DCLM Daily Manna 21 June 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Seek God Always
TOPIC: Seek God Always (DCLM Daily Manna 21 June 2022)
TEXT: 2 Kings 13:1-25 (KJV)
1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
3 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
4 And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 (And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.
6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)
7 Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.
10 In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.
11 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein.
12 And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
13 And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.
15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.
16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands.
17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.
21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
22 But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
23 And the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.
24 So Hazael king of Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his stead.
25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.
KEY VERSE: “Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.” – (2 Kings 13:14)
MESSAGE:
It is strange how people wait until they run into trouble before scrambling to seek help from God. Usually, for much of their lives, such people disregard God and His laws. They set their own principles and live by it. Then, as all they depended upon begins to crumble, they dump their pride, run to God and start weeping for help.
Jehoahaz, king of Israel had faced war with Syria because he forsook God. In their anguish, Jehoahaz pleaded with God for mercy, and He sent help. Yet, once their problem was solved, they turned away again from Him. After Jehoahaz, his son Joash, continued in his footsteps. At this time, Prophet Elisha was sick unto death. In panic, Joash hurried to the prophet, weeping for help, believing he would bring their needs to God, something that he hardly did. Weak, Elisha directed him to open the window and fire arrows eastward. He did so. Elisha then commanded him to take the arrows and start hitting the ground. Joash did so thrice and stopped. This infuriated Elisha. He told him that had he hit the arrow on the ground five or six times, he would have got permanent victory over Syria. But now, he would have only three victories. True to Elisha’s word, Joash defeated Benhadad in battle thrice and recovered all the cities the King of Syria’s father, Hazael, had seized from Israel.
We must not wait until problems arise before seeking God. The proof of our faith in God is that under all circumstances, at all times, we must never waver in obedience to Him.
Our dependence on God must be total. Whatever He commands us through His servants must be done in faith. Therein lies the blessings of God.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Trusting God at all times rains down His blessings upon us.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Timothy 1-4
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
