As we continue in the book of 2 Kings, the theme that we are continually bringing attention to as we walk through the text is the question, How will you persist? Life comes to us with its highs and lows, challenges and successes, joys and sorrows, health and pain, ease and difficulty. And in all of this, how will I persist? Will I live out faithfulness, patience, self-control, humility, forgiveness, prayerfulness, courage, integrity, love, and hope? How will I persist?
In the first two chapters, we’ve seen persisting in polar opposite directions.
In chapter one, we saw Ahaziah persist in seeking wisdom, direction and healing from Baal-Zebub (the false god of Ekron). It’s almost comedic as he persists in seeking insight from this other god and as Elijah asks, “Is there no God in Israel that you seek insight from Baal-Zebub?” Almost comedic, except that it cost so many lives.
We then turned the page to chapter two, and saw Elisha asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. This was a family inheritance type of request, where the firstborn would receive a double inheritance. Elisha had to persist and not leave the side of Elijah in order to be this next in line prophet, to carry on the responsibility. And we marveled at Elisha’s persistence in being discipled, in sticking with Elijah.
We defined being discipled as intentionally moving toward Jesus and becoming more like Him through teaching, example, practice, and relationship. Like Elisha, we have responsibility to persist in being discipled. Our health in relationship with God is not just won or lost by the persistence of those that surround us and help us. We also need to persist.
Today, we’re in chapter 3, and we’ll see a turning to God only when the situation turns bad enough to be deadly. Not when the relationship was challenging, not when a decision was made to go to war, not when an alliance was built, not when tactical decisions were made, but only when things weren’t going well and the armies were in danger of dying from lack of water before the battle even began. That’s when they turned to the prophet.
It’s easy to look at the people in the story and wonder what they were thinking. And while we will see what they should have done, or could have done, the value is not in shaming them but in bringing this to our own lives.
Life comes with moments of challenging relationships, conflict and estrangement, intentional relationships, and tactical decisions. And in these moments, if we’re real, we know how easy it is to not turn to God. And what does it even mean to turn to God, anyway?
To get us started today, here’s a list of moments when people might need help but don’t ask for it, or even avoid it:
After losing a job
During a struggling marriage
When grieving a death
While battling addiction
After a major failure or embarrassment
During financial stress
When parenting feels overwhelming
After moving to a new city
During loneliness or isolation
When caring for aging parents
After receiving difficult medical news
During burnout
When faith feels dry or distant
After experiencing betrayal
While struggling with depression or anxiety
We could have an awkward moment of asking, where do you need help today and why aren’t you asking for it? But we won’t go that direction! Instead, with this list in front of you, I want you to focus on the internal, the reasoning behind avoiding help. The situations are very different, but there might be some commonalities in what’s happening inside.
What are some of the common things that are happening in a person when he or she is not asking for help or is even avoiding it?
Before we get to our text in 2 Kings, I want us to put ourselves into the story told in Mark 5. There is a woman with an issue of bleeding, likely uterine. This chronic hemorrhage, whether continuous or frequent, would have led to chronic weakness, anemia, and fatigue, and it was probably also connected to infertility. Let me read the verses in Mark that introduce her and describe her experience.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. (Mark 5:24b-26)
Feel her experience. She’s had twelve years of ongoing suffering. It never lets up, and it defines a significant portion of her life. Medical treatments have only made things worse, probably adding to her pain and exhaustion, and leaving her disappointed after every attempt at healing. All of this has also led to financial devastation, as she would have had no safety net or insurance, and a very limited ability to generate any income of her own.
All of this—repeated disappointment, shrinking resources, and long-term suffering with no relief—all of this, and then on top of that, social and religious isolation. Under Jewish purity laws (Leviticus 15), she would have been considered ritually unclean. This kept her apart from everyone else, as anything she touched would have also become unclean and would have had to go through a process to become clean again.
But then we come to this story:
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:27-30)
The woman made it to Jesus and touched Him. She knew instantly that she was healed. And now Jesus insisted on knowing who touched Him. Will there be drama? The woman was probably thinking that she was caught—she had touched Jesus and made Him unclean. She was going to be in trouble. She messed up.
Meanwhile, the disciples were confused:
“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” (Mark 5:31)
It’s a crowd! Everyone is touching you! There are at least a half dozen people touching you right now! And maybe the woman thought this was her way out, maybe she wouldn’t have to admit anything. But Jesus persisted:
But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. (Mark 5:32-33)
It had to be with incredible trepidation that the woman approached. I’ve been unclean for twelve years. I know I was supposed to keep my distance. And now I’ve been caught sneaking up from behind and touching Jesus. Yes, I’m healed, but maybe now it’s not worth it. What will Jesus say?
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mark 5:34)
Your faith has healed you. No shame, no condemnation, no scolding or accusation. Just, Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.
This woman could have been kept from turning to God. She had a moment of pushing through the barrier of being seen as unclean and not allowed to touch others. What about in our world? What things in our culture keep people from turning to God early and often and even when they are desperate? Let’s discuss.
In our culture, what are some things that keep people from turning to God?
We’ve already talked about some of the common things that are happening inside a person when they’re not asking for help. In the light of this woman’s story:
How is Jesus’ response helpful when you feel like avoiding help or not asking for it?
Now we turn to 2 Kings 3. Let me introduce the people groups in the text.
First, there are the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
Israel is the northern kingdom after the original kingdom of Israel was split. Joram is now king, son of Ahab who was called the worst king.
And Judah is the southern kingdom. The king was Jehoshaphat, son of Asa. Both of these kings have been sincerely seeking God, leading reforms and trusting the prophets.
Next, there are the Moabites. The kingdom of Moab was conquered by David and required to pay an annual tribute, or tax, to Israel.
David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute. (2 Samuel 8:2)
Finally, there are the Edomites, who had also been defeated by David and subjected to Israel.
And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. (2 Samuel 8:13-14)
In 1 Kings, we see that there was no king in Edom but just a provincial ruler.
There was then no king in Edom; a provincial governor ruled. (1 Kings 22:47)
In 2 Kings 3:1-20, Moab revolts.
Joram, king of Israel, wasn’t great, doing evil in God’s eyes, but he wasn’t as bad as his parents, Ahab and Jezebel. Mesha, king of Moab, decided that this was a great time to stop paying his tributes to Israel and Judah. This made Joram furious, so he called for an alliance to go punish Moab. The alliance included Judah and Edom.
Jehoshaphat sees this as a unifying moment for the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. He is all in. Maybe there could be healing between the two nations. So they went off to war, and Jehoshaphat picked the route. Instead of crossing the Jordan River and going south, the alliance went on a wide looping route through Edom.
So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them. “What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?” (2 Kings 3:9-10)
Jehoshaphat seems to snap to his senses: Is there not a prophet we could ask for wisdom and direction? Yes, Elisha is there, so Jehoshaphat and Joram go to inquire of him.
Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” (2 Kings 3:13a)
King Joram’s response?
“No,” the king of Israel answered, “because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.” (1 Kings 3:13b)
In the end, because Jehoshaphat has shown himself to be faithful to God, Elisha agrees to inquire of the Lord. He calls for a harpist, and then God speaks to Elisha and tells him that there will not only be water but also a victory in battle. You have to read the story yourself and see how it ends!
But before we go on, let’s stop a moment to process. In this story, there was a deep relational or contractual breakdown, but no turning to God. There was a declaration of war, but no turning to God. There was an alliance formed and a plan set, but no turning to God. And finally, after all of that, there was no water and they feared death—and then they turned to God.
Thinking about this story and your own experience, talk this out:
What are some of the things that make it easy to persist in not turning to God?
Today we have processed a lot. We talked about the things happening inside a person when he or she is not wanting to ask for help or accept help. We looked at the story of the woman with the issue of bleeding and how she persisted in touching Jesus in spite of the cultural barriers. And we looked at 2 Kings 3 and saw how Joram and Jehoshaphat persisted in not turning to God in huge moments.
Let’s conclude by bringing it to us. What is it—what does it look like—what does a person do to turn to God persistently, early, continually, habitually?
Here is a list of some spiritual disciplines: prayer, Bible reading and study, fasting, worship, silence and solitude, confession, fellowship or community, serving, giving or practicing generosity, intentionally being discipled by others, and intentionally discipling others. Thinking about this list and about the stories we’ve read today:
How does persisting in these spiritual disciplines impact the mundane and the monumental in our lives?
Take It Deeper Questios:
Read Mark 5:24-34.
When have you been sick for an extended period of time? Beyond the physical impact, how did it affect you?
What are some good things that feeling desperate can spur on in a person?
What are some bad things that feeling desperate can spur on in a person?
What causes you to turn to God?
What could lower that threshold to help you turn to God earlier?
How are you challenged, encouraged, focused, and/or confused by this text?
Bible Reading Plan:
2 Kings 4 • Miracles of Compassion
Matthew 6 • Practicing Righteousness in Secret
Psalm 1 • Delighting in God’s Word
John 15 • Abiding in Christ
Romans 12 • Living as a Sacrifice
1 Corinthians 9 • Spiritual Self-Discipline
Colossians 3 • Putting on the New Self
1 Timothy 4 • Training Yourself for Godliness
James 1 • Doers of the Word