I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     God revealed to Elisha that there was going to be seven years of famine in Israel. So, Elisha tells the woman in Shunem to move out of Israel for seven years. She takes he family and does so. After seven years, she returns. Upon her return she went to the king of Israel to see about getting her land back. When she arrives before the king, Gehazi, Elisha’s former servant, is telling the king the story of Elisha raising her son. Gehazi tells the king that she is the woman and this is the son that Elisha had raised. The king has one of his officials see that she gets all of her land back.
     Elisha travels to Damascus. King Ben-hadad has taken sick. When he hears that Elisha has come to Damascus, Ben-hadad sends Hazael to inquire of Elisha is he will get better. Elisha tells Hazael to tell Ben-hadad that he will recover, but that Elisha knows that Ben-hadad will actually die. Hazael returns and gives Ben-hadad Elisha’s message, but the following day he suffocates Ben-hadad in his bed.
     Next we learn that Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram succeeds him. We are told that Jehoram married one of Ahab’s daughters and followed Ahab’s example rather than that of his own father and did evil in the sight of the Lord. Jehoram is succeeded by his son, Ahaziah. We are told that Ahaziah also followed the evil example of King Ahab’s family. We learn here the importance of who one chooses to marry. We were told that Asa and his son Jehoshaphat were good kings who did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. However, Jehoram followed the eample of his father-in-law Ahab and worshiped Baal. Ahaziah joins his uncle, King Joram of Israel in his war against Hazael of Aram. When Joram is wounded in battle both he and Ahaziah go to the city of Jezreel for Joram to recover.
     After King Joram is wounded, Elisha sends one of the young prophets to Ramoth-gilead to secretly anoint Jehu, one of Joram’s army commanders, king of Israel. When the young prophet arrives at Ramoth-gilead, he finds Jehu sitting with other army officers. The prophet gets Jehu to take him aside and anoints him, telling him that he must destroy Ahab’s entire family. The prophet then opens the door and runs. When the other officers ask Jehu what the prophet told him, he dissembles and calls the prophet a madman. When the officers push further, Jehu tells them that the prophet anointed him king over Israel. The other officers immediately declare their support for him as king.

     While Paul and Silas are in Philippi, a slave girl that could tell fortunes started following them around shouting out that they were servants of the Most High God who had come to tell them how to be saved. After a few days, Paul became exasperated with her and turned and commanded the demon within her to come out of her in the name of Jesus. The slave’s masters are furious and have Paul and Silas dragged before the authorities. A mob forms against them and the authorities have them beaten and thrown in prison.
     While they were in prison they prayed and sang hymns of praise. The other prisoners were listening to them. There was a massive earthquake that opened all of the gates to the prison and released the chains off of all of the prisoners. The earthquake awakened the jailer, who thought that the prisoners had escaped and prepared to kill himself. Paul assures him that all of the prisoners are still there. The jailer is so overwhelmed by this turn of events that he asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved. Even though it was the middle of the night he took them into his house and cared for their wounds. He and his entire household were baptized. In the morning, the city officials sent the town magistrates to tell the jailer to release Paul and Silas. When the jailer tells Paul and Silas that they are free to go, Paul replied that they were Roman citizens who were punished without a trial and that they would not leave in secret. The town officials came and apologized to them and begged them to leave the city. Paul and Silas returned to Lydia’s house and met with the believers before leaving the city.

     The psalmist here is suffering from depression and talks about how a daily devotional helps him deal with it.

     A society where those who do good are punished and leaders are discouraged from being honest will not long survive.