Television gives us around-the-clock news, but it’s a mixed bles
The tenth-century B.C. wall is 230 feet (70 meters) long and about 20 feet (6 meters) tall.
It stands along what was then the edge of Jerusalem – between the Temple Mount, still Jerusalem’s paramount landmark, and the ancient City of David, today a modern-day Arab neighborhood called Silwan.
sing. A constant diet of current events can leave us in a state of nervous depression.
Well, imagine following the news from ancient Israel during the days of the Old Testament kings!
The God-fearing people of days must have struggled mightily to maintain their morale amid the downward spiral of their times.
The book of 2 Kings is like a news account of this discouraging succession of kings, starting with evil King Ahab.
The first seventeen chapters of the book describe the events that occurred in the day of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
The final eight chapters focus on Judah alone. The story concludes with Israel exiled in Assyria and Judah banished to Babylon.
It would be easy, reading all this, to close the book and sigh, “All is lost!” Yet throughout the story in 2 Kings, God never lost control of Israel’s destiny, and His promises were undeterred.
Even the fall of Judah, as tragic as it was, set the stage for subsequent events in Old Testament and
Intertestamental times, leading to the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David.
The site, known today as Khirbet Qeiyafa, is about 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Jerusalem, on top of a hill overlooking the Valley of Elah.
Yes, we need to keep up with current events; but don’t let the bad news of earth get you down. Focus on the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Kings may fail and nations may falter, but God is still on His throne, and His rule will have no end.
Key Thought:
Though the story of the decline and fall of Israel’s monarchy appears bleak at times, God never lost control of Israel’s destiny and His promises were undeterred.
Key Verse:
“And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kgs 6:16).
Key Action:
We, like Elisha, should live with confidence in chaotic times, for we are protected by the invisible armies of the Lord of Hosts.
“And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kgs 6:17).