Thoughts from my personal time with God.
Joash became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. …Throughout his life he did what pleased the Lord, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
A bit glossed over: 2 Chronicles 24:17-22 tells a different story…
…The priests agreed to this and also agreed not to make the repairs in the Temple.
Then Jehoiada took a box, made a hole in the lid, and placed the box by the altar, on the right side as one enters the Temple.
As soon as King Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah learned of her son’s murder, she gave orders for all the members of the royal family to be killed.
SELF. How barbaric – she was truly a daughter of Jezebel.
…Only Ahaziah’s son Joash escaped. He was about to be killed with the others, but was rescued by his aunt Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s half sister.
…There were seventy descendants of King Ahab living in the city of Samaria. Jehu wrote a letter and sent copies to the rulers of the city, to the leading citizens, and to the guardians of Ahab’s descendants. The letter read: “You are in charge of the king’s descendants, and you have at your disposal chariots, horses, weapons, and fortified cities.
…Then the two of them went indoors, and the young prophet poured the olive oil on Jehu’s head and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims: ‘I anoint you king of my people Israel. You are to kill your master the king, that son of Ahab, so that I may punish Jezebel for murdering my prophets and my other servants.
2 Kings 8:25 – 9:37 Read More »
…Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that he will die; but go to him and tell him that he will recover.” Then Elisha stared at him with a horrified look on his face until Hazael became ill at ease. Suddenly Elisha burst into tears. “Why are you crying, sir?” Hazael asked.
“Because I know the horrible things you will do against the people of Israel,” Elisha answered.
…Elisha had replied, “You will see it happen, but you won’t get to eat any of the food.” And that is just what happened to him—he died, trampled to death by the people at the city gate.
The word of the Lord always comes to pass (Isaiah 55:10-11). Or was this Elisha “simply” seeing into the future?
…Now Elisha had told the woman who lived in Shunem, whose son he had brought back to life, that the Lord was sending a famine on the land, which would last for seven years, and that she should leave with her family and go and live somewhere else.
2 Kings 7:10 – 8:9 Read More »
…a woman cried out, …“The other day this woman here suggested that we eat my child, and then eat her child the next day. So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her that we would eat her son, but she had hidden him!”
Ouch. Deuteronomy 28:53–57.
……Elisha was at home with some elders who were visiting him.
2 Kings 6:24 – 7:9 Read More »
……Naaman said, “If you won’t accept my gift, then let me have two mule-loads of earth to take home with me, because from now on I will not offer sacrifices or burnt offerings to any god except the Lord. So I hope that the Lord will forgive me when I accompany my king to the temple of Rimmon, the god of Syria, and worship him.
…So Naaman set out, taking thirty thousand pieces of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of fine clothes. The letter that he took read: “This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his disease.”
When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and exclaimed, “How can the king of Syria expect me to cure this man?
Gehazi was about to push her away, but Elisha said, “Leave her alone. Can’t you see she’s deeply distressed? And the Lord has not told me a thing about it.”
The relationship between Elisha and God was truly unique. Oh, to have such a relationship, Lord!
…The woman said to Elisha, “I swear by my loyalty to the living Lord and to you that I will not leave you!”
2 Kings 4:18 – 5:3 Read More »