2 Kings 9
Today's Passage: 2 Kings 9
Have you ever seen people who are evil or dishonest succeed in life? Maybe at work, your co-worker who lies and steals receives a promotion. Neighbors who slander the name of God seem to have vibrant lives, successful careers, and all the joys that money can buy. The story of Jehu shows us God’s justice towards evil and his faithfulness towards his people.
Ahab and Jezebel were some of the most wicked people in the Old Testament. They were one of the feature villains of 1 Kings, yet they are still front and center in chapter 9 of 2 Kings. God prophesied through Elijah that He would destroy them for their wicked deeds, but Elijah is now dead and Elisha has become the prophet of the Lord.
Has God forgotten? Why is he taking so long? This feels like real life. Why does God allow evil/wicked people to prosper while faithful believers suffer? God uses Jehu to bring about his judgment on those evil leaders, and one day God will bring about full judgment on all evil.
We may not understand God’s patience with evil, but we should be thankful. We not have been as evil as we could have been, but you and I, at the core of our hearts, WERE EVIL. We defied and defiled the holy name of God with our lives, yet He was patient with us. He sent Jesus to bear the full weight of just wrath against our lawlessness before we ever believed in him. Even though we hated him and his gospel, he allowed us to experience happiness, success, and prosperity.
Now we have the unique opportunity to have an eternal perspective on life. Yes, evil people may prosper and we might face poverty and suffering for doing the right thing, but we do so waiting for our King to return and restore all things. He will come as the true and better Jehu with perfect justice. We wait with urgency, not passivity. Christ died so that wicked and evil sinners could find forgiveness and grace, and we have been tasked with telling them about that good news. So take heart, God sees all things. And take action, God can save anyone!
Written By: Joe Weaver
Have you ever seen people who are evil or dishonest succeed in life? Maybe at work, your co-worker who lies and steals receives a promotion. Neighbors who slander the name of God seem to have vibrant lives, successful careers, and all the joys that money can buy. The story of Jehu shows us God’s justice towards evil and his faithfulness towards his people.
Ahab and Jezebel were some of the most wicked people in the Old Testament. They were one of the feature villains of 1 Kings, yet they are still front and center in chapter 9 of 2 Kings. God prophesied through Elijah that He would destroy them for their wicked deeds, but Elijah is now dead and Elisha has become the prophet of the Lord.
Has God forgotten? Why is he taking so long? This feels like real life. Why does God allow evil/wicked people to prosper while faithful believers suffer? God uses Jehu to bring about his judgment on those evil leaders, and one day God will bring about full judgment on all evil.
We may not understand God’s patience with evil, but we should be thankful. We not have been as evil as we could have been, but you and I, at the core of our hearts, WERE EVIL. We defied and defiled the holy name of God with our lives, yet He was patient with us. He sent Jesus to bear the full weight of just wrath against our lawlessness before we ever believed in him. Even though we hated him and his gospel, he allowed us to experience happiness, success, and prosperity.
Now we have the unique opportunity to have an eternal perspective on life. Yes, evil people may prosper and we might face poverty and suffering for doing the right thing, but we do so waiting for our King to return and restore all things. He will come as the true and better Jehu with perfect justice. We wait with urgency, not passivity. Christ died so that wicked and evil sinners could find forgiveness and grace, and we have been tasked with telling them about that good news. So take heart, God sees all things. And take action, God can save anyone!
Written By: Joe Weaver
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