Read: 2 Kings 3:1-4:17; Acts 14:8-28; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 17:22
Joram the king of Israel was an evil king who worshipped idols. King Mesha of Moab paid tribute to Israel of 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. When Ahab died, he rebelled against the king of Israel. Israel asked King Jehoshaphat of Judah to join him in attacking Moab. The king of Edom joined them but after seven days of traveling, they were out of water. They didn’t know what to do and were afraid they would all die except King Jehoshaphat. He asked if there was a prophet they could ask. One of King Joram’s king knew about Elisha so they sent for him.
Elisha told them to go and ask their own gods. King Joram said it was God who brought them together so they needed to ask him. Elisha made it clear that the only reason he would ask God for them was because of King Jehoshaphat, who feared the Lord. Elisha asked for someone to play the harp so he could hear from God.
God answered and said that they would have plenty of water and they would defeat the Edomites. The next day, the valleys were filled with water. When the Edomites approached, they thought the water was blood. They surmised that the armies had killed each other and went for the spoil. As they approached the Israelite army, The Israelites ran out of their tents and conquered them.
There was a prophetess who lost her husband. She was going to jail if she didn’t pay her creditors. Elisha told her to borrow as many empty jars as she could and go into her house with her sons and shut the door. Then she was to start filling the jars with oil. The oil kept coming till all the jars were filled. Elisha told them to sell the oil and pay her debts.
Another wealthy woman recognized that Elisha was a holy man and made a place for him to stay anytime he came to her city of Shunem. Elisha wanted to repay her and found that she had no son so he told her that next year at that time she would be holding a son.
In Acts, Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra and met a man with crippled feet. They told him to stand up and walk and he did. The people thought that Paul was Hermes and Barnabas was Zeus. They ran to get sacrifices to present to them.
Paul and Barnabas tried to convince them they were just people when some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium. They turned the people against Paul and Barnabas and now they wanted to stone them. They did stone them but not to death. The next day, they left for Derbe and preached the good news on their way home to Antioch. They gave the report of all God had done for them and all the suffering they were blessed to endure for the name of Christ.
Lord, help us to see that persecution follows a heart that is sold out and doing the works of Jesus. We look forward to that day.
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