Anger

2 Kings 5:-14

“13 But his servants approached and said to him [Naaman], “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God [Elisha]; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.”

Elisha, through a messenger, told Naaman to bathe in the Jordan River seven times in order to be healed of leprosy.  Naaman thought he should have been healed by the prophet, Elisha, himself.   So he turned away in anger and began to leave. 

Naaman was ready to walk away from God’s healing because he was angry. His servants stopped him and persuaded him to do as Elisha had requested.  He immersed himself seven times in the Jordan River and was healed.

Emotions such as anger interfere with our relationship with God.  During times of anger we are unable to discern the voice of God and be led by His spirit.  

“You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” (James 1:19-20) 

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Show and Ceremony

2 Kings 5:8-12

“8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 

The mighty warrior, Naaman, had won a glorious victory for the King of Aram.  In turn, the King of Aram wrote a letter to the King of Israel telling him that he was sending Naaman to the prophet Elisha so that Naaman could be healed of his leprosy.

When Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots, he expected the prophet Elisha to give him personal treatment.  Instead, Elisha sent his servant to tell Naaman to bathe in the Jordan River seven times, and if he did this he would be healed of his leprosy.

Naaman was not thrilled with these instructions, even though the message was one of healing and hope.  Naaman wanted the show and the ceremony more than he wanted to be healed. He wanted the prophet himself to stand over him, wave his hand over the leprosy and let everyone see how the prophet himself cured him.

Sometimes we let our need for the show and the ceremony overshadow our need for the  healing and the hope of Christ.

Christ did not come to earth so that we could have vast, complicated, ornate and lavish worship services.  He came to heal us and make us whole.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Small Things

2 Kings 4:42-44

“42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” 43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.”

Elisha fed 100 people with twenty loves and barley and several ears of grain.  After they ate, they had some left over.  Gideon defeated the Midianites with a small army of 300 men.

Christ fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, then fed 4,000 with similar items.

Throughout the Bible, we find people with little or no resources accomplishing the large tasks that God puts before them.  

There is a power in small things.

Twelve Disciples changed the world.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God’s Ultimate Victory

2 Kings 3:26-27

“26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom; but they could not. 27 Then he took his firstborn son who was to succeed him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And great wrath came upon Israel, so they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.”

The Israelites defeated the Moabites in every battle and laid waste to their fields, forests, cities and homes.  In desperation, the Moabite king sacrificed his firstborn son by burning him on the wall of Kirhareseth.  The Moabites viewed this as a religious act while the Israelites viewed it as an act of ultimate evil and depravity.  They were so overwhelmed by it that the Isrealite army withdrew and returned to their own land.

This horrible act (by our and the Israelite standards) turned defeat into victory for the Moabites.

God had promised the Israelites victory over the Moabites, but they let the evil of the world turn them away.  They did not believe that their faith was stronger than the evil that they witnessed.

The book of Revelation describes God’s ultimate victory over evil, yet we fear that evil will be victorious each day that we watch the news or read the paper.  

Does our faith give us the courage to live in a fallen world as an example of Christ’s love?  

Are we living in the peace, joy, and comfort of God’s ultimate victory?

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Miracle of Prayer

2 Kings 3:16-20

“16 And he [Elisha] said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this wadi full of pools.’ 17 For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall see neither wind nor rain, but the wadi shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your cattle, and your animals.’ 18 This is only a trifle in the sight of the Lord, for he will also hand Moab over to you. 19 You shall conquer every fortified city and every choice city; every good tree you shall fell, all springs of water you shall stop up, and every good piece of land you shall ruin with stones.” 20 The next day, about the time of the morning offering, suddenly water began to flow from the direction of Edom, until the country was filled with water.”

Elisha heard the voice of the Lord and told the three Kings that God would give them water. Despite the celebrating and high fives this news must have caused, Elisha gave them the second part of the good news.  He told them that water in the wadi was a small thing compared to the victory they would have over the Moabites.

So, it was a good day for the three Kings.

When God answers our prayers with an outcome that favors us, it is always a good day.  But on those days that God does not answer our prayers in the way we have requested, we regard those days as bad.

The reality is that God hears our prayers.  All of our prayers.   And answers them in His own way, in His own time, in His own wisdom.

And that is the true miracle of prayer.  

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Angels’ Voices

2 Kings 3:15

15 But get me a musician.” And then, while the musician was playing, the power of the Lord came on him [Elisha]. 

Elisha was angry at the King of Israel, who was the son of Ahab and Jezebel, who worshiped Baal and had sought to kill Elijah.  In order to help the three kings, he had to calm himself.  So, he ordered a musician, most likely a musician of the harp or lyre.

It was common practice at that time and in that part of the world to call upon musicians to calm the mind and ease stress. Elisha needed a clear mind to be able to discern the voice and will of God.

There is so much anger in the world today that it is no wonder we cannot hear the voice of God and we are so quickly led astray by false prophets and false gospels.  

Are we not listening to the music?  

Do we not hear the Angels’ voices? 

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

What Have I to Do With You?

2 Kings 3:13-14

“13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to your father’s prophets or to your mother’s.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the Lord who has summoned us, three kings, only to be handed over to Moab.” 14 Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, whom I serve, were it not that I have regard for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I would give you neither a look nor a glance.”

The three kings (the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom) had gathered their armies in response to a revolt of the Moabites and they marched them into a wilderness area with no water for the men or the animals.  

They, to say the least, were not military geniuses.  And in their time of need they remembered Elisha and went to him for help.

Elisha’s response to the kings is similar to the reply of Christ to his mother when she asked him to turn the water into wine at the wedding in Cana.  “And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what do I have to do with you?” (John 2:4).  

Elijah agreed to help the kings out of their embarrassing situation because he had a high regard for King Jehoshaphat. Christ agreed to help His mother solve an embarrassing situation because of His love for her.

Water saved the armies of Israel, Judah, and Edom.

The living waters of Christ will save the world.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)