2 Kings – Bible Lesson 11
Just for your thoughts.
2 Kings – Bible Lesson 11
“Elisha answered, ‘Go and say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover’; but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.”
– 2 Kings 8:10
What is the true meaning of this verse?
Before Elijah's death, God gave him three clear commands:
Anoint Hazael as king over Aram (Syria).
Anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king over Israel.
Anoint Elisha as a prophet in his place.
– 1 Kings 19:15–16
Of these three commands, Elijah only fulfilled the third one — he anointed Elisha as prophet. He did not carry out the first two commands.
After Elijah’s departure, Elisha fulfilled the remaining two tasks.
What does this teach us?
When someone steps into a leadership role following a great leader, they must be mindful of the responsibilities and divine instructions left unfulfilled by their predecessor. Only when new leaders recognize and act on these responsibilities can God guide them to complete them.
As soon as a new leader takes the leadership position, they must seek out and identify the tasks left unfinished by their predecessors and work to complete them. The method of execution may differ, but the foundation laid by the former leader must not be destroyed.
Further reflection:
During Elisha’s time, the king of Syria, Ben-Hadad, was ill. He summoned his aide Hazael and sent him with a rich gift to consult the man of God — Elisha — about whether he would recover from his illness.
The king likely heard about the miracle God had done for Naaman and wanted to see if God would heal him as well.
However, Scripture does not explicitly state that Elisha accepted the large gift. Instead, in the presence of such a great offering, Elisha remained unmoved and faithfully delivered God’s message.
Elisha made three prophetic statements in 2 Kings 8:10:
The king would recover from his illness.
Nevertheless, he would surely die.
Hazael would become the next king of Syria.
At first glance, the first two statements may seem contradictory:
“You shall surely recover,” but “he shall surely die.”
What is the true meaning?
It means: Ben-Hadad would recover from his illness, but he would still meet his appointed death.
Hazael told the king only the first part of Elisha’s prophecy — that he would recover — but concealed the second part — that he would die.
As Elisha had foretold, Ben-Hadad recovered from his illness. But the very next day, Hazael took a thick cloth, soaked it in water, and treacherously smothered the king to death.
This is what 2 Kings 8:15 actually means:
“But the next day, Hazael took a thick cloth, soaked it in water, and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.”
(Message Bible)
“Then he treacherously smothered him with a thick cloth soaked in water.” – Harold Wilmington
Thus, Hazael became king of Syria.
This is the true meaning of 2 Kings 8:10 and 8:15.