Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. (2 Kings 13:14-19)
Though they did not depart from the sins of their fathers in Israel with the golden calves, they sought the LORD to deliver them from their Syrian oppressors. Elisha lay dying of a great sickness and gave the king of Israel a Word from the LORD. God would deliver them from Syria and the army of Israel would smite Syria three times and recovered many of the cities of Israel which Syria had conquered and taken for Syria.
God is a God of deliverance and mercy, even in the midst of Israel’s sin and rebellion. When the people turned back to God, He delivered them, just as He had done all during the time of the judges and was now doing in the times of the kings of Judah and Israel. Because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and because of His great mercy and love, He did not consume Israel at this time but delivered them from their enemies.
For the believer, we are to remember when we sin, and we sin way more often than we want to, we have an advocate with God, the mediator Jesus Christ. Our relationship with the Father and with the Son is not a license to sin, but the power to overcome sin and receive forgiveness and reconciliation when we sin. For those who do not know Christ by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, God’s mercy means while there is life there is opportunity for Salvation to whosoever will receive it. God extends grace to those who repent and call on the Name of the LORD because of His Son. We are delivered from our enemies, from sin, and from this world, not because we earn it or deserve it, but because of God’s grace, mercy, and love for us. All who are in Christ are to share His message of hope to this lost and dying world that whosoever will may come to God on His terms and be born again.
While we are here on this earth as His ambassadors and ministers, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
God is a God of deliverance and mercy, even in the midst of Israel’s sin and rebellion. When the people turned back to God, He delivered them, just as He had done all during the time of the judges and was now doing in the times of the kings of Judah and Israel. Because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and because of His great mercy and love, He did not consume Israel at this time but delivered them from their enemies.
For the believer, we are to remember when we sin, and we sin way more often than we want to, we have an advocate with God, the mediator Jesus Christ. Our relationship with the Father and with the Son is not a license to sin, but the power to overcome sin and receive forgiveness and reconciliation when we sin. For those who do not know Christ by faith in Him and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary, God’s mercy means while there is life there is opportunity for Salvation to whosoever will receive it. God extends grace to those who repent and call on the Name of the LORD because of His Son. We are delivered from our enemies, from sin, and from this world, not because we earn it or deserve it, but because of God’s grace, mercy, and love for us. All who are in Christ are to share His message of hope to this lost and dying world that whosoever will may come to God on His terms and be born again.
While we are here on this earth as His ambassadors and ministers, God has commanded those of us who are His saints and know Him to go out into this world to reach the lost that they might be saved from sin. He desires that His people strive to be holy and obedient unto Him that we might minister to those around us who are hurting and in need as He provides. We serve others, equipped with the Word of reconciliation and righteousness, rightly divided and fitly spoken, that they may see Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Our God has commanded us to love one another with an unfeigned love, even as He first loved us, and to disciple one another in the Word of God so that we may all grow in grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Lord has commissioned those who are His with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to go where He sends us in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go, we are to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness through repentance and reconciliation with the Father through faith in His Son, that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God might have life in His Name.
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. God calls you to faith in Christ and His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvary to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with God, forgiveness from God, and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is God the Son, to give you a new life in Christ. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life, now and always.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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