1. Text summary
2. How is Christ in the text?3. Application
God Judges Kings - 2 Kings 1
1. Text summary
Ahab's son Ahaziah is king. He is injured and sends messengers to ask Baal-Zebub if he will recover. Prophet Elijah meets the messengers and rebukes Ahaziah for not asking Yahweh. Ahaziah sends 50 soldiers to arrest Elijah, who calls fire down and burns them up. It happens twice! The third captain wises up and humbles himself before Elijah. Elijah rebukes Ahaziah in person. Ahaziah dies, and his brother Jehoram becomes king of Israel.
2. Jesus
Jesus is the prophet who condemns wicked rulers, and restores life to those who believe.
Jesus' mission on earth was NOT to call down fire on current enemies of God (Luke 9:54ff).
Like Elijah over Ahaziah, Jesus stands over every wicked ruler as they die and go to face judgment.
3. Application
a. Don't think you can summon God - it'll end badly for you.
b. Don't seek answers to your life or future from sources outside of God's will.
c. Don't fret over wicked rulers. Their time will end.
Elijah's Chariot of Fire - 2 Kings 2
1. Text summary
Elijah is about to "die," and all the prophets know it.
He parts the Jordan with his cloak, then a chariot of fire takes Elijah up to heaven.
Elisha takes Elijah's cloak, and uses it to part the Jordan.
Prophets search for Elijah, but he is gone.
Elisha cures the bad water of the prophets' town.
Youths mock Elisha, he curses them, and bears maul them.
2. Jesus
Jesus has a double portion of the Spirit.
Elijah did 7 miracles; Elisha does 14. The last one is after his death, resurrecting a dead man. Jesus does 7 signs/miracles in John 2-12, the last being raising Lazaurs. Jesus' last miracle is His own resurrection.
John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah, and Jesus followed Him with greater works.
3. Application
a. Believe that God has given you His Spirit, though Jesus has ascended to heaven out of our visible sight.
b. Do not presume on God's miracles, but do expect them to happen according to His timing and plan.
Miracle Four - 2 Kings 3
1. Text summary
Moab rebels against Israelite subjugation. Jehoram asks Judah to fight against them, and Jehoshaphat agrees (he doesn't learn!). They get stuck without water in the desert. Elisha miraculously provides water in trenches they dig, in the morning. Moab sees it in the morning sun as red blood, and thinks Israel and Judah fought each other. So they plunge in to loot, not ready to fight, and Israel defeats them. Moab's king sacrifices his oldest son on the city wall, which disgusts Israel, and they leave.
2. Jesus
Jesus is living water, which we need to live.
Those opposing Him, see Him as death, and His people as an opportunity to exploit.
3. Application
a. Learn from your mistakes (Jehoshaphat didn't).
b. Make sure your goals are God's (Jehoram's weren't).
c. Count the cost to get your project done
(take an army into the desert without enough water??).
d. If you're opposed to God, He's going to spring a trap on you at some point
(Moab fell for it).
Miracles 5-9 - 2 Kings 4
1. Text summary
Elisha provides as much oil as a prophet's widow can gather jars for, to provide for her financially. Miracle 5.
A rich old woman provides Elisha a room to stay overnight in. He wants to reward her, but she asks for nothing. He promises she will conceive a son, and she does. Miracle 6. Note the parallel with Genesis 18 (Abraham and Sarah) and Luke 1 (Zechariah and Elizabeth).
Years later, the lad falls ill and dies. The mother runs to Elisha, who raises him back to life. Miracle 7.
Elisha cures a stew that had mistakenly been poisoned.
Elisha multiplies a bit of bread to feed all the prophets. Miracles 8-9.
2. Jesus
Jesus resurrects a widow's son, too.
Jesus is the promised and miraculous Son, born to us.
Jesus' 7th miracle was also a resurrection, of Lazarus. John 11.
Jesus fed 5000 with just a little bread. Both Elisha and the Gospels refer obliquely to Moses and the manna.
3. Application
a. The jars represent our faith. The greater our faith, the more blessing God gives.
b. Often with a blessing (the son born) God also gives trouble (his death). Trust God even in the face of death.
c. God can multiply the inadequacy that we see to provide abundantly for us.
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