2 Kings 9:1-28 & : Different Callings

 Proposition: Faithfulness can look very different according to the Lord’s calling  Introduction  Bob Dylan Reflects on Calling – Mikal Gilmore  The September 2012 issue of Rolling Stone contained a lengthy interview with Bob Dylan. The interviewer noted to Dylan, "You've described what you do not as a career but as a calling." Dylan responded with wisdom and a warning:  Everybody has a calling, don't they? Some have a high calling, some have a low calling. Everybody is called, but few are chosen. There is a lot of distraction for people, so you might not even find the real you. A lot of people don't. — Quoted from Denis Hack, "Discovering Your Calling … Slowly," Critique (2012 Issue 6); original source: Mikal Gilmore, "Bob Dylan: The Rolling Stone Interview," Rolling Stone (9- 27-12)  There is a real truth in Bob Dylan’s words about calling  Each of us is called by God for various assignments  Some are called to do earth shaking things  Many are called to do ordinary mundane things  Whether great or small we should be faithful to follow the Lord’s calling  The result is, faithfulness can look very different according to the Lord’s calling

 Elisha has Jehu Anointed King of Israel (An anonymous faithful servant)  Clear instructions (vv. 1-3) 1 Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, "Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 "When you arrive there, search out Jehu the son of the son of , and go in and bid him arise from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room. 3 "Then take the flask of oil and

pour it on his head and say, 'Thus says the LORD, "I have anointed you king over Israel."' Then open the door and flee and do not wait."  Elisha instructs one of the sons of the prophets to go to Ramoth-gilead  He is to find Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat  Take him into an inner room – away from others  Pour the flask of oil on his head  Say, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have anointed you king over Israel’”  He is to immediately open the door and run  Elisha emphasizes his meaning by telling him again – do not wait!  This is an odd assignment, but there is purpose in everything  Elisha’s role is very small  He finds someone who is able to carry out this assignment quickly and simply  What is more interesting: the young man is never identified and we know nothing other than he was chosen by Elisha to carry out this task

 The young man does as instructed (vv. 4-10) 4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 When he came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting, and he said, "I have a word for you, O captain." And Jehu said, "For which one of us?" And he said, "For you, O captain." 6 He arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. 7 'You shall strike the house of your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of . 8 'For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel. 9 '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 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.'" Then he opened the door and fled.

 He finds Jehu sitting with the captains of the army  He asks Jehu to come into the house to receive the message  He pours the oil on his head and speaks the word of the Lord  Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel – commands given to Jehu  ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel.  You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel  Jehu is the instrument of God’s justice on the house of Ahab  Ahab had killed the prophets of the Lord  For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel.  Jehu is to kill every member of Ahab’s lineage  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  God completely cut off Jeroboam’s lineage for his sins  The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her  A most harsh judgment awaits Jezebel particularly for what she did to Naboth  After finishing, The young man opened the door and fled  He was faithful to do exactly as Elisha had instructed

 Jehu’s Terrible Obedience (A brutal judge)  A coup begins (vv. 11-13) 11 Now Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, "Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?" And he said to them, "You know very well the man and his talk." 12 They said, "It is a lie, tell us now." And he said, "Thus and thus he said to me, 'Thus says the LORD, "I have anointed you king over Israel."'" 13 Then they hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and blew the trumpet, saying, "Jehu is king!"

 After witnessing the strange behavior of the young man, Jehu’s captains ask, “Is all well?”  They perceived the young man as being out of his mind  Jehu relates what the young man did and said  The captains each pledge themselves to serve Jehu as king  They blow the trumpet and declare Jehu king

 Jehu kills Joram (vv. 14-24) 14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Now Joram with all Israel was defending Ramoth-gilead against king of , 15 but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to be healed of the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said, "If this is your mind, then let no one escape or leave the city to go tell it in Jezreel." 16 Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there. Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram. 17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, "I see a company." And Joram said, "Take a horseman and send him to meet them and let him say, 'Is it peace?'" 18 So a horseman went to meet him and said, "Thus says the king, 'Is it peace?'" And Jehu said, "What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me." And the watchman reported, "The messenger came to them, but he did not return." 19 Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, "Thus says the king, 'Is it peace?'" And Jehu answered, "What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me." 20 The watchman reported, "He came even to them, and he did not return; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously." 21 Then Joram said, "Get ready." And they made his chariot ready. Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him in the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 When Joram saw Jehu, he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?" And he answered, "What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?" 23 So

Joram reined about and fled and said to Ahaziah, "There is treachery, O Ahaziah!" 24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his arms; and the arrow went through his heart and he sank in his chariot.  Jehu conspires against Joram  Joram had been with Jehu fighting against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead  Joram was injured and went to Jezreel to be healed of his wounds  Jehu commands his army not to let anyone leave Ramoth-gilead  He does not want anyone to warn the king about Jehu  Jehu goes to Jezreel in a chariot to see the king  He recruits men to his side as he drives to Jezreel  Joram is told Jehu is coming  He drives his chariot out to meet Jehu with Ahaziah king of Judah  They meet at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite  Joram wants know if Jehu brings a report of peace  Jehu tells him there will be no peace until the line of Ahab is eliminated  They have encouraged the people to commit a host of sins including, harlotry and witchcraft  Joram tries to flee and warns Ahaziah  Jehu draws his bow and shoots Joram in the heart

 Joram’s body is thrown into Naboth’s vineyard (vv. 25-26) 25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, "Take him up and cast him into the property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I remember when you and I were riding together after Ahab his father, that the LORD laid this oracle against him: 26 'Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,' says the LORD, 'and I will repay you in this property,' says the LORD. Now then, take and cast him into the property, according to the word of the LORD."  Jehu commands Bidkar to leave Joram’s body in Naboth’s vineyard

 He reminds Bidkar of ’s words  Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, and I will repay you in this property  So they fulfilled the word of the Lord by casting Joram’s body in Naboth’s vineyard

 Collateral damage (Be careful the company you keep) (vv. 27-28) 27 When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, "Shoot him too, in the chariot." So they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is at Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there. 28 Then his servants carried him in a chariot to and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.  Ahaziah sees what Jehu does to Joram and flees  Jehu pursued him  He has Ahaziah shot with a bow at the ascent of Gur  Ahaziah fled to Megiddo but died of his wounds there  His body was taken to Jerusalem and buried there

 Therefore: Whether great or small, easy or difficult, wonderful or terrible, be sure to follow the Lord’s calling  If you are truly following the Lord, your faithfulness may look very different than your neighbor’s  The Lord may be calling you to lay down a responsibility because He is calling someone else to take it up  You may be the one God is calling to deal with a difficult situation  Or you may be the one God is calling to clean up after the difficult situation  The Key: Cultivate a close relationship with the Lord, so you know how He is leading you  In Hog Farm Heaven – Bob Hudson  Discharged from the Army in 1956, I became a Christian, was married,

bought part of the family farm, and began pursuing my dream of building Indiana's greatest hog operation. Since I had an accounting degree, I took a job with a local industry and was soon made assistant controller. Meanwhile the hog project was thriving.  But the Lord's conviction was on me to submit my vocation to him. Like Gideon, I told God, "You'll need to give me a sign. I have these 80 sows. If none of them has babies, I'll believe you have other work for me." In a few weeks the veterinarian confirmed the obvious: my boars were all sterile.  About then, an item in the World Gospel Mission magazine announced its need of an accountant. I applied and worked there for 25 years. A couple of years before I retired as treasurer, a Honduras missionary asked if I'd help them start a hog operation.  My first reaction? "Lord, you must be kidding!" But we moved to Honduras in 1999. And today we have the operation of my dreams with four beautiful buildings and a great vocational training program for 25 young men. – Bob Hudson in Call to Prayer; reprinted in Men of Integrity (10-25-01)

 Os Guinness Discovers God's Call In the early days of his Christian life, Os Guinness believed that he had to prove his commitment to Christ by becoming a minister or missionary. So, urged on by his spiritual mentors, he worked for a well-known church, but

he was miserable. God changed his heart and refined his calling through a random encounter at a gas station. Here's how Guinness described it: [In the days before self-service gas stations], I had just had my car filled up with gas and enjoyed a marvelously rich conversation with the pump attendant. As I turned on the key and the engine to [my car] roared to life, a thought suddenly hit me with the force of an avalanche: This man was the first person I had spoken to in a week who was not a church member. I was in danger of being drawn in a religious ghetto … . Ten minutes of conversation with a friendly gas pump attendant on a beautiful spring evening in [England], and I knew once and for all I was not cut out to [work full-time in a church]. Instead, as Guinness continued to pray and seek God's guidance, he discovered that God was calling him to work in the world so he could use his gifts and build relationships with people who didn't know Christ. After God released Guinness from what he was not supposed to do, Guinness found the freedom to pursue God's true calling for his life. Os Guinness, The Call (W Publishing Group, 1988), pp. 5-6

 Summer Job as Greenskeeper Is God's Calling "for This Time" Perceiving [all] of our labor as a vocation can have a substantial impact on how we go about [any job]. I worked as greenskeeper at a golf course in the summer when I was in school. I knew I had no intention to mow greens and fairways for my "career." But for the nine summers I was a greenskeeper, I regarded it as my calling [from God] for the time. I was ordinarily one of the first to arrive and the last to leave; I routinely volunteered for the most unpleasant or demanding work; and I could run any piece of equipment in the shop, which made me a "utility infielder" for my [bosses]. In my judgment, there is far too much Christian conversation about "finding" our calling, and too little about "pursuing" the one we have. T. David Gordon, "Vocation: Work Quietly with Your Hands,"Modern Reformation (November/December, 2011), p. 29

 The Question Commencement Speakers Don't Address Commencement speakers are always telling young people to follow their passions. Be true to yourself. This is a vision of life that begins with self and ends with self. But people on the road to [character growth] do not find their vocations by asking, what do I want from life? They ask, what is life asking of me? How can I match my intrinsic talent with one of the world's deep needs? —David Brooks, author and columnist for The New York Times David Brooks, "The Moral Bucket List," The New York Times (4-11-15)

 Congregation of One Makes Big Decision After his ordination in 1969, author and pastor Phillip Johnson received a call to serve one large church and ten smaller churches on the northern coast of Newfoundland, Canada. On the first day of his new circuit ministry, Johnson learned that in order to get to the smallest of the churches, he would have to travel 40 miles by snowmobile to a tiny village. When Johnson arrived, only one person had shown up for worship—a fisherman who had traveled about 20 miles to get there. Johnson initially thought about just saying a prayer and calling it a day. But then he realized that together, he and the fisherman had already logged 60 miles of travel and had 60 more miles to return home. With that in mind, Johnson decided to conduct the whole service as if there were a few hundred worshipers. They did it all: the hymns, the readings, the prayers, the sermon, the Lord's Supper, and the benediction. It was during the sermon that Johnson wondered why he had bothered. The fisherman never looked up. But when Johnson greeted the fisherman at the door and thanked him for coming, Johnson received a pleasant surprise. The fisherman said, "Reverend, I've been thinking about becoming a Christian for about 30-odd years. And today's the day!" Lee A. Dean, Plainwell, Michigan

 When New Technology Makes Us Its Servant In the early 1890s, French painter Auguste Renoir overheard two of his colleagues, Edgar Degas and Jean-Louis Forain, talking about the technological miracle that had recently set Paris abuzz—the telephone. Forain was apparently quite proud of being one of the first people in the city to own one. Degas: "Does it work well?" Forain: "Very well. You turn a little handle, and a bell rings at the other end of the wire in the apartment of the person you are calling. When he unhooks the earphone you talk just as easily as if you were in the same room." After reflecting a moment, Degas asked: "And does it work just as well the other way around? The other person can also turn a little handle and ring you up?" "Of course," replied Forain, beaming. "And when the bell rings, you get up and answer it?" "Why, yes. Certainly." "Just like a servant," concluded Degas. Possible Preaching Angles: Has technology (or any other form of compulsive or addictive behaviors) turned you into its servant? David Zahl; "What 1;792 Blog Posts Have Taught Me About the Internet;" Mbird blog (12-16-15)

 Heaven Guaranteed for $20 Petr Kouba runs a website called Heaven's Registry. For $20, Kouba offers "guaranteed admission into heaven." Although police consider this a scam, detective Mark Johnson admitted, "It would be pretty tough to prove he's wrong." The certificate is also available for "cherished pets" at a cost of $15. Commenting on the report, pastor Alan Andrus said, "Our calling is to teach and to preach what's in the . I guess there'll always be people who take advantage of people and use religion to do it."

The Heaven's Registry website warns that only God knows which faults will keep us out of heaven: "picking a flower in the park, eating a grape at the market without paying for it, breaking the law by speeding or going through a stop sign, using the Lord's name in vain, adultery and many more." After raising the specter of uncertainty, the website promises that with this 100 percent guaranteed heavenly admission certificate, there is now "no need for confessions or penance." Andrea Sands, Edmonton Sun (12-30-04);

 Young Adults Struggling to Find Their Purpose In a new national survey (2016), 18-24-year-olds report that having a clear purpose in life is a big part of being a "real" adult. The problem is, most young people don't feel like they've found that sense of purpose. More than 86% of young adults say that making decisions in line with their purpose makes them an adult, according to a national survey. But only 43% say they have a clear picture of what they want in life, 36% say their career path aligns with life purpose, and only 30% know why they are here. Christine B. Whelan, a professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison concludes, "This [study] isn't good news: Coasting is existing, not thriving. The majority of young adults who say they don't have a clear picture of what they want in life also say they are existing but not thriving, while those with purpose more often say they are thriving." Christine B. Whelan, "Seek Your Purpose Before Your Paycheck," Acculturated blog (5-23-16)

 Christian Apologist Found His Calling through Limitations The Chronicle of Higher Education featured an article about William Lane Craig, the man they called "Christian philosophy's boldest apostle." Craig has traveled the world debating many of the world's most articulate atheists. The atheist Sam Harris said, "Craig is the one Christian apologist who seems to have put the fear of God into many of my fellow atheists"—which is probably why the atheist Richard Dawkins refuses to debate Craig. But the story of how Craig became a brilliant scholar and debater reveals the sovereign work of God in the midst of our weaknesses and limitations. From birth he has suffered from Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome, a neuromuscular disease that causes atrophy in the extremities. He walks with a slight limp, and his hands often look as if they're gripping an invisible object. Growing up, he couldn't run normally. "My boyhood was difficult," Craig said, "Children can be very cruel." Since varsity sports weren't an option, he joined his high school debate team. Initially, he wasn't interested in spiritual issues, but he started reading the Bible, and the Jesus he found there took hold of him. Craig explained, "For me it was a question of personal … commitment: Was I prepared to become this man's follower?" During college he continued debating and searching for his calling. Not until years later, though, after establishing himself as a philosopher, did he start to debate and defend his faith in a public setting. It came as a welcome surprise. He said, "I was just thrilled to be able to [use debates] as a means of fulfilling this vision of sharing the gospel." Nathan Schneider, "The New Theist," The Chronicle of Higher Education (7-1-13)

 The Man Who Reinvented Children's Books A 1954 Life magazine article titled "Why Johnny Can't Read" argued that the "Dick and Jane" books that most schools depended on were just too boring. The books had no real story—just illustrations of children and simple words repeated over and over. All of these books looked and sounded alike. Someone needed to break the mold. A man named William Spaulding, the director of Houghton Muffin's education division, read that Lifemagazine article and then approached his friend Ted. Spaulding issued Ted a challenge: "write me a story that first graders can't put down." Ted was a talented artist with a few children's books in publication, but at the time, he was better known for a few advertising cartoons he'd done for Ford, NBC, and Standard Oil. But he saw an opportunity to use his gifts and talents to rethink children's books and help them learn to read. Ted claimed that if he could find words that rhymed he could write a story that would captivate children. Finally, he found the two words that would form the core of his book—cat and hat. When Ted Geisel (also known as Dr. Seuss) published The Cat in the Hat in 1957, children's literature was changed dramatically for the better. It had wacky illustrations, interesting characters, and a real story with tension and resolution. Children and parents loved it. The book started a revolution in early readers, helped promote phonics as a reading movement to replace rote memorization, and began the slow decline of those dull early readers. Good-bye, Dick and Jane. Hello, Cat. A David Sturt, Great Work (McGraw-Hill, 2013), pp. 17-21

 Kurt Vonnegut Character Explains the Essence of God's Call

Kurt Vonnegut's novel Timequake centers on a series of stories about people who have lost control of their lives. Rather than determine their own destinies, the characters in the book enter a "timequake" where they are forced to repeat the same bad choices over and over again without the possibility for improvement or redemption. When the "timequake" finally ends and people once again have the chance to live their own lives, most people are still gripped by Post-Timequake-Apathy (or PTA), a condition that keeps people immobilized by despair. One of the main characters named Kilgore Trout is the only one who isn't gripped by this state of apathy. Towards the end of the story, he tries to revive others by repeating this motto: "You were sick, but now you're well, and there's work to do." "You were sick, but now you're well, and there's work to do." That's a description of every Christian's experience. I was sick. Now I'm well. And now there's work to do. God in his infinite love doesn't just save us, clean us, and dump us. He saves us, cleans us, and employs us. Adapted from Mark Buchanan's sermon "The House of Love"; source: Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake (Berkeley Trade, 1998), pp.196-197