2 Kings 8:7-15
SUMMARY
God uses ElishaMiracle working prophet who succeeded Elijah. More in an unexpected – even shocking – way.
ANALYSIS
Modern readers are used to stories that detail God’s salvationSalvation can mean saved from something (deliverance) or for something (redemption). Paul preached that salvation comes through the death of Christ on the cross which redeemed sinners from death and for a grace-filled life. More for Israel. In a shocking turn of events, Elisha delivers a prophecyProphecy is the gift, inspired by God, of speaking and interpreting the divine will. Prophets such as Amos, Isaiah, and Ezekiel spoke words of judgment and comfort to the people of Israel on behalf of God. More that turns the tides against God’s people. Moreover, this prophecy is not just unfavorable, but graphically violent. This divine intention – that Hazael would become king over Aram and oppress Israel – is first stated back in 1 Kings 19:15-17. Anointing Hazael king was to be one of Elijah’s final acts as a prophet before passing the mantle (both figuratively and literally) to Elisha. ElijahA miracle working Israelite prophet who opposed worship of Baal. More is unable to fulfill this divine intention during his career, so it is left to Elisha to complete.
While it is a common trope to say that biblical prophets “speak truth to power,” sometimes God used prophets to promote those in power. God used Hazael’s reign as a corrective against the idolatrous and immoral behavior of the Israelites, as becomes clear later in the text: “The anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that he gave them repeatedly into the hand of King Hazael of Aram, then into the hand of Ben-hadad son of Hazael” (2 Kings 13:3). The people of the Northern KingdomThe Northern Kingdom consisted of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel and lasted for 200 years until it was destroyed by Assyria in 721 B.C.E. In the northern kingdom the kings were evil. Prophets like Elijah and Amos railed against them and their evildoing. More are almost unilaterally deemed sinful by the 1-2 Kings narrative. God repeatedly used both prophets and more negative consequences to attempt to bring them back into a right relationship.
