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2 Kings 8 & 2 Chronicles 21 | Reaping the Harvest of Sin Eliphaz Said

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2 Kings 8 & 2 Chronicles 21 | Reaping the Harvest of Sin Eliphaz Said Men’s Study & Coffee | March 6, 2018 | 2 Kings, Week Eight (*notes from “Be Distinct” by Warren Wiersbe) 2 Kings 8 & 2 Chronicles 21 | Reaping the Harvest of Sin Eliphaz said some foolish things to his suffering friend Job, but he also stated some eternal principles, one of them being, “Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same” (Job 4:8). Solomon repeated this truth in Proverbs 22:8, “He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow”, and the prophet Hosea put it graphically when he said, “They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind”. Jeroboam, Omri, and Ahab had led the northern kingdom of Israel into idolatry, and Jehoram, who married a daughter of Ahab, had introduced Baal worship into the kingdom of Judah. Both kingdoms were rebellious against the Lord and polluted by idolatry, but now the day of judgment had arrived for Ahab’s dynasty, the day that the Prophet Elijah had predicted (1 Kings 21:21, 29). 1. The greatness of God. (2 Kings 8:1–6) This event likely took place before the healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5), since the king wasn’t likely to welcome a leper into the palace, and Gehazi was a leper (5:27). The author of 2 Kings doesn’t claim to follow a strict chronology, and we’re not even sure which king Gehazi was entertaining with stories about his master. Perhaps this event occurred early in the reign of King Joram. This account reminds us of the greatness of the Lord. The events that follow reveal the sinfulness of people, but this section gives us a reminder that God is great and will accomplish His purposes in spite of the sinfulness of people, great and small. God controls nature (8:1–2). We were introduced to the wealthy Shunamite woman and her family in 4:8–37. God often used famines to reprimand His people when they were disobedient and needed to be reminded of their covenant obligations (Deut. 28:17, 48). This famine may have been the one mentioned in 4:38. The prophet warned the woman to escape the famine by going to the land of the Philistines and becoming a resident alien there. Knowing in advance that the famine was coming, she was able to secure a temporary home in Philistia ahead of the others who would flee Israel. Note her husband isn’t mentioned; but since he was older than she (4:14), it’s likely he was dead. This famine came because the Lord called for it, and He could command it because He is Lord of all. “Moreover He called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread” (Ps. 105:16). In the beginning, God spoke and creation came into being (Gen. 1), and God speaks today and creation obeys His will (see Ps. 148). In these times of discipline and distress, if God’s people would pray and confess their sins, God would have delivered them (2 Chron. 7:14). When people ignore God’s Word, the Lord may speak through His creation and remind them who is in charge. God controls life and death (8:3–5). The account of the miracles in the life of the Shunamite woman reveals the awesome power of God. She had no children and her husband was now old, but as with Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 17), the Lord gave them both new life and the woman conceived a son. But the son was struck with an illness and died, yet the Lord raised him from the dead. God keeps us among the living (Ps. 66:9), and “in his hand is the life of every creature and breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10). “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Famines remind us that God alone can make nature fruitful, and death reminds us that God alone gives life and has the power and authority to take it away. “No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death” (Ecc. 8:8). God providentially controls the events in life (8:5–6). At the very moment Gehazi was describing this wonderful resurrection miracle, the mother of the child walked into the throne room! She had returned home only to discover that strangers had taken over her estate and robbed her of seven years’ produce. In those days, it was common for people to bring such problems directly to the king and he would decide how property should be divided. The fact Gehazi stood there as witness to her ownership of the land made it easy for the king to pass judgment. Years before, when her son had died, little did the mother realize that one day that bitter experience would play an important part in the preservation of her property. Our English word “providence” comes from two Latin words, pro and video, which together mean “to see ahead, to see before.” God not only knows what lies ahead; but He plans what is to happen in the future and executes His plan perfectly. Perhaps a better word is “prearrangement.” In no way does God’s providence interfere with our power of choice or our responsibility for the choices we make and their consequences. (See 1 Chron. 29:11; Job 41:11; Ps. 95:3–5; 135:6; 139:13–18; Dan. 4:35; James 4:13–15.) This happy episode in the king’s palace reveals to us the character of God and prepares us for the wild events that follow. Hazael will murder Ben Hadad and become king of Syria. Jehu will sweep through the land and kill kings, princes, and pagan priests as he wipes out the house of Ahab and the worship of Baal. Evil Queen Jezebel and Queen Mother Athaliah will both meet their death and pay for their wicked deeds. What a time in history! Nevertheless, the Lord was on His throne, judging sin and fulfilling His Word. No matter what occurs in history, God is in control. He knows all things and can do all things. He is present everywhere, working out His will. He is a holy God who is longsuffering with sinners but eventually judges those who disobey Him. Our world may be shaking (Heb. 12:25–29), but our God can be trusted to do what is right. 2. The wickedness of the human heart. (2 Kings 8:7–15) When the Lord met with the Prophet Elijah on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8–18), He gave him a threefold commission: to anoint Hazael king of Syria, to anoint Jehu king of Israel, and to anoint Elisha to minister as his successor (1 Kings 19:15–16). Before his translation to heaven, Elijah had fulfilled only one of those commissions, the anointing of Elisha (1 Kings 19:19–21), so we assume he told Elisha to take care of the other two assignments. Jehu would become God’s appointed scourge to rid the land of Ahab’s evil descendants as well as Ahab’s false religion. The mission of Elisha (vv. 7–13). It took faith and courage for Elisha to travel to Damascus. After all, he had often thwarted Syria’s plans for raiding Israel’s border towns (6:9–12) and he had humiliated the Syrian army by leading them into Samaria and sending them home with full stomachs but empty hands (6:14–23). Because of Elisha, the Syrian army fled from Samaria and the Jewish people were able to loot their camp (7:1ff). But Elisha had also healed Naaman the Syrian of his leprosy (5:1ff), and when Elisha brought the Syrian raiding party to Samaria, he showed them mercy and saved their lives. The fact that Ben Hadad the Syrian king was very ill and wanted help from the Lord made Elisha’s arrival more significant. This was a pagan Gentile king seeking the help of a prophet of Jehovah, but perhaps the conversion of Naaman had something to do with it. Even more, Ben Hadad sent Hazael, one of his high officials, to meet Elisha and give him expensive gifts. The gifts were probably more like “bribes” and the king was hoping that his generosity would cause Elisha to give him a good answer. But like his master, Elisha undoubtedly refused to accept the gifts (5:15–16). By calling the king of Syria “your son,” Hazael was seeking to add more honor to Elisha (see 6:21). Then he asked the key question: would the king of Syria recover from his sickness? Elisha’s reply appears to be deliberately ambiguous; the Hebrew text can be read “You will certainly recover” or “Your will certainly not recover”. The prophet seems to be saying, “The sickness will not take his life, but he will die by another means.” In other words, the sickness was not terminal but the king’s life was about to be terminated. As a high officer of the king, Hazael wanted to give the king good news, so he didn’t convey to him the second part of the message. Elisha was not lying to Hazael. Hazael’s question “Will the king recover from his sickness?” was answered “Yes and no.” No, the sickness would not kill the king, but, yes, something else will kill him. However, Elisha didn’t reveal what that “something else” was or when it would happen. Elisha stared at Hazael, as though reading his mind and heart, and then the prophet broke into weeping.
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