Did He See that Coming?



2 Kings 8:25-9:10
25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign.
26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah; she was a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.
27 He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.
28 He went with Joram the son of Ahab to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram.
29 And King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
9:1 Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tie up your garments, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
2 And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. And go in and have him rise from among his fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber.
3 Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”
4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.
5 And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “To which of us all?” And he said, “To you, O commander.”
6 So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel.
7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord.
8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.
9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.
10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.

The ministry of Elisha continues as God moves the pieces of the political world around to play out the justice and punishments His holiness demands. Jezebel has yet to be dealt with and the fallout of Ahab’s legacy is still playing out in the lives of his descendants. The events of today’s reading take place in the year 841BC which was a huge year for most of the civilized world. Wars were fought and great shifts in world power happened that year.

Just to help get the chess pieces in place, let’s review the main players in today’s reading. Joram has been the king of Israel for 12 years when Ahaziah becomes the king of Judah. Ahaziah brings with him into Judah the idolatry and apostasy of Jezebel and Ahab. Joram and Ahaziah go into battle together against Hazael of Syria, where Joram is wounded. Ahaziah at least has the courtesy to go and see his fellow king as he lay in his sick bed. In the meantime, God (via Elisha) instructs one of the prophets to anoint Jehu the next king of Israel.

As we scan the globe we can be quickly appalled by the violence and upheaval that seems to take place daily around the world. The thing to remember is that God never slaps His forehead and cries, “I never saw that coming!” He isn’t surprised by what happens nor is any of it out of His control. While all of that is true on a global level, it is also true on a personal level as well. We never slip out of God’s hand nor is He caught off guard by our actions. He is always preparing the path in front of us even when we step out of His will. In those cases we may not like what awaits us on that path, but He has it all planned out. When Adam and Eve fell into sin there was already a plan in place to bring about our salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There are no surprises for God, only the working out of His good and perfect will.

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