I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Kings 8-9.

Elisha encouraged two coups in today’s passage, one in Aram and one in Israel (the Northern Kingdom). In the first account, Elisha went to Damascus, the capital of Aram, while the king who ruled from there was sick. The king sent an aid to ask Elisha if he would get better. Elisha told the man to tell the king that he would get better while telling the man that the king would not get better. Then telling the man that he would be king of Aram. The man returned to the king of Aram and killed him. Then later in the passage, Elisha sent another prophet to anoint Jehu king of Israel. This inspired Jehu to lead a coup against King Joram, King Ahab’s son, killing Joram and his brother-in-law, King Ahaziah of Judah. Perhaps these rebellions would have occurred anyway, but I believe that God sent the message through Elisha to cause these specific men to launch their rebellions exactly when they did.

In between these two messages delivered by Elisha, the writer tells us about King Jehoshaphat’s son and grandson succeeding him on the throne of Judah. For all of the positive things the writer said about Jehoshaphat, he arranged for his son Jehoram, to marry King Ahab’s daughter. Jehoram, and his son, Ahaziah, after him, then followed the example of Ahab rather than of his father. A father should oppose their child marrying an ungodly person, but Jehoshaphat did the opposite.