Walking Out Limited Faith

INTRO

We’re in the seventh book in the Old Testament, and every one of these books point to the coming Messiah. Our phrase for 2 Kings is Surviving Seed. In chapter 11, we looked at a small group of people who believed in the Davidic covenant and a seven-year-old boy named Joash who became the king of Judah, and a surviving seed.

TEACHING

2 Kings 13:1–3: In the 23rd year of Joash’s reign as king of Judah, Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, became the king of Israel (v. 1). And, as with all the kings of Israel, Jehoahaz did evil in the Lord’s sight and continued the sins that Jeroboam had first committed (v. 2a). You would think that Jehoahaz would have some idea of the consequences of following the sins of Jeroboam, but “he did not turn away from them” (v. 2b). Notice the phrase, “the sins that Jeroboam . . . had caused Israel to commit.” The same phrase in used to describe other kings in 2 Kings 10:29, 31; 13:6, 11; 15:9. At least 17 times, this phrase was used in 2 Kings. Imagine if the model of how to act had been David and not evil King Jeroboam? Sadly, this was the only pattern Jehoahaz knew.

John MacArthur suggests that 2 Kings 13 reflects the cycle outlined in the book of Judges¹:

1. Jehoahaz did evil in the sight of the Lord (v. 2; Judges 2:11–13; 3:7).
2. God was angry at Israel and delivered them to their enemies (v. 3; Judges 2:14–15; 3:8).
3. Jehoahaz cried out for God to intervene with his enemies (v. 4; Judges 2:18; 3:9).
4. God called a deliverer to rescue Israel (v. 5; Judges 2:16, 18; 3:9).
5. After being delivered, Israel went back to their evil ways and the cycle began again (v. 6; Judges 2:19; 3:12–14).

Nelson’s Commentary explains that God’s anger can be slow in coming but can be incited into exercising His judgment (Deuteronomy 4:24–25; Psalm 103:8). God is also compassionate, but “His wrath is reserved for those who break His covenant” (Deuteronomy 13:17; 29:25– 27; Joshua 23:16; Judges 2:20), and “God’s wrath is righteous, while human anger is evaluated in negative terms” (Genesis 49:6; Proverbs 14:17).²

2 Kings 13:4–9: Jehoahaz called out to the Lord who heard him and sent Israel a deliverer. Israel escaped the power of the Arameans (vv. 4–5a). The people went back to their tents, but they continued following Jeroboam’s sin (vv. 5b–6). They continued the pattern of committing sin, experiencing God’s judgment, crying out for help, being delivered, and then going back to sin. Jehoahaz walked with them in sin. Even the Asherah pole, “a sacred tree or pole that was perceived perhaps as some sexually-oriented symbol of the fertility religion of Canaan,” was left standing.³Meanwhile, Jehoahaz had no army left and very few soldiers (v. 7). Jehoahaz died and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash became king (vv. 8–9).

2 Kings 13:10–13: King Joash was in his 37th year on the throne when Jehoash became king over Israel and reigned 16 years (v. 10). Jehoash also did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the sins of Jeroboam (v. 11). Jehoash waged war against Judah’s king, Amaziah. When Jehoash died, he was buried in Samaria with the other kings of Israel (vv. 12–13).

2 Kings 13:14–21: No mention was made of Elisha for more than 40 years, and at this point, he had served 70 years. Elisha became sick and later died from that illness (v. 14a). Jehoash, the king of Israel, wept over Elisha who was lying ill in bed (v. 14b). Elisha told Jehoash to get his bow and arrows, and Elisha joined his hands to the king’s hands on the bow, symbolizing that “Jehoash would exert power against the Syrians that came from the Lord through His prophet”⁴(vv. 15–16). Elisha told Jehoash to open the east window and then shoot the arrow out of the window (v. 17a). When Jehoash shot, Elisha told him that was the arrow of victory over Aram (v. 17b).

Elisha told Jehoash to take the rest of the arrows and strike the ground. Jehoash struck the ground three times (v. 18). Elisha was angry that Jehoash had only struck the ground three times instead of five or six and gave the prophetic word that Jehoash would strike down Aram only three times, not enough to put an end to them (v. 19). Then Elisha died and was buried (v. 20). When Moabite raiders came into the land in the spring, the Israelites, who were about to bury a man, instead threw the body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man was revived and stood up (v. 21). God did the work, not Elisha’s bones (Ezekiel 37:4; Matthew 27:52)!

2 Kings 13:22–25: Hazael, the king of Aram, oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz’s entire reign (v. 22). But God still had compassion on them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (v. 23). When King Hazael died, his son Ben-hadad was made king of Aram. Jehoash waged war against Ben-hadad and took back the cities that Hazael had taken from King Jehoahaz, Jehoash’s father. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad exactly three times (vv. 24–25), as prophesied by Elisha.

CLOSING

Jehoash only had a partial victory over Aram and Ben-hadad, because he only walked out what he had faith in. That goes for us as well, in all areas of our life.