Elisha finishes his earthly race and the kings of Israel and Judah ignore the voice of the Lord.
2 Kings 13: Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel
1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years.
2 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them.
3 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael.
4 Then Jehoahaz sought the favour of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 (Therefore the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly.
6 Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin, but walked in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria.)
7 For there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
9 So Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash his son reigned in his place.
Jehoash Reigns in Israel
10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.
11 He also did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin, but he walked in them.
12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and the might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
13 So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
The Death of Elisha
14 Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!"
15 And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows.
16 Then he said to the king of Israel, "Draw the bow," and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands.
17 And he said, "Open the window eastward," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot," and he shot. And he said, "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them."
18 And he said, "Take the arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground with them." And he struck three times and stopped.
19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times."
20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year.
21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
22 Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
23 But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.
24 When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place.
25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.
2 Kings 14: Amaziah Reigns in Judah
1 In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.
3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done.
4 But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
5 And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand, he struck down his servants who had struck down the king his father.
6 But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded, "Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin."
7 He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela by storm, and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this day.
8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one another in the face."
9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, "A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife,' and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.
10 You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?"
11 But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home.
13 And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
14 And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.
15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.
17 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
18 Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
19 And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there.
20 And they brought him on horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.
Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel
23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years.
24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.
26 For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.
27 But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.
21 It was Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, who struck him down, so that he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
Things to think about…
1. With all the northern kings of Israel we see they did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made the gold calves. Generational sin is very difficult to break simply because we live with it so long. These sins become part of our culture and we tolerate them and we can in fact become immune to their influence. Can you think of any cultural (golden calf) sins here in Australia that need smashing? We are certainly a materialistic culture and spiritual endeavour comes a distant second. We are dulled to the sins around us us through online streaming services and social media. This spirit often finds its way into churches.
2. Elisha dies, 2 Kings 13:14-25. But he firstly gets a visit from the king – a carnal man who followed after the calf/idol worship of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. We often want a word or a blessing over our lives, but we don’t want to move in obedience with the Lord’s Spirit. The king gets his blessing but his heart remains unchanged towards the Lord. Has this ever happened to you? The Lord has blessed you but you have failed to move in obedience from that point on?
3. Have a look at the character of Amaziah in 2Kings 14:1-22. He kills a few enemies of the Lord, 10 000 Edomites and actually does what is right before the Lord in his acts of worship, but then decides to fight with Israel’s king in the north. God had not told him to do that. In fact, the Lord would have wanted the kingdoms united not divided. Amaziah in pride, does not listen and fights against Jehoash. Jehoash takes Jerusalem’s wealth, breaks down a large part of the wall and the temple is stripped of all its wealth. The result… the people of God suffer because of a foolish act from their king. Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean we do all things well. We need counsel. Whose counsel are you listening to at the moment? As such there is a conspiracy against Amaziah. He flees to Lachish and loses his life. The end of our earthly race is far more important than the way we start.
4. Jeroboam the second reigns in Israel for 41 years, 2 Kings 14:23. He is blessed by the ministry of Jonah (the one who had an encounter with a large fish), but Jeroboam still does not turn his heart back to the Lord. The main problem being that the northern kings believed that the kingdom would lose power to the south if they had to worship at Jerusalem. Rather than lose power it would have unified God’s people. Are there opportunities for you to build relationships with other people or churches that would promote a united witness for Christ?
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon title was “Trusting in the unseen” - from 2 Kings 6:8-23
1. The Syrian army had surrounded Dothan, the town where Elisha was staying. When Elisha’s servant saw the Syrian army he was afraid. Elisha’s response to the servant was “those who are with us are more than those who are with them”, 2 Kings 6:16. This is claimed by faith by all believers in an unseen God. What keeps your faith alive as you are held in God’s unseen hand in your life?
2. Elisha prays that the servant’s eyes are opened. He then sees the mountain full of chariots and horses of the Lord all around Elisha, vs 17. Elisha prays for blindness over the Syrian army. They become blind. Spiritual blindness in our day is a judgement of sorts. Elisha then leads this army to Samaria then their eyes are opened. In what ways can we lead the spiritually blind to see their true condition.
3. Often we want judgement on our enemies like the king of Israel wanted towards the Syrian army. But God shows mercy. Why was it appropriate to show the Syrian army mercy by giving them food and water and letting them go and when is it appropriate to show mercy to those who want to harm us?
Prayer Points
1. Growth in our kids and youth ministries
2. Pray for testimonies that people will be giving every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours.
3. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
4. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points.
1. A man who has joined CBC recently, Nathan is wanting to be a child of God.
2. Graham’s faithful message on Sunday.
3. Worship team and technical team. Thankyou Rod, Zac, Molly, Riley, iMan, Melissa, Dan.
4. More visitors and spirit of joy on Sunday.
Announcements
1. Members meeting 28th Nov after the service.
2. Kids@church back. Please check your rosters
3. Recharge Youth – back on Friday 6:30pm at church all high schoolers.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
