2 Kings 8.
THE woman being sent (verses 1, 2) out of the land of Israel to avoid the famine, illustrates the care of God for those who seek to obey Him. In chapter 4, verses 8-10 and 21-37, we observed that, though an Israelite of the ten apostate tribes, she feared God, and her faith was not only active on behalf of the servant of God, in providing a shelter for him, but it stood the test of death in her boy. Our God delights to bless and comfort those who honor Him.
Gehazi was now (verse 4) a hanger-on at court; there he was recounting, for the king’s benefit, Elisha’s deeds of power, and while so engaged, the woman Elisha had sent out of the country for the period of the famine, appeared. The world, of which the king formed a part, finds occupation at times in considering the power and benefits of Christianity, as yet seen in spite of much unfaithfulness and unbelief, but there is no effect produced on the conscience by such occupation. And of Gehazi what can we say? Was there true faith in him? We can only say in the words of Scripture,
Our attention is now directed to the Syrian capital, far to the north. Elisha, as Elijah’s successor, was gone to Damascus in connection with the word given to the earlier prophet in 1 Kings 19:1515And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: (1 Kings 19:15). This Hazael was to be the scourge of Israel on account of their sins. Accepting the declaration of Elisha, that he should be the next king of Syria, he forthwith murdered the sick king (verse 15), and took the rule of the country.
Verses 16 to 24 give us a brief and faithful review of the life of Joram, or Jehoram, king of Judah. The books of the Kings, as we have before noticed, are not occupied very much with the lesser kingdom of Judah, while Israel, the ten tribes, remain, but the two kingdoms were now united by marriage, worshiping the same idols, walking in the same sins, and God was about to visit them in sore displeasure.
Edom and Libnah revolted from the authority of the kings of Judah. Joram’s son reigned but one year, which was enough to mark him out as bad as the other members of the family, since Jehoshaphat allowed the marriage of his son with Athaliah the daughter of Jezebel. Ahaziah went with the king of Israel to fight with the king of Syria, and in the war Joram was wounded, and went to Jezreel to be healed. The chapter closes with Ahaziah and Joram together at Jezreel. There the judgment of God was to fall upon them.
ML 11/20/1927