King Ahab’s son Ahaziah did not repent of the sins of his father and mother and very early in his reign he fell and injured himself and this ultimately led to his death, for he did not seek the Lord for counsel, but instead sent messengers to Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, to seek for direction, 2 Kings 1 :2-4!

Thus, we cannot seek God for direction, unless we are willing to give up our sin, for God will refuse to hear or answer us if we harbour iniquity in our hearts, Psalms 66:18! Elisha’s persistence to continue following Elijah from Gilgal (circumcision) to Bethel (house of God) to Jericho (victory over sin) to Jordan (outpouring of the Holy Spirit and baptism of fire) found him being rewarded with his heart’s desire viz. a double portion of the Spirit of God than what had rested on Elijah, 2 Kings 2:1-15!

How far am I willing to go in my walk with the Lord and the persistence with which I continually persevere for things eternal will be just how far I will get and receive from God. Even though it may seem like a difficult thing, yet God is well able and willing to let me experience all the treasures there are in Christ Jesus, but the question is how much do I value these eternal treasures such that I persevere pursuing them until I receive and refuse to settle for anything less than God’s best!

While both prophets, Elijah and Elisha took revenge on those who came against them, either physically or verbally, 2 Kings 1:9-12; 2 Kings 2: 23,24, yet as New Testament believers we are called to show forth the Spirit of Christ in blessing those who curse us, praying for those who persecute us and loving our enemies, while feeding them when they are hungry and give them a drink when they are thirsty. This makes us merciful sons/daughters of our Heavenly Father whose nature must be seen in us in this manner, Luke 6:27-36!.

Although the battle against Moab seemed impossible to win, yet as the king of Israel humbled himself to seek counsel from the God of Elisha at King Jehoshaphat’s instruction, and also turned away from some of the sins of his forefathers, God gave them a prophetic word and as they followed the same, a great victory was won, 2 Kings 3:1-18! Similarly, our difficult situations in life can be overcome too, provided we humbly seek the Lord for advice, enlightenment and His plan of action to overcomer our problems. It is, however, important for us to obey His instructions wholeheartedly, and acknowledge our sin honestly, no matter how trivial or inconsequential these may seem in our eyes! Very often, human reasoning which contradicts God’s Word and refusal to humble our pride, keeps us bound as slaves to many a ‘Moabite’ that refuses to allow us enjoy our inheritance in Christ.

We need to arise from our complacency and battle for our spiritual inheritance, persistently, in faith, in line with God’s Word, as well as, the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. For as we do so, we will find it to be just as Elisha said, ‘This is an easy task for the LORD; He will also hand Moab over to you’, vs 18.

Let us learn from these examples and make sure that we do not rest till we recover all that Jesus died for us to have. Amen.

Rowena Thomas
Mumbai, India.