{"id":35501,"date":"2025-04-15T22:00:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T05:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=35501"},"modified":"2025-04-08T13:46:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T20:46:56","slug":"2-kings-9_1-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-kings-9_1-13\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Want to Hear from God, Make THIS Your Habit"},"content":{"rendered":"

2 Kings 9:1-13\u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

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Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Kings 9:1-13.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

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2 Kings 9:1-6 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, ‘This is what the\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!”
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So the young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said. “For which of us?” asked Jehu. “For you, commander,” he replied.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu’s head and declared, “This is what the\u00a0LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the\u00a0LORD’s people Israel.<\/em>On verses\u00a01-6:\u00a0 Elisha sends one of his junior prophets to speak to Jehu and anoint him as the next king of Israel.\u00a0 Notice Elisha\u2019s instructions to that junior prophet: \u201cGo to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room\u201d (v2).<\/p>\n

Sometimes when God wants to speak an intimate and personal word to you, He waits until you are alone, in private, free from other distractions.\u00a0\u00a0Could it be that the reason you don\u2019t hear from God is because you never spend time alone with Him in private and you\u2019re always distracted?<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Here\u2019s something you can do that is good for your soul, that helps you experience God\u2019s peace while also building spiritual muscles: spend time being still before God, listening for His voice and reflecting on His word.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Kings<\/em><\/strong>\u00a09<\/em><\/strong>:7-10 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the\u00a0LORD’s servants shed by Jezebel.\u00a0<\/em>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel–slave or free.\u00a0<\/em>
\n9<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah.\u00a0<\/em>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.'” Then he opened the door and ran.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 7-10:\u00a0 Previously in\u00a01\u00a0Kings\u00a021:21-29, Elijah had prophesied that God would mete out justice against the house of Ahab, avenging the many prophets of the Lord whom Ahab and his wife Jezebel had killed.\u00a0\u00a0 Elijah even gave specific details about how Jezebel would die (1\u00a0Kings\u00a021:29).\u00a0 Now in these verses this junior prophet sent by Elisha echoes Elijah\u2019s earlier prophecy.\u00a0 He additionally states that Jehu is God\u2019s intended instrument to carry out this annihilation of the house of Ahab and Jezebel.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0God is just.\u00a0 In His perfect timing, God will always make sure that justice is served.\u00a0 God is faithful to avenge His people when they are wronged.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0As Romans\u00a012:19\u00a0says, \u201cDo not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: \u2018It is mine to avenge; I will repay,\u2019 says the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also,\u00a0God is faithful to His promises.\u00a0 God may not fulfill His promises in the way and time that we expect, but He will do it in His higher way and His higher time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Kings<\/em><\/strong>\u00a09<\/em><\/strong>:11-13 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?” “You know the man and the sort of things he says,” Jehu replied.\u00a0<\/em>
\n12\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0“That’s not true!” they said. “Tell us.” Jehu said, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the\u00a0LORD\u00a0says: I anoint you king over Israel.'”\u00a0<\/em>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 11-13:\u00a0 I find these verses quite humorous and revealing.\u00a0 Jehu has just been anointed king of Israel by an unnamed prophet.\u00a0 Curious what this prophet said to Jehu, Jehu\u2019s officers condescendingly talk about this prophet: \u201cWhy did this\u00a0madman\u00a0<\/em>come to you\u201d (v11).\u00a0 In an effort to keep the news to himself, Jehu perpetuates that negative and commonly held view that God\u2019s servants are crazy and out of touch: \u201cYou know the man and the sort of things he says\u201d (v11).\u00a0 But as soon as Jehu tells his officers what the prophet actually told him, these officers and Jehu take the prophet\u2019s words so seriously that they take formal steps to proclaim Jehu as the new king.\u00a0 If the prophet\u2019s words carried such weight, why did Jehu and his officers mock him in the first place?<\/p>\n

Sometimes not so spiritual Christians do the same thing Jehu and his officers did.\u00a0 They look down on the Lord\u2019s servants, people who have dedicated their lives to serving God and God\u2019s people.\u00a0 Behind these servants\u2019 backs they might call them \u201cmadmen\u201d or be quick to criticize, dismiss or look down on them.\u00a0 (Have you ever spoken that way about church leaders before?)\u00a0 Yet when it comes to critical transition points in their lives (e.g. when someone dies, when they\u2019re facing a situation that\u2019s bigger than themselves, when they’re looking for direction), it is to these same \u201cmadmen\u201d that they look to for hope, direction, comfort and insight.\u00a0 It\u2019s a reminder that\u00a0we need to honour rather than defame the office of God\u2019s servants, speaking about them with respect, whether in public and in private.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also, remember this: the way the people here treated this unnamed prophet resembles the way people would later treat Jesus: in one moment calling him crazy and in the next moment hanging on his every word.\u00a0\u00a0As Christians we must not be overly concerned with the way others see us.\u00a0 For when you follow Jesus, people\u2019s opinions of you will change without you necessarily changing.\u00a0 So don\u2019t be a slave to people\u2019s opinions.\u00a0 Just be faithful to God\u2019s call on your life, love people because Jesus loved people, and live for His approval and pleasure more than anything else.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, thank You that You take the initiative to get alone with us and to speak to us.\u00a0 May we have ears to hear You. \u00a0\u00a0Thank You that You are just and faithful to avenge Your people.\u00a0 May we trust in Your promise to avenge us when we are wronged.\u00a0 And thank You that we don\u2019t need to be slaves to other people\u2019s opinions.\u00a0 Instead we can focus simply on being faithful to the call You have on our lives, knowing that it is Your opinion, far more than anyone else\u2019s, that counts. In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Kings 9:1-13.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!\u00a0<\/p>\n

2 Kings 9:1-6 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room.<\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-6:\u00a0 Elisha sends one of his junior prophets to speak to Jehu and anoint him as the next king of Israel.\u00a0 Notice Elisha\u2019s instructions to that junior prophet: \u201cGo to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room\u201d (v2).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35503,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35501"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35504,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35501\/revisions\/35504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}