BECAUSE OF HIS COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM
2 Kings 13:14-25
But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence. (23)
chapter 13
14. Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. "My father! My father!" he cried. "The chariots and horsemen of Israel!"
15. Elisha said, "Get a bow and some arrows," and he did so.
16. "Take the bow in your hands," he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
17. "Open the east window," he said, and he opened it. "Shoot!" Elisha said, and he shot. "The LORD’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Elisha declared. "You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek."
18. Then he said, "Take the arrows," and the king took them. Elisha told him, "Strike the ground." He struck it three times and stopped.
19. The man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times."
20. Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring.
21. Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.
22. Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz.
23. But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence.
24. Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad his son succeeded him as king.
25. Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recaptured from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the towns he had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Three times Jehoash defeated him, and so he recovered the Israelite towns.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
1. Jehoash visited the dying prophet Elisha and paid his respect to him as a father and the strength of Israel. Elisha was about to die but the battle against Aram would still go on. Israel’s future seemed to be bleak. So, Elisha spurred the king, asking him to shoot an arrow toward the east and strike the ground with arrows. The arrow was a sign of the LORD’s victory for Israel over Aram. But the reluctant king struck the ground only three times. He should have done many times until Elisha had said, “Enough.” Because of Jehoash’s lack of faith and half-heartedness toward God’s deliverance, Israel would not have complete victory over Aram, but just three times. According to Elisha’s prophecy, Jehoash defeated Aram three times, taking back some of the cities the Arameans had taken from Israel.
2. Aram had oppressed Israel severely but could not destroy it. It was not because Israel was strong or Aram was weak, but because God was still gracious to Israel. He had compassion on them and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham. According to the Sinai covenant, Israel could have been destroyed long ago. But based on the Abrahamic covenant—the covenant of faith, God was unwilling to destroy or banish Israel from his presence.
Prayer: Lord, you are faithful to your covenant. I stand on Jesus’ new covenant in his blood by faith.
One Word: The new covenant in Jesus’ blood