2 Kings 13 (NASB)

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel at Samaria, and he reigned for seventeen years. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel; he did not turn from them. 3 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He continually handed them over to Hazael king of Aram, and to Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael. 4 Then Jehoahaz appeased the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them.

5 And the Lord gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as previously. 6 Nevertheless they did not abandon the sins of the house of Jeroboam, into which he misled Israel; rather, they walked in them; and the Asherah also remained standing in Samaria. 7 For he left to Jehoahaz no more of the army than fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry, because the king of Aram had eliminated them and made them like the dust at threshing. 8 Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 9 And Jehoahaz lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and his son Joash became king in his place.

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for sixteen years. 11 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel; rather, he walked in them. 12 Now as for the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13 So Joash lay down with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

14 When Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Lay your hand on the bow.” And he laid his hand on it, then Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, and the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have put an end to them.”

18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God became angry at him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you put an end to it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times.”

20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the marauding bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they threw the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.

22 Now Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and He was unwilling to eliminate them or cast them away from His presence until now.

24 When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz again took from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of his father Jehoahaz. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

Theme: Finishing Well

Funeral #1 – Jehoahaz (13:1-9)

Funeral #2 – Joash [Jehoash] (13:10-13)

Funeral #3 – Elisha (13:14-20a)

Funeral #4 & Resurrection – Anonymous Man (13:20b-21)

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Amos 2:4-16 (NASB)

4 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Judah, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they rejected the Law of the Lord
And have not kept His statutes;
Their lies also have led them astray,
Those which their fathers followed.
5 So I will send fire upon Judah,
And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”

6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they sell the righteous for money,
And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 These who trample the head of the helpless to the dust of the earth
Also divert the way of the humble;
And a man and his father resort to the same girl
So as to profane My holy name.
8 And on garments seized as pledges they stretch out beside every altar,
And in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.

9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
Though his height was like the height of cedars
And he was as strong as the oaks;
I also destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.
10 And it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And led you in the wilderness for forty years
So that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.
11 Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets,
And some of your young men to be Nazirites.
Is this not so, you sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
And you commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’
13 Behold, I am making a rut in the ground beneath you,
Just as a wagon makes a rut when filled with sheaves.
14 Refuge will be lost from the swift,
And the strong will not strengthen his power,
Nor the warrior save his life.
15 The one who grasps the bow will not stand his ground,
The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will the one who rides the horse save his [h]life.
16 Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.

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Amos 1:1-2:3 (NASB)

1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he saw in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

2 And he said,
“The Lord roars from Zion,
And from Jerusalem He utters His voice;
And the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn,
And the summit of Carmel dries up.”

3 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Damascus, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.
4 So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael,
And it will consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.
5 I will also break the gate bar of Damascus,
And eliminate every inhabitant from the Valley of Aven,
As well as him who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden;
So the people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,”
Says the Lord.

6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Gaza, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they led into exile an entire population
To turn them over to Edom.
7 So I will send fire on the wall of Gaza
And it will consume her citadels.
8 I will also eliminate every inhabitant from Ashdod,
As well as him who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon;
And I will direct My power against Ekron,
And the remnant of the Philistines will perish,”
Says the Lord God.

9 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Tyre, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they turned an entire population over to Edom
And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 So I will send fire on the wall of Tyre,
And it will consume her citadels.”

11 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Edom, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because he pursued his brother with the sword
And stifled his compassion;
His anger also tore continually,
And he maintained his fury forever.
12 So I will send fire upon Teman
And it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.”

13 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of the sons of Ammon, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead
In order to enlarge their borders.
14 So I will kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah,
And it will consume her citadels
Amid war cries on the day of battle,
And amid a storm on the day of tempest.
15 Their king will go into exile,
He and his princes together,” says the Lord.

Chapter 2

1 This is what the Lord says:

“For three offenses of Moab, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2 So I will send fire upon Moab
And it will consume the citadels of Kerioth;
And Moab will die amid the panic of battle,
Amid war cries and the sound of a trumpet.
3 I will also eliminate the judge from her midst
And slay all her leaders with him,” says the Lord.

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