulam is brought out. He is noted to be mighty, and an archer. His great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was an archer also. His name was Jonathan. I find it so interesting how skills are passed from generation to generation. For some of you, music has always been in the family. For others, it is military or cooking or the medical field. How interesting that despite years and years, Ulam carried on a trate from a man he never met. This really is a good reminder to all of us. What type of an example are we giving one another?

1 Chronicles 7

I am really getting tired of these genealogies and I feel fooled by Tommy for getting this week in devotions.

Lets discuss Ephraim.

It appears that God has a special relationship with the tribe of Ephraim. Once Israel (Northern Kingdom) and Judah (Southern Kingdom) split up, often times the Northern Kingdom would be recognized as Ephraim. Why is this? Read the text from Genesis 48 with me:

Gen 48:13-20 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. (14) Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. (15) And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, (16) The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." (17) Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. (18) And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." (19) But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." (20) So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!' " And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph. Yet Ephraim was set before Manasseh. Was this because Jacob just wanted to do with them what happened to him? No. Jacob is no longer the deceiver but now referred to as Israel. He knew by divine inspiration that Ephraim would be great. This is the son that would carry on Joseph's line in a great way and turn into many nations.

Now turn with me to Hosea 11. Read the entire chapter (It is only 12 verses long). This is the love story between God and Ephraim. When Ephraim falls into sin, and for that matter the rest of the Northern Kingdom, God discusses His possible options. One of the options was to obliterate them altogether, but God says, "How can I give you up Ephraim."

The application is simple: God will not give us up. Ephraim was expendable in many ways. No prophecies were made through their tribe. The Messiah was to come through Judah. Ephraim was just one of the tribes. I sometimes think, I am just one of the guys. God could easily make another Hector should He choose. If I were to die today, His work would continue just the same. Yet for some reason, when I mess up God seems to always go after me as if I matter in the grand scheme of things. God's love for Ephraim reminds me of His love for me.

I know that really was not on 1 Chronicles 7 but please forgive me, I can only take so many of these names. Should anybody else want to post some thought on this chapter or Ephraim please expand upon this.

1 Chronicles 6

1Ch 6:54-55 Now these are their dwelling places throughout their settlements in their territory, for they were given by lot to the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites: (55) They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, with its surrounding common-lands.

Levis are the priestly tribe. From Levi we have the line of Aaron. Thanks to genealogies like those we have seen throughout the week, now we have details on how the families were preserved. The Levites did not have their own land but instead were to be given various little pieces from the other tribes. The Levites job was to make atonement for Israel. The rest of Israel made up the line of kings, the soldiers, the marketplace, and everything else one can imagine.

Why don’t the Levites get their own land? I believe this is a picture for us. We too are priests under the Great High Priest, Jesus. Our goal is to provide atonement for the rest of the world by pointing them to Jesus (We cannot provide atonement in any way in and of ourselves). Therefore God has taken His church and spread it across the globe, that we might reach out to every corner of it.

Imagine if the church all met in one place. All the Christians had one state to themselves, let us say, Kansas. All the Christians would meet in Kansas, live and Kansas, and can only be found in Kansas. Would this be an effective ministry tool to the rest of the world? Or course not!

Notice also, the Levites only populated land given to them. God will provide the land and financial burdens for His ministry. The Levites never waged war to own a city for themselves. They simply went where they were told. Sometimes, I believe Christians tend to push themselves into places they were never meant to be. God has provided such and such a place, or a smaller building or a less fancy area, yet the church gets all to concerned with having the new place. They end up forfeiting their ministry. The Levites just took what was given.

Gang, go light the world.

1 Chronicles 5

1Ch 5:22 for many fell dead, because the war was God's. And they dwelt in their place until the captivity.

1Ch 5:25-26 And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. (26) So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day.

God is in control. This tends to be a fact we easily blurb out when things are going okay. It is easy to remind someone that God is in control when they are going through a hard time. However, this becomes an entirely new thing when we consider it in our own lives. When the hard times come, do I live as if God is in control?

In our first verse we read that the war was God’s. I cannot tell you how many battles and wars I have fought through over the years, without realizing this fact. The war is much more toilsome when I get in the way and try to make it about me. I end up getting hurt. I take the beating. Should I win the war, it never feels as good as I think. Of course, the scars from the battles last a life time. The take their effect in my life and to this day, pops up as reminder of previous battles.

I am sure some of you feel the same way. You have tried to take matters into your own hands and therefore it is you that gets hurt. Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord. Observe what happened to Manasseh when they fell away from the Lord. God allowed outside circumstances to have their way with this tribe. Manasseh might have cried out, “Why?” God allowed this to happen to cure Manasseh and create a people that would serve Him. Instead of taking the battles into your own hands today, check and ask the Lord what His plan is through these battles. Give the battle to Him and rest. God’s will will be done, so stop fighting against Him and join Him.

1 Chronicles 4

1Ch 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.

We are plunging ahead into 1 Chronicles. Like Tommy shared, these lessons may seem repetitive at times yet it is for our benefit. This chapter begins with genealogy. Genealogy is exremely useful for and critical to the Jews because they knew the Messiah would come out of David's line. This is why the Gospels record the genealogy of Jesus.

As we dig in, we notice that there are scattered insights into some of these random people. As our verse states above, we see this man Jabez praying to the Lord. Jabez prayed for an enlarged territory, for God's presence, and to stay away from evil. The reason these things came true were because Jabez' prayer fell in accoradance to the Lord's will.

Compare:

Our Father who art in heaven, blessed be Thou name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our tressapasses, as we also forgive those who tresspass against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Jabez' prayer included some of the principles Jesus gives us in the model prayer. Jabez, prayed only for what God had already promised Israel. In a sense he was just praying for his daily bread, what God had said he would give. Jabez prayed for nothing more than which was promised. Therefore, he prayed for God's will to be done. Finally, Jabez prayed for deliverance from evil that he would not hurt Israel as others had. Do not confuse the prayer of Jabez with the idea that you get what you pray for. Instead observe the model. Jabez prayed, that God might be glorified. Therefore God granted his requests.

1 Chronicles 3

Now these were the sons of David…

(1Ch 3:1)

David. One of the most UNIQUE men in Israel’s history, the ONLY PERSON we are ever told is a “MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART”. Our attention is turned toward David because he was INSTRUMENTAL in Israel’s development as a nation.

As we follow the stream of God’s work through history, we see that He worked through individuals. These names that come up here in 1^st Chronicles 3; they aren’t just random, they all have stories, and they all play a part, a role in the work of God throughout history. If we aren’t careful, these lists can become monotonous; the key is remembering the uniqueness of God’s plan and purpose for their lives.

Maybe you feel like just another name on a list. Not much to offer, you look at your life and feel “normal” or “average” at best. You think, “What good could I ever be to the Lord?” Of all the sons of Jesse, David was the LAST choice according to man. But the Lord doesn’t look at the outward appearance, He looks at the heart. David would have never guessed as a young boy what the Lord had planned for him. He was no Saul, no born warrior, he was a singer, a musician, a shepherd… and the Lord used him in a mighty way not because of his abilities, but because of his heart.

You may be average… but the Lord isn’t looking at the externals, He is looking at the heart. Who’s to say you won’t one day be a David? Really, we never know what God may have planned for 0ur lives… the question isn’t really “what does God want to do”, the question is, “how available am I to God”. We know He has plans. We know He wants to work… The question is will we let Him?

1 Chronicles 2

These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. The sons of Judah: Er and Onan, and Shelah, three born to him from the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, the first-born of Judah, was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and He killed him.

(1Ch 2:1-3)

The sons of ISRAEL. This is Israel the person, not the nation… it is the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s prophecy to make Abraham a nation. Do you remember this guy? Formerly JACOB, the dirty-rotten-sneaky-thief, the heal-catcher, the usurper… transformed by a touch from God into ISRAEL, the man who was governed by God. This man who’s life has been touched by God begins to bear some serious fruit in the form of 12 sons. These 12 sons will become the 12 tribes of Israel the nation.

As we see these 12 sons listed, our focus is turned to the lineage of one son in particular; Judah. Check out what we are told about Judah in Genesis, when Jacob prophesied about his future. "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.” (Genesis 49:8-12) A promise that from his seed, the king of the nation would rise… “The SCEPTER and the LAWGIVER”, these told us that his seed would provide leadership over the other 12 tribes… “until Shiloh comes”; this is a reference to the coming of Jesus, the messiah; ultimately the TRUE KING OF ISRAEL.

Lastly our attention is turned to the HOUSE OF JESSE. Tomorrow we will see the man David, the fulfillment of the prophecy. So already the focus is being turned to the WAY THAT GOD WAS WORKING. Look at the people he worked through… not perfect men, but men who had been touched by HIM. If you want to be a part of HIStory, if you want your life to be used by the Lord; then you need to be submitted to God. We don’t need perfection… we just need submission to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 1

Chronicles. As you begin reading you may catch yourself saying at different times, “didn’t we already read this”? The answer is, yes and no. You see, Chronicles is unique. It covers historical territory that has already been covered in the last 4 books we studied… 1^st Samuel – 2^nd Kings. The period, the events… we have already studied them. What changes is the FOCUS. Here in Chronicles we get a bit of a different perspective… an insight here and there, a new fact in this area, and undisclosed detail in that area… As a whole the book is much more focused on the TEMPLE, the priesthood, and the SPIRITUAL STATE of the people of God than the more political nature of the previous books.

In it we will find the nation and its relationship to the Lord, illustrated for us by the state of the TEMPLE and the PRIESTHOOD to be central to the content of the book. The purpose behind this is simple. The writer of the book was addressing people who had just returned after the CAPTIVITY. His goal was to remind them of their history, and demonstrate the importance of keeping GOD at the center. As we read and study this book, I hope and pray that our experience will be similar to those returning from captivity; that we would find in them great encouragement, and a strong exhortation to the importance of really keeping the Lord at the center.

In these opening chapters we have a rehearsal of familiar genealogies. You may think, “why this again?” The reason is simple. We need to remember where we came from, and what our roots are. As we hit these Genealogy chapters, we will focus in on people included in them who are of particular importance to us. God bless your study of this 2 part book of Chronicles!

2 Kings 25

And it happened in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came. He and all his army came against Jerusalem and pitched against it, and built a siege-mound all around it. And the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, on the ninth of the fourth month, when famine was severe in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was broken up, and by night all the men of war went by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden. And the Chaldeans were against the city all round. And the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chaldees pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. And all his army were scattered from him. And they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon, to Riblah. And they gave judgment on him. And they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with bronze chains and carried him to Babylon.

(2Ki 25:1-7)

When I read these words it fills my heart with INTENSE SORROW. Jerusalem! God’s City, created to be a light to the nations, destroyed. Why!? Did it have to go this way? Was their no alternative? Wasn’t there anything that could have happened to change things? Listen to what Paul said in Galatians 6:7… “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he also will reap.” The Israelites had sown to the flesh, disregarding God’s laws, ignoring his warnings, even KILLING HIS PROPHETS. They said they were fine, they had the law, they were circumcised, they had the temple… but oh how wrong they were… they had forsaken the Lord, and they had turned to idols that could NEVER satisfy… and now they were reaping this bitter harvest as a result.

As Christians, we know that we are saved by grace and not works. We did nothing to deserve it; we got salvation as a GIFT… handed to us by the LORD. All that we had to do was believe. However, we are in real danger of mistaking GRACE for LICENSE TO SIN; and we end up hiding behind grace so we can keep on living for the flesh. Don’t be deceived, you will reap what you sow!

God’s grace is a wonderful thing. It is ALL of the resources of God made available to us through the finished work of Christ on the Cross. By God’s grace we are saved, and by that same grace we are BECOMING MORE LIKE JESUS. It is given to us, all that we need to live Godly lives… but just like anything else, it is up to us wither we use it or not. The people of Judah still had all the same grace available under Zedekiah that had been their’s under Josiah. The problem now wasn’t with the supply, it was with the demand. They were neglecting it!

God’s grace will never run out, but we have to USE IT! If we neglect it, and keep sowing to the flesh, we will reap the consequences. The tragedy can be avoided; you don’t have to starve… YOU JUST NEED TO FEED ON THE LORD!

2 Kings 24

Right on the heals of the amazing victory and revival wrought under the leadership of Josiah, things take a radical turn for the worse. A new king, and it’s back to the same old idolatry, and the Lord is once more forgotten.

Hector has written several times about the High-places, and the danger posed by rebuilding them. We saw that they represent idolatry, things that can take the Lord’s place in our life… once those things are torn down, we should never seek to raise them back up... we need to let them lie. Paul calls this “reckoning the old man dead”. You see, the life we used to live, the things we used to do, they have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer us who live, but Christ who lives IN US.

The Old man is dead, and NEW LIFE is ours in Jesus Christ. The problem is, the old man doesn’t want to stay dead… he wants to be resurrected and brought back in to the middle of our life! The Bible’s way of dealing with this is “reckoning him dead”. This means that daily we remind ourselves that our old nature is dead; we remind ourselves that we now live by faith in Christ, and we no longer walk the way we used to. Whenever that dirty old man rears his ugly rotten head, we remind ourselves that he’s dead and we put him back in the grave.

The Israelites resurrected the dead man… they let his filth spread all over the camp, and they were judged because of it. What about you today? Are you dead to sin and alive to God? You say you love the Lord, but who are you really living for? Are you listening to God, feeding the Spirit, living for Jesus? Or, are you listening to the Old Man, feeding the flesh, and living for self? Maybe you have experienced great victory in recent days… the Lord is doing in amazing work in your heart, and you are so in love with him… to you I say, WATCH OUT FOR THE OLD MAN, and when he shows up, remind him that he’s dead, and he isn’t welcome here any more.

2 Kings 23

And the king sent. And they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of Jehovah. And all the men of Judah and all the people of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets, and all the people, from the small even to the great. And he read all the Words of the Book of the covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah in their ears. And the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the Words of this covenant which was written in this Book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

(2Ki 23:1-3)

Revival hits the land of Israel, and it is a revival indeed! Idols are rooted out, the temple is cleansed, hearts are turned, ALL THINGS ARE MADE NEW. How did it happen? What were the key ingredients? When we look here we see that the first and most important thing was the WORD OF GOD. Josiah, our young king, called for all the people to gather together, and the word of God was read to them. But it didn’t stop with just reading. Josiah himself stood up, and made a proclamation to the people… in essence he said; “I’m not just going to read this book, and say that it sounds good, and then go on living my life in the same way… No; I’m going to be a doer of God’s Word. I am going to follow the Lord… I am going to cherish and obey His COMMANDS, His TESTIMOINES, and His STATUTES, with all of my HEART and all of my SOUL. I am going to LIVE the Word of God.” When the people heard their king speak this way, proclaiming God as the LORD and KING of his life, they responded with a hearty desire to do the same… In one day the whole nation experienced an about face, a 180° turn.

You may not be a king, but I guarantee that you wield some sort of influence. You may not have a nation under your leadership, but you probably have younger brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors, classmates who are all looking for someone to take the lead; someone to demonstrate what it means to walk with God. What will you do? I challenge you to take God’s Word and give it a place of authority in your life. Let them know that you aren’t going to just read it like a divine story book with some good moral applications, but that you plan to LIVE IT. Don’t be afraid to tell people that the Bible is your source for direction and instruction; the place you turn to for the solution to even the most difficult problems. If you want to see revival in your life, in your friendships, in your family… then take God’s Word and LIVE IT.

2 Kings 22

And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought the king word again, and said, Your servants have gathered the silver that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workers, who have the oversight of the house of Jehovah. And Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a Book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

(2Ki 22:8-10)

The Word of God has been rediscovered! Can you imagine? The people had grown so cold toward the Lord that the Word of God was lost, buried with other junk in the temple. Look what happens though. They FIND IT, and they READ IT. Then, they bring it to the king and READ IT TO HIM.

The Word has the effect that it is supposed to. It immediately cuts the king to the heart, and he realizes just how sinful they have become. They have radically disregarded the laws of God, and the king repents, and tears his clothes.

The Bible tells us many things about itself. One of the things it says is that it is “Alive, and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword; able to divide between the joints and marrow, the soul and the spirit. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” It really is alive, and how it can reveal the sin in our lives, and the way we have inappropriately dealt with God.

Two things are revealed when we read the word of God: The truth about Him, and the truth about us. In our story today, Josiah had his first encounter with the power of God’s word to reveal truth; the truth about Judah.

Maybe you haven’t “lost” God’s word, but have just forgotten how powerful it is. I pray that today as you read it, it would reveal truth to you. Truth about WHO GOD IS and the truth about HOW MUCH YOU NEED HIM.

2 Kings 21

“For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a wooden image, as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.” (2 Kings 21:3).

After years of kings failing to do so Hezekiah destroyed the high places. Just like that, Manasseh brought them back. We discussed what these high places represent in our lives. Once these high places have been knocked down, they can be brought back.

Do not return to the place where the Lord delivered you from. In Jeremiah the Lord commands Israel, “Do not return to Egypt.” Egypt is always a picture of the world. It has been present from the time of Abraham until today. We can always walk away from the world but it will always be right there behind us. Do not return to Egypt. Do not build the high places again. If ever you are tempted to do so, pray and confess your troubles to a brother or sister. It will be so much easier than falling back into that sin and having to break that habit again.

2 Kings 20

2Ki 20:1-3 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.' " (2) Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, (3) "Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

In our Jr. High class we have been talking about God’s intended ending for our lives. God, the Great Director, has laid out each one of lives with a unique and purposeful ending. We as humans simply do not like the idea of our lives coming to an end especially if one does not know the Lord. James tells us, “You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord…” God had an intended end to Hezekiah’s life, yet, because of Hezekiah’s failure to recognize this, his life was extended by the power of God and we find a very sad ending to Hezekiah’s life.

Hezekiah is healed and he has nothing to worry about because of the promises of the Lord. Hezekiah foolishly shows off his kingdom to a representative from Assyria. This rep would later tell Babylon of the great riches of Israel. This would lead to Israel’s downfall. This is just the first calamity that could have been avoided.

If you were to read the next chapter, we find a twelve year-old by the name of Manasseh becoming king. He was the son of Hezekiah, and he lived a very wicked life. The first few verses tells us all about him. Now think, if he is twelve and he is the son of Hezekiah, than had Hezekiah died this guy would of never been born. That is the second problem that could have been avoided.

2 Chronicles gives us a little more background concerning these last days of Hezekiah. 32:24-26 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death, and he prayed to the LORD; and He spoke to him and gave him a sign. (25) But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. (26) Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

Gang, remember the Lord knows what He is doing. Secondly, remember that when we mess things up, God has already established another plan to restore us. Romans 8:28 is so encouraging yet it comes with one catch, we must be in love with Jesus!

2 Kings 19

"Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying Jerusalem shall not be given over to Assyria. Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to the lands by utterly destroying them; and you shall be delivered?" (2 Kings 19:11-12)

Hezekiah makes the stand against Assyria. He then realizes that this stand might cost him his own life and the freedom of Israel forever. He immediately calls for the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah gives Hezekiah the promise straight from the Lord that Assyria will be defeated. Hezekiah now has the promise of the Lord, yet others continued to try to persuade Hezekiah otherwise, as we see in our verses.

Ever feel like Hezekiah? Ever feel like you have been given the promises of the Lord yet the whole world is telling you otherwise? You find yourself torn between yourself. You have the portion of you that knows that what the Lord says will be true and you have that other portion that simply cannot perceive how He will possibly make the promise come true at all. I pray that when we are like this, that we would all take the course of Habakkuk:

"I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected." (Habakkuk 2:1).

When you feel like you do not have enough faith to hold on to the promises of God, just wait and see. Allow God to do the work and do not try to help Him. Like Habakkuk, just anticipate being corrected. what a wonderful, humbling experience it is to be corrected of the Lord.

2 Kings 18

2Ki 18:5-7 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. (6) For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. (7) The LORD was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

Whew! The last couple chapters have been depressing. Remember when we were studying through Joshua and Israel was rocking face. No longer, but at least we get a breath of fresh air with these next couple chapters. Hezekiah becomes king of Judah and is one of few righteouss kings they have. He is only concerned with one thing, doing the will of the Lord. Immediately he comes in and changes things in Israel. He tears down all the high places. This would have been quite a task considering how steeped in idolatry Israel was. Secondly, He killed any form of idolatry, including the bronze serpant Moses had made. What was meant for good back in the day, had been turned into another false god.

The next of Hezekiah was to against the enemies of Israel. He immediately takes down the Philistines. He also decides to rebel against Assyria. This was a very brave move. Assyria was the world dominant empire at the time. Hezekiah did not care. He trusted God to deliver them.

By the end of the chapter we have a very angryAssyrian army ready to take down Israel. Hezekiah had foolishly taken the things of the temple and attempted to buy out Israel's freedom but of course this did not work. Hezekiah was not going to make the same mistake again. This time he tells Israel to stand up against Assyria and not to answer to their lies.

The story of Hezekiah reminds me that, though it might take sacrifice, anyone can stand up for the Lord. It does not matter whether the entire school is against you, your entire nation, or the entire world dominant empire. Hezekiah first and formost, followed the commands of the Lord himself. After he had established in his heart that God was the Lord, he attacked any idolatry. Finally, he attacked that which held him in bondage. In our Christian lives we are called to take action and tear down idols and attack that which holds us bondage. Remember to always do it in the Lord's strength, for our own strength will only fail us.

2 Kings 17

2Ki 17:16-17 So they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. (17) And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

It starts with taking your eyes off God. The children of Israel had been given the very commandments of the Lord. Yet, because of their desire to be like the other nations, they demanded their own king. This leads us to today, where we find king after king leading Israel down the path of destruction. What had started as a simple desire to be like the other nations and have a king, had turned into complete rebellion against the Lord.

The above verses are startling. The fact that men and women would be driven to a point that they would volutarily send their children through the fire (living offering) is just sickening. We are also told that they practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, or better noted, demonic activity. It says that they had become sold to evil. Remember that this all took place because they took their eyes off Jesus.

A teacher I was listening to challenged the congregation by saying, "What would the entire world be like if Jesus never came?" There were numerous different thoughts. Everything would be effected. Slavery would be rampant, women would not have any rights, war would be eminent, and even the way we measure time would change. Now I was forced to think, what would my life be like if Jesus had never come? Oh the sin I am capable of. It is humbling to know that apart from Christ, I am just as stooped in sin as the children of Israel, yet with Christ, I am very much saved. I am free from sin.

Live for Jesus. Keep both eyes on Him. He is the reason you are taking time out of your day to read this. He is the reason you are helping others. He is the reason we are capable of any sort of good. To fall away from Him is to become so calloused, you find yourself like Israel.

2 Kings 16

2Ki 16:11 Then Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus.

Ahaz was a wicked king. He took from the Lord and gave to the world that he might have peace. We see here that he took great liberty with the holy things of the temple. God had set up the temple giving special instructions to Solomon. Now it was being changed by a king that he might waste the riches of worship in exchange for the riches of pleasure. He commands for an altar of idolatry to take place the altar of true sacrifice.

Nobody likes to sacrifice. Nobody likes to give up something of their own. We are left with two options. We can continue to die to self and therefore continue to sacrifice our hearts to the Lord. We could also exchange our place of sacrifice with idolatry.

How often do we see this happen? Somebody becomes tired of sacrifice, or becomes tired of having a Lord over them, so they set up their own god. This god is not threatening at all to their sinful life and not judgmental, because this god is not alive! Life comes through sacrifice. Do not exchange your altar for anything. God has given you a heart of gold, a wonderful altar. Do not let this world take away your heart of gold.

2 Kings 15

2Ki 15:34-35 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. (35) However the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD.

We see this statement appear twice in this chapter, “However the high places were not removed.” The high places were the places of worship for false gods. This is a very miserable time for Israel. As we read through the chapter we find every king enslaved in evil. There are two exceptions. The first king mentioned, Azariah, did what was right in the sight of the Lord. The last king mentioned, Jotham, also did what was well pleasing in the sight of the Lord. The one problem was that they left the high places open for business.

Gang, we cannot have any high places in our lives. We need to lose control of our lives, and allow Jesus to control it. Satan will find the weakness in our lives, and exploit it. He will attack it in hopes that you would place something in a higher place in your heart than Jesus. Satan is a terrorist who will not play fair. But Jesus is God. He is our Strong Tower, where the righteous run into, and are safe.

How do we get rid of the high places in our hearts? How do we overcome these habitual sins, these great desires, this greed, and this bondage? You have to repent. Repenting is the act of making a 180 degree turn and not looking back. The 180 degree turn is usually the easy part. The problem is we are very capable of making another 180 degree turn and being right back where we were. Therefore, to refrain from doing this, we are to repent with confession to another brother. Confess your faults to a brother or sister who can hold you accountable. That way, when you go to turn back to the sin, they are there to point you to Jesus. Burn the high places. Live completely for Christ because his desire for is peace, and not evil (Jeremiah 29:11).

2 Kings 14

Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us face one another in battle." And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife'; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?" But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent.

(2Ki 14:8-12)

Yesterday we talked about the importance of FINISHING the work God has called you to do. Today we focus on NOT STARTING things that God HASN’T called you to do. Here Amaziah gets himself and all of Judah in a real mess. The sad part is it was a completely avoidable mess. He just decides that it would be good and fun to do battle with Israel, and so he threatens them. Israel says, “You’re barking up the wrong tree pal, don’t start something you can’t finish”. Amaziah responds by saying, “I will start this”, and the next thing you know he and all of Judah have been defeated.

Yesterday we noted that the Lord always gives us the strength we need to finish the tasks He has called us to do. Today we see that He doesn’t give us the strength we need to finish the task WE have decided to do on our own. We can’t just go for something, say it seems good, and expect the Lord to bless it. We need to seek HIM and find out what HE wants us to do.

We have no record at all in these circumstances of Amaziah seeking the Lord, and that is precisely why he was defeated; it was a battle he was never intended to fight! What about you? Are you involved in tasks you can’t finish; fighting battles you weren’t meant to fight? TURN TO THE LORD. Cast those cares on Him, and find out where He wants you to go and what He wants you to do from this point forward. Don’t decide what you are going to do and then ask the Lord to bless it… seek HIS will and ask Him for the strength you need to KEEP it!

2 Kings 13

And he said, "Open the east window"; 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 you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them." Then he said, "Take the arrows"; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground"; so he struck three times, and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times."

(2Ki 13:17-19)

Persistence. Stick-to-it-ive-ness. FAITHFULNESS. These are attributes that the scriptures tell us should mark the lives of all true believers. The king of Israel is obeying the commands of Elisha, but he only goes part way. “Hit the ground with those arrows” he says, “hit the ground just like you will strike Syria until they are DESTROYED”. The king hits the ground once, twice, three times… but then he stops. Elisha gets angry and says to him, “why did you stop?! You should have hit the ground twice as many times!”

This is what I sometimes do with the Lord. He asks me to do something, and I do it. But rather than continuing to do it until He says stop; I just grow tired and give up. I think this is a problem that many of us struggle with… we start well, but we don’t FINISH WELL. We give 25%, 50%, 75% of the way into the task, instead of seeing it through to the end. Jesus never gave up. He never gave in. He finished the job.

What about you? Will you give up? Will you give in? Will you only see the job through to the 80% mark, and then throw in the towel? The Lord has given us all we need to start well, live well, and finish well. We just need to stay in a place of dependence on him. We can learn from the king of Israel… Don’t stop doing what God has told you to do until He says stop!

BAPTISM

Don't forget, we have a baptism on Sunday! If any of you want to be baptized, then call Tommy at the church this week!

2 Kings 12

Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

(2Ki 12:2)

This verse, at first glance may sound really good. I know to me at first glance it is refreshing, even encouraging. FINALLY we read that a king did what was right! But wait… it doesn’t end there, he did what was right for a TIME. We read that Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord ALL THE DAYS THAT JEHOIADA INSTRUCTED HIM. Let that sink in… it goes from being sweet, to being sad!

Here was Jehoash, and we see that his FAITHFULNESS to the LORD was directly connected to a RELATIONSHIP with a MAN. I think that many of us can get ourselves in this situation and not even realize it. Jehoash wasn’t really relying upon the Lord… instead He was depending on Jehoiada. His “relationship” with God didn’t really exist… it was really just an extension of his relationship with Jehoiada, the spiritual leader in his life.

I had a group of friends towards the end of high school that all appeared to be walking with the Lord. We would gather weekly to study the Bible together, and then would go to the mall to share our faith. It was so cool, and we all seemed to be doing what the book of acts talks about, going from house to house… all with the purpose of encouraging one another in the Lord. Then I left for college, and SEVERAL of these guys just went right back to their old ways… doing things that were NOT glorifying to God. It was like they didn’t even care. At first I felt like it was my fault… I left and they fell away! The Lord showed me something though. Those guys were depending on our GROUP and not the Lord. They didn’t really have their own relationship with Jesus; it was just an extension of their relationship with those of us who WERE walking with Jesus. When we left, their relationship to Jesus ended because it was not really PERSONAL.

What about you? Is your relationship with the Lord personal? Or is just an extension? It could be an extension of your PARENTS relationship, or my relationship, or Hector’s, or Mike’s, or any other leader… It could be an extension of a relationship with a Godly friend, or an older brother or sister. I only have one thing to say… MAKE IT PERSONAL. If you don’t want to be like Jehoash, a person who walked with God only while a Godly leader held his hand; then get to know Jesus. The best thing I can do for any of you is introduce you to Jesus. I don’t want to walk and talk for you… you have to do it yourself. Don’t be a Jehoash… be a Godly young man or woman who really KNOWS their Lord… and not just by extension!

2 Kings 11

Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they should be the LORD's people, and also between the king and the people. And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.

(2Ki 11:17-18)

It only takes one… Just one. One person to take a stand, one person to call evil what it is, one person to remind the others of what the Lord desires and requires. In our story today Jehoiada the priest is that person. The whole nation makes an about face because this guy was willing to take a stand for righteousness. He drives out the evil, he makes right the national “wrongs”… and then he does something super important.

Jehoiada directs the people back to a proper relationship with the Lord. He re-establishes God’s order, and restores things to their proper place. We have mentioned often the fact that we are called a “kingdom of priests” in the New Testament, and I think that definitely applies to what we read today. It is our responsibility as believer’s to take a stand; to call good things good and evil things evil. We are to remind one another of what the Lord desires and requires.

How often are you willing to be the ONE? When was the last time you took a stand in a group of friends, classmates, or even among family and said, “This isn’t right”? It can be difficult to do, but it is what the Lord wants us to do. Jehoiada did it, and it turned the nation around… It could very well transform your friendships, your classroom, even your family! Take a stand… you won’t regret it!

2 Kings 10

Then he said, "Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD." So they had him ride in his chariot.

(2Ki 10:16)

However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.

(2Ki 10:29)

But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.

(2Ki 10:31)

Jehu was SO ZEALOUS. His zeal for the Lord burned red-hot, and got the job done. Ahab dead? Check. Ahab’s family? Check. Baal worshippers eradicated? Check. He was doing the job the Lord had set before him, and he was doing it with ZEAL. The word ZEAL here describes an INTENSE PASSION, one that is far greater than wrath or anger… It is all consuming emotion, and it can be either good or bad. We see this in Jehu’s life. With this zeal, he accomplishes great things… but he also does some things out of zeal that are not consistent with God’s character… the height of the deception when he kills the prophets of Baal, he actually MAKES A SACRIFCE to Baal to really sell his point. This is not something God commanded! It seems that Jehu didn’t really care too much about God’s commands. It wasn’t about what God wanted for Jehu and from Jehu; it was all about what JEHU wanted to do FOR GOD.

This is a problem. We can do, and do, and do for God… but if it isn’t in line with His will and His ways, then it’s just a bunch of DOO-DOO. In Titus we are told that we are to be a people who are ZEALOUS for good works; but if that Zeal isn’t tempered and brought under control by submission to God’s will and word, then it is inappropriate. Zeal must be properly directed to be truly pleasing to God. We see that for all of his zeal, Jehu never really walked according to God’s ways… sadly, it was all about Jehu.

What about you? Are you zealous, or are you lazy when it comes to your faith? Jehu is a great model of zeal. If you are zealous, my next question is this; what are you doing with that zeal? Is it just going all over the place, or is it directed by the WILL and WORD of God? God wants us to be zealous, but He wants that zeal to be harnessed… He wants to be able to direct that zeal and use it for His glory. The question is simple, are you letting Him direct it?

2 Kings 9

Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?" So he answered, "What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?"

(2Ki 9:22)

Peace… we spend a lot of time talking about it in the world today, but I think that many of us have no understanding at all of what it is. Three times we see the question asked of Jehu, “is it peace?” The Idea is, “what brings you here, is it peace you bring, or is it the sword?” The definition of peace is a freedom from disturbance, a state of tranquility. In essence Jehu is being asked, “are you here to rock the boat?”

Jehu’s response this third time is awesome… he points out what is really rocking the boat. The peace they were experiencing was a FALSE PEACE; they may have been getting along with each other, but their relationship with God was on ROCKY GROUND. Jezebel had brought wicked idolatry as had never been seen before into the land of Israel. This meant that there was NO PEACE with God, and to Jehu that meant there could be no peace at all.

So where are you at today? Are you looking for false peace in your life, dreaming of happy trails and smooth sailing; while your life is not at peace with God? The only way to be at peace with God is to have a life that conforms to God’s will. He never changes, He never falters. It isn’t God who is AGAINST us, but it is us who pit ourselves against him. We can cry out for peace till we are blue in the face, but it will never be a real peace if it doesn’t grow out of a right relationship with God. Jehu wasn’t afraid to rock the boat… it needed to be rocked!

2 Kings 8

2Ki 8:10 And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover.' However the LORD has shown me that he will really die."

Read the above story. Was Elisha lying? Was he telling Hazael to tell Ben-Hadad that he would live through the disease though he would actually die? (Post thoughts below).

Elisha was not lying. Elisha saw that this man would indeed return to full health! The only problem is, the man he was talking to, Hazael, would murder him! Elisha could not stare at this evil man without bursting into tears. He saw a man who would one day persecute Israel. He saw a ruthless enemy of God. He saw the devastation that would occur, and Elisha realized that there was nothing for him to do about it.

Sometimes we are called to take action. Other times, we are simply called to be messengers. Sometimes, we saw the disciples heal, and sometimes we saw them preach. Whatever the case, there is one thing we cannot do and that is change the heart of a man. Man has a free will. They can choose to follow God or to disobey. It is hard to see someone close fall away from Jesus. It is difficult to know what is going to happen to them, yet, all you can do is stare. Elisha just stared at Hazael and Hazael just stared back, until his countenance changed. Elisha then began to weep.

Gang, have you ever just stared at someone you loved who is going down the wrong direction. You just want to grab them and shake them. You know that they are just a few steps away from total disaster; yet, all you can do is tell them. If they choose to ignore you, they choose to ignore you. Some of you are closer involved in these types of situations than others. Remember to pray. Remember to fix your eyes on Jesus. The only way you truly share something moving with these people is by living 100% for Christ and sharing His love. The only way you can do that is by looking at Him all the time.

2 Kings 7

Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die." And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. For the LORD had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!" Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.

(2Ki 7:3-8)

Today we have another great illustration of faith in action. Our story starts with FOUR LEPERS. In the bible, leprousy is often a picture of sin. If you will, these 4 lepers give us a picture of ourselves, sinners in desperate need of a savior. Inside the city, there is a famine. People are dying, there is no food available! The reason for the famine is that they are currently under siege by the armies of Syria. Nothing comes in, and nothing goes out. If they stay in the gate they will die. If they go into the city, they will die. They decide that they have nothing to lose really, they are gonna die anyway, so they take their chances with the armies of Syria.

They take a step of faith, and head out of the gates towards the camp of the Syrians… they don’t know what will happen, will they be killed, forced into slavery, or will the Syrians have mercy on them? When they get to the camp, they are met with a surprise. All of the Syrians are gone, but all of their gear is left. Food, tents, Gold, silver, horses and mules! There it was just waiting for them, and there was a whole city on the other side of the wall starving to death.

This is our story. Salvation is ours, but it takes a step of faith. Like the lepers, we have found God’s gift of salvation, we have been rewarded greatly for our faith. What will we do? Will we hoard the treasure that God gave us for free? Or will we share it with thoe who are still starving, dying in their sins? My father-in-law has a saying that reminds me of this story. He says, “I’m just one beggar telling another where to find a piece of bread”. We were dying in sin, and we found a cure in Jesus. Will we share that cure with the rest of the world? Read the rest of the story and see for yourself what these beggars did; then think how you ought to treat the lost around YOU.

2 Kings 6

And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

(2Ki 6:15-17)

This story is a remarkable picture of the way that faith works, allowing us to see into the realm of the unseen, and the realm of things hoped for. By faith, we can see with an ETERNAL perspective.

Now, our story begins with the king of Syria deciding to wage war against Israel. He doesn’t declare war though; instead he decides to go with the element of surprise. There is one problem though; each time he tries to attack, the Israelites already know before he gets there! He is confused and frustrated, and begins to put together the arrangements for a giant mole hunt… he is convinced there is a traitor in their midst, and he is going to deal with him. The truth comes out though; it is no traitor but this man Elisha. The Lord tells Elisha what is happening before it ever happens!

The king quickly finds out where Elisha is… He is in Dothan. During the night they surround Dothan and prepare to destroy Elisha. Elisha’s servant awakes to find the city surrounded by a massive army and he panics! What are they going to do? Elisha tells him, “Don’t be afraid, there are more with us than with them”. The servant is thinking, “are you on crazy pills!?” He didn’t see many, al he saw was 2! Elisha prays that the Lord would open up his eyes, and what he sees is MINDBLOWING. The servant gets a peak into the spiritual realm, and the armies of heaven are present! Flaming chariots with angelic riders FILL the mountains surrounding them. The Lord was on there side.

Cool story, but what does it mean for us? Will we ever see chariots of fire? Will we ever need to? The application is simple but profound. A very real spiritual realm exists, and a very real spiritual battle rages. We may only ever see the physical manifestations of the trials and tribulations we face, but don’t be deceived… the real battle we are in is not of flesh and blood. By faith we know that the Lord is fighting for us, by faith we can “see” into the realm of the Spirit. It is so easy to forget that there is more to this life than what we see; but today’s story is a great reminder that what you see isn’t always what you get.

2 Kings 5

2Ki 5:11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.'

People are drawn to a show. People are drawn to televangelists and magic acts and anything that appears supernatural. People have not changed.

In this chapter we read of Naaman. Naaman has leprosy. He is the commander of an army in Syria. He had all the power, glory, and fame, but was cursed with this disease. Naturally, he has been looking everywhere he can to be rid of it. He finally hears of Elisha the prophet. He seeks Elisha, and after sometime finally finds him. Approaching Elisha’s house, he is met by a mere messenger and given instruction to dip in the Jordan seven times. This is all he needed to do to be healed.

Naaman almost missed out on his chance to be healed because he was too prideful. He was looking for Elisha to burst open his door, look upon Naaman, wave his hand, and make all well. Instead he is told to go down to the grimy Jordan river to be healed. Naaman refuses at first. He finds the whole trip a complete waste.

With a little encouragement from his servant he reluctantly goes down to the Jordan to dip. Or course, he comes up whole. Isn’t it sad that we live in a world where people are cursed with the disease of sin and pride? All people need to do to made whole is to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is not difficult! You can do it anywhere, at anytime. Yet, because people seek a sign, they allow eternal salvation to slip by.

Gang, do not give up witnessing. Pray that people would repent, and not be full of pride. Pray that they would dip in the Jordan seven times before they let healing pass by. What a sad testimony Naaman would have had if he just walked away from Elisha and never received his healing. Finally, even as a Christian, have a repentant heart that the Lord may make you more like Him.

2 Kings 4

2Ki 4:27 Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, "Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me."

This is truly an amazing chapter. Elisha is going from place to place performing miracles from the Lord. He has befriended this Shunammite woman because she always invited him in to eat. He asks his servant what one thing they could give to her and the servant responds to Elisha saying, “Actually, she has no son…” Elisha then promises a child and in one year the woman has the child. Later, the child grows sick. The woman then goes to Elisha. We receive this interesting verse upon the arrival of the Shunammite woman.

Elisa says that the Lord had “hidden it” from him. Why would the Lord hide something from us? Why would he hide something from a man who does nothing but perform God’s miracles? Have you ever felt like the Lord would not reveal something to you? Well, if we read the rest of the story we find out that the Lord ends up doing a work.

The lack of knowledge causes Elisha to have to communicate with his friend, who is a bit emotional at the moment, “So she said, "Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?" Sometimes the Lord hides something from us that we might bear a brother or a sister’s burden. Knowledge of the situation would have caused Elisha to immediately take action. Lack of knowledge caused Elisha to be a comforter, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So he arose and followed her.”

When the Lord hides something from us it causes us to rely more on Him. Elisha first sent his servant and continued on not far behind. He was learning from the situation what was happening. When he finally reaches the house, he walks into the room and lies on the boy and prays over him. Elisha would then pace around the room, no doubt he was deep in prayer. Perhaps this was God’s way of saying, “Elisha, in your business we have not spent much personal time together.” I know sometimes the Lord allows something out of the blue to happen in my life. It is then that I get down on my knees and have a sincere time of talking with Jesus.

Finally, when the Lord hides something from us it shows our inability to do anything apart from Him. It gives all the glory to God!

The boy was healed. Elisha had been used of the Lord. Glory went to God.

2 Kings 3

2Ki 3:15 But now bring me a musician." Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.

Moab has turned against Israel and is slowly entering into their land. Before they could attack Israel they would have to go through Judah. Before they could attack Judah they would have to go through Edom. Naturally, these three make a pact and head up to defeat the foe. They decide to take the “roundabout” way. All of a sudden they find themselves, their huge armies, and their animal stuck in the middle of the desert. It is then that the king of Judah speaks up and says, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him.” Fortunately Elisha was in town.

They approach Elisha and he immediately tests the king of Israel, checking the motive of the king’s heart. After this, he acknowledges the king of Judah with respect and says he will inquire of the Lord. The above verse says he called for a musician. This musician no doubt came by to play some sort of worship song. Elisha needed his spirit calmed and focused in order to hear from the Lord. What better way to do that than to listen to some music about the Lord!

Music is an interesting thing. Huge crowds come out to listen to music. In church we use music as part of our service. It can be used to stir up emotion. It can be used to represent what you stand for. It can be used to persuade huge stadiums to stand, sit, shout, yell or whatever other thing you can ponder up. Most importantly, it can used to worship Jesus. I believe this is why music is one of those very few things we have here on earth which we will have in heaven. It is also a good gauge to check where I am at.

What am I listening to? Why am I listening to it? Am I looking for an emotional experience? Am I looking for just a good time? I try to make sure that I listen to some sort of praise to Jesus every single day. I find that my heart becomes calmed and focused, just like Elisha, when I listen to worship music. It then points me toward the things of the Lord, and the things of the Holy Spirit, helping me hear His voice better. Gang, try making sure you are listening to songs of worship and praise every single day. When anguished or stressed out, put on a song about the Lord. Often times I find myself humming these tunes instead of being stressed out. Also, I can testify that most of the verses I memorized growing up were because the verses were put to song. In fact, verses I memorize still I put to song to help me remember them. So go listen to a worship song and may the Lord bless you and keep you.