Date: Wednesday, 16th April, 2025
Text: 2 Kings 6:8-23
Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan
Exhortation:
When Elijah was to be arrested by 50 soldiers sent by a king, he was afraid and he called fire from heaven and destroyed them. This happened twice until the angel of God instructed him not to be afraid but to go with the arresters- 2 Kings 1:1-15.
In the case of Elisha with the double anointing, when he was to be arrested by a larger army of soldiers; firstly he was not afraid because, with the eyes of the Spirit, he could see the army of the Lord which outnumbered the enemy army.
Secondly, Elisha preferred to strike the enemies with blindness and led them to the king. The king wanted to kill them but Elisha discouraged him but instead asked the king to give them food and water and then sent them back to their country. The enemies where thus humiliated- 2 Kings 6:8-23.
In doing this he obeyed the word of God which says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” Proverbs 25:21-22
When the Samaritans rejected the gospel of Christ, James and John they asked the lord whether it was okay to call fire down from heaven to destroy them but Jesus turned down their request and rebuked them- Luke 9:51-56.
The same Samaritans that rejected the Lord initially eventually accepted him later when Phillip the Evangelist visited them with same gospel. This time the whole city accepted the Lord and there was joy everywhere in the land- Acts 8:4-8. What if they had been roasted by the fire proposed by John and James, will there be a city to evangelize?
Key Nugget: Forgiveness is higher than vengeance. Justice is great but mercy is higher.
Bible in One Year: 1 Kings 19-20