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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second King's chapter eight,
Speaker 1: and this is what we read. Elisha had told the
Speaker 1: woman whose son he had brought back to life, take
Speaker 1: your family and move to some other place, for the
Speaker 1: Lord has called for a famine on Israel that will
Speaker 1: last for seven years. So the woman did as the
Speaker 1: Man of God instructed. She took her family and settled
Speaker 1: in the land of the Philistines for seven years. After
Speaker 1: the famine ended, she returned from the land of the
Speaker 1: Philistines and she went to see the king about getting
Speaker 1: back her house and land. As she came in, the
Speaker 1: king was talking with Gahazi of the Man of God.
Speaker 1: The king had just said, tell me some stories about
Speaker 1: the great things Elisha has done, and Gahazi was telling
Speaker 1: the king about the time Elisha had brought a boy
Speaker 1: back to life. At that very moment, the mother of
Speaker 1: the boy walked in to make her appeal to the
Speaker 1: king about her house and land. Look, my lord, the king,
Speaker 1: Gahazi exclaimed, Here is the woman now and this is
Speaker 1: her son, the very one Elisha brought back to life.
Speaker 1: Is this true, the king asked her, and she told
Speaker 1: him this story. So he directed one of his officials
Speaker 1: to see that everything she had lost was restored to her,
Speaker 1: including the value of any crops that had been harvested
Speaker 1: during her absence. Elishah went to Damascus, the capital of Arim,
Speaker 1: where King ben Hadad lay sick. When someone told the
Speaker 1: king that the Man of God had come. The king
Speaker 1: said to Hazael, take a gift to the Man of God,
Speaker 1: then tell him to ask the Lord, will I recover
Speaker 1: from this illness. So Hazel loaded down forty camels with
Speaker 1: the finest products of Damascus as a gift for Elisha.
Speaker 1: He went to him and said, your servant, ben Hadad,
Speaker 1: the King of Aram, has sent me to ask will
Speaker 1: I recover from this illness? And Elishah replied, go and
Speaker 1: tell him you will surely recover. But actually the Lord
Speaker 1: has shown me that he will surely die. Elishah stared
Speaker 1: at Hazel with a fixed gaze until Hazel became uneasy.
Speaker 1: Then the Man of God started weeping. What's the matter,
Speaker 1: my lord, Hazel asked him, Elisha replied, I know the
Speaker 1: terrible things you will do to the people of Israel.
Speaker 1: You will burn their fortified city, kill their young men
Speaker 1: with the sword, dashed their little children to the ground,
Speaker 1: and rip open their pregnant women. Hazel responded, how could
Speaker 1: a nobody like me ever accomplish such great things? Elishah answered,
Speaker 1: the Lord has shown me that you are going to
Speaker 1: be the king of Aram. When Hazel left Elishah and
Speaker 1: went back, the king asked him, what did Elishah tell you,
Speaker 1: and Hazel replied, he told me that you will surely recover.
Speaker 1: But the next day Hazeel took a blanket, soaked it
Speaker 1: in water, and held it over the king's face until
Speaker 1: he died. Then Hazeel became the next King of Aram. Jehoram,
Speaker 1: son of King Jehosaphad of Judah, began to rule over
Speaker 1: Judah in the fifth year of the reign of Joram,
Speaker 1: son of Ahab, King of Israel. Jehoram was thirty two
Speaker 1: years old when he became king, and he reigned in
Speaker 1: Jerusalem eight years. But Jehoram followed the example of the
Speaker 1: kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab.
Speaker 1: For he had married one of Ahab's daughters. So Jehoram
Speaker 1: did what was evil in the Lord's sight. But the
Speaker 1: Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for he had
Speaker 1: promised his servant David that his descendants would continue to rule,
Speaker 1: shining like a lamp forever. During Jehoram's reign, the Edomites
Speaker 1: revolted against Judah and crowned their own king. So Jehoram
Speaker 1: went with all his chariots to attack the town of Zeyr.
Speaker 1: The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he
Speaker 1: went out at night and attacked them under cover of darkness.
Speaker 1: But Jehoram's army deserted him and fled to their homes.
Speaker 1: So edom has been independent from Judah to this day.
Speaker 1: The town of Libna also revolted about that same time.
Speaker 1: The rest of the events in Jehoram's reign and everything
Speaker 1: he did are recorded in the book of the History
Speaker 1: of the Kings of Judah. When Jehoram died, he was
Speaker 1: buried with his ancestors in the city of David. Then
Speaker 1: his son Ahaziah became the next king. Ahaziah's son of Jehoram,
Speaker 1: began to rule over Judah in the twelfth year of
Speaker 1: the reign of Joram, son of Ahab, King of Israel.
Speaker 1: Ahaziah was twenty two years old when he became king,
Speaker 1: and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother was Athaliah,
Speaker 1: a granddaughter of King Amri of Israel. Ahaziah followed the
Speaker 1: evil example of King Ahab's family. He did what was
Speaker 1: evil in the Lord's sight, just as Ahab's family had done,
Speaker 1: for he was related by marriage to the family of Ahab.
Speaker 1: Ahaziah joined Joram, son of Ahab, in his war against
Speaker 1: King Hazael of Aram at Ramath Gilead. When the Aramians
Speaker 1: wounded King Joram in the battle, he returned to Jezreel
Speaker 1: to recover from the wounds he had received at Ramath.
Speaker 1: Because Joram was wounded, King Ahaziah of Judah went to
Speaker 1: Jezreel to visit him. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you
Speaker 1: for your word and for the privilege of being able
Speaker 1: to look at this passage of scripture today. And Lord,
Speaker 1: we pray that by your grace that you would help
Speaker 1: us throughout the course of this day to honor you
Speaker 1: and to love you, and to put you first, and Lord,
Speaker 1: we see as an example in this scripture men who
Speaker 1: chose the way of this world over the way of
Speaker 1: following you. We see kings who were raised up to
Speaker 1: their position and then they thumb their nose in your direction. Lord,
Speaker 1: and Lord you would have been completely justified in destroying
Speaker 1: them and their kingdoms. But Lord, it's fascinating how we
Speaker 1: see in this passage your desire to protect Judah because
Speaker 1: of the promise you had made to David that his
Speaker 1: descendants would rule and would shine like a lamp forever.
Speaker 1: And we know, Lord, that that promise is ultimately fulfilled
Speaker 1: in your son Jesus Christ, who came to this earth
Speaker 1: as a descendant of David and is referred to as
Speaker 1: the lion of the tribe of Judah, whose rule is forever,
Speaker 1: and who shines like a lamp forever. And we're grateful,
Speaker 1: Lord that through faith in your son Jesus Christ, we
Speaker 1: have the privilege of ruling and reigning with him as
Speaker 1: part of your family and part of your kingdom forever. Lord,
Speaker 1: thank you for this reality, thank you for these truths,
Speaker 1: and thank you for the fact that your word continually
Speaker 1: points to Jesus Christ. So Lord, as we look at
Speaker 1: your word, chapter by chapter, day after day. We pray
Speaker 1: that we would not miss that fact. Thank you Lord
Speaker 1: for your love for us. We commit this day to
Speaker 1: your care, and we pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen,