Monday, June 27, 2011

Reading the Bible in 90 Days: Day 27, 2 Kings 5 - 15

We alternate back and forth between the kings of Judah and Israel.  Israel's kings are almost unremittingly bad, with one or two (Ahab's son) just a little-less-bad.  (Jehu is the one exception; he is anointed by Elisha the prophet and gets rid of all of the Baal followers.  He tricks them and tells them he's going to serve Baal even more than Ahab, and then when he gets them all together, he has them all killed.)

 Judah has some bright spots, although even most of the "bright spots" had some failings. 

There are also several fantastic tales of the prophet Elisha, Elijah's successor.  The one I liked (I had never noticed it before) was about how the guild of prophets are going to build a bigger place, with Elisha's permission.  They are chopping wood and someone drops the axhead in the river.  So Elisha tosses a branch from a tree and drops it in the river and the axhead floats back up.

This little story is in the middle of wars and kings totally wiping each other out.  It seems kind of out of place.

I can't help thinking that the story of the kings can't come to a good end. 

Tomorrow:  2 Kings 16 - 25
Wednesday:  1 Chronicles 1 - 9

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