2 Kings 6 (Part 3) Bible Study (Ben-hadad's Siege of Samaria) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Well, if you have a copy of God's Word in your hand, meet me

in Second Kings chapter 6. As we come to the final part of

2 Kings 6 · chapter mention

our study of this chapter, we'll begin together in verse 24.

You know, I was originally planning to end this Bible study

a little differently than we usually do.

We tend to look at the chapter structure of our Bibles, and we

honour that framework with how much content we cover in a

single night. But this time around, looking at

this particular chapter, I was intending to conclude with the

1st 2 verses of Chapter 7. And you might be wondering why

that is. And I'll tell you honestly, it's

because this episode of Elijah's ministry ends a little awkwardly

as it ends in chapter 6. If you've read this story

before, then you will recall that near the end of this

chapter, Elijah is having a conversation with someone and

for whatever reason, it is divided with a new chapter

title. And we are free to criticize

this because as much as verse numbers and chapters have been

helpful to the church throughout the centuries, those are not

included in the original scriptures.

They were added much later on, so here's a brief history

overview when it comes to the edition of chapters in the

Bible. Stephen Langton, who was one of

the archbishops of Canterbury, was the one behind that task in

around 1227 AD. And when it came to the

Wickliffe Bible translation that was developed in 1382, that was

the first Bible that adopted Langton's chapter divisions.

And since then, the Bibles that we have today honor that chapter

structure. Now when it comes to the verses

in our Bibles, the person behind the verses found in the Hebrew

Scriptures, the Old Testament, was a Jewish rabbi by the name

of Nathan. And this is something that he

undertook in 1448 AD and in some time past.

And the New Testament was visited by a man who is named

Robert Estien, a Frenchman, and he looked at Nathan's work in

the Old Testament. He adopted the model and he

implemented it in the New Testament.

And he added those verses. And those divisions became the

pattern for English translations, beginning with,

Does anybody know which Bible was the first English Bible that

took on both chapter and verses? The Geneva Bible?

The Geneva Bible was the first Bible to take that on, and

nearly all Bible translations have adopted it ever since.

So that's a brief overview of why it is that you have certain

number numbers in your Bibles and why certain chapters are

included in different places. Helpful overall, yes.

Can it be of disservice? It could be if you do not

develop the discipline to not allow the thought be cut off

with those chapter breaks. Many people miss the meaning of

certain verses because they don't honor the context and they

haven't developed the ability to see past what we see here, for

example, in chapter 6. And so here's what we're going

to do. Originally, again, I was going

to end with the 1st 2 verses of Chapter 7 because that's where

the conversation ends. But we're going to conclude at

the end of chapter 6, just so that we can keep the the

structure of our studies nice and organized for later

reference, and we will begin Chapter 7 next week, Lord

willing. Are you there in Second King 6,

verse 24? Let's read the first 2 verses

together. Afterward.

Ben Haddad, king of Syria, mustered his entire army and

went up and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in

Samaria as they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold

for 80 shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a cob of

Doves dung for five shekels of silver.

Now, some are quick to criticize this passage because there seems

to be an apparent contradiction. And the argument is, how do you

make sense of verse 24 in light of verse 23, the verse that we

ended on last week? So let's look at verse 23

together. And so he prepared for them a

great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them

away, and they went to their master.

And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of

Israel. So after the Syrian Army

experienced the magnificent grace of God through the

kindness of Elijah primarily, there was a silent vow that they

would never make raids on Israel again.

And then in the very next statement we rewrite that

Benedict, king of Syria, mustered his entire army.

Now he's coming with full force and he sets up a siege against

Israel. Contradiction, you know the

answer. No, it's not a contradiction.

This is a revelation, a revelation of the extent of the

human heart in terms of how it can become hardened.

So there was a temporary reprieve.

There was a willingness for the Syrian Army, the enemies of

Israel, to pull back and not return with any vengeance or

attempt to try to overthrow them.

But it was short lived. And Benedad this time, now would

come with greater force. And what's the answer for this?

It's very simple. There was in his heart a hatred

that was deeply rooted. And this hatred was so real.

It was so powerful that regardless of the mercies that

he experienced, regardless of the fact that his top general

was healed by the God of Israel and that his entire army was

spared from slaughter because of the God of Israel through the

man of God, Elijah, nothing impacted this man.

He was determined to destroy the people of God.

And this understanding is is helpful for us because it serves

as a wonderful illustration of many, many, many, many warnings

in the Bible. One of the comes to mind is

Proverbs 29, one where we are told there that he who is often

reproved yet stiffens his neck will suddenly be destroyed

beyond healing. That's one of the most profound

insights into the destinies of those who are often rebuked but

refuse to humbly respond to those rebukes and humility and

repentance. You know what that verse says?

It says this, that for those who receive plenty of warnings,

there will be a time that will come where intervention will

arrive without warning, will suddenly be broken, will

suddenly be destroyed without, without any opportunity to

change, without any opportunity to turn.

And that's why every opportunity you do receive upon conviction

should be registered as your last.

God may give more, but you should never, ever assume that a

day is coming where you have another opportunity to do so.

And so this is a very sobering illustration here before us.

This man has experienced so much of the mercy of God.

That's how we open up our study last week, if you remember.

And he is a clear illustration of what Proverbs 29 one tells

us, because this is not the last that we're going to read of

Benedad in Second Kings. He's going to appear again, and

when he appears again, it's going to be tragic.

He's not going to be met with God's mercy.

He's going to be met with something else.

But just remember that. But for now, let's consider

this. Benedad is not the only one who

was very stubborn in responding appropriately to the

incomparable grace of God. Let's read on here in verse 25

we discover and there was a great famine in Samaria and they

besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for 80 shekels of

silver and the fourth part of a cob of Dobbs dung for five

shekels of silver. So there are two things that are

taking place here in Samaria, the capital of Israel this time.

2 tragedies. 1 There was a famine, not just a famine, a

great famine. And the Syrian Army capitalized

on this tragedy by choosing to besiege, to siege the city of

Samaria. And I want to siege.

It was a military strategy in ancient times where an army

would surround a place, a region, a town, and they would

wait there for weeks, sometimes even months.

And this would create frustration for those who are

under siege because nobody can go in and nobody can go out.

No business could be done, no trade could be performed.

And so as time went on, what would happen is that they would

be starved into surrender. But usually before there is

starvation, there is inflation. And that's what we read of here.

We get a glimpse of the horrific conditions and the drastic

prices of some of these products that are unthinkable to us in

terms of consumption. The first is a donkey's head.

What do you do with a donkey's head?

I don't know, 80 shekels of silver.

Now, there are many, many things to comment about this, but the

most significant observation is that a donkey, according to the

law, was an unclean animal. It was not to be used for

sacrifice, and it was definitely not to be used to be eaten.

So we have this issue, but beyond that, it's tragic enough

to read about it. But we discovered that there is

even the conception of the excrement of birds.

Now, some people are so repulsed by this that they tried to

change the meaning of it, like it's speaking about seeds or

speaking about certain flower. No, it is what it is.

You're talking about people who are willing to purchase, not

birds. What comes out of the bird in

order to survive. And if this isn't troubling

enough, we haven't read it yet, and we're going to pass over

these verses in a moment here. But just to get a full picture,

look at verse 29 quickly. This is the common of a woman.

She's speaking to the king. And she says, so we boiled my

son and ate him. And on the next day, I said to

her, give your son that. We may eat him.

But she has hidden her son. This is not metaphorical in any

sense. This is the record of a very

desperate time in Israel's history.

And as you read this, you probably are thinking to

yourself, I understand that God allows trials, but this, this

severity, this kind of destitution, and I want to tell

you with absolute confidence that God is not arbitrarily

allowing this. Hear me very carefully.

Israel invited it. That's the difference.

And this is how we have to understand this passage in light

of the rest of Scripture. You see, the Lord has warned His

people in His law before they even entered into the promised

land of the blessings of obedience and the curses of

disobedience. And when you look carefully at 2

specific places in the Old Testament, you see this

catalogue of curses and judgments that will come upon

this particular people. And if you read it with a

careful eye, what you'll learn is that the longer the people

persisted in sin, the more drastic the consequences of

those sins would become. And I want to say that here

because we're going to read a passage in a moment.

But I, I want to mention that lest you believe that this

eruption of cataclysm is something that came without any

opportunity to repent or without any prior warning.

No, no, no, you have to understand that what's happening

here in light of the older passages, the warnings in the

law, are the final stages of God's discipline, both in

Leviticus and in Deuteronomy. What you'll discover is what

will soon follow. This is exile, which is really

the pinnacle of punishment. So we're going to, we're going

to read a set of verses that are going to be longer, but it's for

you to see the harmony of the Scripture and the goodness of

God even in this. God already said this would

happen, and they refused to listen.

So turn with me to Deuteronomy 28, the renowned passage of the

curses of disobedience as well as the blessings of obedience,

and look there at verse 52 of Deuteronomy 28.

I encourage you do not get distracted as we read these

verses. They are long, but they will be

helpful in understanding this story.

Deuteronomy 2852. Let's read together.

They shall besiege you in all your towns until your high and

fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout all

your land. And they shall besiege you in

all your towns, throughout all your land, which the Lord your

God has given you. And you shall eat the fruit of

your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the

Lord your God has given you in the siege, and in the distress

with which your enemy shall distress you.

Now look at this language in verse 54.

The man who is the most tender and refined among you will

begrudge food to his brother, to the wife he embraces, and to the

last of the children whom he has left.

And so that he will not give any of them any of the flesh of his

children whom he is eating, because he has nothing else left

in the siege. And in the distress with which

your enemy shall distress you in all your towns.

The most tender and refined woman among you, who would not

venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because she

is so delicate and tender, will begrudge to the husband she

embraces to her son and to her daughter her afterbirth that

comes out from between her feet. And her children, whom she

bears, because lacking everything, she will eat them

secretly in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy

shall distress you in your towns.

I I understand that it can be extremely difficult to see any

kind of insight or instruction for in such a gruesome passage,

but there is something here. There is indeed something in

every part of God's Word. I want you to notice how the

Lord does not say that it will be the most barbaric and

heartless citizens among your towns that will hunt for your

children and eat them so that they can survive.

That's not how He describes it. Look again here in verse 54, the

man who is the most tender and refined among you.

And he's not speaking about random neighbors who have a good

reputation, who are sweet and respectable.

Beyond that, he's speaking about the parents of these children.

And if you're thinking, well, OK, surely this, this can be

true for a man, but the maternal part of a woman would not allow

her to go to such extent. You read what in verse 56 that

the most tender and refined woman among you will do so as

well. This is horrific.

This is atrocious. This is unimaginable.

In fact, when you read not about this siege, but the siege that

Jerusalem will experience as they are surrounded by the

Babylonians. Jeremiah in the book of

Lamentations reflects on the scenes of that horror, and he

mentions this. You don't have to turn there,

but listen to this. In Lamentations 4, verse 10, the

Lamentations 4:10

hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children.

They became their food during the destruction of the daughter

of my people. What do we make of this?

What kind of application can you draw from this?

I believe there's a clear one that when a culture abandons

God, when a culture rejects and denies the truth long enough,

the unthinkable becomes possible.

That's what you take from these passages because it seems so

outlandish, so exaggerated. And I'm here to tell you the

unthinkable becomes possible. And by the unthinkable I mean

the deadly rise of selfishness and self preservation, the

abandonment of natural affection.

Doesn't Paul warned Timothy about that in Second Timothy

Three, that in the latter days there will be the forsaking of

natural affection and beyond that, even the emergence of

inhumane behaviors, people acting like animals in their

compulsions, in their desires and in their pursuits, even

though they were once considered civilized.

You know, when I was in Israel before COVID, one of the most

moving things. All the biblical sites were

wonderful, but we went to the Holocaust Museum as a group.

And the way they even structure the Holocaust Museum is so that

when you go through it in that 2-3 hour journey, you feel as

though you are in one of those enclosed rooms that those Jews

suffered in. There are so many things to take

in, videos and artifacts and Diaries, and it was just

incredible. It was so moving.

But one thing that struck me and so many verses and stories came

to mind from the scriptures is that when we came to the part

where we looked at some of the biographies of the Nazis, some

of these soldiers who massacred people by the thousands with

their own hands. And you look closely and you

read their description and you realize they were scientists,

they were doctors, they attended orchestras.

They were some of them were brilliant, intelligent, and yet

they could write in their journal entries how they

slaughtered people like it was a grocery list that they satisfied

that week. When a culture abandons God,

denies the truth, suppresses it long enough, you can't reject

God and just remain neutral. You invite darkness in,

voluntary or involuntary, it will come.

You remove God, Satan will move in.

And here's what we have that through a series of warnings and

judgements, God is not saying that he's going to make them eat

their children, saying this is what's going to happen as a

consequence of your sin. And what do we have today in the

West with all our advancements, with all our discoveries, right?

And now, now even even us, we're becoming more and more

desensitized to the idea of people mutilating their own

children, young girls cutting off their breasts, young boys

changing their genders, being being placed on tables in a

state where you can't as a parent interfere.

And they can be mortified, mutilated, changed.

And here's the thing. I mean, we all obviously object

to that, but even us, because it's becoming the norm now, can

overtime not feel the severity of such an ugly and hideous

thing. So this is not, this is not

exaggerated. This is prophetic.

What was true then? It's true today.

Now let's read on before I get too carried away.

And verse 26 of Second Kings 6. Now as the king of Israel was

passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, Help,

my Lord, O King. And he said, if the Lord will

not help you, how shall I help you?

From the threshing floor or from the wine press?

And the king asked her, what is your trouble?

She answered, This woman said to me, Give your son that we may

eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.

So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day, I said to

her, Give your son that. We may eat him, but she has

hidden her son. Is this the only instance where

we find two women who approach a king and ask for his

intervention in a situation regarding their sons?

Good, very good. Solomon, you remember those two

women who approached him and they were fighting for that one

child because one of their children were murdered

involuntary. And they're asking for wisdom

and guidance in this matter. Who does a child belong to?

But oh, what a difference we have now here in our study in

First Kings. That's where we learn about

Solomon and his wisdom. Now we're in Second Kings, and

what a change has taken place. Now you have two women who are

not fighting for the life of a child, but are fighting to eat a

child. And back then you had a conduit,

a vessel that was able to channel in God's wisdom,

supernatural intervention to bring bring genuine solutions to

a king who can't help in any way because he is so out of touch

with God. See the beauty of considering

the the wider storyline. So you have these two women, one

who is objecting and protesting, and the king here is listening

to this and he says, what? Before he discovers this, he

says, if the Lord will not help you, how shall I help you?

Was it true that the Lord would not help them?

Was this a right assessment? People have reached the final

stage of God's judgement, which was exile.

This was applicable. Deuteronomy 30 verse one.

And when all these things come upon you, pause.

What all these things, the curses that he mentioned in the

previous chapters of Deuteronomy, all these things

come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I've set before

you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the

Lord your God has driven you. And return to the Lord your God,

you and your children, obey his voice and all that I command you

today with all your heart and with all your soul.

And the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have

mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples

where the Lord your God has scattered you.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that this restoration

was only possible once they reached exile.

It was possible at any point of those curses, whether they were

lighter in nature or whether they were as devastating as

exile. Moses encourages his people that

no matter where your sin takes you, restoration is possible,

right? And that's what he says in verse

3. Then the Lord your God will

restore your fortunes and have mercy on you.

So what King Jeroen said was not true.

He was speaking in ignorance. However, this is so important

and we're going to spend some time here as much as restoration

as possible. There are non negotiable steps

to reach that restoration and they are actually spelled out

here. I want to actually give you 3

steps. And what's so beautiful about

this passage is that it's not exclusive to Israel.

It is available and it's applicable to anybody who veers

off the will of God, who veers away from the will of God.

So you're there in Deuteronomy 30, right?

Keep your hand there. Second King 6, we'll come back.

But I want to speak to you about three things that are now where

your sin is taking you. You must, you must trust in and

walk in in order to know this restoration.

The first thing, and they all begin with the letter R.

The first thing is to Remember, Remember, look here again at

verse one. And when all these things come

upon you, the blessings and the curse which I've set before you

and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord

your God has driven you. So no matter the despair, no

matter the darkness, though you're displaced.

They were held responsible in recollecting the message that

Moses gave to them at this time that would be forever inscribed

in the Word of God. You, you have a responsibility

that no matter where you go, no matter how far you stray, that

you recall what Moses says here, what God's Word says here.

And this says something about the power of God's Word.

God's Word is not just powerful enough to keep you from sin, it

also has the ability to guide you back into the will of God if

you for whatever reason walk away from His word.

And this is the immeasurable value of the word of God.

Listen, when it's instilled, yes, it can protect you.

Yes, it creates buffers. Yes, it makes it much more

difficult to entertain things that God tells you to never

entertain. That being said, it also when

it's when it's driven, somebody's heart can serve as a

light when they traverse into a terrain that they shouldn't be

traversing it and to call them back because deep in the

corridor of their conscience they have, they have received

some kind of investment, some kind of deposit that will deal

with them. And this is my testimony

personally, growing up in a Christian home when I lived full

on in the world in my college years, when I've reached that

breaking point, what was it? I mean, I didn't have to venture

out to all these different options.

I didn't have to explore all these different faiths, all

these different answers or spiritualism.

I didn't have to do any of that because the word of God that I

heard, even sitting on those pews dozing off, distracted, the

Word of God that was showered over me in my home in those

youth meetings, in those little conferences, came alive and

spoke and called me home. And here I am today over a

decade later. So I think that's an

encouragement, yes, to us personally, but even to those

that we love and care about, like Moses cared about these

people. And here though he is channeling

God's wisdom and he's given God's instructions, believes as

he's speaking to these people. God's word is able to bring you

back, even if you don't trust it for a season, if you don't

submit to it for a time. So remember, remember, remember,

remember who God is. Remember what's available to

you. But the second thing is to

return. You can't just think about it.

You got to make some moves. So what does he say here at

verse 2, the beginning of it and return to the Lord your God, you

and your children and obey his voice and all that I command you

today. You know what I love about this

part He didn't say and return to the commands of God and return

to the statutes of God. He says return to the Lord your

God. Whenever someone compromises

their Christians convictions, their Christian convictions.

You can be sure of this, that it started with the neglect of the

revelation and the practice of a personal relationship with them,

that intimacy is lost, that closest with the Lord is lost.

And when that is lost, temptation is much more

persuasive. Sin is much more alluring.

We talked about this last Sunday, how David said my soul

seeks you, my soul is satisfied, My soul clings to you.

When you stop clinging, sin has a greater grip on you.

And so here's what he's saying. You need to get back to the Lord

your God, not merely to principles, not merely to Bible

study, not merely under your elders.

Get back to God himself. That's the difference.

Many people miss this because obedience, listen, must be

rooted in the revelation of pleasing a person.

Not a set of rules, not maxims, not proverbs, a person.

And if your relationship to the truth is not grounded in a

revelation of a person, your obedience is going to not last

very long, not going to have that much motivation to stay

holy and serving with zeal and faithful.

You know, many people quote John 1415.

If you love me, you'll do what you will keep my commandments.

I would say 95% of people when they hear this verse here in the

following way. The way in which you measure

your love for Christ is the way you obey Him.

And that's not necessarily wrong.

I believe that to be true, but I believe there's another angle to

this verse. I believe there's another way of

interpreting it. You can't truly obey the

commandments of God unless you first love the Lord Jesus

Christ. If you love me, you will keep my

commandments. Here's how most people say, all

right, I'm going to prove my love to Christ by obeying him.

OK, good. There's a better way.

Before you even start obeying the commandments, love Christ,

his commandments obeyed will follow a heart that relishes in

him, that is moved by Him, and that's what we see here in even

Deuteronomy. And return to the Lord your God,

you and your children, and obey his voice and all that I command

you today. Returning to the Lord is 1st and

following that you will then obey him.

Return, come broken before him, have heart to heart with him,

repent to him, and then remain. That's what he says in the

second part of verse 2 with all your heart and with all your

soul. That is a vital clarification to

knowing true restoration and reconciliation with God because

it's it's possible that you would seek to return, but with

premeditated compromise, it's possible to to return and not be

fully convinced of being consecrated to him.

People do that. And what Moses is getting at,

lest we enter into the cycle of cheap grace, is that when you

remember and when you seek to return, you also have this

absolute desire to be fully consecrated to the Lord and that

you seek to stay close to him by his grace.

Not, not saying that it's not possible to veer off again.

It is possible, but in your heart of hearts you are

determined. Lord, I know that I did this,

but I want to stay with you. I want to honor you.

I want to love you. I don't want to ever revisit

that again. That that is what is required to

know true restoration with the presence of God.

Did you say, OK, I repent and because you feel a little

convicted, and really that conviction is because you got

caught, that that's not how it works.

He says you need a return with all your heart and with all your

soul. You know what moves me about

these verses in Deuteronomy, the way God refers to himself as

he's giving these instructions, If you know it, can you repeat?

How does God refer to himself? What kind of title, what, what

kind of statement does he make? That's right.

He could use a myriad of different references, but he

says 4 times in these 3 verses. The Lord your God, the Lord your

God, the Lord your God, the Lord your God.

You know what's even more fascinating?

In the 1st 10 verses of Deuteronomy 30, 12 times the

Lord, your God, the Lord your God, the Lord your God, your

Lord, your God, the Lord your God.

Why is that moving? It's moving because of the

context. He's referring to himself as

their God in light of their compromise, in light of enduring

his discipline, his chastisement, in light of

experiencing these consequences that are they can't even enter

into our imagination. I'm still your God.

I'm still your God. Even in this state.

I still belong to you. You still belong to me.

And so intertwined in all of these commands they're hearing

over and over again, I'm still committed to you.

This covenant still keeps us close.

And that should, that should encourage us even more to know

that he's still my God. I might have not honored him.

I mean, I, I might have not treasure them the way he

deserves, but he still says, I'm your God, I'm your God, I'm your

God. So come to me, seek me, don't be

intimidated, don't be fearful. I still am committed to you.

So they would hear that a dozen times in the 1st 10 verses

alone. And if they had done that here

in Second Kings 6, I'm sure that God would have honored his word

and restored their fortunes and been merciful to them.

But instead there's unbelief, the king says of the Lord, I

will not help you. He will help you.

But here's what we discover about the king.

He didn't recall, remember, return and remain.

But something staggering appears in verse 32nd, King 6.

Let's read it together. When the king heard the words of

the woman, he tore his clothes. I was passing by on the wall and

the people looked and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his

body. And he said, May God do so to

me. And more also if the head of

Elijah, the son of Shafat, remains on his shoulders today,

whenever the word behold appears in a verse, it is calling you to

draw your attention more fully to the object that it is

pointing to. Look back at verse 30.

Notice how the word behold appears and where it appears.

So the king hears the words of the woman.

He tore his clothes. So just imagine he's there on

the wall, probably surveying the city.

He, he tears his clothes and the Holy Spirit tells us the people

looked and behold, hey, hey, hey, pause.

Now look at this. Behold, he had sackcloth beneath

on his body. That's interesting.

Sackcloth was generally material that was made-up of goat hair,

dark, sometimes black goat hair woven together.

And if it was worn long enough, it would irritate the skin.

It would make you itchy. It was very uncomfortable.

It was not a fashion statement by any means.

Why is the king wearing sackcloth?

And we all know this very well, because sackcloth in the Old

Testament especially, signifies an outward representation of an

inward contrition and brokenness before God.

So when people really wanted to demonstrate their repentance,

they would sometimes wear sackcloth and sometimes even add

ashes to demonstrate publicly. More importantly, before the

Lord, I am broken. I realize the severity of my

sin, of the situation, and I'm calling upon you and humility to

intervene. And here's what's so

fascinating. The King Jehovah was wearing

sackcloth beneath his royal robes.

People saw this. There are two lessons to draw

from this, and they have to do with judging.

The first lesson is about judging others.

Second lesson is about judging yourself.

If you had just seen the king before this moment, you would

have never discovered. You would have never known that

he had sackcloth underneath. And this is something for us to

consider in many cases. Things are not always as they

appear right? And we have to be very careful

making unfair judgments on people's character based on the

limited evidence that you have. Like Jerome's hidden sackcloth.

Many people listen, carry deep burdens.

They're carrying something that you're unaware of and that may

always remain unknown to you. And on the surface, all may look

well, but at the same time, be mindful that some are silently

suffering. Yeah, silently dealing with

struggles, heartbreak, secret wounds that are not easily

recognizable. Be very slow to even look at

some people's behaviors or expressions or even patterns and

make quick judgments, not realizing that there's something

under you don't know. So be slow and be merciful.

Be patient. A lesson about judging others,

but also a lesson about judging ourselves.

Because before we're quick to applaud and be inspired by Jeho

Ram's repentance, here, wearing sackcloth God is not.

After outward expressions, He's not.

He's more concerned about heartfelt, genuine internal

brokenness. And why I say that is because

though he's wearing sackcloth, I'm not sure how genuine this

man's repentance is saying why did you see what he said in

verse 31? May God do so to me and more

also of the head of Elijah, the son of Shaphat remains on his

shoulders today. Are you inspired now what are

you saying? Elijah is a dead man while

wearing sackcloth and ashes. I leave sackcloth.

So you're wearing the cross, but you're acting different, right?

That you, you you play the part, It looks like.

Yeah, you, you dress conservatively.

But man, when you talk, this is the thing.

This is this is hypocrisy. So he's wearing sourclaw, but he

wants to kill the man of God. This is not the man of God's

fault. If anything, what has Elisha

done for the king over the years?

Well, the previous story is that he saved him in many ways.

He gave Intel, all the Syrians are coming here, don't go there.

That's just one, one act of grace.

Yet all of a sudden now he's the enemy.

And it could be because he thinks, well, remember last week

the Syrians were after Elijah. They wanted to get him because

of his insight. So he might put the blame on

him. Like this is Elijah's fault.

He's the one who's inviting this trouble.

There's no justification for this.

But you know what I find so fascinating?

How how Jeharam's attitude towards Elijah is very much

consistent and parallels with how people look at Christians.

Do Christians get a lot of blame for what's happening in culture?

Oh yeah, sure. Or at least how they view

culture. Prehistoric, barbaric,

irrelevant beliefs imposed in our systems, indoctrinating your

children. When in reality, like Elijah, we

Christians have the solution and the solution is not within

ourselves. It's it's in the God that we

serve in worship. So Jerome's faulty view of

Elijah we can resonate with as believers in Jesus Christ.

But here's what's amazing. Notice what he says.

May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elijah, the

son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.

Does that statement, that phrase sound familiar to you?

You don't have to think too far back.

Let me ask you a question. Thinking about Jeharam's

heritage, who are his parents? Ahab and his mother.

Any light bulbs go off yet? Do you remember what Jezebel

said when she learned that Elijah brought victory on Mount

Carmel? Let me remind you of First Kings

19. Look at verse First, Kings 19,

verse 2. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to

Elijah saying, so may the gods do to me and more also if I do

not make your life as a life of one of them by this time

tomorrow. A small reminder of how

impressionable our children are, both for good and for the bad,

right? He's repeating what his mom said

about the prophet in her time. So she wanted to kill Elijah.

He wants to kill Elijah. And notice if you believe what

he says here in verse 33, notice how what he is saying and what

he has in his heart does not reflect the sackcloth.

Look at verse 33. And while he was still speaking

with them, the messenger came down to them and said, this

trouble is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord

any longer? Whether that's the messenger

that the king sent to Elijah or it's the king himself, he's

blaming God for this trouble. This trouble is from the Lord.

Can I tell you something? You will never know recovery.

You'll never know reconciliation.

You will never know healing in your life as long as you

continue to blame God. This trouble is from the Lord.

No, it's actually you. It's actually you.

And you can philosophy it all you want, and you could try to

pin God in a corner with all your ways of thinking and your

reasoning. But as long as you sit in the

place where you feel like you can judge the Sovereign 1 and

criticize his actions or his lack of actions, you will never

know the healing and the wholeness that only your God can

provide. This trouble is from the Lord.

No, it's actually you, Jehovah, and your decision and how you

respond to the problems that came into your life.

It's not God's fault. God's your only hope.

So if you blame him, you're hopeless.

If you refuse to come to him, you have nowhere else to go.

This trouble is from the Lord. Let's end here with how Elijah

is dealing with this whole thing.

Look at verse 32. Elijah was sitting in his house.

I love that right there. People are frantic.

People are running around trying to do this, trying to do that.

A king is scaling the walls. And where do you find Elijah?

Sitting in his house. He's relaxed, cool as a

cucumber, not moved, not frantic, not panicking.

Elijah was sitting in his house and the elders were sitting with

him. Now the king had dispatched a

man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived,

Elijah said to the elders. Do you see how this murderer has

sent to take off my head? Look, when the messenger comes,

shut the door and hold the door fast against them.

It's not the sound of his master's feet behind him.

I'm just trying to think about something here.

Wasn't Jair Aram the king who benefited from the prophetic

insight of this man of God? Who knew what the king of Syria

was going to do before it happened?

Do you remember what I'm talking about, King?

You don't go there because the Syrians are going to raid over

there. They're going to set up camp.

Don't go over there. That's just, this is the same

king and he now thinks that he can actually surprise Elijah.

I said this before. It's not a really deep or

profound statement, but sin makes us stupid.

It does. It blurs our judgments and it

makes us make foolish decisions like this.

Elijah said to the others, Do you see how this murder is

coming after my head? So that's divine revelation that

is supernatural. But I love this marriage between

the supernatural and the application of practical wisdom.

God reveals to Elijah, he's coming for you.

So what does Elijah do? Elijah says, what lock the door.

Do we believe God can protect us?

We believe it. Yes, we do.

OK. Lock your door at night, though.

It's a good. It's a good practice, right?

Put your seat belt on, right. Don't do foolish things like

dangling off cliffs and stuff. God will protect you.

Yeah, sure. But be practical.

Can you provide reassure? Yes.

Go get a job, though. Yeah.

Save up money. It's just another reminder in

the Old Testament. Yes.

A book that's filled with supernatural miracles, that God

still wants us to be real and be mindful that we're in a world

with limitations and practices that will benefit us and harm

us. And here's what I love about

Elijah. Here's how we'll end.

I think this is a good place to end.

Can we go back to the story before this, when his servant

looked out and saw the Syrians surrounding him?

Look here in verse 15, when the servant of the man of God rose

early in the morning and went out, behold an army with horses

and Chariots was all around the city.

And the servant said, at last, my master, what shall we do?

He said, do not be afraid for those who are with us or more

than those who are with them. Then Elijah prayed, he said, oh

Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.

So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw and

behold, the mountain was full of horses and Chariots of fire all

around Elijah. I didn't mention this last week,

maybe because it's meant to be shared today.

Where was Elijah's anchoring trust in?

Notice that when he sees he has a servant see the Chariots and

the the horses of fire. The comfort didn't come in the

fact that they killed the Syrian Army.

They didn't necessarily act. They were just present.

And that was enough for Elijah to be calm, the source of our

comfort on this side of the cross.

It's not necessarily that the Lord will move in miraculous

ways every single time, but simply in the fact that He's

there. And if he chooses to intervene

miraculously, then we have all the reason to rejoice.

But just knowing He's aware, just knowing that he is

hovering, just knowing that he is before us, He is behind us,

He is over us is enough. I believe Elijah was living in

that reality before 2nd Kings chapter 6.

We see it clear here in the middle of chapter 6 and when we

find out verse 32 that Elijah was sitting in his house.

Do you think that revelation evaporated after the the story

earlier? No, no, no, he lived in that

reality. You and I are called to live in

that reality as well. Just knowing that my shepherd

sees me is enough. There's that wonderful story in

Mark's gospel where Jesus sends the disciples ahead after the

feeding of the thousands and he stays back to pray on the

mountaintop. And we're told there in the

gospel that the the disciples were beating the waves and they

were trying to resist the winds that were pushing against them.

And there's this wonderful statement, I'm paraphrasing,

where the Lord looked on them like he sees them.

They don't necessarily see him, but he's aware and at the right

time. He walked on water.

And even in the gospel accounts we read that he kept walking on

to see if they would invite him. Remember that.

But I love how even before that, when they do see this figure

through the rain and the darkness of the sky and the

waves that are obstructing their vision, they think he's a ghost.

They think he's a ghost. And it's, it's a reminder to us

that often times when the Lord is in our midst and he is with

us, we fail to see him. We fail to recognize Him as He

should be recognized. So here's the beauty of this

story as we end here at the the last verse of chapter 6.

Be comforted as Elijah was comforted.

Not because God is going to do a miracle for you necessarily, but

because He is simply there and that's enough.

And if it's not enough for you, pray that God would open your

eyes for it to be enough. Let's seek Him.

Well, we thank You for this word.

It is Your eternal word. You had us in mind when you

penned these words that in 2024, in the month of December, on a

Friday night, we would feast on them.

We love Your word. And Lord, if there's even one

person here who is not where they're supposed to be, help

them hear Your voice, to remember what Your word says

about Your goodness, to return to You and to remain there.

And Your promise is this for those who have professed Christ

that You were still their God, no matter how they have failed

in their testimony. We ask, Lord, that every one of

us would be near you leaving this place.

Lord, your word went forth. It was administered, it was

heard, but the miraculous transaction can only happen with

your power. So we call upon that power and

we trust you. Lord.

We never want a repentance to be foolish, to be surface level, to

be misguided. If there's going to be any

brokenness, if there's going to be any love, if there's going to

be any praise, any honor, let it come from our hearts.

So we give you our song of praise from our hearts in Jesus

name, Amen. Let's stand and worship the King

of Glory as a praise team helps us do that.