2 Kings 9:21

2 Kings 9:21 says, And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.  Both Joram the king of Israel and Ahaziah the king of Judah went out against Jehu, whom God had ordained as the new king of Israel and met him in the area taken from Naboth.  Those who are often at war with each other will often unite to oppose Christians, but we need to pray that it isn't others who profess to be Christians who do so.  Verse twenty-two adds, And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?  When Joram saw Jehu, he asked him if he had come in peace, and Jehu replied by asking him how there could be peace when the people of Israel were practicing things outside of God's will.  We should never expect peace today as long as we are not obedient to the will of God.  Verse twenty-three continues, And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.  Joram turned back, told Ahaziah that there was treachery going on and fled.  He has asked Ahaziah for help, but he quickly abandoned him.  No matter what alliances people have made with others, one day they will stand before God by themself, and they will want to flee his judgment, but if they haven't accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, it will be too late.  Verse twenty-four states, And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.  Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram through the heart as he attempted to escape.  Lost people will not be killed because of their refusal to accept Jesus Christ, but they will meet a fate much worse than death.  They will be forever separated from God and go away to everlasting punishment.  Verse twenty-five adds, Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him;  Jehu told Bidkar his captain to take Joram's body and throw it into the field of Naboth, who had been unjustly put to death by Jezebel to secure his vineyard for Ahab.  Jehu also remembered Elisha's promise from God concerning Ahab.  We can be certain that our sins will be dealt with one day.  Those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will answer for their sins, and those who do will have them washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-six adds, Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord.  This was all done in accordance with God's pronouncement of Ahab and his descendant's doom.   Simply choosing not to believe God will never allow people to avoid His coming judgment.  Verse twenty-seven continues, But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.  When Ahaziah saw what was happening, he also attempted to flee, but was killed also.  Seeing others die for their sins is never going to save us.  We cannot flee from God's coming judgment, even if we live to be over a hundred in this lifetime.  Verse twenty-eight says, And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.  Ahaziah's body was taken and buried with his father's in Jerusalem.  Really though, where our body ends up after we die is of little importance.  It is where our soul lives forever that matters.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.  We are told that Ahaziah began to rule over Judah in the eleventh year of the reign of Joram in Israel, but their reign ended at the same time.  No matter how long we live, one day we are all going to meet God face to face, and the only way to do this without being separated from Him forever is to put our faith in Jesus Christ.

2 Kings 9:30

2 Kings 9:30 says, And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.  Jezebel had been responsible for much of the evil done during the reign of Ahab and her sons, having introduced the worship of Baal in Israel, killing the prophets, having Naboth killed, and seeing herself as more important than even God Himself.  Now, instead of hiding away or repenting when she heard what was happening or even mourning her son's death, she made herself look her best in defiance of Jehu.  Some people are always going to refuse to repent and ask God's forgiveness and view themselves as more important than God and His word and never acknowledge the need to repent.  Verse thirty-one adds, And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?  When Jehu entered the gate, Jezebel challenged him by asking if Zimri had peace after he killed his master, implying that the same thing that happened to Zimri would happen to jehu.  When evil triumphs temporarily in the world, those committing evil may believe that it will always triumph.  Verse thirty-two continues, And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.  When Jehu looked up at the window Jezebel had been looking out of, he asked who was on his side, and two or three eunuchs looked out.  These were her attendants, but they were not loyal to her.  People may be placed in a position where they are expected to serve evil people today, but that doesn't mean they should be loyal to them if they are defying God.  If given a choice, they must choose God if they will be free spiritually, no matter if they know the outcome physically or not.  Verse thirty-three states, And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.  Jehu told these eunuchs to throw Jezebel down and they did.  She was killed and had her blood splattered on the wall and the horses and she was trampled underfoot.   She had met an inglorious end in spite of all her feelings of superiority.  No matter how important a person may believe themself to be, if they have not accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, they will one day go to a horrific place where they will remain forever.  Verse thirty-four adds, And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter.  When Jehu came and was eating and drinking, he told some of those with him to go and bury Jezebel, since she was the king's daughter.  He was showing her more respect in deash than she had shown most people in life.  After a person is dead, there is no reason who treat their body with disrespect.  Verse thirty-five continues, And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.  When they went to bury her, they could only find her skull, feet, and hands.  Jehu may have been willing to show her some respect, but God had already pronounced judgment on her, and His word will always come to pass.  We may be willing to treat those who die with respect no matter how bad they have been, but that doesn't mean that God is going to judge them any less harshly if they haven't found forgiveness through putting their faith in Jesus Christ.  As I have stated many times, what happens to the body after we die is unimportant.  It is the soul that matters.  Verse thirty-six says, Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:  When the men came to Jehu and told him what they found, he recognized it as a fulfillment of God's word that had come through Elijah concerning Jezebel.  Elijah may not have been there to see the fulfillment of God's word, and we may not be alive to see the fulfillment of the promise of the second coming of Christ, but it will certainly occur when God says the time is right.  Verse thirty-seven adds, And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.  Jehu said that when God's promise was fulfilled, there was no grave left for people to go to and praise Jezebel.  Nothing that we gain outside of the will of God is going to remain when His judgment comes, yet we often place a great importance to the things of this world.  

2 Kings 9:11

2 Kings 9:11 says, Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication.  When Jehu came to the servants of his lord, they asked him what this mad, or crazy man wanted and if everything was okay.  He lived by different standards than they did, and they thought this made him of less value than they were.  We as Christians should live by different standards that the world does today, and this often makes them believe that we are at least less intelligent than they are, if not crazy.  Verse twelve adds, And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel.  Matthew Henry says that Jehu hadn't planned to tell them what the young prophet said, but when asked, he told them that he had said God had anointed him king.  We should never be reluctant to share the gospel with others, nor should we try to keep quiet about what God has called us to do.  Verse thirteen continues, Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.  Those captains with Jehu made a show of pronouncing him to be king.  Matthew Henry says they readily accepted this as fact, even though they had questioned the authority or even sanity of the young prophet.  When we share the gospel, it isn't important what people think of us, but only that they accept the truth of the gospel.  Verse fourteen states, So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria. After this, Jehu conspired against Joram to retake Ramoth Gilead.  Verse fifteen adds, But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.  Joram had gone to Jezreel to heal from his wounds, received in the battle against Hazael.  We aren't called to make war with the world today, but to proclaim the gospel to them so that if they believe they can be restored to God, but they are always at war with us spiritually if not physically.  Verse sixteen continues, So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.  Jehu took a chariot to Jezreel where Joram was with Ahaziah, the king of Judah who had come to see him.  We have to go where people are today in order to share the gospel with them, no matter how powerful they may be.  Of course, we aren't going there to replace them in what they are doing, but simply to call on them to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.  Verse seventeen declares, And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?  A watchman on the wall saw Jehu and those with him coming and told Joram, who told one of his people to go and see if they came in peace.  Though this may not have been the case in this situation, we must always come to lost people looking for peace through reaching them with the gospel.  Verse eighteen adds, So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again.  When the man got to Jehu and asked if he came in peace, Jehu asked him what he had to do with peace and told him to join them instead of returning to Joram.  We cannot bring peace to the world by following the leaders of the world who do not follow God, but we can invite others to join us in the peace that God brings to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.  The watchman told Joram that the messenger got there but did not return.  Once we have accepted the truth of the gospel, we should never return to being what we were before spiritually.  Verse nineteen continues, Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me.  When a second messenger was sent after the first one didn't return, he was asked the same thing and also stayed with Jehu.  No matter how many people come to us  questioning what we are doing as Christians, we should always invite them to join us and pray that they will.  Verse twenty concludes, And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously.  The watchman once again told Joram that the messenger had not returned and that driving of the chariot looked like that of Jehu because he was driving furiously.  As followers of Christ, we should want to be recognized for our sharing of the gospel very actively.  People should see a difference in our actions and those of the people who are not saved.

2 Kings 9:1

2 Kings 9:1 says, And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead:  Elisha called the son of one of the prophets and told him to take a box of oil and go to Ramoth Gilead.  Often, we may be called on to assist others in carrying out God's will.  Though God may speak to someone else about what He wants, they may then ask us to do something to help them, I believe that the Holy Spirit will always let us know if what they are asking is by God's direction or not.  Verse two adds, And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber;  The young man was asked to seek for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat when he got there.  he was then to separate him from the others and take him into an inner chamber.  Sometimes, God wants to separate us from those around us when He is calling us for a specific purpose, but the young man had to rely on Jehu being willing to listen to him, just as we must be willing to listen to God today if we are going to do what he calls us to do.  Verse three continues, Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.  The young man was then to pour the oil over Jehu's head, tell him that God had anointed him king, and then flee.  This could have been a dangerous thing for both of them, and we may be called on to do dangerous things in the eyes of the world in order to carry out God's calling for us today.  Verse four states, So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead.  The young man obeyed Elisha and went to Ramoth Gilead.  We must obey God's commands today if we are to be successful in our Christian life.  Verse five adds, And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.  When he got there, he said he was on an errand that concerned one of them, and when Jehu asked who, he said it was him.  We must first let others know if what God calls us to do concerns them and them alone.  Truthfully, anytime we share the gospel it applies to each individual hearing it alone, because we must come to God individually.  No one else can be saved for us, and when God calls us to a specific purpose, we alone can do it the best.  That doesn't mean that if we don't do it no one else can, but we will be the best person to do it.  Verse six continues, And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel.  When they got into the house, the young man poured the oil on Jehu and told him that God had anointed him king of Israel.  Whatever God calls us to do, and I believe God called this young man through Elisha, we must be faithful in doing it.  Verse seven declares, And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel.  We were not told this part of the message to Jehu, so either Elisha had told him, and we weren't told earlier, or God revealed this part of the message to the young man.  Either way, we know that it was God's decision, and that is all that really matters.  God may not always reveal all of his purpose to every individual called to carry it out, but if we are open to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we should always know what God wants us to do.  Verse eight adds, For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:  Jehu was told that God was going to cut off the whole house of Ahab, and that none of his male descendants would remain alive.  God likewise will on day cut off all those who do not put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, no matter how powerful they may be in this world.  Verse nine continues, And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:  The young man said that God had said that the house of Ahab would be like the house of Jeroboam and Baasha, who had also had all their house, or descendants, cut off.  God will one day judge all the people of the world and cut off all those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, and it will not matter how important or unimportant they may have been in the world.  Verse ten concludes, And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.  The young man said that Jezebel would also die, and that dogs would eat her and there would be no one to bury her.  The young man then fled as Elisha had told him to do.  This was a powerful and somewhat gruesome message, but the young man was faithful in delivering it, and he was then faithful in fleeing as Elisha had told him to do.  We must faithfully deliver God's message to the world today, and those who do not accept it will one day go away to a gruesome judgment and be forever cutoff from God.  After we share the gospel, we don't have to hang around to see if it is going to have effect or not.  Whether we go or stay should be at God's guidance through the leadership of the Holy Spirit. 

2 Kings 8:25

2 Kings 8:25 says, In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram in Israel, Ahaziah, Jehoram's son, began to reign in Judah.  Once more, the king was changing, but God was still the same, and their relationship to Him was more important than whose son they were.  Verse twenty-six adds, Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a grand- daughter of Omri king of Israel.  He was twenty-two when he became king, and he only reigned one year.  He didn't have long to learn more about ruling the people of Israel, and not all religious leaders are in positions of leadership very long today.  Verse twenty-seven continues, He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.  The fact that he didn't reign long might partially be because he followed the ways of Ahab, leading the people of Israel away from God.  If we have religious leaders today who are leading people away from God's teachings, we need to pray that they don't stay in power very long.  As followers of Christ, we should never allow them to lead us away from God's truth even if they do have a position of authority over us.  Verse twenty-eight states, Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram;  Ahaziah went to Joram to ask for his help in a war against Hazael, the king of Aram.  We aren't told that this was something that God lead Ahaziah to do, and if we go to war against the people of the world today, we need to make certain that God is the One leading us to do so, no matter how many allies we may have.  Joram was wounded in the battle.  Sometimes, the actions of lost people can lead others to be wounded, spiritually if not physically.  We never want to cause this to happen as Christians by failing to follow God's word.  Verse twenty-nine adds, So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.  Ahaziah went to see Jehoram at Jezreel because he had been wounded helping him.  At least the was concerned about him, which is more than some lost people are if someone is harmed helping them.

2 Kings 8:16

2 Kings 8:16 says, And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Joram, or Jehoram began to reign in Judah,  Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign in Judah.  Leaders continued to change in both kingdoms, just as they do in countries today.  Verse seventeen adds, Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.  Jehoram was thirty-two when he became king, and he reigned for eight years.  He should have been mature when he started to reign, and he didn't reign long enough to be mentally declining.  People in positions of power today are often in their prime mentally, but the doesn't mean that they rule with wisdom.  Verse eighteen continues, And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.  Jehoram followed the ways of the kings of Israel, worshipping false gods instead of remaining true to the only real God.  He did this in part because he was married to Ahab's daughter.  He followed one of the good kings of Judah, but he chose to pattern himself after the evil king of Israel.  We as followers of Christ must be careful who we pattern our lives after.  Too often, if a Christian marries a non-Christian, the Christian will begin to follow the ways of the non-Christian, especially if it is the man who is the Christian.  This is especially wrong, since he is supposed to be the spiritual leader of the family.  Verse nineteen states, Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.  God did not destroy Judah because of His promise to David, and he will not destroy us today because His salvation plan is still working and reaching some.  If there comes a time when it doesn't, I believe we can expect His judgment to come.  Verse twenty adds, In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.  During Jehoram's reign, the people of Edom revolted and set up their own king.  They had been under the rule of Israel for over one-hundred and fifty years according to Matthew Henry, but now they chose to revolt.  When God's people are not following His will the opposition to them may become even stronger.  Verse twenty-one continues, So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.  Jehoram, here called Joram, sent troops to put the rebellion down and was temporarily successful.  If we are acting without God's guidance, we may temporarily be successful in defeating sin on our own, but the victory will never be forever.  The only way to be permanently successful over sin is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-two says, Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.  Not only did Edom successful revolt in the end, but the people of Libnah, a city in Judah, did so as well.  Joram was losing his power over even his own people.  If we stand in defiance to God, one day we will see how little power we really have.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  This is all that we are told about Joram at this time, but as with all the kings, we are told that their actions are recorded in the chronicles of the kings.  It doesn't really matter what the people of the world remember about us, but only what God does.

2 Kings 8:7

 2 Kings 8:7 says, And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.  When Elisha came to Damascus, Benhadad the king was sick and he was informed that the man of God was there.  If we are sick today as Christians, the Holy Spirit will already be with us, so we don't have t wait for Him to come, and we need to pray for His help.  If we continue to live by faith, then no matter the outcome, we should be at peace.  Verse eight adds, And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?  Hazael was sent to Elisha to ask if the king would recover.  Once more, when someone was coming to Elisha for help, he seems to have often brought him a present.  As stated before, if someone comes to us for help today, we as followers of Christ should never expect to be paid, and we certainly shouldn't ask to be.  Verse nine adds, So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?  When Hazael got to Elisha, he referred to Benhadad as Elisha's son, and asked if Benhadad would recover from his illness.  I don't know if he was attempting to flatter Elisha or this was a sign of respect for him, placing him in a position of honor over Benhadad.  When people come to us for help today, they may attempt to flatter us or place us in a position above themselves, but we never will be.  We are all sinners saved by grace, and we will always be brothers and sisters spiritually if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse ten states, And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.  Elisha said that Benhadad would certainly recover from the illness, but also that he would surely die.  These two things might seem to be contradictory, but they were two different things.  When we are saved, we recover from the penalty of sin, which is spiritual death, but we will still die physically if Jesus Christ doesn't return first, and these are two different things.  Verse eleven adds, And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.  Matthew Henry says that Elisha looked at Hazael with great concern until he caused him to blush in shame and that Elisha himself then wept.  We need to have compassion on the people of the world today, and if we see that they are dying without accepting God's gift of salvation, then we should really be broken hearted and cry over their situation.  If we look on the lost people of the world with hatred or even with indifference, we are never going feel a compulsion to reach them for Jesus Christ.  Verse twelve continues, And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.  Hazael asked Elisha why he was crying, and he said he knew the evil that would be done to the people of Israel by the Hazael, who at this point was not even king.  As Matthew Henry points out, this was going to occur because of the sins of Israel.  Even if we are Christians, if we stray away from God, He may allow us to be punished in this lifetime, even though we are forever saved.  Verse thirteen says, And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.  Hazael asked Elisha if he was a dog that would cause him to say this, and Elisha told him that God had shown him that Hazael would be king of Syria and would do these things.  Still, Elisha did not refuse to share God's truth with him, and neither should we refuse to share the truth of the gospel with people today, even those who may want to destroy us.  Verse fourteen adds, So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.  When Hazael got back to Benhadad and was asked what Elisha said, he only told him part of what was said.  He told Benhadad that Elisha said he would recover from the illness, but not the part about him surely dying as well.  Had Benhadad gone to Elisha himself, he would have gotten the whole message and might have been prepared to face those who would destroy him.  We cannot be saved by sending others to Christ but must come to Him individually and we cannot be saved by just hearing part of the gospel.  Just believing that Jesus Christ lived and died on a cross is not enough.  We must also accept that He is the only begotten Son of God and that He died for our sins and rose again.  Verse fifteen continues, And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.  The next day, Hazael killed Benhadad and became the king himself.  What Elijah foretold happened, and God's word will always be true.  That means that one day Jesus Christ is going to return in judgment, and if we will either be saved by faith in Him, or we will be sent away to everlasting punishment.