Recording:

A person who is well-versed in history is formidable. It is not just about thinking or logical reasoning; rather, it is about understanding the patterns of how things develop through these events. Why did the ancient emperors keep a copy of the Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Governance) by their bedsides? It was to summarise the patterns behind the development of things from history. Reading the Bible is the same; we must see spiritual patterns in historical events, understand God's way of doing things, and become a person after God's own heart.

Questions for Reflection:

What are the differences between Jeroboam's mindset and Elisha's mindset?

In what areas of your life are you prone to having Jeroboam's thoughts? How can you guard yourself from being deceived by such thoughts?

What Jeroboam's thoughts should we be wary of when establishing a church?

What is Jeroboamian Thinking?

Today, we read 2 Kings chapter 13, which is a historical record. The author does not describe the specific lives of each king in detail, but one thing can be seen, and that is to follow the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat. This phrase is mentioned multiple times. The first time is in verse 2, the second time is in verse 6, the third time is in verse 11, and the fourth time is in verse 13. We will see that Jeroboam's value system has become the mindset of the kings of Israel throughout the ages.

Jeroboam's thinking can be called Jeroboamian thinking or Jeroboamism in more modern terms. Jeroboam was also a philosopher, and the king who founded the kingdom of Israel was Jeroboam. So what exactly is Jeroboam's mindset? Jeroboam's mindset is to create a god with human hands and then have people worship it. The people of the country have a very clear understanding of these things; religion is the most powerful weapon for numbing people's minds. But our Christian faith is not like this; we do not worship a god made by human hands. We worship the living God.

Jeroboam's Sin Provokes God's Anger

No matter what method is adopted, Jeroboam's method is a human method. If you are not God's chosen people, there may be no problem if you use human methods, but if you are God's chosen people, the chosen people of the Eternal God, then it will not work. Moreover, using human methods has very serious consequences. If you are the chosen people of the Eternal God, and then you follow Jeroboam's path, or follow the path of a certain ideology, the path of a certain philosopher, I will tell you one thing, God will send someone to strike you himself. That is, if we are God's chosen people and walk in God's will, then we will surely be blessed, we will surely be above and not below, and be the head and not the tail.

This is God's Mingding Destiny in our lives because you are God's chosen people. If you do not carefully abide by God's words, but instead create a calf created by Jeroboam, and then bring people to this place to fall into sin, that is, use human methods. Political means, religious means, and so-called philosophical ideas are all methods that come from man. If you do this, God's anger will be kindled against God's chosen people (see 2 Kings 13:3).

Brothers and sisters, our church has no idols, and I am not your idol. We must build our cohesion on Jehovah God, not on a certain person. We often fall into this sin without paying attention. In the past, we used to attract people to believe in the Lord by eating big meals, but in the end, people came for the food. At that time, I was also trapped in the sin of Jeroboam, so Jehovah's anger was kindled against me, and then I fell into a situation of being besieged on all sides. Later, thank God, fortunately with the support and reminder of my wife, I humbled myself before God, removed the things of man from the church, and brought in the methods that God was pleased with, and the problem was solved. So once you use human methods, you will see God's anger being kindled against people. When Jesus was crucified on the cross and lifted up, he could attract all men to him; Jesus Christ has enough power to attract, and there is no need to use anything else to attract people.

Today we must be especially careful, whether we are doing Weibo ministry or WeChat ministry, we are not pursuing the number of followers. We are pursuing only one thing, that is, to exalt Jesus Christ, so that the power of Jesus Christ can be transmitted through what we do and bless all nations. We must be very careful in what we do. Jeroboam's thoughts are extremely infectious, very strong, why? Because it will be effective in the short term. If people pursue short-term results, they are easily trapped here.

Reject the Secular Elementary School and Seize God's Blessed University

This chapter mentions did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam many times. I myself find it difficult to understand this mentality, why? Because anyone who knows a little about the history of the time and knows the cause of Jeroboam's death should understand: When Jeroboam was sacrificing, a man of God came over, and Jeroboam's hand somehow became leprous; later, the prophet judged Jeroboam's family, and things were fulfilled one by one (see 2 Kings 13:1-10; 2 Kings 14:7-16).

Didn't these later kings really know about these things? Actually, no, their eyes were covered by the throne, and they couldn't see anything. There was only one thing in their minds, and that was, This is my country. I sit on this throne. I must keep my throne no matter what. The way to do it is not to allow the Israelites to go to Jerusalem, because that is the kingdom of Judah. If the Israelites go there to sacrifice and offer all the money there, what can I get when they come back?

In fact, this is also a problem that we humans easily commit. Where does this thought come from? It comes from an economic point of view. From an economic and political point of view, it is difficult for people to see the truth of history. So today we must be very, very careful because we are often easily trapped in this. Political science and economics are two completely opposing systems to our Eternal God's theology. Political, economic, and various disciplines, all that is worldly, Paul collectively calls them the elementary school of the world; what is of God is university.

What lesson can we learn from this kind of thing? That is, whether we want to live according to worldly logic or according to God's logic? This is the key! To live according to worldly logic is to live in the sin of Jeroboam. To live according to God's logic is to live in God's protection. If we are not God's chosen people, not Christians, we can be ordinary people. But today we believe in the Lord, we must choose a path to eternal life. This path is to deal with the worldly forces of darkness. Political and economic knowledge seems to be knowledge, but in reality, it corrupts people.

If we fill our minds with these things and let these things become the main axis of our lives, the result is that we cling to the elementary school of the world but give up the university that God blesses us with. What is great learning? It is what can truly enter eternity, that is, what we study in the New Testament Bible, that leads us into eternity, that is true knowledge.

God is Full of Compassion and Grace

The author mentioned the chariots and horsemen of Israel in this chapter, that is, Elisha. The king of Israel is very interesting. His mind is filled with Jeroboam's thoughts, but when he sees Elisha, he says that Elisha is the chariots and horsemen of Israel! (see 2 Kings 13:14). Because the king of Israel knew that as long as Elisha was in that place, Elisha could bring down God's presence and could resist thousands of troops. One Elisha can resist thousands of troops! I want to say that God still leaves grace for the nation of Israel. What is the grace that God leaves? The grace that God leaves is to give Elisha an inspiration to give the king of Israel the arrow of victory. This is God's mercy!

Here is a key point: Even if the king of Israel's heart is filled with worldly Jeroboam's thoughts, God still longs for him to turn back one day. On the one hand, letting the Arameans attack Israel is to hope that the king of Israel can wake up. This is discipline; but if he still does not wake up, God does not want the Israelites to die either. God hopes that the king of Israel can wake up. When Elisha died, the king came to see Elisha, and God said through Elisha, I will give you a few arrows of victory (see 2 Kings 13:18).

The king did not need the arrows of victory when Elisha was alive. He needed the arrows of victory after Elisha died because Elisha was no longer there. After Elisha, there was no one like Elisha. Because God has done what he should do, and people have learned what they should learn. If they still do not repent, this dynasty of Israel, the northern kingdom, will be buried in the family of Jehu, and buried in Jeroboam's thoughts.

Today I encourage everyone to seize this grace, seize the grace that God gives, and do not be half-hearted. In fact, King Jehoash of Israel thought this way, Elisha is about to die. People are dead. Can these arrows of victory solve the problem? His eyes were still on Elisha's person. He also just dealt with it casually in his actions, lazily striking the ground three times. I think if the king of Israel had a great thirst and faith in God, the situation would be completely different. When Elisha said these words, the king was half-believing, so the man of God was angry with the king and said, You should have struck five or six times, and you would have defeated the Arameans until they were destroyed, but now you can only defeat the Arameans three times. (see 2 Kings 13:19)

God's Power Can Also Be Manifested in the Dead

A person of God, even if his physical body is dead, his power is still there; a worldly thing of Jeroboam, once a person dies, there is nothing left. Although this thought can control people, it does not bring power. In this chapter, we see that God's power can still be manifested in the dead. This is beyond our understanding. There was a man who was burying a dead man when the Moabites came to attack him. He quickly dropped the dead man and ran away. He dropped the dead man in Elisha's tomb. Elisha's tomb could bring this dead man back to life. What great power this is (see 2 Kings 13:21)!

I think this thing is beyond our understanding. God wants to tell us through this matter, Although God's prophet is dead, God's power is still there, and even Elisha's tomb carries God's power. This is really amazing. In our minds, we must know that our God is a God of great power! Later, as Elisha said, the king of Israel defeated the Arameans three times and recovered his cities (see 2 Kings 13:25).

Break Down the Strongholds of Jeroboam's Thoughts and Take Back People's Hearts

Reading this, did the Israelites really give up Jeroboam's thoughts? I think God is teaching the Israelites through this matter of Elisha, Can you let go of Jeroboam's thoughts? If you still don't let go, discipline will come. Today, when we are leading our family members to believe in the Lord, we will find that Jeroboam's thoughts are deeply rooted in our family members, almost like the devil's stronghold. So there is a sentence I want to use: The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

That stronghold is Jeroboam's thought. So brothers and sisters, start to understand these things. In the days to come, we need to put some effort into breaking down these strongholds. On the one hand, through the word of God, and on the other hand, through our constant prayers, we fight before God and fight in the name of the Lord Jesus. Take back people's hearts and release them from Jeroboam's thoughts.

Chapter 14 - Those Who Practice Jeroboam's Thoughts Also Have Boastworthy Achievements

Jeroboam's golden calf of Israel is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, but why would it attract kings of all generations to follow it? Has the thought recorded in biblical history disappeared, or does it still prevail in modern clothing? Come and listen to Pastor Liu's sharing, and you will find that Jeroboam's thought is still fermenting around us and is not far from us.

Questions for Reflection:

What things do you think people easily boast about?

Do you envy the lives of celebrities? Why?

From this chapter, what kind of life do you want to choose?

Do Not Be Deceived by Things Worth Boasting About

King Jehoash of Israel greatly admired Jeroboam, even naming his own son Jeroboam. This is quite perplexing! Why would he worship a Jeroboam who did evil in the sight of the Lord? Let us seek the answer in the Scriptures: As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, all he did and his power—including his war against Amaziah king of Judah—are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? (2 Kings 14:15). This King Jehoash of Israel, who did evil in the sight of the Lord, actually defeated Amaziah, the king of Judah, who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord!

The other events of Jeroboam’s reign, his achievements and his military successes, and how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? (2 Kings 14:28). This Jeroboam II was also very formidable; he was courageous in battle and won some victories. In other words, although they both did evil in the sight of the Lord, there were things about them that were worth boasting about. Therefore, we conclude: These people who did evil in the sight of the Lord were, in the eyes of men, very clever and very powerful!

Look at People Comprehensively! Be Sure to Walk the Path of Life!

I want to show you a very important fact: even those who do evil in the sight of the Lord still have many things worth boasting about. This is the reason why Jehoash so admired Jeroboam! It was because he achieved some things in Jeroboam's way, reaching his goals, that he worshipped Jeroboam so much. But is this way of thinking correct? Let us look at our generation today. For example, a person like Hitler led the German army to be virtually invincible in the early stages of World War II. They conquered cities and territories, were very courageous, and quickly defeated countries like France, Poland, and Russia. Hitler's achievements were indeed brilliant, but his end was very miserable.

Or, for example, you meet someone who says to you, Look, I am not bad either. I can do very big business and make a lot of money! Look at you, a believer, still a nobody, not living very well! It seems to make sense, but you must be careful when you hear these words. Such people cannot understand us with worldly eyes, but we can understand them with spiritual eyes. In fact, careful observation will reveal one thing: If we are not arrogant, but humbly and obediently trust in God, then we are generally doing quite well in all aspects of our lives. Conversely, those who do not trust in God and do evil in the sight of the Lord may be doing well in some areas of their lives, but very poorly in others. In other words, although there are some very bad things in their lives, there are also some things worth boasting about.

We must all learn a lesson: When looking at a person, be sure to look comprehensively, not just at one aspect. Hitler won many battles, but eventually came to nothing. The Japanese army was also very powerful, but had to surrender at the end of World War II. Therefore, we cannot judge people based on just one or two things, nor can we focus solely on the things they are proud of. Today, we must understand that those who do evil in the sight of the Lord also have many things to be proud of. But everyone must know that this is not the path of life. Brothers and sisters, let us begin to open our eyes and not be deceived by the thinking of Jeroboam!

Because acting according to this kind of thinking can also lead people to achieve extraordinary feats and become very powerful, but it cannot give them life. We who trust in God do not pursue achieving a few earth-shattering things in this world, but pursue what is right in the eyes of God! The things of this world will all pass away. Do you want to gain a few things to boast about and be proud of, or do you want to receive eternal, beautiful life from God?

This is what we can see in this chapter. If a person carelessly fixes his eyes on these things that can be boasted about, he will be deceived! This is why the thinking of Jeroboam has such a large market! Even today, we are still dealing with these things, because the way too many people think is basically that of Jeroboam, which makes it quite difficult to evangelize to them!

When we interact with these people, we find that they really like to look for things worth boasting about. The news broadcasts, military strategies and tactics, and domestic and international situations that they often talk about and analyze are all part of the thinking of Jeroboam and sound very impressive! But when their children take college entrance exams or when problems arise in their lives, they are helpless and full of resignation. In the end, they can only say, That's life. But it's not like that! If people live by relying on God, there is nothing that cannot be turned around! Brothers and sisters, please remember: If a person clings to a few things worth boasting about in life but lives in a very miserable situation, then he needs to think carefully about whether he has grasped the wrong things. We Christians should be determined to obtain eternal, glorious life in the presence of God, not just a few things worth boasting about.

Scripture

2 Kings 13:1 In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years.
2 Kings 13:2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit, and he did not turn away from them.
2 Kings 13:3 So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad his son.
2 Kings 13:4 Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel.
2 Kings 13:5 The Lord provided a deliverer for Israel, and they escaped from the power of Aram. So the Israelites lived in their own homes as before.
2 Kings 13:6 But they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit; they continued to follow them. Also, the Asherah pole remained standing in Samaria.
2 Kings 13:7 With the army that remained to him, Jehoahaz had only fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had destroyed the rest and made them like chaff at threshing time.
2 Kings 13:8 As for the other events of the reign of Jehoahaz, all he did and his power, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
2 Kings 13:9 Jehoahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Jehoash his son succeeded him as king.
2 Kings 13:10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.
2 Kings 13:11 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued to follow them.
2 Kings 13:12 As for the other events of the reign of Joash, all he did and his power, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
2 Kings 13:13 Joash rested with his ancestors, and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
2 Kings 13:14 Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he would die. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”
2 Kings 13:15 Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so.
2 Kings 13:16 “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
2 Kings 13:17 “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.”
2 Kings 13:18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped.
2 Kings 13:19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”
2 Kings 13:20 Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to invade the country every spring.
2 Kings 13:21 Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.
2 Kings 13:22 Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz.
2 Kings 13:23 But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or send them away from his presence.
2 Kings 13:24 Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad his son succeeded him as king.
2 Kings 13:25 Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recovered from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the towns Hazael had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Three times Joash defeated him, and so he recovered the Israelite towns.