Missing the Point
by pxfuel

2 Kings 7:3–23 ‘Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?’ (v19)

We waited and waited in the queue for the loo at the museum, and only when getting to the front did we realise that we’d all been waiting for one stall!

Although the other six stalls were empty, no one had bothered to check whether or not they were free.

A somewhat similar situation could have occurred with the Israelites and the Arameans, but of course on a much bigger scale.

Because the four lepers were facing starvation whether they stayed inside or ventured outside of the city walls, they decided to surrender to the Arameans.

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When they entered the camp, they realised their oppressors had left. After gorging themselves on the spoils selfishly, they realised they’d better tell the others.

If they hadn’t, the Israelites wouldn’t have known that their persecutors had fled. And so Elisha’s prophecy came true.

The people once again had food, but in the rush to get it, the king was trampled.

Note especially verses 6–7, how God caused the invading armies to hear the sound of chariots and horses coming towards them, which scared them off.

God’s people may not have had the force to make the Arameans leave, but their almighty and all-powerful God did.

Like the Israelites, sometimes we can become so focused on minutiae that we miss the bigger point.

And often we overlook the wonder of having an all-powerful God on our side. Before God, take some time to ponder how either point might be true in your life.


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A Prayer To Make:
‘Loving and mighty God, so often I forget just how powerful You are. Help me to look to You for help and not to try to do all things in my own strength. Amen.’

An Action To Take:
Look back over your last couple of days and ask God to help you see if you’ve missed the point in any area. If you have, seek to make things right.

Scripture To Consider:
Exod. 15:6–12; 1 Chr. 29:10–13; Eph. 1:19–21& 3:20–21

Micha Jazz is Director of Resources at Waverley Abbey, UK.