ELISHA THE MAN WHO WEPT (2 KINGS 8:7 10:36) TWO SWORDS OF JUSTICE (8:7 10:36)

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1 ELISHA THE MAN WHO WEPT (2 KINGS 8:7 10:36) Solomon said that there is a time to weep and a time to laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:4a). As a rule, the Lord wants His people to be happy (Psalm 32:11; Philippians 4:4); but there are times when it is appropriate to be sad (Matthew 5:4; Romans 12:15). In fact, there are times when it is inappropriate to be happy. Jeremiah wept over the sinfulness of God s people and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 9:1; Lamentations). Jesus wept when a friend died (John 11:35), when He contemplated the fate of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41 44), and as He faced the cross (Hebrews 5:7). Paul wrote to the Corinthians with many tears (2 Corinthians 2:4). In the text for this presentation, we read, And the man of God wept (2 Kings 8:11b). In this lesson, we will see Elisha s far-reaching influence: He was a man with political power, a king-maker in two nations. However, this was nothing to the prophet compared to the tragedy that would befall Israel (v. 12). In spite of his efforts, the nation and its leaders had persisted in rebelling against God and that broke his heart. This study is taken from 2 Kings 8 10, chapters that cover much of the latter part of Elisha s ministry. It was a bloody period in the history of Israel, filled with events that would cause any tenderhearted person to weep. TWO SWORDS OF JUSTICE (8:7 10:36) The Sword of Hazael The story begins with these surprising words: Then Elisha came to Damascus (8:7a). Damascus was the capital of Aram, Israel s longtime enemy. It was in Damascus that plans had been made to capture Elisha and perhaps kill him (see 6:8 13). Now the prophet was audaciously marching into that metropolis. Why was he there? Perhaps he hoped to visit with Naaman to encourage him to remain faithful to the decision he had made (5:15, 17), but his primary purpose was to fulfill a divine commission given long before. At Mount Horeb, the Lord had told Elisha s predecessor, Elijah,... Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death (1 Kings 19:15 17). In the first lesson of our series, we saw Elijah carry out the third part of this commission: the setting apart of Elisha for holy service. Why did Elijah not carry out parts one and two immediately? Apparently, during his ministry, the time was not right for the anointing of Hazael or Jehu. The tasks had thus been passed on to Elisha. The first command had been to go... to the wilderness of Damascus, and... anoint Hazael (1 Kings 19:15). The time had come for that order to be carried out so Elisha traveled to Damascus. It happened that Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick (2 Kings 8:7b). We are not told what the illness was. Whatever the sickness was, it was severe life-threatening. A messenger informed the king, The man of God has come here (8:7c). Earlier, the king 1

2 would have said, Capture Elisha and bring me his head! Now, however, he was no longer the vigorous commander in chief concerned about battle plans. Now he was a sick, old man. Illness can change a person s point of view (see Psalm 119:71). Elisha s miraculous abilities were known to this king; they had thwarted him often enough in the past (2 Kings 6:8 23). Also, Naaman had likely related the story of his healing many times. The ruler thus called a trusted attendant named Hazael (the very man God had mentioned to Elijah). He told Hazael, Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God (8:8a). Earlier, the king had sent lavish gifts to be presented by Naaman; now he would send his own. In principle, such gifts were to appease the pagan gods; in reality, they were bribes to the false priests and false prophets: Usually, the bigger the gift, the more favorable revelation the giver received. As I read about the king s gift, I wonder if Naaman had told the king about Gehazi s request (lie), which indicated that Elisha would be willing to accept such gifts. The king told Hazael to inquire of the Lord through Elisha, asking, Will I recover from this sickness? (8:8b). Probably, the ruler had already consulted his pagan gods (see 5:18) but had received no satisfaction. An amazing gift was gathered: forty camel s loads of every kind of good thing of Damascus (8:9b). Damascus was the center of trade between Egypt, Asia Minor, and Mesopotamia, so the good thing[s] there were good indeed: precious metals, fine clothing, a wide range of handcrafted goods, the most exotic food and drink. It would be difficult to imagine a more impressive present, but there is no indication that Elisha accepted it when it arrived. Hazael located Elisha (8:9a). He stood before him and said, Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, Will I recover from this sickness? (8:9c). Your son was a term of respect, but it also implied dependence. Elisha s reply puzzles scholars: Go, say to him, You will surely recover, 1 but the LORD has 1 Some ancient manuscripts have You will not surely recover, but the reading You will surely recover is to be preferred (J. Robert Vannoy, notes on 2 Kings, The NIV Study Bible, ed. Kenneth Barker [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1985], 537). shown me that he will certainly die (8:10). What did Elisha mean? Burton Coffman noted that the latter part of the sentence is said to be from the LORD, but that the first part is not. 2 His conclusion (and the conclusion of many writers) is that the first part of the sentence indicates Elisha s awareness of the lie Hazael would tell to the king. Using this interpretation, Elisha s words might be paraphrased this way: You go ahead and tell the king that he will surely recover even as you planned but the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die. Another possibility (preferred by other writers, including myself) is that Elisha s answer to the question Will I recover...? is Yes and No : Yes, you will recover since your sickness is not a fatal illness. If that were all you had to worry about, you would live. Nevertheless, the answer is no because the Lord has shown me that you will die. In other words, the sickness was not terminal but the king s life was about to be terminated. 3 In verse 11 we find another challenge in interpretation. The text says, He fixed his gaze steadily on him until he was ashamed (8:11a). It is unclear to whom the two he s refer. Some think the first he refers to Elisha while the second he refers to Hazael. Others are convinced the first he refers to Hazael while the second is speaking of Elisha (see the NCV). Some would even make both he s refer to Elisha, or both to Hazael. My preference is the first possibility mentioned. The CJB has Then the man of God [Elisha] fixed his gaze on him [Hazael] for so long that Hazael became embarrassed. Here is a possible sequence: Elisha told Hazael that the Lord had said Ben-hadad would die. He then paused and gave Hazael a meaningful look, indicating that he knew exactly how the king would die. Hazael, who had already made plans to assassinate the king, was startled and could not look the prophet in the eye. Because Elisha revealed that the king would die, some authors try to make Elisha (and God) responsible for the deed. It is true that God knew 2 James Burton Coffman and Thelma B. Coffman, Commentary on Second Kings, James Burton Coffman Commentaries, The Historical Books, vol. 6 (Abilene, Tex.: A.C.U. Press, 1992), Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct (Colorado Springs, Colo.: Victor, 2002), 61. 2

3 that Ben-hadad would die (8:10). He also knew the atrocities that Hazael would commit (8:12), and He had Elisha announce both incidents in advance. However, this does not mean that God and Elisha were responsible for these evil deeds or that those who committed them were not held accountable (see Amos 1:3 5). In an earlier lesson, I stated that I can know what someone did in the past without that knowledge interfering with the free will of that individual. In the same way, an omniscient God can know in advance that a person will do something without this interfering with his free will. As Elisha and Hazael stood looking at each other, a vision of what Hazael would do to the Israelites flashed through the prophet s mind. At that point, the man of God wept (8:11b). Hazael asked, Why does my lord weep? (8:12a). Elisha answered, Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up (v. 12b). Such brutalities were normal in ancient warfare (see 2 Kings 15:16; Hosea 13:16). 4 Thus would the sword of Hazael (1 Kings 19:17) wreak dreadful vengeance on those who had forsaken the Lord. Hazael replied, But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing? (2 Kings 8:13a). Some translations interpret the text as though Hazael said, Am I a dog [a despicable person] that I should do such terrible things? (see the KJV; NCV). However, Hazael did not say terrible things, but great thing[s]. He used the term dog not in the sense of being vile, but in the sense of being insignificant. The REB has But I am a dog, a mere nobody.... Assyrian records refer to Hazael as the son of a nobody. 5 Elisha perhaps shook his head as he responded, The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram (8:13b). 6 Hazael was probably delighted to hear that prediction. 4 Coffman added that even today, there is no such thing as a kind war (Coffman, 103). 5 Donald J. Wiseman, 1 and 2 Kings: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries ( Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1993), Some believe that, at this point, Elisha anointed Hazael with oil; but there is nothing to indicate that such Hazael departed from Elisha and returned to his master, who said to him, What did Elisha say to you? (8:14a). To the question Will I recover from this sickness? (8:8), the prophet had, in effect, answered, Yes and No but Hazael only gave the king the yes part of the response: He told me that you would surely recover (8:14b). The no part of Elisha s answer was fulfilled the next day: On the following day, he [Hazael] took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his [the king s] face, so that he died (8:15a) of asphyxiation. The word translated cover refers to a cloth of coarse texture. It could refer to a blanket on the king s bed (NCV) or even to a mat from the floor. Perhaps Hazael used this method of assassination to make it appear that the king died a natural death. Following Ben-hadad s death, there was no doubt a power struggle in Damascus; ultimately, however, Elisha s words came true: And Hazael became king in his place (8:15b). Hazael... was a strong king of Aram (c /7 BC). 7 Did he do the things Elisha had foretold? Yes. Later in chapter 8, we see him warring against the king of Israel (8:28; see 9:14). In 10:32 we read, In those days the LORD began to cut off portions from Israel; and Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel. On at least one occasion, Hazael even brought his forces into the southern kingdom of Judah (12:17, 18). In 2 Kings 13, we find these summary statements: So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram... ; Now Hazael king of Aram... oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz (vv. 3, 22). The people of God had not kept their covenant with God, and the consequences were terrible. The Sword of Jehu God had told Elijah not only to anoint Hazael, but also to anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel (1 Kings 19:16). The Lord had said that the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death with his sword (1 Kings a ceremony took place. Hazael s anointing was probably like that which Elisha himself received: a setting-apart (by word or action) to fulfill the purposes of the Lord. 7 Wiseman,

4 19:17). Hazael punished a sinful nation from without; Jehu would punish sinful men from within. The responsibility of anointing Jehu had fallen to Elisha and it was time to fulfill that task. The end of 2 Kings 8 gives a brief account of the reign of Jehoram in the southern kingdom of Judah (8:16 23). When Jehoram died, his son Ahaziah became king (8:24 27). When Ahaziah became king of Judah, he introduced the worship of Baal into the southern kingdom (see 8:26, 27; 11:18). Some time after this, he and his uncle Joram, king of Israel, went to battle with Hazael at Ramoth-gilead (8:28; see 9:14b), a strategic Israelite fortress on the eastern side of the Jordan (see the map on page 8 of the article Elisha: The Man Who Blessed a Life ). During the battle, Joram was wounded (8:28). Joram s troops remained at Ramoth-gilead (see 9:1 4) while the king was taken to his winter palace at Jezreel (see the map on page 8 of the article Elisha: The Man Who Blessed a Life ) to recover (8:29a). (Perhaps he went to Jezreel because his mother, Jezebel, was there [see 9:30]; most of us like a mother s care when we are ailing.) Shortly thereafter, Ahaziah came to Jezreel to check on Joram (8:29b). The stage was thus set for the punishment of both Joram and Ahaziah (see 2 Chronicles 22:6, 7). Chapter 9 begins with the anointing of Jehu. Before we look at that text, some background is in order. We learn from 9:25 that Jehu was present with Ahab at Naboth s vineyard when Elijah cursed Ahab and his household. On that occasion, the Lord had told Elijah, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it. You shall speak to him, saying, Thus says the LORD, Have you murdered and also taken possession? And you shall speak to him, saying, Thus says the LORD, In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours (1 Kings 21:18, 19). When Elijah reached the vineyard, Ahab was inspecting his new acquisition, accompanied by Jehu and another officer (2 Kings 9:25). When the king saw Elijah, he said, Have you found me, O my enemy? (1 Kings 21:20a). Elijah replied, I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat [see 1 Kings 15:28 30], and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah [see 1 Kings 16:8 12], because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel (1 Kings 21:20b 23). Ahab s response to this terrible prophecy delayed its fulfillment (1 Kings 21:27 29) but did not negate it. After Ahab s death, Jehu served Ahab s son Joram and rose to a position of authority. He was probably commander of the forces of Israel (see 2 Kings 9:5; NIV). As 2 Kings 9 opens, he was with his army at Ramoth-gilead (9:1, 2), fighting against Hazael (9:14). It was time to anoint Jehu, but Elisha himself did not go to Ramoth-gilead to do the deed. It has been suggested that he was too old to travel, but he was probably just in his forties. More likely, he knew that he would be recognized, and there was a need for secrecy. He therefore sent one of the sons of the prophets (9:1 3). Perhaps this was the servant who had replaced Gehazi. 8 The young man found Jehu, took him apart from the other military leaders, and poured oil on his head (9:4 6a). This is the only record in the Scriptures of a king of Israel (the northern kingdom) being anointed by a representative of the Lord. The prophet-trainee then gave Jehu this fearsome commission: Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 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. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel.... The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her (9:6b 10a). When Jehu returned to his fellow officers, they wondered what the man s mission had been. At first Jehu evaded their questions, but 8 A rabbinical fancy, scarcely to be called a tradition, makes [the servant] Jonah, the son of Amittai (G. Rawlinson, 2 Kings, The Pulpit Commentary, vol. 5, 1 & 2 Kings, ed. H. D. M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1950], 188). 4

5 finally he admitted, He said to me, Thus says the LORD, I have anointed you king over Israel (9:12b). The other leaders enthusiastically accepted the commander as their new ruler. A trumpet was blown, and they shouted, Jehu is king! (9:13b). Jehu instructed them to make sure no one left the city to warn Joram (9:15b). He then mounted his chariot and raced (see 9:20b) westward, forty-five or fifty miles to Jezreel (9:16). As Jehu and those with him neared Jezreel, a horseman was sent to meet them (9:17), probably to ask how the battle was going. Jehu added the messenger to his company and drove on (9:18). A second horseman was sent, with the same result (9:19, 20). Finally, King Joram and King Ahaziah rode out in their chariots to meet Jehu (9: 21a). Do not overlook the ominous note at the end of verse 21: They went out to meet Jehu and found him in the property of Naboth the Jezreelite (emphasis mine). Jehu shot Joram with an arrow (9:24) and told his officer Bidkar,... 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: 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 (9:25, 26). 9 Some see in the words Is it well? (shalom) an attempt at reconciliation, but the words that follow suggest that the question was intended to be ironic. King Ahaziah fled, but he was wounded and died shortly thereafter (9:27, 28). By the time Jehu arrived at Jezreel, word had reached the infamous Jezebel that the commander had killed her son (see 9:30, 31). She painted her eyes and adorned her head (9:30b). Was she hoping to seduce Jehu? Perhaps; though no longer young, she was probably still attractive. More likely, she wanted to die like a queen. Perhaps she envisioned her body lying in state, with mourners commenting on her beauty. As Jehu entered the gate of the city, she looked out a window of the palace and called down, Is it well, 9 Zimri, your master s murderer? (9:30c, 31). She called Jehu Zimri because he was seizing the throne by assassination as Zimri had done forty-five years earlier (see 1 Kings 16:8 10). Perhaps there was also a sinister implication in her words: Zimri had only reigned seven days before taking his own life (16:15, 18). By this time, faces had appeared in the windows of the palace. Jehu shouted up, Who is on my side? Who? (9:32a). Two or three frightened officials evidently nodded (9:32b). Jehu commanded them, Throw her down (9:33a). We then have a dreadful scene best depicted without comment: So they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he [Jehu] trampled her under foot [with his chariot and horses] (9:33b). With no one to oppose him, Jehu took possession of the palace and sat down to eat his first meal as the new king (9:34a). The meal must have mellowed him somewhat, because he decided that despite her devilish ways Jezebel deserved a proper burial. 10 He told his attendants, See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king s daughter (9:34b). Jezebel was the daughter of the king of the Sidonians (1 Kings 16:31), not to mention the wife of a king and the mother and grandmother of kings. However, when they went out to bury Jezebel, they found nothing more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands (2 Kings 9:35); dogs had eaten the rest. Someone said that the savage scavengers of that day had as soon eat a dead queen as a dead deer. When the servants reported what had happened, Jehu saw in the tragedy a fulfillment of Elijah s prophecy:... This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, This is Jezebel (9:36, 37). Jezebel learned the hard way that beauty doesn t last (Proverbs 31:30; LB). Her body would not lie in state as mourners admired her beauty; her body would not lie in state at all. Thus began the reign of Jehu, a reign of twenty-eight years (10:36). Chapter 10 tells how Jehu carried out his mission of killing descen- 10 Had he forgotten that the son of the prophet had said that Jezebel would not be buried? (See 2 Kings 9:10.) 5

6 dants of Ahab and eradicating worshipers of Baal. Think of it as a kind of radical surgery: removing every vestige of a disease in hopes that the body might live. FOUR STATEMENTS OF TRUTH The story of Hazael and Jehu is a gruesome tale soaked in blood. What possible lessons can we glean from it? Let me suggest four truths we ought to take to heart. 1. God Is in Control. If you and I had lived in the turbulent days of Hazael and Jehu, we might have wondered, Why is God allowing this to happen? Second Kings 8 10 lets us know that, instead of losing control of the situation, God was completely in control. As ungodly as Hazael and Jehu were, He used them as instruments of justice. When we are surrounded by chaos, it is difficult to see reason or purpose in the confusion. At such times, it is good to be reminded that God reigns over the nations (Psalm 47:8a; see 22:28). He can make nations great and then destroy them (Job 12:23); He can nullify the counsel of national leaders and frustrate their plans (Psalm 33:10). Above all, we need to cling to the promise that, no matter how hard life may become, God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). I am not saying we can always understand why things happen as they do, but it helps to remember that God can make good come from evil. It is not easy to walk by faith instead of sight (see 2 Corinthians 5:7), but God is still on His throne; He remains in control. 2. The Word of God Is Sure. A lesson the Holy Spirit wanted all readers to learn is that God s Word is sure. Throughout 2 Kings 8 10, it is noted again and again that God s Word came to pass. God s prophet Elisha predicted that Ben-hadad would die (8:10), and he did (8:15). Elisha promised that Hazael would become king of Aram (8:13), and he did (8:15). Elisha told of Hazael s oppression of Israel (8:12), and it happened just as the prophet foretold (see 10:32, 33; 13:3, 22). Elijah said that the blood of Naboth would be avenged in the vineyard taken from him (1 Kings 21:19), and it was (2 Kings 9:21, 25, 26). Elijah had told Ahab that all of his descendants would be destroyed (1 Kings 21:21), and this prophecy came to pass (2 Kings 10:17). Although Jehu had an ulterior motive when he made the statement, he still spoke the truth when he said that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the LORD... (2 Kings 10:10). To fall to the earth was to perish or come to nothing. The NIV has not a word the LORD has spoken... will fail. Second Kings 8 10 makes clear that when the Lord says something will happen, it will happen. God s Word is certain of fulfillment though all the powers of evil conspire against it. The wicked will weep because this is true (see Matthew 7:13, 14; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 16:22; Galatians 5:19 21). The godly can rejoice because this is certain (see Isaiah 1:18; John 14:1 3; 1 John 1:7; 3:2). 3. The Consequences of Sin Are Terrible. A striking message of 2 Kings 8 10 is that the consequences of sin are terrible. The devil makes the path of disobedience appear attractive; but, in the end, the way of transgressors is hard (Proverbs 13:15; KJV). There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Proverbs 16:25). Thoughtful individuals have discovered the truth of Galatians 6:7, 8a:... whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. From time to time, God has given vivid object lessons to impress upon people s minds the fact that sin brings terrible consequences not only to the sinner, but to others. Think of the flood that wiped out thousands of rebellious souls and their families. Consider the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, a catastrophe so complete that the two cities were annihilated. Contemplate the death of the firstborn Egyptian males and the demise of the Egyptian soldiers as they pursued the Israelites into the Red Sea. The punishment of Israel by Hazael and the destruction of Ahab s family and Baal worshipers by Jehu are added reminders that the Lord does not take disobedience lightly. Second Kings 8 10 should make us examine our hearts and lives. If we find sin and rebellion there, we need to repent and return to God at once! 6

7 4. Our Hearts Should be Touched. A fourth truth brings us back to the theme of our lesson: The Man Who Wept. For years, Israel had rebelled against God. They had abandoned the Lord and had gone after other gods. There seemed no limit to their wickedness. When the Lord sent prophets to call them back, they mocked God s messengers and killed many of them. They had earned the harshest of punishments. Nevertheless, when Elisha learned their fate (8:12), he did not rejoice and say, It s about time! They are getting what they deserve! No, rather, the man of God wept (8:11). A moment ago, I mentioned the consequences of sin. Some of those consequences are in this world (see Romans 1:27b); most will be in the world to come (Revelation 20:11 15). When we see the wicked suffering as they reap what they have sown (see Galatians 6:7, 8), or when we read of the eternal punishment of the disobedient (Matthew 7:21 23; 8:12; Mark 9:47, 48; Revelation 21:8), what is our response? Are we glad or sad? If Elisha wept when he considered the temporal punishment of the Israelites, how much more should we weep when we contemplate the eternal punishment of those we meet each day! A church was without a preacher. They invited several men to come and preach a sermon. One Sunday, a man came and preached on hell. The next Sunday, another man came and his sermon was also on hell. They decided to ask the second man to work with them. Later someone asked them why they made that choice. They said, The first preacher said people were going to hell, and he acted glad. The second preacher said people were going to hell, and he was sad. We all wanted the second speaker. Somewhere I saw the title of a lecture that read something like this: A Dry-Eyed Church in a Hell-Bent World. Is it possible that we can see those around rushing headlong into hell and remain unmoved? When Jesus looked at Jerusalem the city that rejected Him, the city that would crucify Him, but also the city that would be destroyed He wept (Luke 19:41 44; see Matthew 23:37, 38). When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth a church filled with every problem imaginable he wept (2 Corinthians 2:4). He asked them, Who is led into sin without my intense concern? (2 Corinthians 11:29b). Are we concerned about those who are lost? If we truly care, we will stop making excuses and will start taking the gospel to others. It is their only hope (Romans 1:16)! CONCLUSION The greatest tragedy in a tragic event is when nothing is learned from it, when nothing is made better. From the tragedies of 2 Kings 8 10, we have pulled four basic truths: (1) God is in control: We should be calm. (2) The Word of God is sure: We can be confident. (3) The consequences of sin are terrible: We must be careful. (4) Our hearts should be touched: We need to care. The question now is, Will we learn these truths? More important, will our lives be made better as a result? NOTES FOR TEACHERS & PREACHERS When you use this sermon, you will want to encourage your listeners to become Christians and admonish unfaithful Christians to be restored (see Acts 2:38; 8:22). Regarding unfaithful Christians, you might say, The Israelites were punished because they broke their covenant with God. When you were baptized, you made a covenant to be faithful to the Lord. Have you kept that covenant? If not, you need to return to Him today! David Roper ARCHEOLOGICAL NOTE The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III illustrates Jehu prostrating himself before the Assyrian king (the date would be about 840 B.C., at the beginning of Jehu s reign) and offering gifts, possibly with a view to buying support against Hazael of Damascus. Adad-Nirari III (c B.C.), in an inscription found at Nimrud, also claimed to have received tribute from the territory of Omri Kings also describes the paying of tribute by Israel to Assyria in the reigns of Menahem (c B.C.) and Hoshea (c B.C.); see 2 Kings 15:19ff.; 17: John B. Taylor, Ezekiel: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, ed. D. J. Wiseman (Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1969), 172. The obelisk is discussed in D. Winton Thomas, ed., Documents from Old Testament Times (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1958), 48 49, plate 3. Copyright, 2004 by Truth for Today ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 7