Words of Encouragement Scripture: 2 Kings 8:7-15 7. Then Elisha came to Damascus. Now Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and it was told him saying, The man of God has come here. 8. The king said to Hazael, Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Will I recover from this sickness? 9. So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camel loads; and he came and stood before him and said, Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, Will I recover from this sickness? 10. Then Elisha said to him, Go, say to him, You will surely recover, but the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die. 11. He fixed his gaze steadily on him until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept. 12. Hazael said, Why does my lord weep? Then he answered, Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel; their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up. 13. Then Hazael said, But what is your servant , who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram. 14. So he departed from Elisha and returned to his master, who said to him, What did Elisha say to you? And he answered, He told me that you would surely recover. 15. On the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his face, so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place. Look closely at verse 11. From Our Daily Homily by F.B. Meyer Elisha foresaw all the evil that Hazael would inflict on Israel, and it moved him to tears. Though he was a strong man, able to move kingdoms by his message and prayer, yet he was of a tender and compassionate disposition. This was he who one moment upbraided the king of Israel for his crimes, and the next called for a minstrel to calm his perturbed spirit with strains of music. The men that can move others are themselves very susceptible and easily moved. The nearer we live to God, the more we deserve to be known as men and women of God, the more will our tears for the slain of the daughters of our people. Consider the ravages that drink, and impurity, and gambling, are making among our people; enumerate the homes that are desolate, the young life that is wrecked as it is leaving the harbor, the awful dishonor done to woman; and surely there must come times when tears well up for very humanitys sake, to say nothing of the pity which they acquire who look at things from Gods standpoint. Jesus beheld the city and wept over it. Give us this day, O Son of Man, Your compassion, Your love, Your tears, that we may speak of Your grace graciously, of Your love tenderly, and You judgments with brimming eyes. A broken heart, a fount of tears; Ask, and it shall not be denied Would you avert such issues; begin with the cradled babes of your homes. Win them for God; teach them how to curb passion and subdue themselves. Tenderness and wisdom may arrest the making of Ben-hadads. So, be encouraged, my friend! P.S. Here is a Gospel song that will minister to your heart: I Know that My Redeemer Liveth, performed by Steve Green. Enjoy! youtube/watch?v=aFJQAkK36Ic
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 15:42:17 +0000
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