[2 Kings 3] The defeat of Moab

This passage has a lot to teach us about alliances between believers and non-believers, among other things. First a bit of background. This story took place during the time of the Bible known as the “divided kingdom”. This period, which was started in 1 Kings 12, saw the northern kingdom of Israel (consisting of 10 of the original 12 tribes of Israel) operating as an entirely separate entity from the southern kingdom of Judah (which consisted of the other 2 tribes – namely Judah itself and also the tribe of Benjamin which was allied with Judah), originally due to some tax dispute. Much of 2 Kings revolves around the individual kings of these two kingdoms, and how they acted. Generally, Israel will be the one which rebels against God, and Judah will be the one that is more obedient to God. This situation prevailed until both kingdoms were destroyed at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians respectively.

Usually these two kingdoms are at odds with each other. But a temporary alliance was formed between them in 2 Chronicles 20 (for those new to biblical study, the books of Chronicles contain events that happened at the same time as the earlier books), due to the agreement between King Ahaziah of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah. God was not pleased with this agreement, probably due to the fact that the holy kingdom of Judah was dedicating resources to help achieve the evil ends of the kingdom of Israel. This alliance had formally ended when King Ahaziah of Israel died, but this story features his brother, Joram, as the next king of Israel, in tandem with the same King Jehoshaphat of Judah.

Personally I find it difficult to read blog posts with lots of unfamiliar proper names in, so let’s go over it one more time:
* King Joram, king of Israel (the “Northern Kingdom”)
* King Jehoshaphat, king of Judah (the “Southern Kingdom”)
* King Ahaziah, brother of Joram, former king of Israel, now deceased, had alliance with King Jehoshaphat

Now, like I said, God had really not been happy with this earlier alliance between Ahaziah and Jehoshaphat. So much so, that he had destroyed the ships that they had invested so much time (and presumably money) into building (2 Chronicles 20:37). Jehoshaphat had every reason to not want to have any further dealings with Israel. But his kind-hearted spirit is not weakened – he is not bitter towards Israel or their new ruler. Perhaps King Jehoshaphat saw the destruction of those ships as a sign that no matter what help he provided, if the ends were evil then God would always have the final say in the matter. So Jehoshaphat shows his amazing kindness once again. He doesn’t just give Joram a couple of battalions and send him on his way, he actually commits to be “as one” with him (v.7) and actually go into the battle himself!!

Notice how much weight Elisha puts by the fact that King Jehoshaphat is present (v.14). God has no reason to help unbelievers unless there is a chance they will see a revelation of him through the experience. But he has every reason to help those who are living for his purposes. He rewards kindness and shows Joram a revelation of his power.

Not only that, but he shows Joram a revelation of his peace and guidance. Notice the vastly different ways which Joram and Jehoshaphat handle the food and water crisis. Joram (v.10) is raving, desperate, almost hysterical. Not the attitude you expect from a King. But this is likely inspired by his sudden fear of God. He imagines God has brought him out there to kill him. He believes in God, and knows he’s not doing right by him. Because he didn’t submit his life to God, he’s not in touch with the peace and guidance God wants to provide him. But Jehoshaphat immediately looks to God for a solution. He does this through the prophets of God, as was the custom in that day. But for us today, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us (John 16:7,13). Jehoshaphat’s faith helps him in not just a spiritual and emotional way, but a very practical way. He sees a solution where there previously was none. He’s not swayed or discouraged by the ramblings of Joram, but instead portrays to him a different way to approach this situation (and lifestyle as a whole).

This kindness is totally different from that shown before. Previously, Jehoshaphat helped the nation of Israel just by providing financial and material support for the shipbuilding. But now, he is having an opportunity to help in a very spiritual and God-glorifying way. God can’t win any sort of victory with a ship built for sinful trade, especially when it would be operated by a sinful king of Israel. But God can win a great victory over Moab, an evil king, and demonstrate his character.

Once Elisha has decided to help them, he makes quite a strange request — to ask for a harpist. This is not the first time that music has inspired the Holy Spirit to come on someone, and not even the first time a harp has been used (1 Samuel 10:5-10, 16:23). We see that in that time, even in the presence of a great man of God like Elisha, some extra help is needed in order to receive the Holy Spirit. But now that we are living under Jesus, we know that the only requirement for us to receive the Spirit is for us to believe the message of Jesus (Galatians 3:2). Praise God for this!!

Finally, we see the sheer power of God in completing this situation. Not only did he give the armies food and water, but he used that same miracle to give victory over the Moabites. In this way we can see that he makes all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). It’s not just individual miracles, disconnected from each other, but he makes everything work together in a perfect way to achieve his master plan.

Practical points:
* If you try to help someone who’s not a believer, and your endeavor goes horribly wrong — don’t take it as a sign that God doesn’t want you to reach this person or that they are not worth saving. Perhaps God didn’t want you to help them in that specific way. Always be on the lookout for ways you can help them and show them the kindness which comes from your faith through something which does glorify God.
* When offering kindness, take an “all or nothing” approach. Don’t be half-hearted. If you’ve decided to help this person, throw yourself in, give it your all, and stay in the situation with them. The more involved you are, the more God can use you to minister to this person in ways you might not have even thought of yet. Know that merely through the example you set, they will see a different approach to situations and problems – and this doesn’t need for you to have a specific strategy – God will make the strategy.
* Know that God makes all things work together for our good, in ways which we can’t always immediately see, but that in future when we look back on our lives we will see everything fitted together into a perfect master plan. Seek to have that kind of faith – we can see clearly in this passage how it can give peace as well as practical guidance. Try to make it your default reaction to turn to God about things when times are tough and then trust that he is in control. This will carry you through those tough times when they come.

[2 Kings 2:6b-17] Elijah is succeeded by Elisha

I got so much from this passage. Firstly, I was initially very surprised that Elijah’s time on Earth ended so soon! This is Elijah we are talking about – one of the most revered figures in the whole Old Testament. And one of only two people given the honour of appearing at Jesus’s transfiguration – the other being Moses. Moses has four entire books devoted to his life and ministry…while Elijah appeared out of nowhere in 1 Kings 17 and was completely gone by 2 Kings 2!

Of course, this lack of exposure is slightly deceptive. A period of 3 years elapses between 1 Kings 17 and 1 Kings 18. And Elijah would still have been alive during this time — with people knowing he was a true man of God. But still, the number of single miracles which God did through Elijah was quite low — compared to Elisha for example.

There are a few points to be made here. First, it’s clear that the sheer magnitude of the main miracle done through Elijah was massive, in order to ensure such an honoured place for him in Jewish and Christian mindsets. When you really think about it, a period of three years without a single drop of rain is devastating for a country. I’m reminded of the flood in Noah’s time when he sent so much rain as to cover the whole earth. He gives rain and he takes it away — same as with anything else. Another thing to note, Elijah is often remembered for the things he did wrong, not the things he did right. In 1 Kings 19:3 we see fear take hold of Elijah. For the rest of the chapter we see how the way he deals with things markedly changes as a result of that fear. Because of that, his ministry could no longer be effective and he was not long for this world. Nevertheless, perhaps one of the most important things about Elijah was not in his life but in his death — or rather, lack of. He was a rare example of a man who didn’t die but was just taken into heaven. Similarly, the most important day of our life is of course the last day.

This leads to what I think is the most important point; Elijah made sure that his work on Earth continued through Elisha. This was the most profound thing that stood out to me in this passage. Firstly (this and a couple of the other points taken from MHC), Elijah’s last miracle (v.8) was also Elisha’s first miracle (v.14). This provides a literal continuation in the ministry, with no gap, learning curve, change of pace or disconnect. Secondly, Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. He doesn’t just want to continue Elijah’s work, he also wants to be more effective than him. This gathering momentum is how movements start in God’s kingdom.

Notice how Elijah reacts when he is about to be taken into heaven. Most people seeking peace as they are nearing the end of their life look towards heavenly things and forget all the things going on around them in the real world. Those things don’t seem important as they are leaving them soon. The same goes with any other transition. But Elijah is different. He turns his focus (v.9) to how he can help Elisha. In this way, he makes sure that God’s work in the world can continue after he is gone.

Moving away from the topic of continuation, another thing to notice is that the actual miracle of parting the waters (mentioned above) is a parallel of the miracle of parting the Red Sea (see Exodus 14:21). That miracle was designed to lead God’s people into the Promised Land. Elijah had to go into his personal Promised Land here. But Elisha couldn’t stay in that Promised Land; he had still more work to do on the other side. He returned to his “Egypt” full of the purpose of God and ready to see a change happen back there, rather than settling in the providence reserved for someone else.

What was Elisha’s reaction after Elijah was taken from him? His first reaction was to cry out to God (v.14) He must have been very upset at having a friend taken from him, but rather than wallowing in his own emotions, he called on the name of the Lord. The guidance to us here is fairly obvious.

Finally, I want to pick up on the search for Elijah, as recorded in vv.16-17. There was a right time for Elijah to return to Earth – during the transfiguration (see e.g. Luke 9:30). But that time had not yet come. Elisha knew this and he knew it was fruitless to search for Elijah. God’s timing is perfect. If Elijah had been found then, it would have lessened the effectiveness of Elisha’s ministry, who was continuing Elijah’s work with a clean sheet.

Practical points:
* Even if you think you have messed up a lot in your life, God still has a chance to use you until the day you die and perhaps even afterwards. He works in ways that are beyond human imagination.
* It’s not just about your life and work but also about how you can pass that on to others in a way that is seamless and allows God’s work to continue and grow. This is not just about leaders – in fact Elijah was probably not seen as a leader in his time of kings. Each of us should think, every time God uses us – what are we doing to ensure others can carry on this mission, which is not ours but God’s, and is not temporary or even lifelong but eternal. Your successors will build on what you have done and this will see God’s kingdom grow and grow.
* God has different plans for different people. If someone close to you is in a place of prosperity and providence, don’t get so caught up in that that you miss the direction God wants for you. It may be that they move on but you are meant to stay where you are. And that’s not a punishment but just a sign that God can use you more effectively in that place.
* When God takes something away from you, your first reaction should be to look to him and to be vulnerable to him. He has taken it away for a reason and as you rely on him he will start to work in your life in ways that wouldn’t have been possible before. And in time, you will come to realise why this happened.
* God has a season for everything. And not everything is right for every season. If you are seeking something and not connecting with it anymore, maybe it isn’t right for that season. In that moment think about Elisha and how much more effective he was without Elijah, his close friend and mentor. And if that thing ever does come back, don’t expect it to be in the same form or serving even remotely the same purpose as before. You are moving on to bigger and better things and God will reveal those things to you at the right time.

[2 Kings 1] Elijah’s fire from heaven

In this chapter I think the most important thing for me is the parallels between the behaviour of Elijah here and the behaviour of Jesus as recorded in the gospels. The first and perhaps most obvious parallel is with Luke 9:51-56. In that passage, Jesus’s followers ask Jesus if he can send fire from heaven to burn up the people who were being rude to Jesus, just as Elijah had done. But Jesus tells them off for even suggesting such a thing. The key point here is that Elijah’s purpose was to show the justice and wrath of God, while Jesus’s purpose was to show the grace and peace of God. In Jesus’s circumstances, the people still deserved to die because of their sin against him, not just as God but even just as a man. But Jesus shows grace by not punishing people with what they deserve, but giving them a second chance. So this story, when viewed in the reflection of Jesus, is a picture of the grace of God.

The second parallel which was apparent to me (although not quite as obvious) was with Luke 22:47-53 – the arrest of Jesus. The reason I say that is that neither Elijah nor Jesus would allow themselves to be taken by force. When armies came with many weapons to arrest Elijah, he kept defeating those armies until the strategy changed and the king sent some people to take him away peacefully. When soldiers came to arrest Jesus, he merely surrendered to them but made it abundantly clear that he was not going with them because of force. In both circumstances, this is a picture of how God will ensure that his hand is never forced by anything. He is always in total control of any situation. If he wants to send people into harm’s way, it will be by his own decision and free choice, not because he has been forced into it by circumstances.

There is also a marked difference in the way which Elijah and Jesus ensured this, which links back with my first point. Elijah had a role to show the people that God would use his awesome power to resist any opposition. This was shown in the form of violence as this is a language that the people of that time clearly understood. But Jesus showed it using the power of love which is much stronger than any military force.

Practical points:
* Whenever you feel that something you do against God is not really that serious, remember the fire that would have been sent from heaven against you if you had not had the covering of grace, and thank God for giving you a second chance rather than punishing you or allowing others to.
* Whenever you feel God is losing control of a situation due to complicated or tricky circumstances, remember that he is always in total control and won’t allow anything to derail his plans — and remember that even things that look bad may actually be part of God’s good plan to save as many as possible from suffering and death.

Welcome!!

Here I will post my quick and unfiltered thoughts about my regular devotional bible study. The title of this blog comes from 2 Timothy 3:17.