Chapter 314 of 1163

2 KINGS 8

God knows the future. The Shunammite woman experienced three tragedies: the death of her son, the uprooting of her household, and the loss of her property. And yet she was faithful to the Lord and had been kind to God’s servant (2 Kings 4:8ff.). God helped her escape the famine and then used the miracle of her son’s resurrection to help her regain her property. Romans 8:28 certainly proved true in her life! You may wonder why God permits some of your trials, but wait and see how He will use them!

God sees the heart. When he was desperate, Ben-Hadad wanted Elisha’s help, but he did not want Elisha’s God. The prophet saw the murder in Hazael’s heart, but Hazael denied it was there. We do not know how wicked our hearts really are (Jer. 17:9), and we must cry out to God for His help (Ps. 51:5–6, 10).

God keeps His promises. Jehoshaphat was a godly man, but he had married a daughter of Ahab (2 Chron. 18:1); and his son followed his bad example. Jehoram also followed the bad example of his father-in-law Ahab and allowed his evil wife to lead him into great sin. But God kept His promise to David (v. 19) and did not destroy Judah. He had purposes to fulfill through the godly remnant, for Judah would bring the Savior into the world.

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