DBG - April 26 - II Kings 1-3

The book of II (second) Kings continues the narrative from I Kings.  We will see the decline and fall of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms to foreign powers.

A few quick facts about II Kings:

In this chapter Ahaziah faces off with Elijah.

vs. 1-8 – The growing weakness of the Northern kingdom is seen in their defeat to the Syrians and the revolt of Moab. Ahaziah had a terrible fall that severely injured him. He sent to the Philistine city of Ekron to enquire of the false god Baalzebub (“fly-lord”) regarding his recovery. God sends Elijah to intercept these messengers and tells them about the message from the Lord that Ahaziah will die. When the messengers return too soon, Ahaziah questions them and finds out it was Elijah the prophet that had sent them back.

vs. 9-18 - Three times Ahaziah sends to bring Elijah to the king. The first two times Elijah calls down fire from heaven that killed the men. The third time a group came their leader begged for mercy from the prophet. God told Elijah to go with this group. Elijah tells the king the message that he will die. So died Ahaziah, but he left no son. His brother Jehoram (yes, we have two kings ruling with the same name) took the throne next.

In this Elijah is taken to heaven in the fiery chariot.

vs. 1-14 – Elisha follows Elijah from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho to Jordan. Elisha requests a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, likely referring to the law of inheritance for the firstborn (Deuteronomy 21:17). This would mark him as Elijah’s successor. Elijah is taken to heaven in a chariot of fire that was born on a whirlwind. Elisha tears his own clothes in sorrow before picking up the fallen mantle of his master. He performs his first miracle when he returns to the Jordan and it parts when he hits it with Elijah’s mantle. “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.” This is Elisha describing how important Elijah had been to Israel. It was not the nation’s military might, but the power of the prophet that had helped strengthen the nation.

vs. 15-25 - The sons of the prophets appear and wish to seek Elijah, but he is gone. At Jericho he heals a bitter spring by casting a cruse of salt into it. On his way to Bethel, he is mocked by some children, and two she-bears attack them. These were not necessarily infants or tiny children because the word can be used for people 20-30 years old. Likely they were teenage boys.

In this chapter the two kingdoms unite to attack Moab and Edom

vs. 1-3 – Jehoram (“whom Jehovah has exalted”). He was not a good king by any stretch but was an improvement in some ways from Ahab and Ahaziah in that he seems to have rejected the idol worship of Baal and restored the corrupted worship established by Jeroboam.

vs. 4-20 – When the kingdom divided, the client states of Moab and Edom were divided also. Judah controlled Edom, and Israel controlled Moab. Sensing weakness after the death of Ahab and his defeat at the hands of the Syrian, Moab rebels under the leadership of Mesha (“freedom”). An alliance of the kings of Israel (Jehoram), Judah (Jehoshaphat), and Edom (an unnamed client king, I Kings 22:47) gather their troops and sweep around south into Edom to attack Moab from an unexpected direction. The combined armies find themselves in arid territory without water. At Jehoshaphat’s insistence, the prophet Elisha is brought in. Elisha’s spirit is stirred in agitation at the presence of the wicked Jehoram, and even though he would prophesy for Jehoshaphat he was in no state to do so.  The direction from God is to fill the dry valley with ditches. Water would come sweeping through the valley without warning and fill these prepared retainers with the much-needed water. This appears to have occurred by rain pouring higher in the hills that gathered and flowed swiftly through the valley. This phenomenon is not unheard of still today, but the fact the prophet knew it was coming and they prepared to catch the water was the truly miraculous part of this.

vs. 21-27 –  The timing of the miracle is even more astounding when we see that it timed with the arrival of the Moabite army. The Moabites see the son reflecting off the pools of water and think that it is blood from a fight between the three kings. They are not expecting any resistance when they approach the camp and are driven from the field. The land of Moab is razed by the allied armies. Not only are the armies defeated, but the resources of the land are broken and destroyed. The final refuge for the Moabites was the fortified town of Kirharaseth (“brick fortress”). Mesha attempts to flee with 700 soldiers but is unable to break through the siege. Verse 27 has caused some discussion. Whose “eldest son”. Some say the king of the Edomites, but this seems unlikely since that is an appointed position (I Kings 22:47) and would likely harden the resolve of the attackers. Some point to Amos 2:1 as proof that it was the Edomite’s son, but Amos refers to a “king” and the burning of his “bones” which sounds like a different event. The best explanation is that it was the son of Mesha, king of Moab. He is offering up a human sacrifice of his own son to his god. The powerful effect of this sacrifice is either in its display of resolve to fight on or in its presumed power as a sacrifice.

One thing that catches my attention in today’s reading is the near seamless transition in leadership from Elijah to Elisha.  The only smoother transition in Scripture may be from Moses to Joshua.  Elijah was brave and bold, Elisha was more reserved.  Elisha will end up performing twice as many recorded miracles as Elijah, though most are not as spectacular as Elijah’s.  Two different men, two different personalities, one God using them mightily.  Often we place far too much emphasis on the man and not the God using him.  There was only one Elijah, and there was only one Elisha.  God used both.  God’s work is not dependent on one particular leader.  If a ministry is so dependent on a man for success, it is likely not built on God’s power.

For our hymn today we will have another wonderful spiritual, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”.  Researchers believe it was composed by Wallace Willis and his daughter Minerva who lived near Hugo, Oklahoma, in the late 1860’s.  It looks forward to the peace and rest in heaven when we, like Elijah, are taken from this world. 

Refrain:
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.

1. I looked over Jordan, and what did I see?
Coming for to carry me home?
A band of angels, coming after me,
Coming for to carry me home.

2. If you get there before I do,
Coming for to carry me home,
Tell all my friends I’m coming too,
Coming for to carry me home.

3. I’m sometimes up and sometimes down,
Coming for to carry me home,
But still my soul feels heavenly bound,
Coming for to carry me home.