Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / February 17 - 2 Kings 9

Transcript

February 17 - 2 Kings 9 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Monday, it's the 17th of
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  February and good on you for inviting me in to.
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  However, the beginning of your week looks lovely to have your
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  company as we are continuing in this fascinating story, this
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  fascinating devolution. Is that a word, devolution maybe
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  of Israel and Judah? And over the next two weeks,
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  particularly now that we are sure that Elisha is an absolute
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  legend and that God is indeed using him as his, as his
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  prophet, now we begin to see absolute proof as to why God
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  needed to respond and deal with Israel in the way that He did.
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  So today and for the next couple of weeks, we will be hearing
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  about the failures of the kings. And as I said before, this is
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  most unusual for riding out of the ancient Near East.
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  Back in the day, kings would Commission scribes.
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  This is a pre illiterate society.
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  So they would Commission these learned people to write about
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  the things that they did. And of course it would be
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  biassed to the glory and and magnificence of the royalty.
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  But here we have the royalty just getting absolutely bagged
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  out by by the author. So this is most unusual because
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  this author is writing from the perspective of God and God's
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  rule of the Kingdom and just how God as the perfect king is not
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  fairly or adequately represented by his earthly kings.
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  So that will be made very clear as we continue with the story.
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  So friends, buckle yourselves up.
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  We are in for a a bumpy ride as we continue the story reading
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  Second Kings Chapter 9. Meanwhile, Elisha the prophet
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  had summoned a member of the group of prophets.
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  Get ready to travel, he told him, and take this flask of
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  olive oil with you. Go to Ramoth Gilead and find
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  Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi.
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  Call him into a private room away from his friends, and pour
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  the oil over his head. Say to him, This is what the
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  Lord says. I anoint you to be king over
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  Israel. Then open the door and run for
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  your life. So the young prophet did as he
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  was told and went to Ramoth Gilead.
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  When he arrived there, he found Jehu sitting around with the
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  other army officers. I have a message for you,
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  Commander, he said. Which one of us?
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  Jehu asked for you, commander, he replied.
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  So Jehu left the others and went into the house.
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  Then the young prophet poured the oil over Jehu's head and
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  said, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says.
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  I anoint you king over the Lord's people, Israel.
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  You are to destroy the family of Ahab, your master.
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  In this way I will avenge the murder of my prophets and all
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  the Lord's servants who were killed by Jezebel.
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  The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out.
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  I will destroy every one of his male descendants, slave and free
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  alike, anywhere in Israel. I will destroy the family of
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  Ahab as I destroyed the families of Jeroboam son of Nibat and of
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  Barsha son of Ahijah. Dogs will eat Ahab's wife
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  Jezebel at the plot of land in Jezreel, and no one will bury
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  her. Then the young prophet opened
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  the door and ran. Jehu went back to his fellow
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  offices and one of them asked what did that madman want?
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  Is everything all right? You know how a man like that
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  babbles on? Jehu replied.
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  You're hiding something, they said.
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  Tell us, said Jehu told them. He said to me, This is what the
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  Lord says. I have anointed you to be king
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  over Israel. Then they quickly spread out
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  their cloaks on the bare steps and blew the ram's horn,
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  shouting Jehu is king. So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son
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  of Nimshi, LED a conspiracy against King Joram.
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  Now Joram had been with the army at Ramoth Gilead defending
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  Israel against the forces of King Hazael of Aram.
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  But King Joram was wounded in the fighting and returned to
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  Jezreel to recover from his wounds.
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  So Jehu told the men with him, If you want me to be king, don't
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  let anyone leave town and go to Jezreel to report what we have
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  done. Then Jehu got into a chariot and
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  rode to Jezreel to find King Joram who was lying there
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  wounded. King Aiziah of Judah was there
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  too, for he had gone to visit him.
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  The watchman on the tower of Jehreel saw Jehu and his company
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  approaching, so he shouted to Joram, I see a company of troops
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  coming, Send out a rider to ask if they are coming in peace,
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  King Joram ordered. So a horseman went out to meet
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  Jehu and said, The king wants to know if you are coming in peace.
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  Jehu replied, What do you know about peace fallen behind me?
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  The watchman called out to the king, The messenger has met
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  them, but he's not returning. So the king sent out a second
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  horseman. He rode up to them and said, The
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  king wants to know if you come in peace again.
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  Jehu answered, What do you know about peace fallen behind me?
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  The watchman exclaimed. The messenger has met them, but
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  he isn't returning either. It must be Jihu son of Nimshi,
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  for he's driving like a madman. Quick, get my chariot ready.
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  King Joram commanded. Then King Joram of Israel and
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  King Aiziah of Judah rode out in their Chariots to meet Jihu.
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  They met him at the plot of land that belongs to Naboth of
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  Jezreel. King Joram demanded.
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  Do you come in peace, Jihu? Jihu replied.
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  How can there be peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft
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  of your mother Jezebel are all around us?
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  Then King Joram turned the horses and fled, shouting to
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  King Aiziah. Treason, Aiziah.
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  But Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders.
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  The arrow pierced his heart and he sank down dead in his
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  chariot. Jehu said to Bidkar, his
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  officer, Throw him into the plot of land that belonged to Naboth
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  of Jezreel. Do you remember when you and I
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  were riding along behind his father Ahab?
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  The Lord pronounced this message against him.
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  I solemnly swear that I will repay him here on this plot of
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  land, says the Lord, for the murder of Naboth and his sons
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  that I saw yesterday. So throw him out on Naboth's
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  property, just as the Lord said. When King Ahaziah of Judah saw
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  what was happening, he fled along the road to Beth Hagan.
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  Jehu rode after him, shouting. Shoot him too.
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  So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot at the ascent of GER
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  near Iblim. He was able to go on as far as
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  Megiddo, but he died there. His servants took him by chariot
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  to Jerusalem, where they buried him with his ancestors and the
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  city of David. Aiziah had become king over
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  Judah in the 11th year of the reign of Joram, son of Ahab.
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  When Jezebel, the Queen Mother heard that Jihu had come to
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  Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a
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  window. When Jihu entered the gate of
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  the palace, she shouted at him. Have you come in peace, you
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  murderer? You're just like Zimri, who
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  murdered his master. Jihu looked up and saw her at
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  the window and shouted, Who was on my side?
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  And two or three eunuchs looked out at him.
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  Throw her down, Jihu yelled. So they threw her out of the
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  window, and her blood splattered against the wall and on the
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  horses, and Jihu trampled her body under his horse's hooves.
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  Then Jihu went into the palace and ate and drank.
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  Afterward he said someone go and bury this cursed woman, for she
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  is the daughter of a king. But when they went out to bury
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  her, they found only her skull, her feet, and her hands.
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  When they returned and told Jehu, he stated This fulfils the
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  message from the Lord which he spoke through his servant Elijah
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  from Tishbay at the plot of land and Jezreel.
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  Dogs will eat Jezebel's body, Her remains will be scattered
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  like dung on the plot of land in Jezreel, so that no one will be
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  able to recognise her Jesus.
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  We see the failings of these kings, one after the other after
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  the other. We see the failings of their
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  families, of their wives, of their plans, and we can see only
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  two, well reflections of our lives and the lives of those
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  around us. Our Lord, we try and we fail to
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  live lives worthy of Your name. But Jesus, in your grace and
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  your mercy, you still throw open your arms and you invite us into
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  your Kingdom. You forgive us when we mess up,
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  and that is the most incredible thing.
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  We're just so grateful for Your gracious love toward us.
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  We don't understand why it is that you choose us, but here we
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  are, your beloved children, and nothing this side of eternity or
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  beyond will ever change that. Thank you, Jesus, for your love.
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  Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you that you draw us to
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  you and into your family. Until one day, when this life is
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  past, when we will enter into your eternal embrace, our Jesus.
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  You are our King, and we praise you, and we pray all of this in
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  your name, Amen.