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Broken Kings and a Dying Prophet - The Book of 2 Kings · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And the man of God was wroth
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  Speaker 1: with him, and said, Thou shouldst have smitten five or
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  Speaker 1: six times, then hadst thou smitten Syria, till thou hast
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  Speaker 1: consumed it. Whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
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  Speaker 1: 2 Kings 13.19 Dear Lord, As I continue to experience
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  Speaker 1: your goodness in my life, I will remember the moments
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  Speaker 1: where I cried out to you and I chose to
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  Speaker 1: honor you in all that I do. I confess that
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  Speaker 1: when comfort and complacency try to rush into my life,
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  Speaker 1: I will stay focused and diligent to follow your ways.
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  Speaker 1: As you give me the arrows of opportunity to live
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  Speaker 1: out my dreams, unlike the kings in 2 Kings 13,
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  Speaker 1: I will continue to strike the ground countless times because
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  Speaker 1: I know that my victory will not be a one-time event,
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  Speaker 1: but will usher in a victorious lifestyle. Similar to the
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  Speaker 1: life of Elijah, position me to leave a legacy of
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  Speaker 1: honoring and loving you with all my heart. I will
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  Speaker 1: not stop until I hear the words, Well done, my good.
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  Speaker 1: and faithful servant. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Broken Kings and a Dying Prophet In our last story,
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  Speaker 2: we learned about the rise and fall of Joash. Joash
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  Speaker 2: began his rule as a young child, growing under the
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  Speaker 2: love and care of the high priest. However, when the
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  Speaker 2: priest died, Joash's heart grew sour and against the things
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  Speaker 2: of God. He caused the people to stumble and was
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  Speaker 2: ultimately remembered for his wickedness. Now we learn about the
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  Speaker 2: continual fall of the kings of Israel They refused to
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  Speaker 2: acknowledge God, making Israel more and more vulnerable. Although there
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  Speaker 2: was promise for temporary victory, they could not see the
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  Speaker 2: looming threat that was to come. Elisha, the prophet who
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  Speaker 2: stood against the wicked kings his whole life, gives his
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  Speaker 2: last bit of aid before exiting the earth. Inspired by
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  Speaker 2: the book of 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our last time together,
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  Speaker 3: we heard about the tragic life of Joash. Though he
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  Speaker 3: followed God and served him in his early years under
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  Speaker 3: the wise counsel of Jehoiada, the high priest, in the end,
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  Speaker 3: Joash turned away from God to serve pagan idols and
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  Speaker 3: his own selfish indulgences. His failures led Judah astray and
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  Speaker 3: brought God's judgment once again upon the people. Today, we'll
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  Speaker 3: turn north. once again to the kingdom of Israel. Just
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  Speaker 3: like Judah, Israel and her kings had ups and downs,
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  Speaker 3: sometimes running back to God, but often turning away. Their
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  Speaker 3: unfaithfulness had left them weak and vulnerable, and disaster was
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  Speaker 3: on the horizon. Finally, we'll hear of the last earthly
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  Speaker 3: days of God's prophet Elisha and his final words of
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  Speaker 3: counsel to a king of Israel. Let's listen now to
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  Speaker 3: God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: Israel was in a continual pattern of rising and falling. Kings, citizens,
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  Speaker 2: and leaders would rise to seek and worship the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: then fall into a cycle of wickedness and self-worship. The
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  Speaker 2: heart of Israel tore and struggled to seek higher living.
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  Speaker 2: This was the state of humanity since the fall in Eden.
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  Speaker 2: Men and women sought their own self-satisfaction and over the
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  Speaker 2: higher calling of selflessness and holiness. Yet sometimes there were leaders, prophets,
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  Speaker 2: and kings who would point towards the higher good. They
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  Speaker 2: would lead in a way that reflected the character of God.
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  Speaker 2: They would save God's people from their enemies and lift
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  Speaker 2: them up to a higher calling. Yet King Jehoahaz was
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  Speaker 2: not one of these heroes. He was not strong enough
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  Speaker 2: in his character to lead Israel in worship and truth.
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  Speaker 2: He reigned in Israel for 17 years. During his time
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  Speaker 2: as king, he lived solely for self-glorification. He worshipped the
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  Speaker 2: gods of Israel's enemies. As a result, he continually lost
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  Speaker 2: in battle. He marched into each fight with his men
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  Speaker 2: at his back. He drew his sword, he lifted his shield,
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  Speaker 2: and he rode his chariot. But the Lord was not
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  Speaker 2: with him. The Lord did not march with him. Instead,
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  Speaker 2: the Lord's anger burned against King Jehoahaz. He allowed for
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  Speaker 2: King Aram and Ben-Hadad and Aram to overthrow the armies
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  Speaker 2: of Israel. With each raid, with each battle, and with
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  Speaker 2: each mission, Jehoahaz's army depleted dramatically. Jehoahaz walked through his
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  Speaker 2: palace doors after another brutal defeat. His armor was heavy.
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  Speaker 2: as was his heart. His arms were sore from battle.
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  Speaker 2: His face was dirty from riding his horse through the
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  Speaker 2: dusty battlefield. As he entered his chambers, he took off
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  Speaker 2: his armor and fell to his knees. He knew God
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  Speaker 2: had always been there to hear him. He knew that
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  Speaker 2: the God of David and Moses was present and able
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  Speaker 2: to help. However, he warred in his heart against him.
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  Speaker 2: Yet for the first time, he felt his heart break
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  Speaker 2: for his people He knew that he was losing because
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  Speaker 2: of his disobedience. So he put his pride aside for
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  Speaker 2: a moment and cried out to the Lord. His heart
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  Speaker 2: melted before God. He prayed for favor and rescue from oppression.
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  Speaker 2: He prayed that he would halt the onslaught of raids.
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  Speaker 2: He prayed that he would restore safety to his people.
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  Speaker 2: The Lord heard him. He honored Jehoahaz's request and restored
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  Speaker 2: Israel to a place of safety and wealth. The Arameans
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  Speaker 2: no longer had their boot on the throat of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: Their raids ceased, and their armies subsided like a shrinking tide.
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  Speaker 2: Yet with safety came comfort, with comfort came complacency, and
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  Speaker 2: with complacency came compromise. King Jehoahaz stopped kneeling in the
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  Speaker 2: presence of God, and resumed kneeling at the foot of
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  Speaker 2: the Asherah pole in Samaria. The people followed the example
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  Speaker 2: of their king, and Israel's heart continued its path into darkness.
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  Speaker 2: Riches were sacrificed at the altar of the pagan gods,
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  Speaker 2: and wisdom was forsaken for lawlessness. As a result, Israel's
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  Speaker 2: armies were reduced to a fraction of what they once were.
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  Speaker 2: The kingdom was becoming more and more vulnerable. This would
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  Speaker 2: prove as the first step into complete slavery. A darkness
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  Speaker 2: was rising from the south. a darkness that would prove
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  Speaker 2: too great for the kingdom of Israel to bear. Jehoahaz's
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  Speaker 2: time on earth came to an end. He left no
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  Speaker 2: legacy of excellence and was not remembered for his courage
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  Speaker 2: or devotion. His son Jehoash took his place as ruler
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  Speaker 2: over Israel. He followed in the footsteps of his father
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  Speaker 2: and pursued his own pleasure above the righteousness of God.
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  Speaker 2: Jehoash was a stubborn soul, He refused to turn from
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  Speaker 2: the sins of his father and set his heart on
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  Speaker 2: leading Israel astray. He ruled in Israel for 16 years.
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  Speaker 2: In his time as king, he made them more vulnerable
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  Speaker 2: to the impending threat that was rising against Israel. There
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  Speaker 2: was something wicked coming to claim the heart of God's people,
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  Speaker 2: a foe more formidable than Egypt. On the outskirts of Samaria,
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  Speaker 2: Elisha coughed in his bed. The fields below him were
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  Speaker 2: painted gold from the sunset and the beautiful spring breeze
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  Speaker 2: gently caressed his cheeks. It was nearly time for him
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  Speaker 2: to depart to be with the Lord. His soul was
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  Speaker 2: longing for rest and his body was fading back into dust.
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  Speaker 2: For all of Jehoash's flaws, he was endeared to the
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  Speaker 2: prophet Elisha. The king knelt beside his bed and wept
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  Speaker 2: over him. He knew that Elisha could help against Israel's enemies,
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  Speaker 2: particularly Syria. Elisha looked at the king. He knew that
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  Speaker 2: Syria should be the least of Israel's worries. There were
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  Speaker 2: greater threats awaiting. Nonetheless, he desired to comfort his king.
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  Speaker 2: Get a bow and some arrows, Elisha told the king.
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  Speaker 2: He did as he was told. Open up the eastern window,
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  Speaker 2: Elisha said, gesturing to the window beside his bed. Jehoash
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  Speaker 2: opened the window and beheld the view. There were beautiful
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  Speaker 2: plains before him. Lilies adorned the grassy hills. The grass
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  Speaker 2: was light under the sunset, and the hills rolled towards
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  Speaker 2: the city of Samaria. Shoot, Elisha commanded. So the king
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  Speaker 2: shot his arrow into the distance. The king looked back
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  Speaker 2: at the prophet to find him smiling. That is the
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  Speaker 2: Lord's arrow, he explained. You will have victory over the Syrians.
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  Speaker 2: The king returned Elisha's smile. They shared a sweet moment together.
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  Speaker 2: Although the king was an idol worshipper, Elisha still felt
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  Speaker 2: it was his duty to seek God on his behalf.
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  Speaker 2: Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against
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  Speaker 2: the ground, Elisha said. It was a peculiar request for Jehoash. However,
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  Speaker 2: he knew there was symbolism at work. He struck the
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  Speaker 2: arrows three times on the ground. Elisha's smile turned into
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  Speaker 2: a scowl. Why did you stop? he asked. You should
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  Speaker 2: have struck the ground more times than that, at least
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  Speaker 2: five or six. You very well may have only victory
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  Speaker 2: over your enemies three times. The king left, and Elisha
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  Speaker 2: was left alone with his guard. He peered out the window,
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  Speaker 2: thinking of all the miracles he had seen God do.
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  Speaker 2: He thought of his life, his ministry, and all the
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  Speaker 2: things God had done in him and through him. Although
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  Speaker 2: much of his time was spent counseling wicked kings, He
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  Speaker 2: had the privilege of watching everyday people be healed and restored.
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  Speaker 2: He smiled, exhaled, and inhaled into eternity.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, Israel continues to be distant
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  Speaker 3: and disobedient to God. It seems that for every righteous
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  Speaker 3: and honorable king that sat on the throne and led
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  Speaker 3: the people back to the Lord, many others rose up
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  Speaker 3: who pursued wickedness, false gods, and their own glory. Israel
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  Speaker 3: is in many ways a picture of the human condition.
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  Speaker 3: Since the fall in the garden, mankind was stuck in
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  Speaker 3: a pattern of turning from God, suffering, crying out in repentance,
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  Speaker 3: and then quickly forgetting the Lord when things went well.
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  Speaker 3: And if we're honest, unfortunately we can recognize at times
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  Speaker 3: this same pattern in our own lives. The power and
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  Speaker 3: the presence of sin pulls us away, and we're always
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  Speaker 3: tempted to sin. Sometimes we don't understand why we do
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  Speaker 3: what we do or why we don't do why we
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  Speaker 3: ought to do. But praise God, when we confess our sins,
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  Speaker 3: we find forgiveness in Christ who died for every sin, past, present,
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  Speaker 3: and future. When we fall, we are secure in the
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  Speaker 3: grace of God. God never leaves us or forsakes us,
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  Speaker 3: even when we walk away from Him. But in today's passage,
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  Speaker 3: Israel has not yet received the promised Messiah and And
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  Speaker 3: so they are stuck in this cycle, stuck with far
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  Speaker 3: more evil kings than good ones. And in our reading,
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  Speaker 3: we discover that King Jehoahaz was not one of the
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  Speaker 3: good ones. He was constantly giving his heart and attention
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  Speaker 3: to idols. He lived to please himself rather than God.
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  Speaker 3: And as the king went, so did the people. So
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  Speaker 3: Israel suffered defeat after defeat in the hands of their enemies.
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  Speaker 3: In each defeat, it was like a piece of their
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  Speaker 3: hearts being shipped away. destroyed by sin and rebellion. It
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  Speaker 3: left them weak and vulnerable, as sin always does. It's
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  Speaker 3: been said that sin will take you farther than you
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  Speaker 3: want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay,
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  Speaker 3: and cost you far more than you want to pay. Finally,
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  Speaker 3: King Jehoahaz's army was decimated, depleted, and the king was desperate.
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  Speaker 3: Though he had turned away from God, he did not
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  Speaker 3: forget the Lord entirely, and he knew very well that
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  Speaker 3: only God could save them. In 2 Kings 13.4, we read,
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  Speaker 3: Then Jehoaz sought the favor of the Lord, and the
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  Speaker 3: Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel,
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  Speaker 3: how the king of Syria oppressed them. While God is
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  Speaker 3: truly a God of judgment and righteousness, He never delights
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  Speaker 3: in punishing His children. In His holiness and goodness, God
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  Speaker 3: cannot let unrighteousness go unanswered, but He is always responsive
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  Speaker 3: when we truly repent, crying out to Him for forgiveness.
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  Speaker 3: God is a loving Father who never wants to see
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  Speaker 3: His children suffer or hurt. So, the Lord comes to
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  Speaker 3: the rescue of Israel. And for a time, things changed
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  Speaker 3: positively for Israel. Israel resisted the Syrians and experienced some
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  Speaker 3: peace and stability. But it was short-lived, for Jehoahaz and
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  Speaker 3: the people turned away once more, bending the knee at
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  Speaker 3: Asherah poles, rejecting the God who saved them. They fell
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  Speaker 3: again to the enemy. the beginning of a downward spiral
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  Speaker 3: that would end in chains and captivity. Ching Jehoahaz died
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  Speaker 3: and his son Jehoash took the throne. But it was
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  Speaker 3: a case of like father, like son. Wickedness persisted like
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  Speaker 3: a cancer in the land, eroding the strength of a
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  Speaker 3: nation that could have seen greatness had they continued to
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  Speaker 3: believe and trust in God. Instead, they followed their own
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  Speaker 3: desires and set themselves on a disastrous collision course with
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  Speaker 3: an enemy like none they had ever seen before. During
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  Speaker 3: the reign of Jehoash, God's prophet Elisha came to the
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  Speaker 3: end of his life on earth. He had seen God
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  Speaker 3: do great things, just as he had promised when he
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  Speaker 3: took on the mantle from his mentor Elijah. He had counseled, cautioned,
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  Speaker 3: and cared for many kings, most of them evil. And
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  Speaker 3: God used this man in a mighty way to bring
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  Speaker 3: blessings and judgment upon the people. Now he had one
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  Speaker 3: final task before leaving to be in the presence of
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  Speaker 3: the Lord. King Joash came to his bedside, and though
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  Speaker 3: the king was stubborn and sinful, he wanted to seek
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  Speaker 3: favor with God and knew Elijah was the man he
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  Speaker 3: needed to see. Elisha heard the request and gave the
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  Speaker 3: king an odd command. He was to shoot an arrow
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  Speaker 3: out of the window. The king did this, and Elisha
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  Speaker 3: told him this represented the victory God would give the
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  Speaker 3: king over Syria. Next, he told Jehoash to strike the
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  Speaker 3: ground with remaining arrows. The king struck the ground only
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  Speaker 3: three times. Elisha told him that he should have kept
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  Speaker 3: striking the ground repeatedly, for now he would only have
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  Speaker 3: victory three times rather than the complete victory over Syria.
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  Speaker 3: Elisha's words foreshadowed Israel's coming demise and defeat and provides
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  Speaker 3: us a lesson that when God asks you to go in,
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  Speaker 3: you must go in all the way. because partial disobedience
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  Speaker 3: is full disobedience. Elisha passed into glory, knowing that he
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  Speaker 3: had served the Lord with courage and conviction and an
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  Speaker 3: example to which we can all aspire. Thank you, Lord,
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  Speaker 3: for the inspiring life of Elisha. We thank you for
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  Speaker 3: the powerful witness of this man in a very wicked time. God,
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  Speaker 3: give us courage always to stand for you, even in
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  Speaker 3: dark days. And we thank you for your loving kindness
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  Speaker 3: and forgiveness when we sin and you return us to yourself.
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  Speaker 3: May we put our eyes upon you. And just as Elijah,
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  Speaker 3: look forward to the day that we are in your presence. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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