Juggling Fire

I’m confused whether Jehu is from Judah or from Israel, but I guess it doesn’t matter because he’s king of both now! I guess. That is yet to be seen. But if Jehu, who is son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, is the son or grandson of Jehoshaphat who was king of Judah, then that… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Kings 9

We get a little mashup and a quick catch-up of a few things in this chapter. We see three stories unfolding here. First, we get to see that the woman who once helped Elisha by feeding him and providing him a place to stay has been blessed and cared for ever since Elisha performed one… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Kings 8

Sometimes the Lord gives us the things we want in the craziest ways. The king’s officer can attest to that! Elisha prophesied to him exactly what would happen, but like me, the king’s officer never expected HOW those things would take place. This chapter could stand alone really, if it had to. We get a… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Kings 7

Peace only lasts between two trusted parties. Unfortunately, even when the king of Israel spared the Arameans, the Arameans decided to take advantage of their release. This is why the king of Israel is so upset with Elisha: if he just could have killed the Arameans when they were in his presence, the city of… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Kings 6

The king of Aram knew there was something special about the Lord. Even though he worshipped another god, the king recognized the power that “Naaman’s God” possesses. Naaman knew it, too, but in a different way. Now, Naaman was a man of God, apparently, but he didn’t exactly recognize how to effectively call on the… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Kings 5

These stories about Elisha seem somewhat out of place in a book that is named after kings, but Elisha was a well known and proven prophet then, and kings relied on him for his Godly guidance. He’d built a reputation as well by speaking the truth and then showing some kind of miracle to back… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Kings 4

This chapter kind of retreats back a little bit and tells a story about when Jehoshaphat was still ruling in Judah. Remember in the last chapter of 1 Kings when it mentioned that Jehoshaphat had made peace with the king of Israel? We already read one story about Jehoshaphat joining Ahab in a war, but… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Kings 3

Like Eve eating the apple from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Elisha might not have thunk through his thought when he asked Elijah for a double share of his spirit and to be his successor. He found out quickly just what that meant and I think even realized what a thing he… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Kings 2

Don’t you get the feeling that if King Ahaziah would have just humbled himself before the Lord that he wouldn’t have died in his bed? I do. And I think that’s what this story is all about. It’s played out through the king’s captains and soldiers. The first captain went head-on to Elijah, not considering… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 2 Kings 1

It seems King Ahab turned a bit of a corner. His humble act of mourning apparently led to a peace in the land that had not been enjoyed for many years. The last chapter of this book starts out telling us that for three years there was no war between Aram and Israel, and a… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Kings 22