I can’t even imagine the anguish Elisha was feeling as he delivered this message to Hazael. Sometimes the truth is painful. The first part of Elisha’s message gave the sick king hope, however short lived it was! As for Hazael, he didn’t waste much time in putting his succession plan in place, did he?
What struck me was how the king of Aram showed his devotion and reverence for Elisha and the LORD. He had seen the LORD at work on several occasions, and his faithfulness and trust is noteworthy! I wonder what Hazael was thinking as he gathered these lavish gifts to show the king’s appreciation to a foreign prophet?
Clearly, God had been planning for Hazael to be king since he instructed Elijah to anoint him back in 1 Kings 19:15. So, it was a little surprising when Hazael said, “How could a nobody like me ever accomplish such great things?” Didn’t he remember being anointed by Elijah? Maybe he was getting tired of waiting for God’s timing to be king. Even more alarming to me is that Elisha’s vision of doom to the people of Israel was a “great thing” in Hazael’s eyes.
Elisha had to be questioning God’s intentions, much like we often do. We might wonder why God allows things, horrendous things, to happen in the world around us. Not a day goes by without us hearing of one tragedy or another. Despite how our own hearts break, trusting God is our saving grace.
Did you wonder why Elisha showed up in Damascus in the first place? That was not his stomping ground after all. Yet the vision God gave him was certainly preparation for what would come to pass at the hands of a new and ruthless king.
What are you taking from this? For me, I think of times I haven’t understood why God was doing something or allowing something to happen. It’s because I couldn’t see the whole picture. Here we see that for Elisha’s terrifying vision to come true against God’s people, a more ruthless, conniving king must be in place. Hazael’s day had now come.
Let’s pray …
Lord, I am so grateful for your grace and mercy. Despite the horrible things happening in the world, I can have the assurance you are in control. Calm my heart. Use me to reach those who are in fear because they don’t trust you like I do. Enlarge my own faithfulness as I move forward and wait for your timing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
