The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
2 Kings 5:1 – 8:15
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 6:Kings and Prophets: God divides the kingdom people.
Background Information: 2 Kings 5:1 – 8:15
God has always been at work among the nations; his heart is for the world to turn to him in obedient faith. Namaan, commander of the army of Israel’s enemy, is said to have achieved victory because the Lord had given it to him. The Lord was using him for his purpose of judging his rebellious people. Namaan’s Israeli wife encouraged him to seek help from the prophet of the one true God. When Namaan was told by Elisha what the Lord required for his healing, he was taken aback. He was ready for some hocus pocus hand waving, but was told to wash in the Jordan. Fortunately for him, his servants talked sense into him, and he was healed–not by the river, but by God, through this simple act of faith. He became a follower of God and was so sensitive to obedience in his newfound faith that he confessed to Elisha that, when his master bowed to the false god Rimmon, he had to help him, but he will no longer bow in worship to an idol. The outsider is healed as he follows God and turns from idols, while the insider contracts the same disease as he turns his heart to the idol of material wealth. There is humorous irony in that the King wants to capture Elisha because the Lord gives him advance notice of his battle plans. Wouldn’t Elisha know about these plans? Further irony is seen in that God opens Elisha’s servant to the powerful hosts of heaven, ready to do battle, but blinds the eyes of the enemy forces to the trap. Later, the king of Israel is enraged because the prophet who could warn of the enemy’s plans had not stopped the terrible siege. The story takes yet another ironic turn when four leper outcasts, living in desperate isolation outside the city, refuse to keep the good news to themselves that the siege has ended, and God has provided for the people. Do not measure what God might be doing in the hearts of people around you with only your physical eyes. God was at work then among outsiders and outcasts, and he is at work still. Look for what he is doing and join him.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for God to use Isaac & Suzanne to mentor and disciple teens as they teach at Black Forest Academy.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.