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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 shouldest 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 thou thou shalt smite Syria but thrice

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Speaker 1: Second Kings thirteen 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 focussed 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 today's Bible story, brought to

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Speaker 1: you by Bible in a Year dot com. Broken Kings

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Speaker 1: and a dying Prophet. In our last story, we learned

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Speaker 1: about the rise and fall of Joash. Joash began his

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Speaker 1: rule as a young child, growing under the love and

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Speaker 1: care of the high Priest. However, when the priest died,

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Speaker 1: Joash's heart grew sour and against the things of God.

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Speaker 1: He caused the people to stumble and was ultimately remembered

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Speaker 1: for his wickedness. Now we learn about the continual fall

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Speaker 1: of the kings of Israel. They refused to acknowledge God,

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Speaker 1: making Israel more and more vulnerable. Although there was promise

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Speaker 1: for temporary victory, they could not see the looming threat

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Speaker 1: that was to come. Elisha, the prophet who stood against

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Speaker 1: the wicked kings his whole life, gives his last bit

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Speaker 1: of aid before exiting the earth. Inspired by the Book

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Speaker 1: of Second Kings. Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's

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Speaker 1: episode of the Bible in a Year podcast. In our

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Speaker 1: Last time together, we heard about the tragic life of Joash.

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Speaker 1: Though he followed God and served him in his early

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Speaker 1: years under the wise counsel of Jehoidah, the high priest.

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Speaker 1: In the end, Joash turned away from God to serve

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Speaker 1: pagan idols and his own selfish indulgences. His failures led

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Speaker 1: Judah astray and brought God's judgment once again upon the people. Today,

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Speaker 1: we'll turn north once again to the Kingdom of Israel.

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Speaker 1: Just like Judah, Israel and our kings had ups and downs,

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Speaker 1: sometimes running back to God, but often turning away. Their

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Speaker 1: unfaithfulness had left them weak and vulnerable, and disaster was

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Speaker 1: on the horizon. Finally, we'll hear of the last earthly

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Speaker 1: days of God's prophet Elishah and his final words of

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Speaker 1: counsel to a king of Israel. Let's listen now to

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Speaker 1: God's word. Israel was in a continual pattern of rising

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Speaker 1: and falling Kings, citizens and leaders would rise to seek

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Speaker 1: and worship the Lord, then fall into a cycle of

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Speaker 1: wickedness and self worship. The heart of Israel tore and

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Speaker 1: struggled to seek higher living. This was the state of

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Speaker 1: humanity since the Fall in Eden. Men and women sought

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Speaker 1: their own self satisfaction over the higher calling of selflessness

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Speaker 1: and holiness. Yet sometimes there were leaders prophets and kings

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Speaker 1: who would point towards the higher good. They would lead

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Speaker 1: in a way that reflected the character of God. They

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Speaker 1: would save God's people from their enemies and lift them

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Speaker 1: up to a higher calling. Yet King Johorahaz was not

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Speaker 1: one of these heroes. He was not strong enough in

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Speaker 1: his character to lead Israel and worship in truth. He

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Speaker 1: reigned in Israel for seventeen years. During his time as king,

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Speaker 1: he lived solely for self glorification. He worshiped the gods

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Speaker 1: of israel enemies. As a result, he continually lost in battle.

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Speaker 1: He marched into each fight with his men at his back.

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Speaker 1: He drew his sword, he lifted his shield, and he

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Speaker 1: rode his chariot. But the Lord was not with him.

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Speaker 1: The Lord did not march with him. Instead, the Lord's

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Speaker 1: anger burned against King Jehoah. Has he allowed for King

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Speaker 1: Aram and ben Hadad and Aram to overthrow the armies

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Speaker 1: of Israel. With each raid, with each battle, and with

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Speaker 1: each mission, Jehoah has his army depleted dramatically. Jehoah has

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Speaker 1: walked through his palace doors after another brutal defeat. His

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Speaker 1: armor was heavy, as was his heart. His arms were

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Speaker 1: sore from battle. His face was dirty from riding his

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Speaker 1: horse through the dusty battlefield. As he entered his chambers,

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Speaker 1: he took off his armor and fell to his knees.

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Speaker 1: He knew God had always been there to hear him.

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Speaker 1: He knew that the God of David and Moses was

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Speaker 1: present and able to help. However, he warred in his

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Speaker 1: heart against him. Yet for the first time, he felt

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Speaker 1: his heart break for his people. He knew that he

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Speaker 1: was losing because of his disobedience. So he put his

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Speaker 1: pride aside for a moment and cried out to the Lord.

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Speaker 1: His heart melted before God. He prayed for favor and

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Speaker 1: rescue from oppression. He prayed that he would halt the

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Speaker 1: onslaught of raids. He prayed that he would restore safety

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Speaker 1: to his people. The Lord heard him. He honored Jehoah

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Speaker 1: has his request and restored Israel to a place of

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Speaker 1: safety and wealth. The Aramians no longer had their boot

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Speaker 1: on the throat of Israel. Their raids ceased, and their

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Speaker 1: armies subsided like a shrinking tide. Yet with safety came comfort.

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Speaker 1: With comfort came complacency, and with complacency came compromise. King

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Speaker 1: Jehoah has stopped kneeling in the presence of God and

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Speaker 1: resumed kneeling at the foot of the Ashurah pole and Samaria.

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Speaker 1: The people followed the example of their king, and Israel's

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Speaker 1: heart continued its path into darkness. Riches were sacrificed at

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Speaker 1: the altar of the pagan gods, and wisdom was forsaken

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Speaker 1: for lawlessness. As a result, Israel's armies were reduced to

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Speaker 1: a fraction of what they once were. The kingdom was

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Speaker 1: becoming more and more vulnerable. This would prove as the

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Speaker 1: first step into complete slavery. A darkness was rising from

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Speaker 1: the south, a darkness that would prove too great for

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Speaker 1: the Kingdom of Israel to bear. Jehoah has his time

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Speaker 1: on earth came to an end. He left no legacy

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Speaker 1: of excellence and was not remembered for his courage or devotion.

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Speaker 1: His son, Jehoash, took his place as ruler over Israel.

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Speaker 1: He followed in the footsteps of his father and pursued

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Speaker 1: his own pleasure above the righteousness of God. Jehoash was

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Speaker 1: a stubborn soul. He refused to turn from the sins

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Speaker 1: of his father and set his heart on leading Israel astray.

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Speaker 1: He ruled in Israel for sixteen years. In his time

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Speaker 1: as king, he made them more vulnerable to the impending

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Speaker 1: threat that was rising against Israel. There was something wicked

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Speaker 1: coming to claim the heart of God's people, a foe

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Speaker 1: more formidable than Egypt. On the outskirts of Samaria, Elishah

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Speaker 1: coughed in his bed. The fields below him were painted

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Speaker 1: gold from the sunset, and the beautiful spring breeze gently

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Speaker 1: caressed his cheeks. It was nearly time for him to

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Speaker 1: depart to be with the Lord. His soul was longing

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Speaker 1: for rest, and his body was fading back into dust.

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Speaker 1: For all of Jehoash's flows, he was endeared to the

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Speaker 1: prophet Elishah. The king knelt beside his bed and wept

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Speaker 1: over him. He knew that Elishah could help against Israel's enemies,

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Speaker 1: particularly Syria. Elishah looked at the king. He knew that

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Speaker 1: Syria should be the least of Israel's worries. There were

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Speaker 1: greater threats awaiting none the less. He desired to comfort

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Speaker 1: his king. Get a bow and some arrows, Elishah told

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Speaker 1: the king. He did as he was told. Open up

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Speaker 1: the eastern window, Elishah said, gesturing to the window beside

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Speaker 1: his bed. Jehoash opened the window and beheld the view.

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Speaker 1: There were beautiful plains before him. Lilies adorned the grassy hills.

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Speaker 1: The grass was light under the sunset, and the hills

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Speaker 1: rode towards the city of Samaria. Shoot, Elishah commanded. So

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Speaker 1: the king shot his arrow into the distance. The king

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Speaker 1: looked back at the prophet to find him smiling. That

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Speaker 1: is the lord's arrow, he explained, You will have victory

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Speaker 1: over the Syrians. The king returned Elishah's smile. They shared

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Speaker 1: a sweet moment together. Although the king was an idle worshiper,

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Speaker 1: Elisha still felt it was his duty to seek God

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Speaker 1: on his behalf. Now, pick up the other arrows and

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Speaker 1: strike them against the ground. Elisha said it was a

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Speaker 1: peculiar request for Jehoash, however, he knew there was symbolism

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Speaker 1: at work. He struck the arrows three times on the ground.

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Speaker 1: Elisha's smile turned into a scowl. Why did you stop,

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Speaker 1: he asked. You should have struck the ground more times

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Speaker 1: than that, at least five or six. You very well

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Speaker 1: may have only victory over your enemies three times. The

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Speaker 1: king left and Elisha was left alone with his God.

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Speaker 1: He peered out the window, thinking of all the miracles

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Speaker 1: as he had seen God do. He thought of his life,

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Speaker 1: his ministry, and all the things God had done in

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Speaker 1: him and through him. Although much of his time was

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Speaker 1: spent counseling wicked kings, he had the privilege of watching

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Speaker 1: everyday people be healed and restored. He smiled, exhaled, and

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Speaker 1: inhaled into eternity. As we begin today's reading, Israel continues

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Speaker 1: to be distant and disobedient to God. It seems that

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Speaker 1: for every righteous and honorable king that sat on the

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Speaker 1: throne and led the people back to the Lord, many

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Speaker 1: others rose up who pursued wickedness, false gods, and their

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Speaker 1: own glory. Israel is, in many ways a picture of

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Speaker 1: the human condition. Since the fall in the Garden, mankind

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Speaker 1: was stuck in a pattern of turning from God's suffering,

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Speaker 1: crying out in repentance, and then quickly forgetting the Lord

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Speaker 1: when things went well and where honest. Unfortunately, we can

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Speaker 1: recognize at times this same pattern in our own lives.

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Speaker 1: The power and the presence of sin pulls us away,

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Speaker 1: and we're always tempted to sin. Sometimes we don't understand

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Speaker 1: why we do what we do, or why we don't

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Speaker 1: do why we ought to do, but praise God. When

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Speaker 1: we confess our sins, we find forgiveness in Christ, who

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Speaker 1: died for every sin, past, present, and future. When we fall,

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Speaker 1: we are secure in the grace of God. God never

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Speaker 1: leaves us or forsakes us, even when we walk away

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Speaker 1: from Him. But in today's passage, Israel has not yet

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Speaker 1: received the promised Messiah, and so they are stuck in

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Speaker 1: this cycle, stuck with far more evil kings than good ones.

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Speaker 1: And in our reading we discover that King Jehoahaz was

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Speaker 1: not one of the good ones. He was constantly giving

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Speaker 1: his heart and attention to idols. He lived to please

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Speaker 1: himself rather than God. And as the king went, so

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Speaker 1: did the people. So Israel suffered defeat after defeat in

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Speaker 1: the hands of their enemies. In each defeat it was

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Speaker 1: like a piece of their hearts being shipped away, destroyed

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Speaker 1: by sin and rebellion. It left them weak and vulnerable,

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Speaker 1: as sin always does. It's been said that sin will

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Speaker 1: take you farther than you want to go, keep you

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Speaker 1: longer than you want to stay, and cost you far

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Speaker 1: more than you want to pay. Finally, King jehoah Has.

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Speaker 1: His army was decimated, depleted, and the king was desperate.

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Speaker 1: Though he had turned away from God, he did not

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Speaker 1: forget the Lord entirely, and he knew very well that

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Speaker 1: only God could save them. In Second Kings thirteen four,

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Speaker 1: we read, then jehoah Has sought the favor of the Lord,

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Speaker 1: and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the

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Speaker 1: oppression of Israel, how the King of Syria oppressed them.

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Speaker 1: While God is truly a god of judgment and righteousness,

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Speaker 1: he never delights in punishing his children. In his holiness

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Speaker 1: and goodness, God cannot let unrighteousness go unanswered, but he

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Speaker 1: is always responsive when we truly repent, crying out to

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Speaker 1: him for forgiveness. God is a loving father who never

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Speaker 1: wants to see his children suffer or hurt. So the

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Speaker 1: Lord comes to the rescue of Israel, and for a

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Speaker 1: time things changed positively for Israel. Israel it resisted the

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Speaker 1: Syrians and experienced some peace and stability, But it was

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Speaker 1: short lived for Jehoahas and the people turned away once more,

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Speaker 1: bending the knee at Ashirav polls, rejecting the God who

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Speaker 1: saved them. They fell again to the enemy. The beginning

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Speaker 1: of a downward spile that would end in change in

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Speaker 1: captivity Qing. Jehoahas died and his son Jehoahsh took the throne.

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Speaker 1: But it was a case of like father, like son.

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Speaker 1: Wickedness persisted like a cancer in the land, eroding the

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Speaker 1: strength of a nation that could have seen greatness had

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Speaker 1: they continued to believe and trust in God. Instead, they

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Speaker 1: followed their own desires, set themselves on a disastrous collision

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Speaker 1: course with an enemy like none they had ever seen before.

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Speaker 1: During the reign of Jehoash, God's prophet Elishah came to

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Speaker 1: the end of his life on earth. He had seen

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Speaker 1: God do great things, just as he had promised when

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Speaker 1: he took on the mantle from his mentor Elijah. He

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Speaker 1: had counseled, caution and cared for many kings, most of

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Speaker 1: them evil, and God used this man in a mighty

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Speaker 1: way to bring blessings and judgment upon the people. Now

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Speaker 1: he had one final task before leaving, to be in

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Speaker 1: the presence of the Lord King. Joash came to his bedside,

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Speaker 1: and though the king was stubborn and sinful, he wanted

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Speaker 1: to seek favor with God and knew Elijah was the

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Speaker 1: man he needed to see. Elijah heard the request and

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Speaker 1: gave the king an odd command. He was to shoot

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Speaker 1: an arrow out of the window. The king did this,

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Speaker 1: and Elishah told him this represented the victory God would

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Speaker 1: give the king over Syria. Next, he told Jehoash to

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Speaker 1: strike the ground with remaining arrows. The king struck the

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Speaker 1: ground only three times. Elishah told him that he should

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Speaker 1: have kept striking the ground repeatedly, for now he would

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Speaker 1: only have victory three times rather than the complete victory

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Speaker 1: over Syria. Elishah's words foreshadowed Israel's coming demise and defeat,

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Speaker 1: and provides us a lesson that when God asks you

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Speaker 1: to go in, you must go in all the way,

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Speaker 1: because partial disobedience is full disobedience. Elijah passed into glory,

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Speaker 1: knowing that he had served the Lord with courage and

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Speaker 1: conviction and an example to which we can all aspire.

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Speaker 1: Thank you, Lord for the inspiring life of Elishah. We

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Speaker 1: thank you for the powerful witness of this man in

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Speaker 1: a very wicked time. God give us courage always to

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Speaker 1: stand for you, even in dark days. And we thank

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Speaker 1: you for your loving kindness and forgiveness when we send

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Speaker 1: and you return us to yourself. May we put our

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Speaker 1: eyes upon you, and just as Elijah, look forward to

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Speaker 1: the day that we are in your presence. Amen, thank

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Speaker 1: you for listening to today's Bible into Year podcast. I'm

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Speaker 1: Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Prey dot

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Speaker 1: com app and make Bible study and prayer the priority

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Speaker 1: of your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, share

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Speaker 1: it with someone you love because by sharing the Word

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Speaker 1: of God, you can make a huge difference in someone's life.

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Speaker 1: And let me encourage you to go to Jack Graham

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Speaker 1: dot org. That's Jack Graham dot org to find multiple resources,

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Speaker 1: many resources for your Christian walk and life. God bless

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Speaker 1: you and have a great day. This episode is sponsored

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Speaker 1: by Medicare, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to save

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Speaker 1: money without sacrificing quanty