Leadership Challenges Part 8

 

    King Jehoahaz reigned in Israel for 17 years doing evil in God's eyes.  By this point the leaders led God's people away from Him for so long that God's anger burned.  The worst part is that no one seemed to notice or care.  The leaders and the people didn't even believe that He existed or if He did, he was just like all the other idol gods.

    When King Jehoahaz did seek out God, God listened because He is a deliverer of what is good and right.  God removed the oppression of the Arameans.  God is slow to anger, forgiving, and cares even though people do not deserve it.  People in general are selfish.  We only have the human perspective, so it is so easy to fall back into bad habits.  Neither King nor the people turned from their sins.  God got their attention in attempts to show them how wrong their lives were.  He allowed the Aramean army to destroy the Israelite army.  It was a bitter pill for the nation to swallow.

    When Jehoahaz died, his son Jehoash became the king of Israel.  King Jehoahaz will not be remember for anything great.  Even his evil heart was not original.  He just became another figure in history.

    King Jehoash reigned 16 years.  He reigned much like his father and would be forgotten in a matter of time.  Jeroboam succeeded him.  King Jeroboam reigned when Elisha became ill.  Jeroboam wanted Elisha to bless him before the prophet died.  

    He wanted victory over Aram in a fashion that would not let history forget him.  Elisha gave Jeroboam an easy task to represent the value of the blessing, but Jeroboam only did it half way.  That is why the Elisha did bless the king to have victory, but not be able to completely destroy Aram.  

    Sometime after Elisha died, there was a burial when the Moabites raided.  They had to act to act quickly.  They ended up putting the body in Elisha's tomb.  When the corpse touched Elisha's remains the life entered the corpse.  This random person rose from the dead.  

    That is the power of God.  Some people have such faith that it remains even when they die.  Miracles do happen.  Your faith can make your memorable.  Your lack of faith can make you ordinary.  The thing about faith is that your focus stops being on you and starts being on God.  That can make you special.

    God allowed King Hazael of Aram to oppress His people, but He had made a covenant a long time ago.  That covenant saved Israel from being completely destroyed or being banished completely from God's presence.  When King Hazael died, his son Ben-Hadad became king of Aram.  This is when King Jehoahaz took back all the cities that Hazael had taken from them.  God gave Jehoahaz three victories for the three arrows.

2 Kings 13