GUIDANCE
Suggested Reading: 2 Kings 1-2
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
in the Ancient Agora Museum in Athens Greece is a monument base commemorating the victory in a race at the Panathenaic Games from the 4th century BC. In these games a fully armed warrior jumps on and off a moving chariot. In today's reading a chariot and horses of fire appear.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: 2 Kings 1:6a
So they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?…'”
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, please help me to focus on You and You alone. You hold my future in Your hands. I trust You for daily guidance. Grant me grace to keep my eyes on You, Lord Jesus, and I know that as I refuse to be distracted, I can’t go wrong. Thank You Jesus! Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I have a friend named Herman. Herman was a salesman for Litton Industries, a company that, among other products, manufactured a system for aircraft called, “Inertial Navigation.” One day he shared this story with me…
“I’ve just sold and installed one of our systems in the corporate jet of the President of Home Oil of Calgary, Alberta. In order to have automatic guidance to your destination, you punch in to the onboard computer the co-ordinates of the latitude and longitude of your desired destination. The unit was installed in Toronto and carried the President to Calgary. Herman received a call from Calgary about four hours after departure. The President sounded angry. He said, ‘We got over Calgary air space and then trouble. It landed us one foot to the left of the centre line on the runway.’ Then he burst into laughter.”
What amazing accuracy! The lesson Herman taught me was that if I want guidance, I simply put God’s promises into effect by praying and believing, and then take off. He has promised guidance to His desired destination for my life. This removes the potential for human error. Solomon got it right when he wrote, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Yours to help navigate our lives always to the centre line on the runway of life. God’s will is our destination, and we must not be distracted by other considerations,
David
Arrowheads displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Pella, Greece.
A warrior's helmet displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Pella, Greece. By the time the books of Kings conclude, Greece was just beginning to rise as a world military power.
Yes indeed David, for accuracy of arrival we would do well to set our internal GPS on Jesus!
David, you mentioned that “Elisha lived in constant touch with ordinary people, and his ministry emphasized life and grace.” This may be the case, however in 2 Kings 23-25 there’s an incident which took place which shows little of Elisha’s emphasis on life or grace, but that of a disturbing childish ego. The boys were of course wrong to jeer and to taunt Elisha, but for Elisha to submit a curse upon them to the point of a horrible death? Really? I may have this wrong blog-buddies, please feel free to correct me and set me straight if I’m overlooking something here. Have a great day everyone!
Sorry .. I meant 2 Kings 2:23-25
correction again … oh boy! 2 Kings 1:23-25
You were right the first time Scott, It Is II Kings 2:23-25.
Have a great day blog-buddies. We are getting some much needed rain today.
I was disturbed by the same thing when I read it, Scott. Cast a curse on someone? Elishah cast a curse on them in the name of the Lord (hard to believe) and they were mauled and 42 of them killed.
I didn’t interpret it as just the childish ego reaction in Elishah but because he was filled now with a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, which was the Spirit of God, flowing through him.
The large crowd of boys jeering and taunting him was like spitting in the face of God, himself. Considering how different the OT was in terms of God’s anger, wrath and violence compared to the NT with Jesus as our sacrifice for love and forgiveness, there has to be much more behind this example.
The boys jeering him were disrespectful to the Spirit of God and that is what his reaction was about. I could be very wrong about this and perhaps as we read along further, we will know the answers.
It reminds me of the same way Jesus reacted when he turned over the money tables in the market on the sabbath day in utter anger and people were afraid. It was disrespectful to the Spirit of God. Mt 21:12.
Hi Scott- Have you ever seen the movie the Passion by Mel Gibson? Do you remember the scene of what happened to Judas after he betrayed our Lord? He was tormented by group of little boys- but these weren’t really boys, but demons in disguised. And that is how I have always understood that passage about Elisha — I think he could see they among the real boys, were 42 demons- and it was those demons that were killed, not the real boys.
But if you don’t think that is the reason- the only other thing I can say is that God does curses. He cursed Adam and Eve when they sin. He cursed Israel if they did not obey the law. Jesus cursed the fig tree. So God can curse. Death itself is a curse for sin.
Jesus stated if you call someone a fool you are guilty of murder– so these boys by mocking a man of God simply suffered the consequences of their actions. If Elisha had said “let a she bear devour you”- he would have been in the wrong- but he asked God to deal with these children and that was God’s judgement- and if that was God’s judgement, then we have no right to second guess the goodness of the act, because God is good and it that was God’s choice then it was a good choice. We might not get it, but I am sure in heaven it will all be explained to us, why He choose that action. I hope that helps.
Good morning Scott, I really appreciate your insights as I read them. In answer to your question, I checked my John MaCarther study bible and he says “young lads were not children but young men in their late teens,early twenties. They were showing contempt for the Lord’s prophet and thus showing contempt for the Lord himself Elisha call upon the Lord to deal with these rebels as He saw fit and so it was the Lord’s punishment. The appalling judgement was God’s warning to any and all who attempted to interfere with the newly invested prophet’s ministry. I pray this helps.
I like both of your interpretations, Donna and Colleen–seeing the demon in the children and knowing they were not children but young men–deceptive and disrespectful at the same time.
Scott, I felt the same way as you about Elisha and the boys. I thought that was way to harsh of a punishment. This did not show any grace towards them at all.
I was shocked also at what Elisha did. It seems to me that this is just “boy pranking” – showing off with their piers (common today as well). A word from the Lord, in my estimation, would have been a better solution – not death. Maybe I’m wrong but they were just boys.
Hi Doreen, as I told Scott, these young lads were in their a late teens early twenties. Please read what wrote to Scott. God Bless and have a great day!!!!!
Thanks, David Mainse, for highlighting the importance of keeping our eyes on Jesus, as Elishah kept his focus solely on Elijah as he had instructed him in 2:10, and he was filled with the power of the Spirit. Your message was prophetic today for me. Last night I was at a worship healing service at St. John’s Anglican Church, and the woman said the exact same words to me, which you said, this morning, David–“like a laser-like focus.” It is the Word of God that has been teaching us and bringing healing into our hearts, just like Jesus. Thanking you again and again! May you enjoy this beautiful cold spring rainy day, fellow saints! Our God is SO good!! Amen!
Thank you for the information as to why a first born received a double portion.
Often wondered about that practise!
Wishing all of you a great and Godly day.
My first reaction to the whole reading today was, what powerful men of God, Elijah and Elisha were and the words of Jesus came to mind in Matt. 28: 18-19a”,…All power is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…” Fellow bloggers I also find that curse of death on the children disturbing but this is the dispensation of law and judgement. In Exodus 21:17, it says: “And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” So also the man of God with the Spirit of God in him. The lesson to be learned from this is that children also should be taught respect for sacred things. Then it happened in the New Testament with Ananias and Sapphira.
Good lessons to be learned today David to keep our eyes on Jesus. We are getting that much needed rain in the Maritimes as well.
Amen, sister Ger!
Thanks Ger!!!!!
Hi David, Wow,Elisha. gets opposition almost immediately he is ordained by God to step into Elijah’s position with the double portion. First the prophets didn’t believe that Elijah had truly been taken up to heaven, as they insisted against Elisha’s better judgement to go and search for him, then the mocking spirit attacked him through that gang of boys! It goes with the territory that anyone who serves the Lord with great zeal, holy boldness and power from on high, is a threat to satan and he will attack. However, greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world We really must hold up our spiritual leaders in prayer for their protection from the evil one, and that their ministries will be fulfilled according to God’s plan and purpose. Have a wonderful day tomorrow all our precious mothers!
Amen Christine and thank you!!!!!
Take hold of jesus and never let go, Amen ,And you sure can’t go of on the wrong path,We have an Awesome God ,Praise His Holy Name, we defnitly
need to hold on to Him .Bless you all David, and fellow bloggers….R….
Amen Rosemarie!!!1
For about the past year and a half I have battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I now am doing well and have returned to work full time. During this horrible time 100 Huntley Street encouraged me and helped me focus on God. Through them I started reading this blog every morning and this is blog helping me to stay strong in the Christian faith. I pray for David Mainse in chemo – that God keeps him strong and healthy. His blog is helping so many people! God is always with us. Even when I was suffering the effects of chemo and felt like the only thing I could do was lie in my bed and focus on breathing my next breath – God was with me. He was the One that was breathing his breath into me.
It seems to me that miracles, signs and wonders are all meant to direct us, to point to, Our Saviour.
Thank you David M for drawing our attention to Elisha focusing on Elijah rather than the chariot and how we need to focus on Jesus.