Daily Readings: 2 Kings 7 and Psalm 124 King Joram of Israel and his officer had far too small an assessment of the LORD’s power to provide. At the end of chapter 6, rather than turning to God to plead for mercy, the king blamed the LORD for the siege of Samaria and its ensuing…

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Daily Readings: 2 Kings 6 and Psalm 123 The way Elisha knew of the Aramean troop-movements in 2 Kings 6 seems to be an Old Testament example of the spiritual gift of knowledge. In my understanding, this gift involves a supernatural revelation of some fact that was not previously known by the person, and which…

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Daily Readings: 2 Kings 5 and Psalm 122 During the days of king Joram of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) the Syrians (Arameans) regularly carried out cross-border raids. In one such raid an Israelite girls was captured and enslaved. Her new master was Naaman, a Syrian commander who suffered from leprosy. 2 Kings 5 contains the…

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Daily Readings: 2 Kings 4 and Psalm 121 If two of the miracles done through Elisha in 2 Kings 4 feel strangely familiar, that’s because his mentor Elijah was previously also used by the LORD to provide food for a desperate widow and to raise her son from the dead (1 Kings 17). Remember that…

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The post which went out to subscribers earlier contained an error. Please ignore and replace with this one. Daily Readings: 2 Kings 3 and Psalm 120 At this point in Israel’s history, Joram was enthroned as King of Israel in the capital city Samaria (replacing his brother Ahaziah who fell through the lattice – see…

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Daily Readings: 2 Kings 2 and Psalm 119: 161-176 Elijah was surely the prophet whom God used most powerfully in miraculous signs and wonders during the age of the Kings of Israel. Yet even his ministry had to come to an end some time. By this point he had started to disciple and mentor Elisha,…

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Daily Readings: 2 Kings 1 and Psalm 119:129-160 After the evil king Ahab’s death in battle, Ahaziah became king of Israel (the northern kingdom). Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah (in the south) at the time. In those days, a wooden lattice was used to screen windows, balconies and the open areas on flat roofs…

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Daily Readings: 1 Kings 22 and Psalm 119:97-128 An unlikely alliance formed between the righteous Judean King Jehoshaphat and the wicked Israelite King Ahab, when they agreed to join forces to take back Ramoth Gilead. This strategic town (40km from Jerusalem) was meant to have been returned by Ben Hadad of Syria under the terms…

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Daily Readings: 1 Kings 21 and Psalm 119:65-96 Naboth’s refusal to sell his vineyard was probably not only because it was a good and highly productive vineyard which had been passed on to him by his father. It also seems to reflect deep respect for God’s instructions found in places like Levivticus 25:23, “The land must…

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Daily Reading: 1 Kings 20 and Psalm 119:33-64 In 1 Kings 20, the northern kingdom of Israel was still under the rule of the weak and compromising King Ahab and his murderous wife, Jezebel. Israel came under attack by King Ben-Hadad of Syria. After initially cowering in submission, Ahab took counsel and then showed uncharacteristic,…

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