Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20040222.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSING IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part XLIII: Blessing In Yielding To God's Allowing Severe Trials To Discipline Other People
(2 Kings 8:7-15)
  1. Introduction
    1. The best way to relate to the Lord as a believer is to heed Him, for then we experience His great blessing.
    2. However, if His people refuse to heed His Word and turn to other "false gods" for security, hope and guidance, they must repent or experience His great discipline.
    3. As difficult as that may be, when we see fellow believers sin to the point where God must discipline them, we must yield to God's plan to allow them to have severe trials that they might learn to repent. This lesson appears in 2 Kings 8:7-15 as follows:
  2. Blessing In Yielding To God's Allowing Severe Trials To Discipline Other People, 2 Kings 8:7-15.
    1. When Elijah had fled from Jezebel's wrath for his slaying her prophets of Baal, God had then revealed to Elijah that a man named Hazael would become king in Syria and would be one of three men who would slay people in Israel who had upheld Baal worship, cf. 1 Kings 19:1-3, 8, 15-17:
    2. However, when it was revealed to Elisha whom God sent to predict to Hazael what God would let him do in administering this discipline, Elisha was appalled at Hazael's evil brutality, and with great difficulty yielded to God's will to give the message to Hazael so that he might respond with his evil deeds, 8:7-15:
      1. Elisha traveled to Damascus in Syria, a Gentile nation with whom Israel had known much conflict to bring a message regarding the future rise of Hazael to Syria's throne in accord with God's revelation to Elijah back in 1 Kings 19:15-17, cf. 2 Kings 8:7a.
      2. At the time, Ben-hadad, king of Syrian was ill, so he sent an envoy with his servant, Hazael to ask Elisha if he would recover from his illness, 2 Kings 8:7b-8.
      3. Hazael came to Elisha with a great procession to deliver his gift for Elisha's services, a practice that was common in the function of gift-giving by royalty in his day, 2 Kings 8:9; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament , p. 553. [Often only one animal carried only one gift though it was customary to make a great show with a large procession in making formal gifts, Ibid.]
      4. Aware that God was going to allow Hazael to assassinate Ben-hadad and rule in his place and be allowed to afflict the idolatrous people of Israel with great cruelty (cf. 2 Kings 8:12b), Elisha found it very difficult to interact with Hazael, 2 Kings 8:10-12:
        1. When Hazael arrived to ask Elisha Ben-hadad's question about recovering from illness, Elisha told him to say Ben-hadad would recover although the Lord had shown Elisha he would not do so, 8:10.
        2. In reality, Elisha knew by way of God's prophetic insight that Hazael had evil plans in his heart: he knew Hazael would assassinate Ben-hadad, making the king's death look natural so he could assume Ben-hadad's throne, 8:15; Elisha knew Hazael would next lead Syria to burn Israel's fortresses, kill her young men, dash her children to death and rip open her pregnant women, 8:12b.
        3. Accordingly, seeking to influence Hazael away from such horrible secret plans, Elisha did not tell Hazael that he would assassinate Ben-hadad, but stared into Hazael's eyes, hinting he knew of the man's evil plans so that Hazael might be swayed not to follow through with such plans, 8:11a; Ibid.
      5. Nevertheless, Elisha yielded to God's permissive will, telling Hazael what he had to say so that history would unfold within God's permissive will, as difficult as it was for Elisha to do just that, 8:11-15.
        1. Realizing God's will meant Hazael would be permitted by God to murder Ben-hadad to assume Syria's throne and then do very cruel things to Israel's idolatrous people, Elisha openly wept, 8:11b.
        2. When Hazael asked Elisha to explain his grief, Elisha told him of the cruelty Hazael would do to Israel's people; evil Hazael naturally denied this would occur, but left to do just the opposite, 8:12ff.
Lesson: Though it brought him to tears, Elisha heeded God's will to tell wicked Hazael what was required so Hazael would set in motion actions that would make him a tool to punish the ungodly.

Application: (1) If we know of a party that has refused to obey God's Word, and we know they are ripe for discipline, may we like Elisha GRIEVE over their judgment to come, but yet (2) YIELD to God's permissive will that they FACE His discipline! (3) Also, in facing God's discipline on others, may we examine ourselves and repent if needed to KEEP living in God's BLESSING, Gal. 6:1; 1 Cor. 10:6-12.