Elisha Series

And if you have a Bible, please open up 2 Kings, Chapter 8. We're just going to be reading today. 2 Kings 8 there is on the screen versus 7 to 15. 2 Kings chapter 8 versus 7 to 15. Elisha went to Damascus and Ben Hadad, King of Aram was ill.

When the king was told the man of God has come all the way up here, He said to Azil, take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God, consult the Lord through him, ask him, will I recover from this illness? Hazil went to meet Elijah, taking with him as a gift, 40 camel loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him and said, your son, Ben Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, will I recover from this illness? Elisha answered, go and say to him, you will certainly recover. Nevertheless, the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.

He stared at him with a fixed gaze until his zeal was embarrassed. Then the man of God began to weep. Why is my lord weeping asked Hazeel? Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites he answered. You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground and rip open their pregnant women.

Hazil said, how could your servant a mere dog accomplish such a feat? The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram to Elijah. Then Hazeel left Elijah and returned to his master. When Ben had asked, what did Elijah say to you? Hazeel replied, he told me that you would certainly recover.

But the next day, he took a thick cloth soaked it in water and spread it over the king's face so that he died. Then Hazeel succeeded him as king. Thank you for reading that to us, Ben. And if you could - if you've got a Bible, if you could keep that passage open in front of you, and the verses are gonna come up on the screen as always. This is we're coming towards the end of our series that we've been doing in in the book of 2 kings.

We've spent a long time looking at the Ministry of Elijah and then Elijah, and we've got just a couple of sessions left. I think 1 in chapter 9 and then 1 in chapter 13 and then we'll be finished. But we trust it has been a great blessing to dive back into the life of these prophets and to to look at what they have for us. In our age. We're in 2 Kings chapter 8.

Let's bow our heads together and pray for the lord's help. The psalmist says your statutes are wonderful, therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pants longing for your commands.

Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Father, we thank you that you are always merciful to those who love your name. We thank you that you are always ready to turn to us and to help us that you are ready to give us light and understanding so that we might obey your words We thank you, lord, that the reason we obey your commands is not just because they're true, but because they're wonderful. They are the very best way for us to live. And father, we just pray that as we unfold your words together this morning, that your spirit would give us light, that he would point us to Jesus, the light of the world, that you would help us to understand this uncomfortable, unsettling, but truly wonderful passage that we have before us this morning.

And we pray that you would guard our hearts that you would prevent us from just thinking that this possibly applies to someone somewhere, but not to me. From thinking, oh, I can think of someone that really needs to hear that this morning rather than looking at our own hearts or from just treating it as something we must sit through. Until we can carry on with the rest of our days. Help us lord to hear you, to treat your word as it really is, the breath of the living God, to take this time for what it really is, you addressing us through your word, Give us ears and eyes to see these things properly, we pray, and we pray it in Jesus' name. Oh, men.

Oh, men. When when sinful hearts combine with power, it tends to, not always, but it tends to corrupt them. So 1 historian famously said that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So if you're a a visual learner, Then then you might see this little graph.

This graph coming up, here we go. Is this working? Yes. There we go. This little graph, this is something the media team put together for me.

On the left hand side is power, and at the at the bottom there is corruption and generally speaking not always but generally speaking as the amount of power that people have goes up, so does the likelihood that they are going to be corrupt until absolute power would lead to absolute corruption. So if you've been following the news this week, several football clubs and even if you don't like football at all, it's still an important illustration. Several football clubs were condemned by everyone for planning this new European Super League, which was then scrapped almost as soon as was planned and in lots of the commentary was this power question? You know, who has the power? Who does the power belong to?

How do we stop them from going rogue? How do we keep these people accountable? For what they do with the power that they've got. And in lots of the in the clubs, mainly English clubs, the power we discovered is not really with the people or the fans or even the managers, but with a small number of board members who can largely do what they want with it. And that was the frustration.

How can it be that these few can just do what they like and ride rough over over everybody else no matter no matter what they say. There's other illustrations I'm sure you can think of in politics, and in Silicon Valley, in tech companies, lots of power in the hands of just a few or even just 1 can be very dangerous because power tends to corrupt. Power is a is a dangerous thing when combined with a sinful heart. But there is 1 very big and very important exception to this to this rule. Have a look at Isaiah 45 verse 7.

The Lord says, I form the light and create darkness. I bring prosperity and create disaster, and in the context, that's judgment, I, the Lord, do all these things, absolute power. So 2 Kings chapter 6, we looked at that a couple of weeks ago. You remember it was a death desperate situation that we found there. There was a terrible famine, terrible siege, amazing salvation, I the lord did all those things.

The shunammite woman that we looked at again last week, she had a hard life but her life was ultimately 1 of faith in God, who worked together everything for her good, and we learned that he, the Lord, did all those things. In both of those cases that we've looked at recently, the absolute power and the sovereignty and the providence of God have been front and center. But a key question that we need to think about this morning is what sort of God has this power. Who is the 1 to whom this power belongs? You see, if that historian is right, an absolute power corrupts absolutely, is that true in this case?

Does absolute power lead to absolute corruption. No. Because in this case, the 1 who holds the power is in every way fair and kind. In this case, the 1 who holds the power has a combination of perfection and purity, there is that unheard of combination of absolute power and absolute goodness. That is with the Lord.

And those 2 threads that that the sovereignty of God and the character of God, who has the power and what sort of power does he have? Those 2 threads come together again here in chapter 8. It is the main question behind this passage, what sort of God is sovereign in the world? What sort of God is sovereign in the world? What is he What is he like?

So let's get into the story together and we're gonna work towards tying those 2 threads together, I hope. And we'll begin in verse 7 and 8 with the first point, an expensive question. Elijah, we're told in verse 7 went down to Damascus and Ben Hadad, the king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, The man of God has come all the way up here, he said to Hasael, take a gift with you, and go to meet the man of God, consult the Lord through him, ask him, will I recover from this illness? Now, I want you to think of these kings like those modified deists that we met last week, if you remember Pete Sherman, they're like those modified deists.

They they largely and mainly are not interested in their gods even or in the lords, unless they need to win a war or survive an illness or they require some kind of miracle, and then they will clutch at straws to try to a lack, get God to intervene in in some way. That's probably what Ben Hadad is like. He doesn't really care which God is God or who is God, he just wants to know his fate. And you notice that he's willing to pay for it, So in verse 9, he sends 40 camel loads of stuff to Elijah. Now I've got no idea what your average camel can carry Whether it's roughly the same as a car boot or whether it's a lot more than that, but you can imagine we guess 40 camels loads probably meant 40 camels this train of camels stretching out over the land, carrying all the riches of Damascus the best that it could offer, perfumes, and spices, and riches, and food, all the good of Damascus heading on 40 camels towards Elijah.

Now why has he done that? Well, it's probably some kind of bribe, isn't it? It's like the lottery. You know, the more you spend on it, the greater your odds. That's what they say at least.

So you buy 1 ticket, and you've got a very slim chance of winning the lottery. If you buy 50 tickets, you've got a very slim chance of winning the lottery. And yet the theory is the more you spend, the more likely it is that you will win something. And maybe Elijah will work on that basis. You know, the more I give him, the more I send him, the more likely I'll get a favorable answer.

We give him 40 camels worth of stuff It may be that his God will just happen to say that I'm gonna recover from this illness. So this is an expensive question. Secondly, In verse 10, we find this this cryptic reply or this cryptic answer from from Elijah. Have a look at verse 10. Elijah answered go and say to him, you will certainly recover Nevertheless, the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.

Now, if you look at footnotes in your bible, if you happen to have a bible on you and you can see the footnotes, you may read something like this at the bottom of your at the bottom of your page. Go and say you will certainly not recover for the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die. So 1 reading would be you will certainly recover. Nevertheless, the less that orders revealed to me that you in fact die. Another reading would be you will certainly not recover.

For the lord reveal to meet that he will in fact die, which is just the opposite of what we've read, isn't it? And it is a strange footnote that and the reason is that in the original, that that the language can go can go either way, which is which is strange. And some people think mainly the the original folks who copied these stories in the in the first the first times in which they were written preferred that footnote version because it feels a little bit more consistent. You know, you will certainly not recover the Lord has revealed to me that you will die. And to be fair, some of the English translations do do make Elijah sound a little bit dodgy here.

So The good news Bible translates it this way, the Lord has revealed to me that he will die, but go to him and tell him that he will recover. And and and it's a little bit jarring, isn't it? And so the thought is that some of the original copyists wanted to try to prevent Elisha from sounding like a bit of a a deceptive Charlotteton, and so they took it they took it this way. Now in 1 sense, it doesn't actually matter you could read it both ways, and either way Ben Hey Dad dies and a new king comes to power. So that's the the sort of essence of the message is true.

But I think there's a really, really good reason to keep what we have here in the NIV, in the ESV, and in and in really all other modern translations. Because in a fascinating way, it pulls together the sovereignty of God and human responsibility. Say to the king, you will certainly recover. In other words, if Ben Hadad is allowed to heal, he will recover. That that would be the normal course of things.

The illness would not be fatal. He would. He should recover. In in everything being equal. He should recover from this illness.

Nevertheless, the Lord has revealed to me, he will in fact die because of you, Hasael, because of you, he's gonna die. On his death certificate, it's not going to read natural causes, it's going to read murder. It's going to say murdered because of you, left to himself he ought to recover, but because of you, he will die. Such a helpful way to put together those 2 things, isn't it? God is in charge.

Ultimately, he knows what's gonna happen, but Hasael, for what he does, is accountable. He should have recovered left to himself, it ought not to have been fatal all, but because of you and the future that you are creating for yourself is dead, he's he's gonna die. And actually, what he does next with that information proves that the word of God is is true. Hazael makes a start on this tragic future that he is heading towards. So cryptic reply but actually 1 that is is quite instructive for us.

So expensive question, cryptic reply, thirdly, a tragic future, and we're just gonna stick with Hazil for the moment. We're gonna just hop what happens with Elijah. We're gonna come back to that, but let's keep going with with Hazil. So verse 10 on the on the screen. Elijah answered go and say to him, you will certainly recover Nevertheless, the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.

He stared at him. With a fixed gaze until Hazile was embarrassed, and then the man of God began to weep. Why is my lord weeping asked Hasael? Because I know the harm that you will do to the Israelites he answers. You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground.

And rip open their pregnant women. Hazile said, how could your servant to me a dog accomplish such a feat? The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram. Now his response to that may sound humble but in fact it is terrifying, because what we see there is that Hasael has no desire to avoid this future. In fact, he seems to relish it.

The only problem that he can see is not with the morality but with the practicality. His problem is with the logistics of the prophecy. Well, I'm not worried about what I'm going to do, but how am I going to do it? How is someone like me gonna rise to such a place that I can inflict such damage, me, a mere dog, how could I become so powerful, so great? And that tells us everything we need to know about him.

Already, the word of the Lord is coming true in his life. Already Elisha's prophecy is being confirmed. And from then on, it's only a matter of time and not much time. Have a look at verse 14 when the story ends. Then Hasiah left Elijah and returned to his master, when Ben Hadad asked, what did Elijah say to you?

Hasael replied, he told me that you would certainly recover. But the next day, he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water, and spread it over the king's face so that he died. Which is like which is like if you know waterboarding, the torture method waterboarding, that's what it does. It's basically drowning simulation until they suffocate. So he takes this thick cloth, soaks it in water and spreads it over his face until he dies, which is a very hands on way of killing someone, isn't it?

Just just holding it there waiting till they give up their lives. So it's frightening, isn't it? That has I listened to Elijah, he goes home and he quietly murders his king. He had seen his future in the word of God but instead of repentance, and instead of prayer, and instead of a question such as how could I avoid committing such atrocities, he does what he needs to do to make it happen. And that is why I think verse 10 is so helpful.

Because it shows us that Hazile is a hundred percent responsible for what he does with the word of God. And yet you might remember that right the way back at the beginning of our series when we look to Elijah, we read this little verse tucked away in 1 kings 19. This is the Lord speaking to Elijah. The Lord said to him, go back the way you came and go to the desert of Damascus, when you get there, anoint hazael king over Aram. And so obviously, this job was passed on from Elijah to Elijah, but you can see the point, can't you?

It's not that God wanted Hasael to be king, but didn't quite know how that would turn out. Like it was a bit of a gamble, like Hasiah was a bit of a wild card option and the Lord wasn't sure how it would go. When you put these 2 stories together, God chose him to be king over Aram, knowing what would happen, knowing that this future would come to him. In fact, more than just knowing, God raised him up for that purpose. To be an instrument of judgment upon his people, Israel.

I Form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster, I the Lord. Do all these things. Hasael responsible, God's sovereign. That is the first thread that I spoke about in the introduction, but remember the key question there, what sort of God is sovereign even in great acts of judgment? What sort of God is he?

And this is where Elijah just serves as an open window into the heart of God himself. And so lastly, the weeping prophet, have a look back in the middle of the story verse 11 to 12. Elisha answered go and say to him, you will certainly recover. Nevertheless, the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die. He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazile was embarrassed, and then the man of God began to weep.

Why is my lord weeping, asked Hasael, because I know the harm that you will do to the Israelites he answered. You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, bash their little children to the ground and rip open their pregnant women. In verse 11, 1 translation, the new English Bible puts it this way. The man of God stood there stunned. Until he could bear it no longer.

It's just an extraordinary combination of things, isn't it? Elisha knows that Hasael must come. He knows that God must judge his people. God has made that known to him. And yet when he looks in Hasael's eyes, and he sees the horrible drama unfolding in the whites of his eyes.

He weeps Even though he knew that this was God's plan, as he sees the reality of the judgment, and the horrors that this king would inflict, he weaves. You see, if God did nothing about Israel sin, If he just ignored the House of Ahab, if he ignored the generational wickedness 1 to the other to the other. If he just swept that all under the carpet, he would not be good, or fair, or kind, or holy, or God, It must come, but as he sees it with the eye of a prophet as he sees what Hazil will become, he he weeps. And so for Elijah, judgment is necessary and fair and sad all at the same time. It is necessary and fair and sad, all at the same time.

And as I say in that, he is a window into the heart of God. Have a look at this verse from Luke chapter 19 verse 41 as Jesus approaches the end of his life. As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it, and he said, if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side, They would dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave 1 stone on another because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.

It's a moving scene, isn't it? As Jesus stands there and he weeps over Jerusalem, He knows it's like he sees all of their past, day after day, and profit after profit, and word after word and chance after chance all day long Jesus held out his hand to this rebellious city if only they would turn then he would give them life, but they refused the peace of Christ. They refused over and over and over again, and even though Jesus knows about the judgment, more than that, even though he will raise these people up for judgment, What does he do? Is he sees it? As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city he wept over it.

1 old testament commentator Dale Ralph Davis summarizes it this way. Yahweh, which is just the covenant and personal name for the Lord, is just and righteous and so will make and must judge an apostate people but he is so slow to anger and full of mercy that there is an element of divine sadness in his judgment. There is no fiendish delight in Yahweh's judgment. Here is your God and you should prize him for his nature, the God who mingles his tears with the fire and brimstone. Here is your God and you should prize him for his nature, the God who mingles his tears, with the fire and brimstone.

And so in the introduction, we asked what sort of God is sovereign? Well, we've seen again today that God is sovereign in salvation and in judgment, thread 1, but what sort of God is he, thread 2? 1 who does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn and live. That's Jesus Christ. 1 who is just and yet 1 who weeps, that's Jesus Christ, 1 who is gonna come again to judge, that's Jesus Christ.

But for now, 1 who holds out his hands, willing that we should turn and trust him and be saved. That's Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our God, and we should prize him for his nature. That's the first thing. Secondly, as we take this message of Jesus out, Elijah serves as an example for the sort of evangelism that we should do.

You see as Christians, we know that Jesus Christ is coming again, and we know that when he comes, he will bring with him a terrifying judgment that the wrath of God will fall through him on the unrepentant world. We know that future is coming, a future of judgment. And so therefore, as we speak about this Lord, crucified to save us and risen again, we ought to have this mixture of speaking mingled with tears, this mixture of weeping and joyful preaching, telling the world that judgment is to come, but that the lord for now holds out his crucified hands and says, come and be saved. Here is our God, and we should prize him for his nature. Let's bow our heads and pray together.

Father God, we thank you for these stories which reveal who you are so clearly. Not just stories to inform us or entertain us, but stories which reveal your holy, kind, fair, just nature. We thank you that you are such a patient God and you hold out your hands all day long to a rebellious people that you are so patient with this world longing that people should come and be saved. And yet, lord, we know that when judgment comes. This what we see here is just just part of the horrors that will come when you come to judge the world.

And lord, we just pray that you would help us to continue to hold out this message of life in Christ so that people would turn and live before that day comes. We thank you, Lord, that you as we open your word, you you reorientate us to yourselves. Lord, forgive us that we're so quick to recreate you in our image. We we try to make a go to either wouldn't do this because we don't like that or should do more of that because that's what we think he should do. We recreate you.

We reform you. We make golden calfs at the foot of the mountain all the day long, and yet we come to your words and you show us who you really are, what you are really like and we pray you would help us to love you for who you are in Jesus' name. Oh, man.