2 Kings 10:1-31; Acts 17:16-34; Psalms 145:1-7; Proverbs 30:15-16

NT: “The God who made the world and everything in it — he is Lord of heaven and earth — does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ Since, then, we are God’s offspring, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭17:24-31‬ ‭CSB)

When Paul arrived in Athens, Greece, he was troubled at all the temples and shrines that were erected to the gods of the known world. They even had a temple dedicated to the unknown god – just in case they missed any… and they had. In their desire to know as much as the could about every new thing, they had failed to know the One True God who created everything. When the Greek philosophers desired to hear about his God, Paul jumped at the opportunity and shared this message in the middle of the Athenian Areopagus. Paul extolled the greatness of the God who made the world and everything in it. It is by God that all and any of us live and breathe and have our being. It is by His goodness, mercy, and longsuffering that we even exist… and because of His goodness, He has arranged circumstances and situations to cause us to seek Him out and find Him. God is not hiding from any of us. If anything, He desires to be found. We just have to want to find Him… and when we do, He offers us the opportunity to repent, believe on His Son the Appointed One, and survive His inevitable day of judgement by being found in the crucified and resurrected Christ.

Psalms: “I exalt you, my God the King, and bless your name forever and ever. I will bless you every day; I will praise your name forever and ever. The Lord is great and is highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts. I will speak of your splendor and glorious majesty and your wondrous works. They will proclaim the power of your awe-inspiring acts, and I will declare your greatness. They will give a testimony of your great goodness and will joyfully sing of your righteousness.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:1-7‬ ‭CSB)

As believers and followers of Christ… as people who have experienced, first hand, His amazing grace and goodness; part of our responsibility as faithful disciples is to proclaim God’s greatness and goodness to the next generation. This is our time to proclaim the praises of our Lord and pass down the inheritance we have received to the generations to come. This is our leg of the grand relay of history. The baton has been passed to us, as the saints that came before us cheer us on with anticipation and expectation. We can’t afford to drop the baton that has been given to us. To finish this race, we must successfully hand it of to those who will come after us. A big part of that is accomplished through praise… not praise in our hearts… but vocal declaratory praise. If we will speak of God’s splendor and majesty, they (the generation to come) will proclaim His power and give testimony to His goodness. We can’t expect the generation to come to simply learn about the lord through osmosis. We must impart our knowledge and understanding… and prove our words through our faithful actions. The Lord is great and should be highly praised… so let’s do that for the sake of all who will hear… that through our testimony, they will desire to seek the Lord and find Him, and carry on the race to the finish.

2 Kings 9:14-37; Acts 17:10-15; Psalms 144:9-15; Proverbs 30:11-14

Psalms: “God, I will sing a new song to you; I will play on a ten-stringed harp for you — the one who gives victory to kings, who frees his servant David from the deadly sword. Set me free and rescue me from foreigners whose mouths speak lies, whose right hands are deceptive. Then our sons will be like plants nurtured in their youth, our daughters, like corner pillars that are carved in the palace style. Our storehouses will be full, supplying all kinds of produce; our flocks will increase by thousands and tens of thousands in our open fields. Our cattle will be well fed. There will be no breach in the walls, no going into captivity, and no cry of lament in our public squares. Happy are the people with such blessings. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭144:9-15‬ ‭CSB)

Earlier in this psalm, King David said that he would bless (celebrate, praise, thank, adore) the Lord, for it was the Lord who taught him how to go into battle and wage war. The primary way of waging war that the Lord taught David was the way of worship. In the days of David, the battle lines were very clear… there was the nation of Israel who believed in the one true God, and then there were the surrounding nations that worshipped a smorgasbord of gods and idols. If a nation was victorious in battle, it signified that their god (or gods) were more powerful. Several times you see in the scriptures that invading kings would ridicule the nation of Israel or Judah for only having one God. But worshipping the One True and Living God was all that David needed. Worship, at its essence, isn’t singing songs or playing music. Worship, at its essence, involves bowing down in submission, in surrender, in complete trust, in utter dependence to someone or some thing. By saying, “Blessed be the Lord.” David was saying that he bowed down to adore the Lord God… and in bringing himself low, he lifted up God (not himself) and celebrated His greatness and boasted on His goodness. It was out of that posture of worship that songs would flow – and not just songs of old written by long-since-passed patriarchs of the faith. David said, I will sing a new song to You… a completely fresh, never-before-heard song that springs from my living and vibrant relationship of worship with You. David’s relationship wasn’t just based on stagnant stories from the past. His relationship was alive, and he was ever learning more and more about this God that he loved and served… and he expressed that through new songs. And in Psalm 33:3, he encouraged that same living, worshipful relationship to his people. It was primarily through the singular worship of God and the rejection of all other gods and idols, that victory in battle came. By being victorious in battle, the people could live in peace, and by maintaining that posture of worship before the Lord, the people would thrive and be blessed. Sadly, Israel and Judah eventually turned away from worshipping God and gave themselves over to worshipping the idols and gods of the surrounding lands. Because of that, the promise at the end of this psalm ceased to be sustained: the walls of Jerusalem were breached and the people were carried into captivity because they forsook the way of worship. Victory in the battles we face begins with a living and vibrant relationship of worship to the One true God through a living and vibrant faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

2 Kings 8:20-9:13; Acts 17:1-9; Psalms 144:1-8; Proverbs 30:10

NT: “But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly. When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king — Jesus.”” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭17:5-7‬ ‭CSB)

After ministering in Philippi, Paul and his band traveled to Thessalonica. As he normally did, Paul began by proclaiming and explaining the gospel in the local Synagogue. After three weeks of ministry, his efforts were so successful that the unbelieving Jews became jealous and staged a riot. Their claim was that they were turning the world upside down by claiming that there was another king beside Caesar. The word translated as ‘another’ is the Greek word heteros (where we get the word heterosexual from). Heteros means different, not of the same nature or kind. Paul and his crew were claiming that there was a different kind of King, with a different nature than Caesar – and their claims were turning the world upside down. Many people call the Kingdom of God the “upside down kingdom” because the ways of the Kingdom of God are so often opposite of and run contrary to the ways of the world. Caesar claimed territory by waging war against people and defeating them outwardly. Paul and his band of missionaries were gaining ground by seeing people changed from the inside out… and that threatened the local way of life and status quo. The believers in Thessalonica were not just better Thessalonians, they were different… they were no longer like the people around them… they had been converted and “turned upside down.” But from God’s perspective, they had been turned right side up. Are we upside down from the world? Do we serve a different kind of King? Do we leave “upside down” people in our wake? All good questions to ask ourselves.

Psalms: “Blessed be the Lord, my rock who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for warfare. He is my faithful love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him; he subdues my people under me. Lord, what is a human that you care for him, a son of man that you think of him? A human is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. Lord, part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke. Flash your lightning and scatter the foe; shoot your arrows and rout them. Reach down from on high; rescue me from deep water, and set me free from the grasp of foreigners whose mouths speak lies, whose right hands are deceptive.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭144:1-8‬ ‭CSB)

King David was a warrior king – probably the most successful king in the history of Israel, as far as winning victories and claiming territory for the kingdom goes. Yet, he was not formally trained. He grew up a shepherd and was unrehearsed in the ways of modern warfare of that day. When King Saul dressed David up in his armor, David couldn’t even function in it. David learned how to fight… how to approach battles… how to go into war by the grace of God. He didn’t trust conventional wisdom. He trusted the leading of the Lord his God. The way that he won battles was by the leading and the hand of God. When we, by faith, give our lives to the Lord, we are transferred from the kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light. We become warriors in the Kingdom of God, and no longer do we wage war the way the world wages war… with personal attacks and character assassinations, through deception and lies, by strong-arming and manipulation. We serve a different kind of King… a king that wins wars by defeating spiritual enemies and transforming people from the inside out. While there are times when righteousness and justice requires that we engage in physical battles, our main warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual enemies and spiritual strongholds… and our Lord, the Lord of Hosts will train us how to fight together in those battles and to wage that kind of warfare. Don’t fight like the rest of the world. Allow God to show you who your partners are. Allow God to give you the battles to fight. Allow God to train you how to fight them and use the powerful weapons He has armed His people with. Let’s turn the world upside down.

2 Kings 8:1-19; Acts 16:25-40; Psalms 143:7-12; Proverbs 30:7-9

NT: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household.” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭16:25-34‬ ‭CSB)

One of the most impactful testimonies to God’s faithfulness is the way His faithful followers act when undergoing pain or tribulation. Earlier that day, Paul cast a demon out of a slave girl who was making money for her owners through fortune-telling. That led to a riot in the town marketplace, which then led to Paul and Silas being stripped, beaten, and thrown into prison. Instead of moaning and bellyaching over their pain or angrily protesting over their infringed-upon rights, they began to pray and sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. As their backs throbbed incessantly from their lashing, they continued on in prayer and praise late into the night. The prisoners (and the jail keeper) couldn’t help but watch and listen. Then suddenly a miracle happened! A violent earthquake shook the prison until the prison doors fell off and the chains that bound them to the wall came loose. Thinking that the prisoners were long gone, the jailer decided to kill himself instead of facing the ramifications of the escape… but Paul and Silas made sure everyone stayed put. Watching how Paul and Silas behaved… then seeing the demonstration of God’s power… then seeing Paul and Silas resist the temptation to escape… well, that was all the jailer needed to see. He was convinced that the God of Paul and Silas was real, and begged to know how he and his family could be saved. The way that we as followers of Jesus act during painful and challenging times speaks volumes to those who are watching… and everyone is watching. The world is watching us right now as we, along with the rest of the world, endure a global pandemic that is causing pain and challenges to everyone. Are we different? Do we grumble and complain? Do we shake our fists in anger and frustration? Do we demand our rights? Or do we first pray and praise the Lord and lay our lives in His hands, trusting Him to protect us, provide for us, give us peace, and defend us? Are we giving our Lord the opportunity to show Himself faithful and powerful in our lives? What is more important… insuring that our rights aren’t breached, or insuring that the unbelieving world has an opportunity to see God in us and through us unto their salvation? Seek first the Kingdom, Jesus said, and all the things that you need will be given to you. Paul and Silas were kingdom minded men who were willing to endure suffering if it meant a community of people would be saved and grow as disciples of their Lord… so they prayed and praised through the pain, and God moved mightily on their behalf.

Psalms: “Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Don’t hide your face from me, or I will be like those going down to the Pit. Let me experience your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in you. Reveal to me the way I should go because I appeal to you. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I come to you for protection. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name’s sake, Lord, let me live. In your righteousness deliver me from trouble, and in your faithful love destroy my enemies. Wipe out all those who attack me, for I am your servant.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭143:7-12‬ ‭CSB)

While going through a challenging time, King David didn’t want to be like everyone else. He wanted to experience the mercy and faithful love of the Lord God. He knew that the way out of his troubles was by looking up and trusting in the Lord, not looking down at his problems. If He kept His eyes on the Lord instead of on the challenges that surrounded him, God would show him what to do… God would lead him out of the troubles he faced… God would protect him from the things that threatened him. David knew that the way he acted and the choices he made directly reflected on God’s character… so he said, “Lord, for Your name’s sake… for Your reputation, I trust in You to let me live.” David gave God every opportunity to prove Himself; and prove himself, time and time again, God did.

2 Kings 6:24-7:20; Acts 16:16-24; Psalms 143:1-6; Proverbs 30:5-6

OT: “Some time later, King Ben-hadad of Aram brought all his military units together and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. So there was a severe famine in Samaria, and they continued the siege against it until a donkey’s head sold for thirty-four ounces of silver, and a cup of dove’s dung sold for two ounces of silver… Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says: ‘About this time tomorrow at Samaria’s gate, six quarts of fine flour will sell for a half ounce of silver and twelve quarts of barley will sell for a half ounce of silver.’” Then the captain, the king’s right-hand man, responded to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” Elisha announced, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.” Now four men with a skin disease were at the entrance to the city gate. They said to each other, “Why just sit here until we die? If we say, ‘Let’s go into the city,’ we will die there because the famine is in the city, but if we sit here, we will also die. So now, come on. Let’s surrender to the Arameans’ camp. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.” So the diseased men got up at twilight to go to the Arameans’ camp. When they came to the camp’s edge, they discovered that no one was there, for the Lord had caused the Aramean camp to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army. The Arameans had said to each other, “The king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to attack us.” So they had gotten up and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents, horses, and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had fled for their lives…The diseased men came and called to the city’s gatekeepers and told them, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there — no human sounds. There was nothing but tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.” The gatekeepers called out, and the news was reported to the king’s household… Then the people went out and plundered the Aramean camp. It was then that six quarts of fine flour sold for a half ounce of silver and twelve quarts of barley sold for a half ounce of silver, according to the word of the Lord. The king had appointed the captain, his right-hand man, to be in charge of the city gate, but the people trampled him in the gate. He died, just as the man of God had predicted when the king had come to him.” (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭6:24-25; ‭7:1-7, 10-11, 16-17‬ ‭CSB)

From the end of 2 Kings chapter 2 up to this point in chapter 7, 2 Kings records the various ways that Elisha intervened in different peoples affairs and the miracles that he performed. The miracles of Elisha were much different than the miracles of Elijah before him. The miracles performed through Elijah were typically done strictly through Elijah and were amazing to behold. The miracles performed through Elisha were much different. They involved partnership from the people Elisha was ministering to… they required the people to hear what Elisha was saying, and trust his words enough to do what he was telling them to do. Sometime the things that Elisha had people do made no sense whatsoever: gathering a bunch of empty bottles, adding flour to a poisoned stew, adding salt to stagnant water, washing in the murky Jordan river, etc. When the people trusted and obeyed, the miracle was there waiting for them. This story is no different. Samaria was under siege for an extended time – to the point that people in the city reverted to cannibalism to survive. When King Joram was at the end of his rope, he finally went to Elisha. The word from the Lord through Elisha was so unbelievable that the king’s right-hand man scoffed at it in unbelief. The truth of the matter was that God was already working on their behalf. While King Joram was fretting in Samaria, God was spooking the Syrian camp to the point that they evacuated the area as fast as they could, leaving behind all of their supplies. God had provided everything that Samaria needed, but they didn’t even know it. When two homeless lepers discovered the truth and reported back to the king, even then he had trouble believing it – so he sent a team of trusted messengers to investigate. God is faithful to His word. When He says that He will provide, He will… and many times that provision is already on its way. We just have to trust His word and obey His word so that we can meet up with the provision. Sometimes the things that God asks us to do don’t make any sense – but if we obey, provision will be on the other side of our obedience waiting for us. We have the choice to trust and obey, or doubt and walk away.

Psalms: “Lord, hear my prayer. In your faithfulness listen to my plea, and in your righteousness answer me. Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous in your sight. For the enemy has pursued me, crushing me to the ground, making me live in darkness like those long dead. My spirit is weak within me; my heart is overcome with dismay. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all you have done; I reflect on the work of your hands. I spread out my hands to you; I am like parched land before you. Selah” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭143:1-6‬ ‭CSB)

Just like the siege on Samaria was allowed by God to chastise the people of Israel and bring them back to a dependence on the Lord, God also allowed troubling times to come into King David’s life to bring about correction, humility, and dependence. Challenging situations are also tools, when we allow them to work in us instead of running away from them, that bring about our maturity and strengthen our faith in God. David wrote this psalm when he was going through one of those correcting and refining times. His strength had reached its limits… no longer could he independently muscle his way through. Instead of giving himself over to hopelessness, he chose to remember God’s faithfulness in times past and spread out his hands to God in dependent surrender. 9 months into this pandemic, I imagine most people have gotten to the point that David got to: spiritually weak and overcome with dismay. So now that we have reached the limits of our own faculties, we have a choice. Do we let these challenging times have their full work in us… do we spread out our hands to the Lord and trust Him completely and allow Him to strengthen us and refine us, or do we keep fighting against this year in our own strength and fall deeper into confusion, anger, bitterness, and despair? As for me, I like David, choose the former.

Proverbs: “Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Don’t add to his words, or he will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭30:5-6‬ ‭CSB)

God’s words are truth… God’s words are true… God’s words are pure. We don’t need to shape His words into something that is comfortable for us to accept. We need to shape ourselves (by His grace) to conform to His words. It is in our trust and obedience that God becomes a shield and refuge. The more we reject His words, the more we subject ourselves to the consequences of being uncovered by Him. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.

2 Kings 6:1-23; Acts 16:6-15; Psalms 142:4-7; Proverbs 30:1-4

OT: “When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, “ Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭6:15-17‬ ‭CSB)

Ben Hadad, the King of Syria, was attempting to invade Israel, but each time he planned a point of attack, the Lord revealed Ben Hadad’s plans to Elisha, who revealed them to the King of Israel. Frustrated, Ben Hadad sent a band of soldiers to capture Elisha in the town of Dothan. Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant awoke to see their city under siege. Frightened, he turned to Elisha. Instead of being afraid, Elisha was confident. Elisha knew that as long as he remained obedient to the Lord and faithful to His word, he was indestructible until God’s plans for him were complete. He didn’t compare the surrounding army to himself… he compared the surrounding army to the Lord and His hosts. Instead of asking God to give his servant peace and boldness, Elisha prayed for God to open his servants eyes to see in the natural what Elisha saw by faith. Though Elisha and his servant were surrounded by an army of horses and chariots, the army was surrounded by a vast army of angelic hosts and chariots of fire. That is a picture of what it means to live under God’s hand of protection. Though we may not see it with our natural eyes, we can know that as we stand with God and remain faithful to Him, He and all of heaven’s resources stand with us. We don’t have to be afraid when the Lord is our light and our salvation.

NT: “They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!” After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭16:6-10‬ ‭CSB)

There are times in my life when I fear that I will miss the will of God. In those times, I remember this story. Paul desired to be in God’s will, doing what God was doing – but he was unclear as to what that was specifically. He had an idea that he was to go deeper in to Asia with the gospel, but every time he tried, the Holy Spirit prevented him. I know what that is like. There have been times in my life when I have been on the verge of making a great mistake, but the Holy Spirit stopped me just in time. Then one night, while staying in Troas, the Lord made His plan clear to Paul through a dream. Instead of going deeper into Asia, Paul was to take the gospel into Europe. As a side note, it appears that Dr. Luke (the author of Acts) joined Paul in Troas… for the pronouns change from ‘they’ to ‘we.’ This story paints a picture of what it means to live under God’s hand of guidance. If we truly are following the Lord and are completely submitted to Him, we don’t have to be afraid of missing His will and purposes. As long as we trust Him, He will lead us to where we need to go, even if we can’t see the way ourselves. Much like a blind person places his trust in his guide, if the blind person tries to go somewhere dangerous, the guide will stop him and keep him safe… and as long as the blind person trusts and submits to the guide, the blind person will get where he needs to go. We are the blind person, and the Holy Spirit is our guide. We don’t have to stay up at night worrying. We can trust the Lord, follow His lead, and remain a part of what God is doing in the world.

2 Kings 5:1-27; Acts 15:36-16:5; Psalms 142:1-3; Proverbs 29:26-27

OT: “Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a man important to his master and highly regarded because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease. Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.” So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go, and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.” So he went and took with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing.. So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.” But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease. Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean. Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel. Therefore, please accept a gift from your servant.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, in whose presence I stand, I will not accept it.” Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused… Gehazi, the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?” Gehazi said, “It’s all right. My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them seventy-five pounds of silver and two sets of clothing.’” …Gehazi came and stood by his master. “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Elisha asked him. He replied, “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.” “And my heart didn’t go when the man got down from his chariot to meet you,” Elisha said. “Is this a time to accept silver and clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, flocks and herds, and male and female slaves? Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants forever.” So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased, resembling snow.” (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭5:1-5, 9-16, 20-22, 25-27‬ ‭CSB)

The Apostle Paul explained to Timothy that “all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.” (‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭CSB) This story from 2 Kings contains two important lessons: one for the one being ministered to, and the other for the one doing the ministering. Naaman was a high-ranking Syrian who was in desperate need of healing. A slave girl from Israel told him about a prophet from Samaria that could heal him of his leprosy, so he and his large entourage went down to Israel to find the prophet. It appears that Naaman had some preconceived notions of how miracle working happened. He expected a show with a lot of sparkle and finesse… not unlike the shows we see sometimes on Christian TV. When Elisha wouldn’t even honor him with his presence and simply told him to wash in the dirty Jordan River, Naaman was offended. Surely he deserved more attention and care than to be so quickly dismissed to do something he could have just as easily done at home. Were it not for the urging of his servant, Naaman would have missed out on a miraculous healing. Showy performances aren’t required for miracles. All that is required is faith and obedience. When Naaman humbled himself, placed faith in Elisha’s words and obeyed, he was healed. How often do we reject the simple acts of obedience that God is calling us to and opt for a flamboyant display of theatrics instead? How often do we spare no expense to travel to a spectacular revival meeting to get our healing instead of seeking the simple and direct word of the Lord given through the trusted people in our lives? Do we want miracles our way, or do we want the miracle that God has for us? Gehazi, Elisha’s assistant, wasn’t content with ministering to people’s needs by the grace of God. He wanted some gold and glory in return for his efforts. When the opportunity came to make himself rich through ministry, he took it… even lying and deceiving to receive what he desired. What Gehazi thought was a blessing ended up being a curse. In recent days, we have seen a scenario like this play out in the world-wide headlines… a minister, in the midst of ministering to some in the celebrity culture, got caught in the trap of celebrity. He wanted some of Naaman’s treasure, so to speak, and lied and deceived many to get it. What he thought were the blessings of his position ended up bringing the curse of sin. Is it wrong to make a living doing ministry? No. Is it wrong to not be content with the blessings God gives you and help yourself to all the treasures that the world (and the enemy) offers you instead? Yes… very much so. The devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world in return for Jesus’ worship. Jesus refused… and because Jesus refused, God the Father made Him ruler of Heaven and Earth, and ended up saving all of us in the process. Trust the Lord. Place your faith in Him and obey His word. Be content with the blessings the Lord provides and keep your hands off the gold and the glory.

2 Kings 4:18-44; Acts 15:22-35; Psalms 141:3-10; Proverbs 29:24-25

Psalms: “Lord, I call on you; hurry to help me. Listen to my voice when I call on you. May my prayer be set before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering. Lord, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing or perform wicked acts with evildoers. Do not let me feast on their delicacies. Let the righteous one strike me — it is an act of faithful love; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. Even now my prayer is against the evil acts of the wicked… But my eyes look to you, Lord, my Lord. I seek refuge in you; do not let me die. Protect me from the trap they have set for me, and from the snares of evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭141:1-5, 8-10‬ ‭CSB)

Many times in King David’s life, people tried to snuff him out or overthrow his leadership. During those times when he was on the run for his life, though he was not near the tabernacle, he knew that he could still seek the Lord. He knew that his words of submitted prayer were like incense to the Lord, and his surrendered life was the sacrifice that the Lord truly sought. David’s desire, even in the midst of frightening times and threatening circumstances, was to honor the Lord. He wanted justice, but he only wanted justice on the Lord’s terms and was not willing to compromise the Lord’s name or character. He was not willing to repay evil with evil… to retort against his enemy’s accusations with evil accusations of his own, so he asked the Lord to guard his heart and his mouth so that he wouldn’t say or do anything that would dishonor God. He even invited righteous rebuke into his life if he did slip up and act unbecoming of a representative of the Lord. He refused to get embroiled in the world’s way of doing things, but instead, kept his eyes on and sought refuge in the Lord. He knew that if he remained faithful to the Lord, the Lord would be faithful to him and preserve his life from the traps set by those around him. What a lesson for followers and disciples of Christ today. There are so many things in play that threaten us or have the potential of threatening us in the future. There are so many evil, angry, accusatory words in the air. It is so easy to take the bait of the enemy and feast on the “delicacy” of taking our idea of justice into our own hands… repaying evil with evil, saying things that sully God’s glory in us, and doing things that compromise God’s righteousness… all the while, rejecting the loving and righteous rebuke that comes to correct and get us back on the right path. Instead, we need to come to the Lord in submitted prayer with our hands and lives lifted to the Lord in surrender to Him. We need to ask the Lord to guard our mouths and our hearts. We need to welcome the Lord’s guidance and correction. We need to turn our eyes completely to Him and seek the refuge that He provides us. Then we will be at peace, and the Lord’s justice (not our justice) will have opportunity to flow down in His way and in His time.

Proverbs: “The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:25‬ ‭CSB)

When we fear what man can do to us more that we trust in the Lord, it becomes a snare… it traps us into unrighteous attitudes, unrighteous thoughts, unrighteous words, and unrighteous actions…. All which take us out from under the mighty hand of God and place us exposed and on our own. However, if we maintain our trust in the Lord and remain faithful to Him,  He will protect us from even the most vile and dangerous threats.

2 Kings 4:1-17; Acts 15:1-21; Psalms 141:1-2; Proverbs 29:23

NT: “Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.” After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue… When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.” …After they stopped speaking, James responded, “Brothers, listen to me…. Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood.” (‭‭Acts‬ ‭15:1-2, 4-11, 13, 19-20‬ ‭CSB)

Because Jesus was a Jew and His gospel began with the Jews, some legalistic teachers from Judea naturally assumed that in order to be saved, you must first become a Jew. That was not what Paul and Barnabas had experienced on the mission field, so they debated the Judaizers. To settle the matter, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem, where it all began, to get clarity and direction from the Apostles. It appears that in Jerusalem, there were strong opinions on both sides. The counsel of apostles and elders, instead of making a decision, needed to determine what the Lord was doing and come into agreement with that. The determination that they landed on was so key to the success and survival of the church. Was the gospel of the Kingdom exclusively Jewish, or was it trans-cultural? Peter, in his comments, said something quite revolutionary. The Jews would have expected him to say that the Gentiles were saved in the same manner as the Jews – but instead he said that the Jews were saved in the same manner as the gentiles: by grace through faith… that being a strict adherent of the Law of Moses had nothing to do with it. Both Jew and Gentile were infected with sin and could only be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Upon hearing all of the testimony, James suggested two requirements and two concessions. The two requirements were that gentiles in the faith had to renounce idol worship and abstain from sexual immorality. The two concessions (so that gentiles would not create a stumbling block for their Jewish brothers and sisters) were for them to not eat meat from animals that had been strangled, or that had blood in it. The apostles agreed with that – and through that determination, the door to the Kingdom of God remained wide open to all who would believe. James said that we should not cause difficulties for those who truly place their faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t need to tack on extra requirements to becoming citizens of the Kingdom. To be saved, a person doesn’t have to become Jewish first. To be saved, a person doesn’t have to become American. To be saved, a person doesn’t have to become a charismatic Pentecostal… or a Baptist. There are no cultural requirements in the Gospel. The Gospel is trans-cultural and trans-ethnic. If anything, once a person is saved, they should remain in their culture while taking on traits of Kingdom culture. I am so thankful, that instead of trying to decide between two arguments… instead of siding with their cultural bias, the Apostles sought to determine the heart of God and come into agreement with that. In this age of sharp disagreements between two sides of the aisle, we should do the same.

2 Kings 3:1-27; Acts 14:21-28; Psalms 140:9-13; Proverbs 29:21-22

OT: “Then the king of Israel said, “Oh no, the Lord has summoned these three kings, only to hand them over to Moab.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s inquire of the Lord through him.” One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on Elijah’s hands, is here.” Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went to him. However, Elisha said to King Joram of Israel, “What do we have in common? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother!” But the king of Israel replied, “No, because it is the Lord who has summoned these three kings to hand them over to Moab.” Elisha responded, “By the life of the Lord of Armies, before whom I stand: If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I wouldn’t look at you; I would not take notice of you. Now, bring me a musician.” While the musician played, the Lord’s hand came on Elisha. Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this wadi.’ For the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the wadi will be filled with water, and you will drink — you and your cattle and your animals.’ This is easy in the Lord’s sight. He will also hand Moab over to you.” (‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭3:10-18‬ ‭CSB)

My thoughts, as I read this passage today, were not primarily about a spiritual truth that I gleaned from the text, but a Biblical precedent. Elijah was no longer present, as he had been taken (quite literally) to be with the Lord. Elijah’s successor was Elisha. The differences between Elijah and Elisha were quite stark. Elijah was the fiery prophet. Several times, he called down the fire of the Lord and was then swept up into heaven by a whirlwind and a chariot of fire. Elisha, on the other hand, became known as a prophet who helped people through practical, albeit miraculous means. Once again, King Jehoshaphat found himself in a pickle by keeping company with the wrong people. Earlier, he agreed to join King Ahab in battle and found himself in a precarious position on the battle field. This time, King Jehoshaphat had agreed to go to battle with Ahab’s second son King Joram. On the eve of battle, the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom found themselves in the parched wilderness with no water, and no idea of what to do. So Jehoshaphat suggested they seek the Lord and sent for Elisha. Elisha wanted nothing to do with Baal-worshipper Joram… but he did have respect for King Jehoshaphat and the Davidic line that he represented, so he reluctantly agreed to help. Here is the Biblical precedent: Elisha called for a musician. The story doesn’t explain why Elisha called for a musician. Perhaps he was so perturbed over King Joram that he needed to quiet his thoughts in order to hear the Lord. Regardless the reason, as the music played, Elisha was able to clearly hear the Lord and communicate His directions. Music has a unique way of impacting our soul. When our emotions are unsettled and our thoughts are scattered and confused, soothing music can help to bring our soul, spirit, and body into alignment… but on the other hand, agitative music can bring anger and angst to an otherwise settled person. When you pair settling and/or inspiring music with words that proclaim spiritual truths… what a powerful tool. This may make me sound like an old man – but it is important to be selective and intentional with the kinds of music you listen to… and it is equally important to examine the words that go along with the music. Music can be a powerful influence on your heart, your mind, and your overall well-being. Best to make sure that the influence is a good one that leads to life.