The astonishing mercy of God and why it matters
2 Kings 13:1-25
Many people respond to a near-death experience with a deeper appreciation of the supernatural, and it can create an openness for living differently than before. Some who are miraculously healed or narrowly escape an accident can likewise come to value life more and may want to make it count in how they live afterwards. Whether someone seeks God specifically may be a different matter, but generally people re-evaluate their priorities in the light of nearly losing their lives. Yet even this is not a given. I remember reading the testimony of a man who insisted that his near-death experience and return to life was mere chance that meant nothing. It was one of those random incidents that had no significance for him.
An unchanged heart
Such an attitude seems shocking, but it is in fact how Israel responded to God’s mercy. After looking at Jehoash’s story in Judah, we turn again to Israel and the next two generations of kings after Jehu: Jehoahaz and Jehoash/Joash. Both are evaluated negatively as following in the footsteps of Jeroboam I, who led Israel into idolatry (2 Kings 13:2, 11; cf. 1 Kings 12:28-33). The pattern we see in Jehoahaz’s reign echoes the cycle well-known from Judges. Thus, Israel sins, God’s anger is kindled and He gives them into the hand of their enemies, but when the king entreats the Lord, He sends a deliverer (2 Kings 13:2-5 cf. e.g. Judg 3:7-9). The parallel reminds us that as in the time of the judges and despite God’s astonishing mercy, Israel remains unchanged and continues in worshipping idols and other gods (Asherah was a fertility goddess, 2 Kings 13:6 cf. Judg 3:12). As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. God’s grace can postpone final judgment to allow for the softening of one’s heart, but it will not force the recipient to turn to Him.
The potential for change and Life
The final episode of Elisha’s life highlights for us the potential for change even at this late stage in Israel’s history. Despite his evil, Joash of Israel recognises the authority of the prophet (note the respectful address ‘my father’, 2 Kings 13:14). Moreover, his lament, ‘the chariots of Israel and its horsemen’ (v.14) is a cryptic acknowledgement that the prophet represents God whose invisible chariots and horsemen can turn the tide of war (2 Kings 6:17).[1] Even this small act of faith moves the dying prophet to act out two prophecies. Both require the king’s active involvement, and it is an opportunity to create a different future by trusting God.[2] Yet the king’s lack of faith will lead to only limited victory (2 Kings 13:18-19). The last vignette of the dead prophet’s bones reviving the diseased man (2 Kings 13:20-21) once again reminds us that the prophet and his message stood for Life. If only Israel had listened, they too could have lived! Even now, God offers compassion and grace, unwilling to destroy His people for the sake of His commitment to the fathers (2 Kings 13:23).
God’s astonishing mercy and why what we do with it matters
The story of the Old Testament once again reminds us that people are never entirely black or white. Although Israel’s kings are evaluated in the final reckoning as ‘doing evil’ and worshipping idols, they have their moments when they seek God or get a glimpse of His power and turn to Him with trust. It is a situation we can recognise in our own contexts, whether in our own experience or in the lives of others we know. Amazingly, God responds even to those tiny glimmers of a changing attitude (an openness to Him, even some trust) with generosity and grace. These moments can become a turning point, but there is a crucial aspect without which this is impossible. At no stage do Israel’s kings (or the people) turn to God by acknowledging their unfaithfulness. In other words, there is no repentance and without it there is no recognition that something is wrong and must change, nor a chance of a lasting commitment to the Lord. Thus, this chapter is an appeal and a warning: may we respond to God’s astonishing mercy for the first time or again, by turning our lives over to Him.
[1] The same phrase is used by Elisha as he watches Elijah taken up into heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:12). In that context, there is the added sense that Elijah represented God fighting for Israel’s spiritual renewal (e.g. in the showdown with the Baal priests; 1 Kings 18:20-40).
[2] It should be noted that this has nothing to do with the kind of prosperity gospel advocated by some Christians where the measure of one’s faith is seen in the accumulation of material possessions. Israel’s victory was not about adding to one’s blessings by more faith, but a question of whether they would survive as God’s people at all. They were heading towards destruction because they worshipped other gods. If they had turned wholeheartedly to God in trust, the Lord would have given them life. This reflects a spiritual principle that enduring and flourishing life is only possible when we are connected to the source of Life. While this is expressed in the Old Testament largely in material terms, there are plenty of examples where people in a right relationship with God suffer hardship physically and materially (e.g. Job – Job 1:1-22, David when persecuted by Saul, Joseph enslaved and in prison despite God being with Him – Gen 39:20-23, etc.).
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