Christian Devotional – August 10, 2020

Double Portion – #32

Odd instructions. Or at least, we would have thought them odd. Read 2 Kings 9:1-3.

Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead. When you arrive there, search out Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and bid him arise from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room. Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord , “I have anointed you king over Israel.”‘ Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”
2 Kings 9:1‭-‬3 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/2ki.9.1-3.NASB

We skip ahead a bit and see that there have been some leadership changes in Israel. Then Elisha gives this odd set of instructions to one of the sons of the prophets. “Go, find Jehu, take him to a room by himself, annoint him king, then run for it.”

If the man thought the instructions were odd, he never said anything. We’re not told why the announcement was made this way. Yet, this was the way that God wanted this to happen, so that’s what Elisha and the other man did.

Do we question God’s directions? We hear God and have an idea of what he wants us to do, but then we question and second guess. God wants our obedience, just like the man here. Will we obey God, even when the directions seem strange or odd? God has his reasons and purpose and we can trust him.