KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus
Through Every Chapter
Date: Sunday,
April 17, 2016
Chapters: 2
Kings 6-8
Message: 2 Kings: Take The Plain Path

Hello
My Friend,

You do not have to be a prophet or physic to
see the events that bring utter chaos to a person or even a country.
I will admit there was a time in my life that I believed physics
existed, I use to think I had physic abilities. That was until I
discovered that learning the fate of someone was not being a physic,
it was just common sense based on the lifestyle they were living. If
you watch someone long enough you will see a pattern that leads up to
them pretty much destroying their lives. I am a firm believer that
while God can intervene at any time and certainly knows what will
come of us, He gives us the free will to walk our own path, if we
seek His will than He will direct that path. “Teach
me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine
enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false
witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I
had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in
the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he
shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” -
Psalms 27:11-14.

Many times you will read something
through the Bible and cringe at the thought of what they were doing,
the first thing you think of is how could things have gotten so
crazy. The truth is, the flesh is weak, it enjoys the pleasures that
the world has to offer, and it will do anything to get them. So, when
the things of the world get taken away and they are left trying to
survive life after their fun they will go to such extremes. We have
heard of people going to extreme measures to survive, even eating
people. I cannot imagine being in such a state, but it happens more
than you think. The Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) was in
invaded by Syria, and a severe famine arose.

“And
it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all
his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great
famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head
was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab
of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. And as the king of Israel
was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying,
Help, my lord, O king. And he said, If the LORD do not help thee,
whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the
winepress? And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she
answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him
to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. So we boiled my son, and
did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that
we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. And it came to pass, when
the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and
he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he
had sackcloth within upon his flesh. Then he said, God do so and more
also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on
him this day.” - 2 Kings 6:24-31.

“If
the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?” Do you
see the pattern here? The world only thinks of taking care of
themselves. Never believe for a moment that the world does not know
God exists or that He controls things. If any of the people would
have come to God He would have provided for them. We knew all this
was going to happen because they were warned of it by Moses, but like
everyone today who ignores the word of God, they did also, and there
they are stooping to the lowest level of eating dung and people to
try and stay alive. Let me tell you, if I have to choose between
eating something so disgusting and dying, I choose dying because at
least I know I will be with Jesus. As Christians, we are not to worry
about provisions, God will give them, seek first Jesus and everything
else will be added.

“Be not ye
therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have
need of, before ye ask him. Therefore take no thought, saying, What
shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be
clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you.” - Matthew
6:8,31-33.

The first thing the world does when realizing
the path they were taking led to their destruction is go after the
men or women that spoke about it. If they just learn to trust God,
His decisions, and wait patiently for them He will take care of them.
Instead of trying to help the people the king went after Elisha, but
a little while later some lepers discovered something, the entire
Syrian camp was empty. They went in and began feasting and grabbing
everything they could hold in their hands. Then they realized they
ought to share the wealth.

“So
they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them,
saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no
man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and
the tents as they were. And he called the porters; and they told it
to the king's house within. And the king arose in the night, and said
unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to
us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the
camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of
the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city. And one
of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five
of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they
are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I
say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are
consumed:) and let us send and see. And the people went out, and
spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold
for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to
the word of the LORD. And the king appointed the lord on whose hand
he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon
him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake
when the king came down to him.” - 2 Kings
7:10-13,16,17.

“according to the
word of the LORD.” The king lost his life that day because
he was too stubborn to realize that God was helping them. It's
amazing how God always takes care of His people, we do not have to
resort to detestable things to survive, we simply need to trust Him.
We must be willing to starve a little and take a risk, I do not mean
going crazy, but do something to prove to God that we trust Him. This
is a perfect illustration of salvation, Jesus has given us a way to
escape death and hell, we can choose Him and live, or we can deny Him
and die, the choice is ours, but if we just sit there, we die. “It
is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live
with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him,
he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he
cannot deny himself.” - 2 Timothy 2:11-13.

At any
time when we are seeking answers from God we can open His word and
allow the Holy Spirit guide us to the answers. Sometimes we have to
add prayer and fasting and dig deeper into the word to get answers,
many times we just have trust Him. Quite often it takes a tragic
event for someone in the world to go to God for answers, and they
usually go to a man or woman of God. Elisha never refused to help
anyone who came to him seeking answers from God, so when the king of
Syria got sick he sought him to get answers from God if he was going
to be healed. Elisha discovered something he probably wish he had
not.

“And Elisha came to
Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told
him, saying, The man of God is come hither. And the king said unto
Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God,
and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this
disease? So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him,
even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came
and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath
sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? And Elisha
said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover:
howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die. And he
settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man
of God wept. And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered,
Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of
Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men
wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip
up their women with child. And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant
a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The
LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.” - 2
Kings 8:7-13.

“Because I know the
evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel:” When
Elisha discovered what Hazael was about to do to Israel he cried. It
really is sad to see our nations falling apart and discover what the
fate of every nation will be. One day Jesus will return, the earth
will be destroyed, and every person, dead or alive will stand before
Him for judgment. Only those who chose the path of Christ, who
humbled themselves, admitted they have sinned, and received Him as
their Saviour for their sins will survive this judgment. All that
receive Christ are good before God and will be saved. “Marvel
not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the
graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have
done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” - John
5:28,29.

Jesus Christ Revealed:
Today Jesus is revealed through the noise that spooked the Syrians
and allowed Israel to go into their camp for food (7:6). And by
Elisha, who wept when he realized what Hazael would do to Israel and
its people (8:12). Jesus wept for Jerusalem when He saw they had no
faith in Him after Lazarus had been dead. “Jesus
wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them
said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have
caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again
groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone
lay upon it.” - John 11:35-38.

Today's
Prayer: God, Thank You for freewill, You do not force us
to do anything, You accept any decision we make regarding You and the
life we choose. I do not want to be in my own or someone else’s
will, I want to be in Your will and to take the path that You would
have for me. I know that Your path is straight and narrow, I know it
will not always be easy, I will face some famines in life, but I am
trusting You to provide for me and keep me on the plain path. Lord,
lead me and guide me, teach me Your ways, and give me the power,
strength, and wisdom to walk in them. I love You and ask this in
Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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