4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

2 Kings 13-14
John 11:1-27

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

2 Kings 13:18-19 (CSB): “Then Elisha said, ‘Take the arrows!’ So he took them. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘Strike the ground!’ So he struck the ground three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.'”

Reflecting on God’s Word

One of the many attributes that God seems to look for is zeal. He is looking for people who are passionate about the right things.

Jesus was a man of zeal. He was dead-set on doing His Father’s will. And when His Father’s house, the Jerusalem Temple, had turned into a chaotic barn and marketplace, He went on a zealous rampage to cleanse it. As the Apostle John recounted this event (John 2:13-17), he quoted Psalm 69:9.

John 2:17 (CSB): “And his disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.'”

Zeal is simply the emotional and physical energy behind doing a task. If two people were doing the same task and one had zeal and the other didn’t, you would easily be able to tell them apart. One would simply be going through the motions while the other was excited and energetic.

Multiple things in life can put a damper on our zeal. Things like stress, disappointment, criticism, trauma, and much more can cause us to lose enthusiasm. We must do whatever we can to regain the zeal we once had, or cultivate zeal for the first time.

When we look at the verses I have chosen for today, I believe the thing that helps us to make sense of it is the lack of zeal.

2 Kings 13:18-19 (CSB): “Then Elisha said, ‘Take the arrows!’ So he took them. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘Strike the ground!’ So he struck the ground three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.'”

Elisha was dying, and he called for Israel’s king, Jehoash, to come into his presence. Elisha told the king to shoot an arrow through an open window. After Jehoash shot the arrow (hopefully hitting no one), Elisha said that it represented the assurance that God would give Israel the victory over Aram. Then, Elisha told King Jehoash to take a fistful of arrows and strike the ground with them. After Jehoash struck the ground three times, Elisha became upset and said that he should have struck the ground more times so that the victory over Aram would be even more complete.

Since Jehoash had already heard that the arrow he shot through the window demonstrated victory, he should have been zealous with the handful of arrows and hit the floor over and over and over again. But his tepid response seems to reveal that he lacked the zeal to do whatever it took to accomplish God’s purpose of defeating the Arameans.

So, what about you, my friend? Are you obedient to the Lord? Are you prepared to do whatever He calls you to do? I certainly hope so.

But here’s another question: Are you zealous in your obedience to the Lord? I sure hope so! The Lord is looking for people like that!

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you renew (or cultivate for the first time) a zeal to do His will.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into … , consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does the Bible say about being zealous / having zeal?”

Sharing

If this post has been helpful to you or if you think it could help others, please consider tapping one of the social media buttons below to share it on your favorite platform.

____________________

Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)