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2 Kings 13 Bible Study (Jehoahaz & Jehoash Israel Reigns/Death of Elisha) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Let's come together now to Second Kings chapter 13.
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I wonder if you notice that we have not seen or heard from the
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prophet Elisha in quite some time.
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The most recent mention of him occurs in Second Kings Chapter
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9, verse one, when this prophet sent a son of the prophet, one
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of his students, to Ramoth Gilead to anoint the next king
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of Israel. And his name was Jehu.
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We haven't seen or heard from him since, but tonight it's
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going to be different. The man of God will reappear in
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this grand narrative of the kings.
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But I will tell you from now, this will be Elisha's final
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appearance in our study of Second Kings.
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You see, we're not going to encounter Elisha ministering in
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cities, serving the sons of the prophets, or confronting any
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kings or armies in this chapter. What you will find is Elisha in
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a room, in a bed, dying of an illness.
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That's right. This text in the Old Testament
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will define for us Elisha's earthly departure.
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We have now come to the end of this man's incredible life, and
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instead of swiftly informing us of his exit, the Spirit of God
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provides rich detail about the final moments of his life.
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And I'm eager to explore these truths with you.
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But we have to touch on the verses that set the stage for
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this incredible scene. We can't rush to it.
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And so we're going to begin in verse one, read down to verse
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three. We're going to take our time,
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but I will tell you that we're going to spend the most time by
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Elijah's bedside and seeing what happens there and who's in that
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room and what he has to say, and what even happens a little bit
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after he dies. And so I know our sister just
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prayed, but if we can pray one more time before we even begin
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to read and ask the Lord to help us as we sang over and over.
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O Lord, we pray that you take our hearts and that you seal
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them in your courts for your courts above.
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And Lord, we ask that through this Bible study you would equip
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us with everything that is good, that we may do your will that
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which is pleasing in your sight through Jesus Christ, for whom
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belong glory forever and ever. Amen.
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Second Kings 13 verse one In the 23rd year of Joash, the son of
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Isaiah, king of Judah, Jeho Ahaz, the son of Jehu began to
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reign over Israel and Samaria, and he reigned 17 years.
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He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed
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the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, which he made Israel to
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sin. He did not depart from them, and
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the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he
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gave them continually into the hand of Hazel, king of Syria,
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and into the hand of Ben Haddad, the son of Hazel.
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This seems like a very common introduction to a new biography
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in the Book of Second Kings, but what you have here actually are
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the beginnings of. God's promise being fulfilled,
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the promises that he made, particularly to King Jehu.
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Remember, we studied Jehu for a few weeks and because Jehu was
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faithful to the Lord in exterminating the House of Ahab
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and Baal ISM from the land of Israel, his main reward was
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this, that his descendants would occupy the throne of Israel
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until the 4th generation. And the start of that oath, that
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pledge being realized, is found here in the opening verses of
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chapter 13, because Jehu's son Joaz succeeds him and he now
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secures the throne. But instead of acknowledging the
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Lord's faithfulness, instead of walking in humility, we find the
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son of Jehu committing himself to idolatry.
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He doesn't recognize that it was the favor of God that positioned
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them here. He doesn't think about God's
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faithfulness to his father. He is completely self absorbed.
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And he's completely consumed with idolatry and rebellion.
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And this man's devotion to the worship of golden calves was met
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with the Syrians harassing him as an expression of God's
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discipline. We've seen this pattern before,
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haven't we? And what happens next is what is
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unusual for one who is a king in the Northern Kingdom.
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Look at verse 4. Then Joe has sought the favor of
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the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the
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oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them.
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He doesn't. Seek the favor of the golden
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calves. Maybe He did, but as we would
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expect, they failed him. Whatever the background is, he
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makes this decision to seriously seek the favor of the Lord.
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This is uncommon, this is strange, this is unexpected.
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But can I tell you what's more shocking to me?
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Not that this wicked king seeks God's favor, but that the rest
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of us tells us that God hears and listens to him.
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That's what moves me more than anything.
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Because you see, Joaz is not a struggling Sinner.
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No, he was a bonafide idol worship.
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He was somebody who was consumed with this.
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It was his identity, it was his drive, it was his purpose.
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Look at the language. He did not depart from
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worshipping the idols that Jeroboam set up.
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He clung to them. He was serious about this.
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And yet the moment that he stopped and turned his face to
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the true and living God, God responds to him.
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And now there are a few things to learn about prayer in these
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verses and about how God's response to prayer should
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encourage us as well. So pay attention to this.
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Number one, what we learned from this is that regardless of one's
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vile history with sin, if a person truly, humbly implores
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God, he will be heard. He will be received.
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And that's something for you and I to consider for ourselves,
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because many people are entrenched in sin the same way
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Joe has was. But no matter how deep the
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entrenchment of the ingrained patterns of sin you may be in,
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you can escape it. You can escape it with sincere
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repentance and even with a single call to God.
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So God does not hang your sin over your head and put you in
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some kind of penalty box before he's willing to hear you when
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you cry out to Him. Which brings us to a second
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thought, that such possibility in prayer only exists because of
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this. God is abundantly kind.
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He is abundantly kind. Look back at verse 4.
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Notice that it says here that the Lord listened to him for he
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saw For he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria
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oppressed him. We're given another reason later
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in this chapter why God was so favorite, favorably treating the
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Israelites and I want you to see it because it's going to provide
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a full picture. Look at verse 22 of this
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chapter. We're fast forwarding a bit, but
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we need to in order to consider a dimension to this incident.
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Second Kings 1322. Now Hazael, king of Syria,
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oppressed Israel all the days of.
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Joaz But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on
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them, and He turned toward them because of His covenant with
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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has
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He cast them from His presence until now.
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From this perspective, you and I are forced to acknowledge that
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the reason why God was so compassionate towards this
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generation was because of a covenant, because of a promise
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that God made to the patriarchs to preserve this nation.
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It was an unconditional promise. But when you come back to verse
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four, we have another dimension to this, that God not only was
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willing to respond to this king and this Kingdom, though they
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were rebellious because of a covenant, but also because of
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his kindness. Because what does it say in
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verse four that he saw the oppression of Israel?
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He saw the pain, He saw the frustration, He saw their
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destitution. So it's more than just him doing
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this out of obligation. It's more than just him being
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committed to his name and his faithfulness.
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It's because he actually has a heart for those who are in sin.
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He actually is broken hearted for those who are caught in the
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web of immorality, debauchery, abuse, transgression.
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Call it what you want actually. Moves his heart to see somebody
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as a slave to unrighteousness. And so when a Sinner cries out,
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God is willing to because he actually loves the Sinner.
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See, if you just had 22 and 23, you would see and you would
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probably say to yourself, Oh yeah, because God wants to show
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that he is a promise keeping God.
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And that is still wonderful. There's nothing, nothing not
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amazing about that. But to see this personal element
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only provides a greater picture of his character.
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So he's. Moved by this and he's willing
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to intervene even though that this pain was caused by their
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own rebellion, he wants to rescue them.
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Lastly, prayer in crisis. If we're going to learn a few
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things from verse 4, here's a final thought.
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Prayer in crisis does not promise permanent change.
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Does Geo has call out to the Lord?
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Yes. Does the Lord respond to His
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humility? Absolutely.
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Does it change this man for the rest of his life?
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Look at verse 5. Therefore, the Lord gave Israel
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a Savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians,
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and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly.
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Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the
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House of Jeroboam, which He made Israel to sin, but walked in
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them, and the Ashra also remained in Samaria.
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We're not granted the identity of the deliverer that God raised
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up, but that seems to be less of a concern when we read the fact
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that even though God brought salvation, the people returned
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to their vomit. This is language.
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Of a savior, deliverer, the people being restored.
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Really. The whole.
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Scene up to this point, does it remind?
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You of any book that we have studied in the past that has a
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very similar rhythm concerning the people's spirituality.
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Any any idea the book of what such with the letter J judges.
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I believe that the Holy Spirit is being precise here and
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depicting something that we've seen over and over in the days
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when Israel was ruled by judges. It's this circuit that we have
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studied before. Live in sin, worship false gods
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oppressed by a foreign neighbor, cry out to God.
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Repeat. And it's a reminder, this verse
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that the unsteady spiritual pattern that was common in the
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days of judges that we find here in the days of second kings is
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nothing new for many profession Christians today.
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Listen, you have many churchgoers, many pseudo
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spiritual Christians who are content living in that kind of
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cycle of anemic spirituality. I've seen it.
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What does it look like? Live in sin.
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Get in trouble, come to church. Set up a couple counseling
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sessions with the pastor. Feel emboldened because you have
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tasted some kind of relief, so now this person's posting more
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verses on their Instagram. Go back to your sin.
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Repeat. Many people live like that, and
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I believe that the physical description of what we read in
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verse 7 here mirrors the condition of the souls of those
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who are content to live in that circuit of compromise.
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Look at verse 7. For there was not left to Jo as
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an army of more than 50 horsemen and 10 Chariots and 10,000
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footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them
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like the dust at. Threshing What is sad
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description for a nation's army? Can you imagine?
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For an entire country, you have what?
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10,000 foot men, no more than 50 horsemen.
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So this analysis is meant to depict this vulnerable state,
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this embarrassing condition. And I make the case here that
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the vulnerability of the nation, the weakness, the leanness of
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what you find here is a reflection of what happens to
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the spirituality in the condition of the inner man for
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those who choose to live and relate to God in the same way
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this king does. Let me put it this way.
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Please hear me. I say this in great love, you
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will never ever, ever tap into true power, true purpose, true
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pleasure in your soul if you relate to God like a 911 call.
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If the only kind of interaction you have with God is in
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emergencies void of any personal relationship, don't expect to
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know true life, true joy, true strength.
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You'll never know it. Only when you know how to abide
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will the life source of heaven flow into your being.
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But to choose only to call upon Him to save you from something,
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and you premeditatively know that you're not going to commit
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to the cause of Christ and the gospel of Christ.
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Don't expect a robust true life. You'll be limping spiritually.
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You'll remain a spiritual skeleton.
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And I don't want that for you. God doesn't want that for you.
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I was reading this morning, I was sitting before the Lord with
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First John before me, and I was reminded of a promise, an
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indirect promise that is available to all of us.
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Turn to the New Testament. Look at First John chapter 2.
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There's this interesting series of statements that John makes to
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young children, fathers, and young men.
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He's speaking about spiritual children's, spiritual fathers,
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spiritual young men. I want you to see what he says
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about the spiritual young men in verse 14 of First John 2.
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John says in first John 214 I write to you, fathers, because
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you know him who is from the beginning.
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I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the
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word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil. 1
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What sandwiching this truth of the word of God abides in you
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the strength of these young men and the ability for them to
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overcome the evil one. Now this is not limited to young
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men. This is available to all of us.
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But notice here he describes him as strong, and he praises their
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ability to wage good warfare against Satan himself.
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On what basis? The word of God abiding in them.
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You want to be strong you. Need to know how to abide?
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You will never be able to know true victory over sin.
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You'll never be able to overcome the lies and the arrows and the
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threats of the evil one. Never, unless you know how to
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abide. If you just dial God once in a
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while and think that's what it means to walk with Him, you're
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fooling yourself. You're deceiving yourself.
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How many examples can we go to look at this abiding meaning?
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It lives in you, the Word of God, because it lives in you.
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It surges strength in your being and you're able to face Satan
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himself and overcome. That's only available for those
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who know how to abide. So we come back to our text and
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we learned that Joaz dies unfaithful, verse 8.
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Now the rest of the acts of Joaz and all that he did and his
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might, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of
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the Kings of Israel? So Jehoias slept with his
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father's, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash, his son,
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reigned in his place. This man dies unfaithful.
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But the Lord's faithfulness to Jehu continues.
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How do we know that? Because he told Jehu.
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Your sons will rule and reign until the 4th generation.
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And so now we have Joash, who represents the next one in line.
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And when you just. Glance at verse 10 down to verse
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13. That's all we're given
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concerning Joash's biography. It's a very brief obituary, so
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let's read it. And tell me if it sounds
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familiar. In the 37th year of Joash, king
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of Judah, Joash, the son of Joaz, began to reign over Israel
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and Samaria, and he reigned 16 years.
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He also did what was evil in the side of the Lord.
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He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of the
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bat, which made Israel to sin, but he walked in them.
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Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and
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the might with which he fought against Amaziah, king of Judah,
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are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings
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of Israel? So Joash slept with his
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father's, and Jeroboam sat on his throne, and Joash was buried
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in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
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Typical. Typical.
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Snapshot of a king. Who clung to the sins of
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Jeroboam? Maybe accomplish a military feat
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or two. And it seems like the historian
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is not very interested in elaborating on Joash's reign,
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except for one thing. Yes, we're told that he died.
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But for the rest of this chapter, he wants to bring us by
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the spirit to a particular incident, something monumental
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that took place under Joash's reign.
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And it is this, the death of Elijah the prophet.
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Elisha died under this administration, and more than
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that, this very king is actually going to interact with Elisha in
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his dying moment. And that's where the Holy Spirit
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wants to emphasize. That's where we're going to
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spend our time exploring the rich truths for our own walk
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with Christ. So let's look at verse 14.
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This is where we're going to be spending most of our time.
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Now the stage has been set. Let's read verse 14.
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Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was
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to die, Joash, king of Israel, went down to him and wept before
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him, crying, My father, my father, the Chariots of Israel
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and its horsemen. There are a handful of
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observations we can make from this one verse and I'm actually
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curious to know, and you're free to answer this, just don't make
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your answer too long, but just bullet point answers.
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What about this verse offer something interesting in terms
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of just maybe details or something that you've seen
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before? What stands out to you from
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verse 14? Let's make this a little bit
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more interactive. Any idea?
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Just raise your hand. Yes, it was.
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This was also said for Elijah. Isn't that interesting that what
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the king says about Elijah, Elijah said about Elijah, his
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mentor. Remember this?
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Yes, I was going to say that Elijah was called from the
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chariot to heaven, but Elijah died even though Elijah asked
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for a double. Portion very, very good
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observation my brother. There's a stark contrast between
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Elijah's exit and Elijah's exit. So our brother mentioned here
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how Elijah was taken up into heaven without dying.
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You know, we find. Elijah, who had a double portion
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of what Elijah had. And he died a very ordinary,
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predictable death. Very good.
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Anything else worth mentioning before we unravel this together?
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Those are the two major ones, so let's touch on them.
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The immediate thing that stands out is how Elijah, the miracle
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worker, the vessel that God used to heal polluted water and
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disease men, is now himself dying of a sickness.
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That's remarkable to me. Because I think that it is a
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severe blow to one of the lies of the prosperity gospel, the
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prosperity gospel that tells you that you can do what if you have
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the faith. Claim perpetual perfect health.
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OK, so here's my question. Here's my question.
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Is Elijah outside of the will of God at this point?
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Is Elijah operating in unbelief? No, no, no, no.
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In fact, what you have Elijah doing here?
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Serving God in his dying moments, operating as a
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messenger of God even here and now.
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So the claim that this man is sick because he did not have the
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faith is way off, dangerously off now.
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If anything, this is a reminder to us that we're all destined to
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die. And the way that God will
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transition his children from this world into the next varies.
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Was Elijah any less loved by God than how God treated Elijah?
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Absolutely not. Was he less faithful than
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Elijah? If anything, you can say that
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Elijah was more consistent with his trust in God than Elijah
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was. We didn't study any crisis of
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faith with Elijah, did we? Elijah doesn't veer off into the
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wilderness and asked to die. No, he was pretty stable from
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the beginning. And yet Elijah was taken up in
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glorious fashion, and yet this man falls to sickness, and he's
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going to give his final breath in this way.
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So this is something that we have to consider for ourselves.
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God doesn't give us an answer for why this is the case, but in
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His infinite wisdom He determines the timing and the
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manner by which you and I graduate into glory.
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Here's the second thing that stands out to me is the response
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of Josh, the king of Israel. Here you have the ruler of a
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nation who is willing to leave his palace and visit this man.
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And not just pay respect, but to weep over him.
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Now here's what's so startling. We just read between verse 10
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and 13 that this Josh was evil. He falls in the ways of
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Jeroboam. So how do you make sense of
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this? How do you have a man who
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betrayed the true God show such reverence and admiration for a
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man of God? Some accused of insincerity,
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some claim that this is just a concern that's rooted in
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political fear. What's going to happen with our
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Kingdom now that this man of God who has done so much for this
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nation is leaving us? But I think that would be
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unfair. I believe that these tears are
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actually an indication of some commendable comprehension on
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Josh's part. You see he.
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Was an idolater, but I also believe that he recognized the
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impact that Elisha had on the Kingdom and the influence that
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he had for the nation, and he admired it.
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And it's hard to debate that when you consider what he says
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about Elisha. What does he say?
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My father, My father meaning what I I truly recognize you as
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the spiritual guide of this nation.
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Even though he didn't personally abide by the word of the Lord,
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he could not deny that Elisha had an incredible role to play
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in the stability of this people. Whatever was left of this
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ability, of this people. Then he goes on to say, what?
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The Chariots of Israel and its horsemen?
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We've studied this before. What is he saying?
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By declaring this, you're the true source of this nation's
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security and strength. Not our javelins, not our
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horses, not our not our Chariots, nothing.
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Not our arrows, not our swords. Your walk with God is the real
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reason why we know the security that we have enjoyed, the true
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power, the true reason why we were able to accomplish what we
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were able to accomplish. This is something so
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fascinating. As our sister said, this is what
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Elijah said about Elijah. And here's the most mind blowing
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part. The same man who expressed these
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things is called evil in verse 11.
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He's called evil. When I put those truths
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together, this is what it taught me and I hope it teaches you the
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same, that it's possible for someone to say the right things.
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It's possible for someone to even.
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Honor the right people. It's possible for someone to
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acknowledge the benefits that God's truth can bring to
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society, to a family, to a culture, to the law of the land,
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and even praise the efforts of servants of God and still not be
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saved. You've probably seen some
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funerals of great ministers in our own nation where their
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funeral is broadcasted and you have politicians attend who
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showed their respect and even maybe paid tribute with
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beautiful eulogies. Do you think those politicians
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are safe because of that? There's no indication whatsoever
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that somebody's right with God, and that's something that you
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and I have to consider for our own lives because maybe this is
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hard to grasp. So let's confirm it in another
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way. Do you remember who Balak, king
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of Moab, hired to curse the nation of Israel when they came
28:15
out of Egypt into the promised Land?
28:16
Balaam. And so Balaam, this false
28:20
prophet, attempts to curse Israel without their knowledge.
28:27
And as he attempts to do this with one Oracle after the next,
28:30
the Lord intervenes and turns those curses into blessings.
28:34
And I want you to see what Balaam confesses with his first
28:38
Oracle, with whatever revelation that God had given him.
28:41
He made this incredible. Expression and confession about
28:45
the righteous go to Numbers 23, verse 10.
28:54
Balaam says something in verse 10 of Numbers 23.
28:59
Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the 4th part of
29:02
Israel? Let me die the death of the
29:06
upright, and let my end be like his.
29:12
Here you have a wicked man who is under some kind of a trance.
29:17
He's experiencing some kind of a vision, and in this experience
29:20
he learns about the end of the righteous.
29:23
He learns how the righteous die and what happens after they die.
29:28
So what does he say? Personally?
29:29
He goes, oh, let me die that kind of a death.
29:34
Let me end this way. Let me transition from this life
29:37
to the next. In that manner Balaam desired to
29:42
die the death of the righteous. But he did not want to live the
29:45
life of the righteous. How did Balaam die under God's
29:50
judgement? Because he loved money more than
29:53
anything else. Money was his God.
29:57
And yet still you see that this wicked man, this false prophet,
30:02
this example that the New Testament uses more than once to
30:05
say this is an evil, an attitude, this is an evil
30:08
outlook in life. This is an evil set of
30:10
convictions. There are people like Balaam in
30:12
the church today that harass the church and deceive the church.
30:16
That kind of a person can still have a smidgen of holy ambition
30:19
and affection and still not be regenerate.
30:24
Let me die the death of the righteous.
30:27
He didn't die the death of the righteous because he didn't want
30:30
to live the life of the righteous.
30:32
And so just because you have somebody who expresses or in a
30:35
moment or maybe in spontaneity says something right, expresses
30:40
something right, maybe even for a moment, conforms to something
30:43
right, does not necessarily indicate that they are
30:46
transformed. And that's what we see here with
30:49
this king. So he weeps over him.
30:53
And there is obviously a mixture of grief here.
30:55
I think part of the concern that he has was he really believed
30:58
that Elisha kept the nation together.
31:00
Now he's about to slip away into eternity.
31:04
And so as king, he goes, what's going to become of my Kingdom?
31:09
Elisha knows this. More importantly, God knows
31:12
this. So he actually extends comfort
31:17
to this troubled ruler. This is fascinating.
31:21
Come back to the main text, if you will, and look here at verse
31:24
15. And Elisha said to him, take a
31:29
bow and arrows. So he took a bow and arrows.
31:34
Then he said to the king of Israel, draw the bow, and he
31:37
drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the
31:40
King's hands. Pause.
31:43
Elisha has provided these instructions to the king because
31:46
he's preparing him to receive a prophetic word by symbolic
31:51
gesture to comfort him and to teach him and to remind him that
31:58
even though he's going to die, God is still available.
32:04
God can still be sought. God is still willing to come
32:06
through. And before we get into the
32:09
precise details of the prophecy, you know what I find here?
32:13
I see a man who is being eaten up with disease, giving whatever
32:18
strength he has left. To fulfill his duty as a
32:21
messenger of God. Look at the language here again.
32:24
It says here that he laid his hands on the King's hand.
32:27
So he just mustered up the strength.
32:29
And I wonder if he was laying down.
32:31
I don't know how he was positioned, but at some point he
32:33
gets up, he speaks with authority and he even places his
32:37
shaky hands on the hands of the king.
32:39
While he's holding that bow and arrow.
32:44
And I am moved because from the beginning, when Elijah
32:49
surprisingly threw that mantle on him, to the final days of his
32:54
life, you have a man who gave everything to serve the Lord.
33:00
Isn't this a moving thing? It should be moving to you
33:04
because it's possible for you and I to have that same
33:10
trajectory. I told you I was reading First
33:13
John today, but earlier this week I was looking over the the
33:16
words of First Peter and I want to show you something that
33:20
blessed me. It turned into a prayer and I
33:24
hope it becomes your prayer. Leaving this place in First
33:26
Peter Chapter 4, a very practical passage.
33:29
But notice this detail that confirms and adds to what we're
33:34
saying here about Elijah. First, Peter 410 Peter says as
33:40
each has received the gift, use it to serve one another as good
33:44
stewards of God's varied grace. Whoever speaks as one who speaks
33:47
oracles of God, whoever serves as one who serves by the
33:50
strength that God supplies in order that in everything God may
33:55
be glorified through Jesus Christ.
33:57
To him belong glory and dominion, forever and ever.
33:59
Amen. Two thoughts come to me from
34:01
this passage. The first one is this, that the
34:04
strength that you know. The capacity that you have with
34:09
your mobility, with your agility that has been supplied by God
34:16
every single day, whether you're aware of it or not, for the
34:19
purpose of you serving him. The breath in your lungs, the
34:24
ability to move, to type, to walk, to carry, to be here after
34:32
a long week of work. Every ounce of that energy is
34:38
aimed to serve God. That's glorious.
34:41
That's why you live. But beyond that, if this
34:47
strength does come from God, then it invites me to seek Him
34:52
for more of it so that I can live for His glory.
34:57
And so I read this the other day, and these verses became the
35:00
prayer of that day. Lord, give me more strength.
35:05
I don't want there to be any physical, emotional, mental, any
35:09
kind of obstacle that would limit me from doing what you've
35:12
gifted me to do. I want to do it forever.
35:16
I want to do it for the rest of my life.
35:19
This is what are you speaking about here.
35:21
There is a strength that God supplies and never take any, any
35:27
strength that you know for granted.
35:30
I've said this before, allow me to say it again.
35:32
The very fact that you were able to tie your shoes this morning
35:35
or this evening was permitted by God.
35:39
You couldn't do that without God saying you can do.
35:41
That oh, I don't know about that.
35:44
You have a limited view of God's sovereignty.
35:47
You do praise team your ability to sing.
35:51
You don't take that for granted because that can be taken from
35:56
you overnight. Any preacher in this place, you
35:59
can become mute in a moment. So with all the strength that
36:04
God has given you for any kind of ministry in between the
36:07
examples I gave all don't take it for granted.
36:10
And don't you ever, ever, ever feel intimidated to come before
36:14
him, Say, Lord, give me more of the strength, secure the
36:17
strength, multiply the strength. I find this man who is riddled
36:22
with disease, yet with a little strength he had, he says I'm
36:25
going to serve him. The final sight that we have of
36:28
this man is he's prophesying. That's what he is.
36:30
He's a prophet. I want to end that way.
36:36
And maybe you're thinking someone inspired by Elijah's
36:40
example, but also disappointed because if you're honest with
36:43
your track record and the devotion to the Lord of the past
36:48
and maybe even today, it's not consistent, far from consistent.
36:53
You hear about Elijah from beginning to end, and he was.
36:56
He was a straight arrow, no pun intended.
37:00
But here you are, and you can barely keep yourself together
37:02
for a week. Maybe there's even wasted long
37:07
stretches of time where you gave the peak of your existence for
37:13
selfish ambition and purpose. If that's you, if you're feeling
37:19
this way, if any of us are feeling that way, there is hope
37:22
for us. I think of Jacob.
37:26
Jacob was a scoundrel. Jacob was a trickster.
37:30
Jacob was a deceiver. And much of a story in Genesis.
37:33
He's just messing up with people and he receives the fruit of
37:37
what he sold. He reaped the consequences of
37:40
his deceiving ways, but is that how he ended?
37:45
Manipulating and twisting arms and playing these games?
37:51
That's not how Jacob ended. If you go to Hebrews, we're told
37:57
in one verse what this man looked like on his dying day.
38:01
I want you to see it. Go to Hebrews 11.
38:04
Meet me in verse 21. Hebrews 11/21.
38:14
I'll wait for you. I want to read it together.
38:20
By faith, Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of
38:26
Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
38:31
That's how Jacob ended. Jacob ended by doing two things.
38:37
Not deceiving people, blessing people, not running from God,
38:44
worshipping God. Why do I bring this to your
38:48
attention? Because the script of your life
38:50
can change if you're willing to believe it.
38:53
Make the decision today that with whatever strength you do
38:56
have left, whatever time you have left, that this will be
39:00
your goal, that you will leave this place being a blessing to
39:06
others and being a worshipper of God.
39:09
Let's come back to 2nd Kings 13. So he positions the King's
39:18
hands, but now he prophecies in verse 17 and he said open the
39:23
window eastward and he opened it.
39:26
Then Elijah said shoot and he shot and he said the Lord's
39:30
arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria.
39:34
For you shall fight the Syrians and AFAC until you have made an
39:38
end of them. Here's the essence of the
39:42
message. You, King Joash, will overcome
39:47
your enemies. Why would this be important for
39:51
him to hear? Because he's worried that when
39:53
Elijah dies, so will there hope. And he says no, your hope
39:58
doesn't die with me. I'm going to die.
40:03
God doesn't die. God doesn't sleep for that
40:06
matter. And so he identifies as arrow
40:09
symbolically as the Lord's arrow of victory.
40:11
That is where your source of strength comes from, King Joash,
40:15
not in me. And so he's essentially
40:18
redirecting. He's pointing him to the right
40:21
source, look to God. He's going to remain, he's going
40:26
to supervise, He's still available, he's still
40:28
accessible. So keep your eyes on him.
40:33
And so he promises this empowerment to defeat the
40:35
enemies of the people of God. But the degree of this victory
40:42
will be determined by the level of faith that King Josh will
40:44
have. The promise of power has been
40:47
made clear. God is here, and the fact that
40:51
he puts his hands on his hands is a symbolic way of saying the
40:55
Lord's hands are available. That is where you're going to
40:59
really find your ability to do this.
41:02
However, his faith is going to be tested right away.
41:07
Here's the promise for power. Now let's see what kind of faith
41:10
you have to access it. So what does he do?
41:14
Look at verse 18. And he said, take the arrows and
41:18
he took them. And he said to the king of
41:20
Israel, strike the ground with them.
41:24
And he struck three times and stopped.
41:28
Then the man of God was angry with him and said you should
41:31
have struck 5 or 6 times. Then you would have struck down
41:34
Syria until you have made an end of it.
41:37
But now you will strike down Syria only three times.
41:42
Some feel uncomfortable with Elisha's response, his rebuke
41:45
really, Because it seems that the king is doing the best he
41:50
can with the limited understanding he had.
41:53
But if you really take into account how the king was
41:58
prepared before he actually was asked to do this, then you
42:01
realize that this is actually a demonstration of weak faith on
42:03
his part. How do we know that?
42:06
Because back in verse 17, he was already told that this arrow
42:10
signifies the arrow of the Lord's victory.
42:14
And then he goes on to say take the arrows.
42:18
He didn't give him a number he's applying.
42:20
Take all of them and strike the ground with the arrows, but
42:27
instead of emptying the quiver. He just stops at 3 and this is
42:32
what makes the Prophet upset, and rightfully so.
42:38
The king should have gone all the way and understanding the
42:42
interpretation, it's been made plain to him.
42:45
He should have made the connection and he should have
42:47
continued with the picture and fulfilled a greater prophecy for
42:52
his life. But he doesn't.
42:54
Here's the case that I want to make, that the anger Elijah
42:57
feels can be Amen by the righteous in a nation that many
43:03
spiritual leaders feel when they make known to the people of God
43:07
the very promises of God, but the people do not fully take
43:12
advantage of them. There's maybe apathy on the
43:18
King's part, maybe a level of unbelief, maybe both.
43:24
But this kind of reluctancy and hesitation in seeing the Syrians
43:29
defeated, you can say, mirrors how many Christians.
43:35
Approach and confront sin in their lives because the Syrians
43:39
here are a picture of the powerful consequences of sin,
43:44
and now God is providing a way for him to be able to overcome
43:47
it. But what does he do?
43:50
He's content with partial victory, and I say that many
43:57
Christians are the same way with the flesh.
44:02
You and I have better promises than Joash.
44:05
We have the promise of the gospel.
44:09
We have the inheritance of the power of the Holy Spirit.
44:12
We have God's hand, so to speak, willing to extend and reach into
44:16
the deepest part of you, who you are, and to liberate you from
44:20
any shackle or bondage. That's a promise that we can be
44:25
free because we are no longer under the law, but under grace.
44:29
Romans 6 says And yet how many people strive for complete
44:35
victory in their sanctification? I'm not talking about being
44:37
sinlessly perfect, but I am talking about being able to say
44:41
and be able to experience and testify that I am free and that
44:44
when temptations visit to me, I can say with the strength of
44:47
God. No, like Josh, people settle for
44:56
partial victory and they lack the zeal in the faith to claim
45:01
total freedom. Many are like this, many are
45:06
living like this. And I can see where Elijah's
45:09
coming from. Maybe you've known that and
45:11
counseling a friend or looking at a sibling and you know what
45:15
the promise of God can do for for your struggle against sin.
45:20
And people seem to not take it seriously.
45:22
So they shoot 3 arrows. They take bits and pieces of
45:27
God's promises and not the whole thing, and it burns your heart
45:32
because you don't want to see them continue in that suffering,
45:35
but God doesn't. Force himself.
45:38
If you want to settle with three, you can take 3.
45:42
With the measure of faith that you use, you'll receive.
45:48
Do not doubt the promises of God.
45:51
Do not cut them in half. Do not dilute them.
45:54
Don't even dilute them with what you see around you.
45:56
Believe Him and take Him at His word completely.
46:01
Don't just shoot 3 arrows. Don't just take some here and
46:04
leave others. Don't say this applies to you
46:06
and this lead seems realistic and this doesn't.
46:11
God's promises are meant to be experienced by his children
46:16
completely. Don't settle for anything less.
46:19
Unfortunately this king does. Verse 20.
46:26
So Elisha died and they buried him.
46:32
No open heaven, no horses from the sky, no fire, no whirlwind.
46:43
Just the man in the ICU and the machine flat lines.
46:49
Elisha died and they buried him. Now you would expect that this
46:55
is it. This is the cessation of his
46:56
ministry. There's no more message, no more
46:59
miracles. Prepared to witness probably one
47:04
of the most fascinating supernatural occurrences in all
47:08
of the Bible. Aren't you glad you came to
47:10
tonight? You're about to see something
47:14
that you've never seen before and you won't see after.
47:19
Let's finish the verse. So Elisha died and they buried
47:21
him. Now bands of Moabites used to
47:25
invade the land in the spring of the year, and as a man was
47:30
being. Buried.
47:30
Behold, marauding band was seen, and the man was thrown into the
47:34
grave of Elisha. And as soon as the man touched
47:37
the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
47:45
We're familiar with accounts in the Bible of living men.
47:47
Raising the dead. I have never read of any miracle
47:52
where a dead man raises another dead man, But it's here.
47:58
And our immediate question should be why?
48:01
Why is the Lord allowing this? Obviously this is the Lord's
48:04
doing, but why here? Why now?
48:05
Why in this particular moment? And I think there is a
48:08
historical answer. And then once we establish that,
48:11
we can draw at least 2-3 strong spiritual lessons.
48:17
So here's the historical answer. Notice again in verse 20, after
48:21
Elijah dies, we're told about bands of Moabites who used to
48:27
invade the land at a certain time of the year.
48:30
So we open this up by reflecting on the last time we heard from
48:34
Elijah. But here's another question.
48:36
When is the last time that we heard about the Moabites?
48:40
You can answer a few if you feel like you know the answer.
48:43
In our study of Second Kings, when was the last time the
48:45
Moabites made an appearance in this narrative?
48:52
Here's the answer. Second Kings Chapter 3.
48:54
You don't have to turn there, but it's when.
48:57
Moab, who is under the the subjugation of the Israelites,
49:01
freed themselves, became independent, and so Israel,
49:06
Judah and Edom partnered together to fight against the
49:09
Moabites. And it was Elijah's prophetic
49:12
instruction that rescued that team and LED them to the
49:18
Moabites to be able to engage in battle.
49:23
They disappear from the scene, and now we find them again in
49:25
this chapter. And I think there's a reason
49:28
why. Remember, Israel is at a very
49:32
weak point with our national security.
49:36
Moreover, their true source of security is gone.
49:42
Who is he, Elijah? I'm sure the Moabites had Intel.
49:46
I'm sure they knew that Elisha played a significant role back
49:49
in Second Kings 3IN guiding the nations to come up against Moab.
49:53
So now you not only have the Moabites who have rebelled
49:56
against Israel, but now they are emboldened to actually attack
50:00
Israel. And I had on top of that the
50:02
Syrians who are oppressing them. This is perfect.
50:06
So you have the Moabites now invading the land of Israel,
50:10
robbing them and pillaging and doing all these things.
50:16
So I believe what you have here. 1 The fact that this man was
50:20
able to resurrect just in come in contact with Elisha's bones
50:25
was a reminder to Israel that Elisha was a true man of God.
50:31
It's it's a really validation of the authenticity of his
50:34
ministry. Elisha's message, his miracles
50:38
can be traced to the true God. And even after he dies, that
50:42
people are being reminded he was right.
50:45
He was right all along. And hopefully this would have
50:48
served as a way of drawing the people to the true God.
50:52
Even after Elijah dies, God wants to communicate.
50:55
Did you remember what the prophet said?
50:57
You're in this mess because of your sin.
51:01
How many times has Elijah called you unto myself?
51:04
And so this demonstration of power was meant to get the
51:07
attention of the nation, not just to draw them back in,
51:12
secondly, but to encourage them. What was the fear of the king
51:16
and the people that once Elisha was taken from them, that God's
51:20
favor would be removed as well? And so the fact that you have
51:23
this deceased man resurrecting after Elisha dies was a
51:28
confirmation of the prophecy. Elisha might be gone, but God
51:32
isn't. Elisha might not be available.
51:34
God is still available. And they would have learned that
51:38
there's no doubt that this would have spread and reached the
51:40
Kingdom. The fact that this man left to
51:42
his feet after he was thrown into.
51:44
Elisha's tomb. So this would have been a source
51:48
of comfort. Elisha is gone, but God did not
51:52
abandon us. God's work goes on.
51:56
His purposes go on, even though his servants might go on.
52:02
But I believe there are very beautiful spiritual lessons from
52:05
this. The obvious 1 is that even
52:10
though Elisha's life was over, his ministry wasn't.
52:15
Like Abel, though he is dead, he's still what speaks.
52:19
That's what you find in Hebrews Chapter 11.
52:24
And you might actually be a person who can testify that
52:28
you've come into contact with the material.
52:31
Maybe books, tapes, online sermons of those?
52:36
Who are no longer with us. But their message has been
52:39
preserved. Their example has been their
52:41
biographies have been kept with us.
52:43
And that brought you to life. That brought you to your feet.
52:47
I can tell you, and I've said this jokingly before, that some
52:50
of my favorite ministers are dead.
52:53
He's got us preserve their work. And though they are dead, they
52:56
still speak. And it's a wonderful
53:01
encouragement to us that our fruitfulness can outlive us.
53:07
And that sometimes, in God's wisdom, the greatest expansion,
53:10
the greatest breath to your ministry can occur when you go
53:13
into heaven, when you go into glory.
53:18
There are many authors who they have written great pieces of
53:21
literature, Christian literature that at the time did not really
53:25
reach anybody, but after they died touch the world they're.
53:29
Example after example of that, and we see something here by way
53:33
of symbolism that you have Elijah who's in the tomb, but
53:37
he's still touching people's lives.
53:42
But it's also a humbling reminder to us of the power of
53:47
God. It shows that the power of
53:51
Elijah in his ministry did not come from Elijah.
53:55
It was the. Lord, the same Lord who raised a
53:59
person from the dead. By coming into contact with a
54:02
dead man was the same Lord who touched many dead people while
54:06
that same man was alive. So whether Elijah was alive or
54:09
dead, it did not matter. God was the source of his
54:12
strength. So next time you feel pride
54:16
tempting you, God doesn't need you to be alive for him to use
54:21
you. He can use a corpse to perform
54:25
resurrection miracles. He doesn't need you and me.
54:30
He can use a lifeless, cold body.
54:32
In fact, by this description, it could be that his flesh actually
54:35
disintegrated. You just have his bones left.
54:40
So who are you and I to think the good that he's doing in me
54:44
or has done through me in the past?
54:46
It's a little bit because of, you know, my personality and my
54:49
looks and and my resources and my smarts.
54:53
God can. Kill you and still use you.
54:56
Remember that he doesn't need you standing behind anything.
55:00
He doesn't need anything, and I think this is a wonderful
55:03
reminder of that. How you're supposed to respond
55:08
to God using you while you still have life is that He's just.
55:11
Allowing you to enjoy it and to witness it.
55:14
To give you an opportunity to glorify Him through it.
55:20
Lastly, do you see a foreshadowing of Christ in this?
55:26
I hope you do. Though you and I wholeheartedly
55:30
believe that the body of Jesus after he died did not remain in
55:34
that tomb, you cannot deny the theme of how someone's death
55:40
brought life to others. Christ is here.
55:45
Jesus Christ of Nazareth is being foreshadowed here in that
55:50
in His death He raised sons of Adam unto life.
55:56
And if you need confirmation from the New Testament, let me
55:58
remind you of Romans chapter 5, verse 10.
56:00
For while we were still enemies of God, we were reconciled to
56:04
God by the death of His Son. It was the death of Christ that
56:13
made you alive. Yes, His resurrection is an
56:16
integral part of that, but you needed His death.
56:19
I needed his death. So what do we have here?
56:22
Little vignette of a man who died, a man of God, yes, but one
56:27
greater than Elisha, who would not just bring one person back
56:30
to life, and not just physical life, but eternal life, and
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many, not some, but many sons to glory.
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So even in this you have the perfume of the gospel.
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It's being sprayed right here and only the gospel centered
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mind can see it. I see something here, that one
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man, a man of God's death, actually was able to provide
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life to another. Surely Christ's death would
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perform greater resurrections. And it will and it will.
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And that's available to those who have faith in Christ.
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That though you die according to Jesus words in John 11.
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Yet you shall live, You shall live.
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Let's close this Bible study in prayer, shall we?
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As you prepare your heart, I'll read the final verses of this
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chapter. Now Hazael, king of Syria,
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oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoaz.
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But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them,
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and he turned toward them because of His covenant with
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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has
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he cast them from his presence till now.
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When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben had died.
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His son became king in his place.
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Then Joash the son of Jyaz, took again from Benedad the son of
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Hazael, the cities that he had taken from Joaz, his father in
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war. Three times Joash defeated him
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and recovered the cities of Israel.
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God kept his promise. Lord, we thank you from the
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bottom of our hearts that in the Scriptures, in every part of it,
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are woven gospel truths. We thank You that Christ is the
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golden thread of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
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We can see him there. Lord, we ask with all the things
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that we've heard that we would by your grace be able to retain
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them. Help us like Elisha as we now
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come to the conclusion of his ministry.
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Serve you with every part of who we are until our final day,
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Lord, and help us, O God, if we veer off.
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If anybody even in this place knows that they are not in the
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center of your will to remember Jacob even who changed the
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direction because of faith and trusted in your goodness and
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willing to rewrite his story. May that be so for some.
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Here more we think about the legacy that we would have.
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We do not ask for fame. We do not ask for influence.
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We simply ask that by your wisdom, you would allow us to
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reflect your character and to touch who you've appointed us to
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come into contact with, and that they would see you in us.
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Well, we pray for Maranatha Bible Church and every ministry
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represented here. That You would allow us to be so
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fragrant, so luminous, so filled with salt, that our absence
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would be felt in the community, Lord, that our absence at our
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workplace and our family gatherings would be felt.
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That like Joash, who recognized the blessing of a man of God,
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though he did not align himself to the same convictions, may our
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testimony be similar. That when we are where we are,
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people know it. And they can't deny the fruit
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and the blessing that we offer because of Christ in us, the
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hope of glory. So Lord, only you can make that
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possible. Only you can animate us to such
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a degree. And we submit ourselves to you
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asking for it to be more true than it was when we walked in.
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In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Let's stand worship the Lord.
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If you ever want to do a Bible study in the chapter we covered,
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I encourage you to revisit it with a different lens.
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Trace the grace of God from verse one down to the final
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verse of that chapter. Maybe you saw it throughout.
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He kept His promise to Jehu and his descendants even though they
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were wicked. He could have revoked it.
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He could have stopped it. He could have said this is only
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plunging you guys in the deeper darkness.
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But He kept His word when Josh came to Elijah and was weeping
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over him. He was an evil man.
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And yet the Lord still you'd use Elijah to comfort him and to
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remind him that I'm still available to you.
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I mean, it bothers me when people criticize the Old
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Testament, namely the character of God in the Old Testament.
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It I have a low tolerance for it because when you study it, it
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just, it's baffling. And lastly, even after Elisha
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died, God went beyond that prophecy and raised a man from
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the dead to tell that nation, I'm still here.
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You can still cry out to me. Elisha might be gone, but I'm
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still here. It's just, it blows my mind.
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It really does. Maybe one of these days you can
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do a whole, somebody can write a whole book just on the grace of
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God in the Old Testament, story after story after story.
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And if that's something that you endeavored to do, include Second
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Kings chapter 13 in it. Let's pray indeed, Lord, you are
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a gracious God. Oh, I pray, we pray together
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that we would feel fresh motivation to use our strength
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to serve you. Thank you for this wonderful
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example. And Elijah, we want to serve
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you, Lord, and in our service to you.
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If we are ever, ever tempted to feel like we are somebody,
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although you can't do this without us, Lord, help us
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remember that a corpse performed a miracle that none of us can
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imagine ever performing, That you can use dry bones.
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Never mind our strength, never mind our life, our breath.
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But Lord, with whatever we do have left, we consecrated unto
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you, we pray for your empowerment.
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And Lord, lastly, for anybody who is only shooting a few
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arrows, not claiming all of your promises, may that change today.
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May we take your word as it is. Come before you say, Lord, I
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want all of it. Whatever is available to me, I
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want it. If you're saying that I could be
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in victory over sin, I wanted. If you're saying that I can walk
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in the Spirit, I want it. If I can bear the fruit of the
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Spirit, yes, I want it. If it's possible to pray without
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ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances to rejoice always,
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Lord, I want it. We want all of it, Lord.
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So may our attitude towards your promises change.
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Leaving this Bible study. We love you and we thank you
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that you remind us of these things every week.
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In Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen and Amen and Amen.
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Ministers come and go. Bible studies come and go.
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Churches come and go. Jesus remains forever.
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Walk with him. Would you, God bless you, Say hi
1:04:08
to somebody before you leave. We'll see you next week.
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By the way, Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, we started last week our
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series in the Book of Revelation.
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So this Sunday we are opening up Revelation chapter one, verse
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one. We're not going to stay just in
1:04:20
verse. One, but read chapter 1 before
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Sunday. I'm sure I'll change your
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experience of our service. God bless you.