And Jehovah was gracious to them, and had compassion on them, and had respect to them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he would not destroy them, neither did he cast them from his presence up to that time.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And Hazael king of Syria died, and Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his stead.
Hazael's death closes a long chapter of suffering for Israel, yet the throne in Damascus does not stand empty — his son steps straight into it. The verses that follow answer a question. When God removes an oppressor, how much relief do His people get? And what sets the measure?
Hazael did not rise by accident. Long before he took the throne, he already meant the king to die and Israel to suffer. One writer sees God's hand behind that plan.
The king may recover, but he will die. I will be king in his place and will torment Israel. From the thought to the act is only a step. So God prepares the rod which will chasten His people, until the moment when He will break the rod itself.
That last line is what this verse records: the rod is broken. And what breaks it is not Israel's armies, and not Israel's repentance.
Everything Elisha had foreseen came true during the reign of Jehoahaz. And still God did not let go of the nation.
Elisha had told Hazael that he knew all the evil Hazael would bring on Israel (ch. 8:12). And Hazael did go on to oppress Jehoahaz and his kingdom cruelly (v. 22). Yet despite this cruelty, the Lord had compassion on Israel and gave them some real help, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So they were not driven out of their land. God's long patience is wonderful, but patience is not indifference, and God must judge in the end.
The reason for the relief lay outside Israel: a promise made to three men long dead.
The change of ruler in Syria lets Israel take back what it had lost. What follows matches what the dying Elisha had said — and goes no further.
Hazael died, however, and his son Ben Hadad became king of Syria. Then Joash, son of Jehoahaz, recaptured the cities Hazael had taken from his father. As Elisha had promised, Joash defeated Ben Hadad three times, but this did not destroy the power of Syria.
Cities came back, but Syria was still standing. That number three was no accident.
As Elisha lay dying, he told Joash to strike the ground with arrows. Joash struck three times and stopped. One writer asks why, and what the stopping cost him.
Why did he stop? Did he not know what the prophet meant? Did he not grasp the grace of God that was now at work? Why did he stop? Sadly, a man never keeps going as far as the grace of God, even if it is an Abraham who leaves off when he ought to go on! Yet the grace of God never fails of its purpose. Here, however, it was the judgment of God… Had he struck the ground three times with the arrows? Then the Syrians would be struck three times and no more.
So the death of Hazael made full deliverance possible. The faith of the king made it partial.
The gap between what God offered and what Joash took is not just old history. It is a mirror for us.
What a lesson is here for us all! We deal with a God whose resources have no limit, and who delights to bless His people. Yet our thoughts and expectations are so poor that we limit Him again and again. So little satisfies us. So slow are we, so lacking in spiritual energy, to go in boldly, and "possess our possessions."
One more thread runs through this chapter. Jehoahaz had prayed while Hazael was crushing him, and God heard him.
The prayer of Jehoahaz, though heard, was not fully answered at once… Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, was the first one through whom a partial deliverance came (verse 25). The full deliverance came under the grandson Jeroboam II (14:25-27). This is a good illustration of how the Lord hears prayer. In His sovereignty and all-wise purposes He may delay the answer for many years. It should be enough for God's people to know that prayer is heard, and to leave the answer with Him, who does all things well. And so Jehoahaz saw nothing but oppression (verse 22), though he had turned to the LORD and had prayed. It was a trial of faith.
- Rod. Hazael was the rod God prepared to chasten His people. This verse is the moment God breaks it.
- Covenant. The relief came from God's promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not from any change in Israel. His patience is real, but it is not indifference.
- Measure. A new Syrian king made recovery possible. Joash beat him three times, because three was the number he chose with the arrows.
- Limit. God's supply has no limit. Joash's small faith set the limit, and God held him to it — and so little still satisfies us.
- Delay. Jehoahaz prayed and died still oppressed. The answer came in part to his son and in full to his grandson. Heard prayer is not always quick prayer.
And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father in the war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.