Lesson Recap
Continuing in our study of Kings, we remained looking at "Does My Decision Matter". This week we covered 2 Kings 6:1-8:29.
Bible in Context:
No Need Is Too Trivial-6:1-7: When one of his followers accidentally lost the ax head of a borrowed ax into the river, Elisha covered it by miraculously causing the ax head to float.
Some Needs Are Desperate and Widespread-6:8-7:20: During a time of war between the Israelites and the Arameans, Elisha assisted the king of Israel with information about troop movements and encouraged his people to trust in the Lord for deliverance. When the king of Aram later besieged the capital city of Samaria, Elisha prophesied a dramatic deliverance. This deliverance came in an amazing act of divine providence, and is the main setting for this weeks lesson.
Some Needs Can Be Anticipated-8:1-6: Because he knew the Lord was about to send a famine to Israel, Elisha insrtucted his friend, the woman from Shunem whose son he had brought back to life, to take her family into the land of the Philistines until the famine ended. When she returned after the famine, Elisha's servant, Gehazi, assisted in getting the king to restore her property and livelihood.
Some Needs Have Unexpected Repercussions-8:7-15: While Elisha was in Damascus on a visit, the king of Aram sent his assistant to inquire of the prophet whether he would recover from an illness. Elisha told the assistant to say the king would recover. Elisha then wept because the Lord revealed to him that the assistant would kill the king, take over his place, and would then become an even deadlier enemy than the prior king had been.
Some Needs Are Self-Inflicted-8:16-29: In this passage, the narrative of 2 Kings moves back into a discussion of the kings of Judah.In 8:16-24 Jehoram became king of Judah, and his reign of 8 years was marked by disobedience to the Lord and by a successful rebellion of Edom. Upon Jehoram's death, his son Ahaziah became king and reigned for 1 year. Evaluated as an evil king who followed in the ways of Ahab, Ahaziah allied with Joram, king of Israel, in his fight against the Arameans. (Ironically, this move set the stage for Ahazaih's getting caught up in a violent coup in Israel-an event in which both Ahaziah and Joram would lose their lives.)
Need To Know? 7:3-16
A lot of times we hear the military talk of operating on a 'need to know' basis. In other words 'loose lips sink ships'! So if a person was in a position that they didn't need to know certain information then they were kept out of the loop. This lesson we were introduced to a small group of outcast men and are forced to deal with the social dilemma-do others have a need to know?
One of the first lessons a parent teaches his child is how to share. Is it always right to share new findings with others? How does one know when to share new information? What are possible consequences of withholding information or newfound wealth?
Realize God Is Always At Work 3-7
Verse 3 The Aramean army was practicing siege warfare against Israel. The victims of this type of warfare had few options. 1)They could hold out until their stores of food and water gave out, after which the horrors of starvation would ensue. 2) they could sue for peace, the terms of which often included the victors slaughtering portions of the population, enslaving others and destroying the city walls. 3) They could take the battle to the besiegers and try and send for reinforcements in an attempt to beat the enemy into retreat. Long sieges, however, usually meant that any possible fighters in the city had grown weak and dispirited and would be easily defeated in battle. The Israelites seemed to have no good options. Life inside the city walls had become so desperate that some people had resorted to cannibalism (6:28-29). In grief and anger, the king blamed Elisha and was determined to kill the Lord's prophet (6:31) Elisha, however, prophesied that the Lord was about to deliver the city (7:1)
The men that had leprosy, had a decision to make. We can see here that sometimes a decision is made even if it is wrong. They decided to go to the Aramean camp and cast their fate there. They chose twilight as this would be the least likely time of day a besieging army would be primed for battle. The soldiers would be settling for a meal and some rest.
At the camp, God had made a sound that made the Arameans flee, leaving everything behind. To the biblical writer, the important point here was not to explain how the Arameans came to hear this sounds, but rather the fact that God had created it. If indeed other kingdoms were involved the Hittites would attack from the north, the Egyptian from the south. The threat of a double flanked attack contributed to the Arameans panic.
What truth can we take from this passage and apply to our lives today? This passage underscores that the Lord is at work to help His people even when they can't perceive his presence or understand his activity. See Romans 8:28. It's appropriate for us to believe that God is at work in our lives no matter how desperate our circumstances may seem.
Tell Others About It 8-9
Some would want us to believe the actions of these men were inappropriate. But the were not. The men's action met a basic human need-hunger. Their second action was also appropriate-to meet the need of financial stability. So why did they not keep all of the plunder themselves? Some would say the fear of punishment when found out. Others would guess their common decency. Whatever the motive-they did the right thing in sharing the good news. How is the action of these 4 men akin to a person finding salvation in God's "good news"?
Urge Others To Check It Out 12-13
The king suspected this news was a trap because it sounded too good to be true. In our society, people can be skeptical of things that sound too good to be true. How can we respond to those who wonder if the gospel message is too good to be true?
Share In The Joy 15-16
The messengers reported to the king that everything was as the men had reported. What has the Lord done for you recently that you can share with others?
Conclusion: Who do you know that has a need to know about God's salvation through Jesus?
Big CHILL-i Dinner
A quick meeting was held about our serving the chili dinner for the kids in attendance at the Big Chill. Melissa Luther is supplying a recipe that we will use to feed the 100 or so kids attending. We are asking the entire class to contribute a desert, so look for the signup sheet in the SPOT folder this week. Janice Meinhardt is going to coordinate the deserts. Everyone is invited to come help prepare and to serve! We will keep the donations envelope in the folder until the Sunday before the Big Chill (March 13th).
Trivia Night!!
...is this Saturday. If you chose a gift for our Movie Basket that will be auctioned off in the silent auction, please turn it in no later than this evening (Wednesday) to Ginger LaRowe. Also, plan to attend and have a great time all while supporting our youth mission trips.
Easter Egg-stravaganza
...will be on Saturday, April 16th from 8:30 AM -11:30 AM. There is a sign-up sheet in the SPOT folder looking for help at this great family event. You can:
- serve in a game room
- serve in a craft room
- help supervise and hide eggs for the Easter Egg hunt
- donate a gift basket
Direct any questions to Debbie Elder or Lanny McFarland.
Snacks
- 3/6 the Stubbs
- 3/13 the Robbins
Prayer Requests
- Continued prayers for Zenobia.
- For Kevin's sister, a teacher who is caught up in all the events in Wisconsin.
