Ironworks

    And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. 2 Kings 13:18-19             Joash the king of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. The sins of Jeroboam were ever-present in his life (cf. 2 Kings 13:11). He did have a particular care for the prophet Elisha and the king visited Elisha on his deathbed. Joash came to him and made his worries known about the threat of the Syrians. Elisha instructed him to first shoot an arrow out the window eastward. This was the message. The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have con...

  In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the  Lord , and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not there from. And the anger of the  Lord  was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days. 2 Kings 13:1-3             When do you thank God for all the blessings you have? When you are really successful, on the way up, or at the lowest point? Jehoahaz king of Israel was yet another in the line of evil kings. God, subsequently, did not bless Israel and allowed them to face the consequences of their sin. A great deal of the hurt is simply from the fact that a majority of the world does not honor ...