Day 101 - 2 Kings 1–3, Psalm 101

We start 2 Kings in the North. In 2 Kings 1, Ahaziah, son of Ahab, becomes king of Israel. In a moment of randomness, Ahaziah falls through a lattice and injures himself. He looks for answers in Baal. God answers using Elijah as His spokesperson, and Elijah foretells Ahaziah’s death. In Judah (South), Jehoshaphat was king.

Let’s take a moment to talk about Elijah. Even though Elijah doesn't have a book named after him, he remains one of the most powerful and iconic prophets in all of Scripture—and one of the few people in the Bible who never died.

In 1 Kings 17, we saw him being cared for by God. He was fed by ravens and by a widow. We see Elijah shut down the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Later, we see him suffer in depression in 1 Kings 19. He is strengthened by God and sent on a mission to find his successor, Elisha. Elijah found Elisha plowing a field, and Elisha immediately left everything to follow him. Elisha followed Elijah like a faithful student, learning not just ministry, but God’s heart.

In 2 Kings 2, we find Elijah at the end of his ministry. He sets out on a journey. His apprentice Elisha refuses to leave his side. As they approach the river Jordan and attempt to pass, Elijah touches the water with his cloak, and the water parts to allow them safe passage. On the other side of the river, Elijah is taken up in a chariot of fire. Before he goes, Elisha boldly asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit—a sign of deep spiritual hunger. After witnessing Elijah’s departure, Elisha takes up his mantle, parts the Jordan River just like Elijah did, and begins his own prophetic ministry.

In 2 Kings 3, Joram, Ahab’s other son, becomes ruler of Israel (North). Three kings (Israel, Judah, and Edom) join forces to fight Moab. But when they run out of water in the desert, Jehoshaphat seeks a prophet, and Elisha is called. Elisha delivers a strange instruction: Make this valley full of ditches. God miraculously fills them with water—without rain—and then gives them victory over Moab. Are we willing to prepare in faith even when a situation seems hopeless?

Psalm 101, a Psalm of David, is a personal declaration of godly leadership. It’s both a prayer and a pledge from a king who wants to rule with righteousness. David was a man after God's own heart, and this Psalm is another example of his love and devotion.