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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: Second Kings thirteenth nineteen. Dear Lord, as I continue to

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Speaker 1: experience your goodness in my life, I will remember the

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Speaker 1: moments where I cried out to you, then I chose

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Speaker 1: to honor you in all that I do. I confess

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Speaker 1: that 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 and Second Kings thirteen,

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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

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Speaker 1: time event, but will usher in a victorious lifestyle similar

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Speaker 1: to the life of Elijah, position me to leave a

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Speaker 1: legacy of honoring and loving you with all my heart.

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Speaker 1: I will not stop until I hear the words well done,

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Speaker 1: my good and faithful servant. Then, Jesus name, Amen, thank

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Speaker 1: you for praying with us to day, continue your time

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Speaker 1: with God by listening to to day's Bible story, brought

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Speaker 1: to you by Bible in a Year dot 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. Joe

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Speaker 2: Ash began his rule as a young child, growing under

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Speaker 2: the love and care of the high Priest. However, when

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Speaker 2: the priest died, joe Asher's heart grew sour and against

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Speaker 2: the things of God. He caused the people to stumble

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Speaker 2: and was ultimately remembered for his wickedness. Now we learn

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Speaker 2: about the continual fall of the kings of Israel. They

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Speaker 2: refused to acknowledge God, making Israel more and more vulnerable.

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Speaker 2: Although there was promise for temporary victory, they could not

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Speaker 2: see the looming threat that was to come. Elisha, the

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Speaker 2: prophet who stood against the wicked kings his whole life,

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Speaker 2: gives his last bit of aid before exiting the earth.

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Speaker 2: Inspired by the Book of Second 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 joe Ash. Though

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Speaker 3: he followed God and served him in his early years

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Speaker 3: under the wise council of Jehoidah, the High Priest. In

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Speaker 3: the end, joe Ash turned away from God to serve

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Speaker 3: pagan idols and his own selfish indulgences. His failures led

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Speaker 3: Judah astray and brought God's judgment once again upon the people. Today,

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Speaker 3: we'll turn north once again to the Kingdom of Israel.

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Speaker 3: Just 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,

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Speaker 2: citizens and leaders would rise to seek and worship the

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Speaker 2: life Lord, then fall into a cycle of wickedness and

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Speaker 2: self worship. The heart of Israel tore and struggled to

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Speaker 2: seek higher living. This was the state of humanity since

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Speaker 2: the Fall in Eden. Men and women sought their own

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Speaker 2: self satisfaction over the higher calling of selflessness and holiness.

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Speaker 2: Yet sometimes there were leaders, prophets and kings who would

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Speaker 2: point towards the higher good. They would lead in a

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Speaker 2: way that reflected the character of God. They would save

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Speaker 2: God's people from their enemies and lift them up to

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Speaker 2: a higher calling. Yet King Jehoahaz was not one of

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Speaker 2: these heroes. He was not strong enough in his character

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Speaker 2: to lead Israel and worship in truth. He reigned in

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Speaker 2: Israel for seventeen years. During his time as king, he

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Speaker 2: lived solely for self glorification. He worshiped the gods of

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Speaker 2: Israeli enemies. As a result, he continually lost in battle.

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Speaker 2: He marched into each fight with his men at his back.

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Speaker 2: He drew his sword, he lifted his shield, and he

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Speaker 2: rode his chariot, But the Lord was not with him.

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Speaker 2: The Lord did not march with him. Instead, the Lord's

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Speaker 2: anger burned against King jehoahas he allowed for King Aram

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Speaker 2: and ben Hadad and Aram to overthrow the armies of Israel.

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Speaker 2: With each raid, with each battle, and with each mission,

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Speaker 2: Jehoahaz his army depleted dramatically. Jehoah has 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 ward 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 Jehoah as his request,

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Speaker 2: and restored Israel to a place of safety and wealth.

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Speaker 2: The Aramians no longer had their boot on the throat

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Speaker 2: of Israel. Their raids ceased, and their armies subsided like

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Speaker 2: a shrinking tide. Yet with safety came comfort. With comfort

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Speaker 2: came complacency, and with complacency came compromise. King Jehoah has

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Speaker 2: stopped kneeling in the presence of God and resumed kneeling

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Speaker 2: at the foot of the Asherapole in Samaria. The people

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Speaker 2: followed the example of their king, and Israel's heart continued

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Speaker 2: its path into darkness. Riches were sacrificed at the altar

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Speaker 2: of the pagan gods, and wisdom was forsaken for lawlessness.

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Speaker 2: As a result, Israel's armies were reduced to a fraction

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Speaker 2: of what they once were. The kingdom was becoming more

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Speaker 2: and more vulnerable. This would prove as the first step

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Speaker 2: into complete slavery. A darkness was rising from the south,

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Speaker 2: a darkness that would prove too great for the Kingdom

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Speaker 2: of Israel to bear. Jehoah has his time on earth

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Speaker 2: came to an end. He left no legacy of excellence

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Speaker 2: and was not remembered for his courage or devotion. His son, Jehoash,

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Speaker 2: took his place as ruler over Israel. He followed in

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Speaker 2: the footsteps of his father and pursued his own pleasure

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Speaker 2: above the righteousness of God. Jehoash was a stubborn soul.

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Speaker 2: He refused to turn from the sins of his father

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Speaker 2: and set his heart on leading Israel astray. He ruled

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Speaker 2: in Israel for sixteen years. In his time as king,

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Speaker 2: he made them more vulnerable to the impending threat that

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Speaker 2: was rising against Israel. There was something wicked coming to

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Speaker 2: claim the heart of God's people, a foe more formidable

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Speaker 2: than Egypt. On the outskirts of Samaria, Elisha coughed in

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Speaker 2: his bed. The fields below him were painted gold from

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Speaker 2: the sunset, and the beautiful spring breeze gently caressed his cheeks.

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Speaker 2: It was nearly time for him to depart to be

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Speaker 2: with the Lord. His soul was longing for rest, and

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Speaker 2: his body was fading back into dust. For all of

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Speaker 2: Jehoash's flaws, he was endeared to the prophet Elisha. The

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Speaker 2: king knelt beside his bed and wept over him. He

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Speaker 2: knew that Elisha could help against Israel's enemies, particularly Syria.

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Speaker 2: Elisha looked at the king. He knew that Syria should

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Speaker 2: be the least of Israel's worries. There were greater threats awaiting. Nonetheless,

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Speaker 2: he desired to comfort his king. Get a bow and

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Speaker 2: some arrows, Elisha told the king. He did as he

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Speaker 2: was told. Open up the eastern window, Elisha said, gesturing

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Speaker 2: to the window beside his bed. Jehoash opened the window

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Speaker 2: and beheld the view. There were beautiful plains before him,

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Speaker 2: Lilies adorned the grassy hills. The grass was light under

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Speaker 2: the sunset, and the hills rode towards the city of Samaria. Shoot,

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Speaker 2: Elisha commanded. So the king shot his arrow into the distance.

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Speaker 2: The king looked back at the prophet to find him smiling.

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Speaker 2: That is the lord's arrow, he explained, you will have

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Speaker 2: victory over the Syrians. The king returned Elisha's smile. They

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Speaker 2: shared a sweet moment together. Although the king was an

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Speaker 2: idle worshiper, Elisha still felt it was his duty to

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Speaker 2: seek God on his behalf. Now, pick up the other

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Speaker 2: arrows and strike them against the ground. Elisha said it

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Speaker 2: was a peculiar request for Jehohash, However, he knew there

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Speaker 2: was symbolism at work. He struck the arrows three times

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Speaker 2: on the ground. Elisha's smile turned into a scowl. Why

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Speaker 2: did you stop, he asked. You should have struck the

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Speaker 2: ground more times than that, at least five or six.

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Speaker 2: You very well may have only victory over your enemies

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Speaker 2: three times. The king left and Elisha was left alone

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Speaker 2: with his god. He peered out the window, thinking of

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Speaker 2: all the miracles he had seen God do. He thought

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Speaker 2: of his life, his ministry, and all the things God

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Speaker 2: had done in him and through him. Although much of

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Speaker 2: his time was spent counseling wicked kings, he had the

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Speaker 2: privilege of watching everyday people be healed and restored. He smiled, exhaled,

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Speaker 2: 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 set 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 is,

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Speaker 3: in many ways a picture of the human condition. Since

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Speaker 3: the Fall in the Garden, mankind was stuck in a

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Speaker 3: 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: If we're honest. Unfortunately, we can recognize at times this

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Speaker 3: same pattern in our own lives. The power in the

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Speaker 3: presence of sin pulls us away, and we're always tempted

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Speaker 3: to sin. Sometimes we don't understand why we do what

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Speaker 3: we do, or why we don't do why we ought

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Speaker 3: 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 promise Messiah, and so

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Speaker 3: they are stuck in this cycle, stuck with far more

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Speaker 3: evil kings than good ones. And in our reading we

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Speaker 3: discover that King Johoahs was not one of the good ones.

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Speaker 3: He was constantly giving his heart an attention to idols.

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Speaker 3: He lived to please himself rather than God. And as

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Speaker 3: the king went, so did the people. So Israel suffered

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Speaker 3: defeat after defeat in the hands of their enemies. In

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Speaker 3: each defeat it was like a peace of their hearts

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Speaker 3: being shipped away, destroyed by sin and rebellion. It left

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Speaker 3: them weak and vulnerable, as sin always does. It's been

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Speaker 3: said that sin will take you farther than you want

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Speaker 3: 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 jehoaha has his army was decimated depleted, and the

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Speaker 3: king was desperate. Though he had turned away from God,

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Speaker 3: he did not forget the Lord entirely, and he knew

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Speaker 3: very well that only God could save them. In Second

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Speaker 3: Kings thirteen to four we read then Jehoahs sought the

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Speaker 3: favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him,

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Speaker 3: for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the King

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Speaker 3: of Syria oppressed them. While God is truly a God

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Speaker 3: of judgment and righteousness, he never delights in punishing his children.

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Speaker 3: In his holiness and goodness, God cannot let unrighteousness go unanswered,

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Speaker 3: but he is always responsive when we truly repent, crying

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Speaker 3: out to him for forgiveness. God is a loving father

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Speaker 3: who never wants to see his children suffer or hurt.

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Speaker 3: So the Lord comes to the rescue of Israel, and

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Speaker 3: for a time things changed positively for Israel. Israel resisted

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Speaker 3: the Syrians and experienced some peace and stability, but it

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Speaker 3: was short lived for jehoahahs and the people turned away

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Speaker 3: once more, bending the knee at Asherah poles, rejecting the

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Speaker 3: God who saved them. They fell again to the enemy,

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Speaker 3: the beginning of a downward spile that would end in

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Speaker 3: change and captivity sing jehoahahs died and his son jehoah

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Speaker 3: Ash took the throne. But it was a case of

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Speaker 3: like father, like son. Wickedness persisted like a cancer in

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Speaker 3: the land, eroding the strength of a nation that could

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Speaker 3: have seen greatness had they continued to believe and trust

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Speaker 3: in God. Instead, they followed their own desires, set themselves

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Speaker 3: on a disastrous collision course with an enemy like none

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Speaker 3: they had ever seen before. During the reign of Jehoash,

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Speaker 3: God's prophet Elishah came to the end of his life

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Speaker 3: on earth. He had seen God do great things, just

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Speaker 3: as he had promised when he took on the mantle

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Speaker 3: from his mentor Elijah. He had counseled, caution and cared

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Speaker 3: for many kings, most of them evil, and God used

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Speaker 3: this man in a mighty way to bring blessings and

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Speaker 3: judgment upon the people. Now he had one final task

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Speaker 3: before leaving, to be in the presence of the Lord King.

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Speaker 3: Joash came to his bedside, and though the king was

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Speaker 3: stubborn and sinful, he wanted to seek favor with God

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Speaker 3: and knew Elijah was the man he needed to see.

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Speaker 3: Elishah heard the request and gave the king an odd command.

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Speaker 3: He was to shoot an arrow out of the window.

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Speaker 3: The king did this, and Elishah told him this represented

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Speaker 3: the victory God would give the king over Syria. Next,

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Speaker 3: he told Jehoash to strike the ground with remaining arrows.

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Speaker 3: The king struck the ground only three times. Elishah told

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Speaker 3: him that he should have kept striking the ground repeatedly,

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Speaker 3: for now he would only have victory three times rather

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Speaker 3: than the complete victory over Syria. Elisha's words foreshadowed Israel's

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Speaker 3: coming demise and defeat, and provides us a lesson that

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Speaker 3: when God asked you to go in, you must go

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Speaker 3: in all the way, because partial disobedience is full disobedience.

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Speaker 3: Elijah passed into glory, knowing that he had served the

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Speaker 3: Lord with courage and conviction and an example to which

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Speaker 3: we can all aspire. Thank you, Lord for the inspiring

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Speaker 3: life of Elisha. We thank you for the powerful witness

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Speaker 3: of this man in a very wicked time. God give

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Speaker 3: us courage always to stand for you, even in dark days.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for your loving kindness and forgiveness when we

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Speaker 3: sin and you return us to yourself. May we put

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Speaker 3: our eyes upon you, and just as Elijah look forward

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Speaker 3: 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 thepray dot

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Speaker 3: com app and make Bible study in prayer the priority

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Speaker 3: of your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, share

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Speaker 3: it with someone you love because by sharing the Word

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Speaker 3: of God, you can make a huge difference in someone's life.

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Speaker 3: And let me encourage you to go to Jack Graham

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Speaker 3: dot org. That's Jack Graham dot org to find multiple resources,

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Speaker 3: many resources for your Christian walk and life. God bless

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Speaker 3: you and have a great day.