November 28 The Prophet's Grief

November 27

The Prophet's Grief

2 Kings 8:7-15 Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, "The man of God has come here," 8 the king said to Hazael, "Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord through him, saying, 'Shall I recover from this sickness?'" 9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camel loads. When he came and stood before Elisha, he said, "Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I recover from this sickness?'" 10 And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover,' but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die." 11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women." 13 And Hazael said, "What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria." 14 Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he answered, "He told me that you would certainly recover." 15 But the next day he took the bed cloth and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

THIS is a hard story, isn't it? These are the kinds of stories in the Bible most of us would rather avoid. It speaks too much of mankind's hard heart and God's judgment against sin. Once again we see how God used Syria to judge Israel. Elisha stood before Hazael, the man who would wreak havoc on Elisha's people. (This is told in 2 Kings 9-13. A summary of Hazael's reign is 2 Kings 10:32 In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel. Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel.)

     Through God's Miracle Number 20 through Elisha, God revealed Israel's punishment, and all Elisha could do was to weep for his people. He knew there was no holding back the Lord's declared will to destroy the evil in Israel.

     The Bible's teachings of these past few days are difficult to read and to consider. We revolt against war's horrible atrocities. We find God's judgment foreign to our thinking as we in the church are taught to focus on such words gracious as 1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. Indeed, we are told to always approach unbelievers with God's love.

     And so we must. But in so doing, be sure to note, "whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him." Israel did not abide in God's love. They detested his love for them. They despised his commands and rejected his offers to bless them. They ignored his holiness. They forgot his majesty. They dismissed the glorious truth that he had called them unto himself. They placed the eternal God on the same level as manmade idols. They sinned grievously.

     Are you as Elisha? Do you know without doubt the Lord will judge those who forget God? Do you weep for the unrepentant sinners around you? Do you pray that God will awaken them to his salvation? Do you love them enough to tell the unsaved of God's judgment?

Prayer: Lord of Heaven and earth, I weep over my sin and call on your power to forgive me, to heal me of my transgressions. I weep over sin in the world. I pray for your power to awaken the world to your eternal salvation. In Jesus' name, amen.