[skipping again]
Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the King of Syria was sick; and when it was told him, "The man of God has come here," the King said to Hazael, "Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord through him, saying 'Shall I recover from this sickness?'"
So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camel loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, "Your son Ben-hadad King of Syria has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I recover from this sickness?'"
And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him,'You shall certainly recover.' But the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die." And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was ashamed. And the man of God wept.
And Hazael said, "Why does my Lord weep?"
He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel; you will set on fire their fortresses, and you will slay their young men with the sword, and dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their women with child."
And Hazael said, "What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?"
Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you are to be King over Syria."
Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?"
And he answered, "He told me that you would certainly recover." But on the morrow he took the coverlet and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, until he died. And Hazael became King in his stead.
3 comments:
.. took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camel loads.
Forty! Loads!
Say what? How does Elisha do it? How does he resist 40 camel loads and cut to the truth? What are we? - one or two camel load kinda guys?
Maybe 39 of the 40 camel loads really aimed at bribing Elisha for this crook’s next return. Nice to get a prophet in your pocket. Get him to tell the little kiddies to lay down and roll over. This crook’s plans are already fixed. Things don’t look much better in Syria than anywhere else.
Back in 1 Kings 19 & 20 we got a preview of this:
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And the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be King over Syria; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be King over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.
"And him who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; and him who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
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Ben-Hadad has been a pussycat. He attacks too eagerly and gets scared off too easily.
I don't think Elisha much likes Hazael, 40 camel loads or not. But he's supposed to become King. Maybe without Elisha, he would have waited to see whether Ben-Hadad might die on his own?
I don't remember what Hazael does after this, but I bet he's going to be trouble!
Hmmm. What Elijah hears is not what he does; he never makes it to Syria! While he's off having a chariot ride, Elisha takes on the job. And Jehu. Who will behave as advertised!
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