These studies cover the ancient grouping of Hebrew Bible writings called Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). These books include from Joshua through Malachi in the conventional Christian canon.
Yehu (Jehu) was told by God to kill all of the male’s of Ahab’s family line. He was able to do that in Israel, but he had no control over the land of Yehudah (Judah). Why are there descendants of Ahab in Yehudah? Despite the confusion about God that Ahab had spread in the northern kingdom of Israel, one of his descendants, Yoash (Joash), actually rolled back some of that damage early in his life.
In 2nd Kings 10, we will see the difference between Yehu (Jehu) and Yehonadab (Jehonadab) the son of Rechab. Yehu respected Eliyahu (Elijah) and Elisha and he hated the Baal, but he did not respect and love the true God. Yehonadab the son of Rechab understood and loved God. It’s useful to see what God respects in a man and what he does not because God never changes, we do.
It was Ahab’s house that was asking for peace, but they were asking for physical peace, not God’s peace. God does not like the world’s definition of peace, which is, “Leave me alone! I enjoy my miserable life.” When someone is at war with God and they are about to see God’s sword coming down on them, they will ask for “peace.” But in this account, they were lying.
God will put a trial on the nations who do not come to the Great Ingathering, i.e., the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles). God told Israel to bring in their laborers to Sukkot — even the “stranger,” or foreigner. So this among God’s appointments with mankind is not just for the House of Yehudah (Judah) or the House of Israel. God wants to “harvest” the peoples of the world into a new reality without sin and death.
Following on the message of 2nd Kings 6, with leaders of Israel who were supposed to be able to see God’s actions actually being “blind” to them, 2nd Kings 7 through the saving actions of four lepers — the rejected of society — also points us to the actions of Messiah Yeshua, Who was rejected by the people He came to save.
In 2nd Kings 5, we should see a connection between Yeshua (Jesus) and Elisha the prophet. Aramite captain Naaman, a pagan, was not the only one being examined in his healing from leprosy. The king of Israel and Elisha’s servant Gehazi were also being examined or tested.
In an account of Yeshua’s healing 10 lepers, only a Samaritan, a “foreigner,” returned to give God praise. Both Naaman and the Samaritan paid spiritually by having to acknowledge that salvation comes from Israel, not from their false views of God.
We have two parallel foreshadowings — prophecies — of Messiah Yeshua in the accounts of Elisha in 2nd Kings 4 and Eliyahu (Elijah) in 1st Kings 17. In this shadow of things to come, the lesson is that people from the nations, aka “gentiles” or “goyim,” can have a lot of power of the Spirit of God but lack “understanding” about God, while people of Israel can have “understanding” about God but lack the power of the Spirit. Both can be “saved” — fully enter the Kingdom of God — if they are willing to seek what they are lacking.
Elisha is a representation of the Messiah, Who is the ultimate high priest. Both Elisha and Messiah gave a profound gift directly to the people. It’s strictly symbolic, but it’s beautiful. The story of Elisha happened about 700 years before “the Word became flesh and dwelled among us.” These accounts in 1st and 2nd Kings were recorded so Israel could recognize the Messiah when He came about seven centuries later.