2 Kings 9:14-26 - Daily Devotion - 28 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

14 Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram.

(Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 15 but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had suffered at the hands of the Arameans in the battle against Hazael their king.)

So Jehu said, “If you commanders wish to make me king, then do not let anyone escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.”

16 Then Jehu got into his chariot and went to Jezreel, because Joram was laid up there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.

17 Now the watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, and he called out, “I see a company of troops!”

“Choose a rider,” Joram commanded. “Send him out to meet them and ask, ‘Have you come in peace?’”

18 So a horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’”

“What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”

And the watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.”

19 So the king sent out a second horseman, who went to them and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’”

“What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”

20 Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the charioteer is driving like Jehu son of Nimshi —he is driving like a madman!”

21 “Harness!” Joram shouted, and they harnessed his chariot.

Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

22 When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”

“How can there be peace,” he replied, “as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”

23 Joram turned around and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”

24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.

25 And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember that when you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, the LORD lifted up this burden against him: 26 ‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the LORD, so will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.’ Now then, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

In today’s passage, Jehu, who is God’s chosen instrument for judgment, rolls out a clever scheme which leads to the downfall of not one, but two wicked kings: Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu draws Joram and Ahaziah out to meet him, and they only realise too late his plan to kill them. (Tomorrow we will read about Ahaziah’s death.)

God judged Joram and Ahaziah for they did evil in the eyes of the LORD and for failing to lead their people in worship of Him (2 Kgs 3:1-3 and 8:25-27). Joram’s death marks the end of Ahab’s house, and he is buried in Naboth’s field. Joram’s burial location is fitting, because his father Ahab had coveted Naboth’s field and murdered him for it, along with his sons (v 26).

Through Jehu, God pours out his wrath on Ahab and his family for their sins. Rightly, we praise God who gave them what they deserve. And yet, we have these words from Ezekiel 18:23: “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?”

We should rejoice when evil is defeated, even when that involves the death of the wicked. But as God longs for all to repent, we should pray that evildoers might turn to Jesus and throw themselves at the foot of the cross. “Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon” (Isa 55:7).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our assistant ministers.

2 Kings 9:1-13 - Daily Devotion - 27 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak under your belt, take this flask of oil, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 When you arrive, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his companions, and take him to an inner room. 3 Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and declare, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run. Do not delay!”

4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead, 5 and when he arrived, the army commanders were sitting there. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.

“For which of us?” asked Jehu.

“For you, commander,” he replied.

6 So Jehu got up and went into the house, where the young prophet poured the oil on his head and declared, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the LORD’s people Israel. 7 And you are to strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the LORD shed by the hand of Jezebel. 8 The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, both slave and free, in Israel. 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the houses of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 And on the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour Jezebel, and there will be no one to bury her.’”

Then the young prophet opened the door and ran.

11 When Jehu went out to the servants of his master, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?”

“You know his kind and their babble,” he replied.

12 “That is a lie!” they said. “Tell us now!”

So Jehu answered, “He talked to me about this and that, and he said, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

13 Quickly, each man took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Duc

Have you tasted the bitterness of injustice? Have you seen too many evil-doers succeed in their schemes? These experiences may make us feel powerless, resentful and even vengeful.

In the final chapters of 1 Kings, we met King Ahab and Jezebel, his idolatrous and immoral queen. We saw how they abused their royal power – leading Israel in the worship of Baal, persecuting God’s prophets and even killing an innocent man to steal his land.

God had promised the prophet Elijah that he would end Ahab’s house (1 Kgs 19:15-17). At the end of 1 Kings, King Ahab and his son, Ahaziah, are killed. But there is still another son, Joram, and of course, Jezebel, who continue to rule in Israel.

So the anointing of Jehu as king in today’s passage is significant. God is keeping his promise to enact judgment on Ahab and Jezebel for their murder of God’s prophets and servants (v 7-8). Jehu has been appointed as the instrument of God’s work.

We are reminded that “the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to wipe out all memory of them from the earth” (Psalm 34:16). It means that even if we face of the gravest injustices, we can rejoice in the God who loves justice, and we can worship Him knowing He will one day make good his promise to restore justice to the whole earth. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our assistant ministers.

2 Kings 8:16-29 - Daily Devotion - 25 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

16 In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat succeeded his father as king of Judah. 17 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

18 And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.

19 Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.

20 In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. 21 So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes.

22 So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.

23 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoram, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

24 And Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.

25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

27 And Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

28 Then Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram. 29 So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Alex Chen

It’s shocking but not surprising that Jehoram and his son Ahaziah, two kings of God’s people in Judah, did evil. They had terrible influences to lead them astray. Even though they were descendants of King David, they became close friends with king Joram of the northern kingdom of Israel, who was part of the evil dynasty of King Ahab. Jehoram even married the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.

It’s a bit too close to home when we remember how easily the secular culture we live in can drag us away from God and trusting in Jesus – sometimes we don’t even notice it. It might be accepting bits of extra work which mean sacrificing good time with God, or the latest fad we chase too hard.

But we’re also reminded of God’s faithfulness. God relents from destroying Judah because of his promises to David and his descendants. We can know God will be faithful to all his promises through Christ, including the assurance of forgiveness when we turn back to him. It’s also comforting to know we have the Holy Spirit now, so we can swim against the culture and live a life that rightly serves God. Pray about the pressures and influences you feel, and ask for God’s help in saying “no” to ungodliness and “yes” to living joyfully for him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex is one of our student ministers..

2 Kings 8:7-15 - Daily Devotion - 24 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

7 Then Elisha came to Damascus while Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “The man of God has come here.”

8 So the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand, go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD through him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”

9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camel loads of every good thing from Damascus. And he went in and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”

10 Elisha answered, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But the LORD has shown me that in fact he will die.”

11 Elisha fixed his gaze steadily on him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of God began to weep.

12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.

“Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.”

13 “But how could your servant, a mere dog, do such a monstrous thing?” said Hazael.

And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

14 So Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha say to you?”

And he replied, “He told me that you would surely recover.” 15 But the next day Hazael took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king’s face.

So Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Matt Radloff

When we see evil in the world, how should we respond? When we hear of horrific actions and atrocities committed against the innocent, how does God want us to react? Elisha came face-to-face with a terrible man, Hazael. God showed Elisha who this man would become. He showed him what this man would go on to do, actions which can only be described as pure evil. Hazael was to become the future king of Aram. But he would only achieve it by murder and treason. And then with his new power, Hazael would bring terror onto God’s people, committing unspeakable acts of evil. Seeing this man standing before him, Elisha weeps. Elisha knows that God is in control, but that doesn’t stop the tears. Rightly, Elisha weeps over the evil in this world.

Many years later, another man wept. As Jesus looked at the tomb which held his friend Lazarus, tears rolled down his cheeks. Facing the evil of this world, facing the wrongness of death, Jesus responded rightly. Even knowing that he was about to raise Lazarus from the grave, knowing that he would conquer death forever, Jesus wept.

As we see evil and hear about the great injustices of the world, it's right for us to weep. It’s right for us to be moved to grief over the wrongness of death, pain and suffering. We long for the day when God will wipe every tear from our eyes, when all things will be made right and all evil destroyed forever. In the meantime, while we wait, it's right to cry out to God through the tears, “Come Lord Jesus”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt is one of our student ministers.

2 Kings 8:1-6 - Daily Devotion - 23 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, you and your household; go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the LORD has decreed a seven-year famine, and it has already come to the land.”

2 So the woman had proceeded to do as the man of God had instructed. And she and her household lived as foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines.

3 At the end of seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to the king to appeal for her house and her land.

4 Now the king had been speaking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things Elisha has done.”

5 And Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had revived came to appeal to the king for her house and her land. So Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”

6 When the king asked the woman, she confirmed it. So the king appointed for her an officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers, along with all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the country until now.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Everett

When have you seen God miraculously intervene in your own ordinary life?

A few years ago, I needed to move suburb quite quickly. I remember praying to God, asking for his help. I had no idea how I could manage the move as a broke Uni student with very few connections outside my home town. To my astonishment, I was contacted by a family from the church I had just started attending – they offered for me to come live with them at a rate even a broke Uni student could afford. A week later, a job landed in my lap. It was so clear that God saw me, and was miraculously providing for me, even though I was just an ordinary Uni student.

We see something similar in 2 Kings 8. After all these grand tales concerning kings and nations, we zoom in to the ordinary life of one woman – the Shunammite woman we met back in 2 Kings 4. She has returned to Israel after 7 years, as Elisha had instructed her, but it seems someone has taken her house and land. Yet God sees her, this unnamed woman, and has already set plans in motion to provide for her. When she goes to the King, he’s already mid-conversation with Elisha’s old servant Gehazi, who is telling him all about how Elisha raised her son back to life. Coincidence? I think not. And despite the terrible reputation of the Israelite kings, all the woman’s property is restored.

It’s clear that God is at work here. Our God intervenes in all our lives – no matter how ordinary we seem. And if we obey the word of the LORD – like the Shunammite woman did – we can trust that God will provide what we need. As Jesus says, “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33). Spend some time now thanking God for the ways he’s intervened in your life, and ask him to keep providing what you need.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our student ministers.

2 Kings 7:12-20 - Daily Devotion - 22 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

12 So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and enter the city.’”

13 But one of his servants replied, “Please, have scouts take five of the horses that remain in the city. Their plight will be no worse than all the Israelites who are left here. You can see that all the Israelites here are doomed. So let us send them and find out.”

14 Then the scouts took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.” 15 And they tracked them as far as the Jordan, and indeed, the whole way was littered with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in haste. So the scouts returned and told the king.

16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. It was then that a seah of fine flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.

17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king had come to him. 18 It happened just as the man of God had told the king: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel.”

19 And the officer had answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?”

So Elisha had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!”

20 And that is just what happened to him. The people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

“According to the word of the LORD” (v 16). That’s the key to today’s passage. The word from the Lord that Elijah announced back in verse 1 seemed utterly far-fetched and ludicrous. There was no food left, people were starving even to the point of cannibalism – yet Elijah had said that the very next day there would be such an oversupply of food in the city that prices for groceries would plummet to record low levels. The king’s officer had declared this to be impossible, even if the Lord were to “make windows in heaven.” And yet everything happened “according to the word of the LORD”. The narrator goes out of his way to underscore that God’s word was precisely fulfilled down to the last detail.

The best part is that God’s promise was – for everyone except for the unbelieving officer – a promise of restoration, life, abundance, and overflowing fullness.

Jesus promised something similar, but a far more significant type of restoration and life. He said, “I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. … I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:9-10). The fullness of life Jesus promises begins as inner transformation now, like a spring of water which will “well up to eternal life” when he returns (John 4:14).

Do you sometimes struggle to believe that the fullness of life Jesus offers really will live up to his promise? Use today’s passage to confirm your trust that it will all be exactly according to his word.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

2 Kings 7:3-11 - Daily Devotion - 21 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

3 Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”

5 So they arose at twilight and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts of the camp, there was not a man to be found. 6 For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”

7 Thus the Arameans had arisen and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents and horses and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had run for their lives.

8 When the lepers reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they carried off the silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. On returning, they entered another tent, carried off some items from there, and hid them.

9 Finally, they said to one another, “We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will overtake us. Now, therefore, let us go and tell the king’s household.”

10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city, saying, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a trace—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.”

11 The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported to the king’s household.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Today’s passage reminded me of two things about God which I never want to forget. First, God doesn’t need our help to carry out his plans and purposes. I’ve sometimes heard people say things like, “Me and God, together we can do anything” … that makes me cringe. Everything God does ultimately depends on his power alone – and we need to remember that so we give God all the glory and praise.

But the passage also reminded me that God loves to use the weak, the despised, and the nobodies as his instruments. As Paul told the Corinthians, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor. 1:27). These lepers didn’t do anything to send the Arameans packing – God did that. But he let them find out the good news – “Today is a day of good news”, they said (v. 9). And he chose these nobodies to be the bearers of the good news that would save their whole city.

Isn’t that a beautiful picture of evangelism? We didn’t do anything to defeat sin and death – Jesus did that on his own. But God uses people to bear that good news to the world. And he doesn’t just use the experts and “professionals” for that. Jesus chose simple, unschooled fishermen to kick off the whole process. So do you think he wouldn’t use you?

Today is a day of good news! Ask God to make you like these lepers with the treasure of the gospel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

2 Kings 6:24 - 7:2 - Daily Devotion - 20 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

A warning before you read: Today’s passage contains a graphic description of starvation and cannibalism.

~~~

24 Some time later, Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria.

25 So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.

26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”

27 He answered, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?” 28 Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?”

And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.”

30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin. 31 He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”

32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”

33 While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

Chapter 7

1 Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel.’”

2 But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?”

“You will see it with your own eyes,” replied Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

When I reached verse 29, and I lost all desire to write a devotion on today’s passage. I felt sick. I wanted to tear my clothes too. This is a level of suffering, evil and horror that is beyond my comprehension, beyond rational reflection. I felt like a veil had been drawn back to reveal “the powers of this dark world and … the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12) that rule the affairs of men and drive people to unspeakable deeds.

War along with its accompanying evils – slaughter, famine and disease – perhaps shows more starkly than anything else the madness and horror of the sin to which humanity has become enslaved. Israel’s king recognises the tragedy befalling his city of Samaria – and yet there’s something messed up in the way he responds. He rightly understands that the calamity is at the same time the result of unbridled human wickedness, and also “from the LORD” (v 33). The same disaster can be the result of human evil for which God is not to blame, a devastating tragedy suffered by innocent victims, and also God’s wrath and judgment against a corrupt and rebellious world (see Romans 1:18-32).

But the king’s response is to swear an oath by God himself to kill God’s prophet. That seems … unhinged.

God gives Elisha an extraordinary prophetic word which seems to stall the king – we’ll find out how that is fulfilled tomorrow. But it’s worth remembering that this king – Jehoram son of Ahab – is the fourth king in the most evil and idolatrous dynasty that had ever ruled Israel. Israel is deservedly under the judgment of God. On top of that, he is the same king Jehoram who, only a few chapters earlier, had launched an unjustified and brutal war on a neighbouring country, and lied that the Lord had told him to (chapter 3)! Now he blames the Lord for the consequences of his war-mongering policies.

Revelation 6 paints a picture of the whole world, in our own age, in a similar situation, with four horsemen that represent the horrors of war, slaughter, famine and disease. Even though Jesus has risen from the dead and is saving people from every nation (Rev. 5), the world is under God’s judgment – and the New Testament hints that human evil will only increase until Jesus returns.

Today, pray for the innocent victims of wars around the world, and for Christian believers caught up in them. Come, Lord Jesus! I long for the day when Jesus will return and complete his victory over every power and authority by putting “all His enemies under His feet” (1 Cor. 15:25).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

2 Kings 6:13-23 - Daily Devotion - 18 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

13 So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.”

On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,” 14 the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and surrounded the city.

15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”

16 “Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.”

And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

18 As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.

19 And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.

20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.”

Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria.

21 And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”

22 “Do not kill them,” he replied. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and then return to their master.”

23 So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

These verses sound like they could have been written into something like The Lord of the Rings. It has the plot twists and deception worthy of a movie, as Elisha shows his attendant the mighty, invisible army surrounding him.

I’m again reminded of Jesus, how in the garden of Gethsemane when his disciples were wanting to fight the people who came to arrest him, Jesus said, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthw 26:53). That would be 72,000 angels, which is more than the whole Australian Army!

Elisha had a cunning plan to save his people, and through it he also saved his enemies’ lives. He asked God to blind the enemy soldiers so that he could capture them, but then rather than slaughtering them, he showed them mercy – he fed them and sent them away, humbled but alive.

Like Elisha, Jesus knew God’s protection, and yet Jesus still submitted himself to die on a cross and even as he died, we get a hint of God’s mercy on his enemies. As Jesus died, Matthew 27:54 records this: ‘When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”’.

Jesus’ death is not a sign of weakness, it is the most incredible demonstration of God saving us from sin and death. Remember that we were God’s enemies, but in God’s mercy he has given us what we don’t deserve. Christ died to save us to save us from the death we deserve. Give thanks that God loves to save people like us!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is one of our Assistant Ministers.

2 Kings 6:1-12 - Daily Devotion - 17 July 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is too small for us. 2 Please let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place to live there.”

“Go,” said Elisha.

3 Then one of them said, “Please come with your servants.”

“I will come,” he replied.

4 So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees. 5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!”

6 “Where did it fall?” asked the man of God.

And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.

7 “Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it.

8 Now the king of Aram was at war against Israel. After consulting with his servants, he said, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”

9 Then the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.”

10 So the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again[A] Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. 11 For this reason the king of Aram became enraged and called his servants to demand of them, “Tell me, which one of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”

12 But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

Two extraordinary things happen in this passage. First, Elisha makes an axe head float – something that clearly shouldn’t happen! Then Elisha is able to reveal the plans of the Arameans so that the Israelites are always one step ahead of them. We might be tempted to explain away the miracle of Elisha knowing the Arameans’ plans by wondering if he had a spy in the camp or by thinking they were simply lucky guesses. But we’re told about the floating axe head to remind us that God can do anything! For God, revealing the Arameans’ war plans to Elisha is no problem.

When Jesus came, he did even more remarkable things. He walked on water, calmed storms, and filled boats with fish. All his miracles display his power. Don’t write them off or try to explain them away with rational, natural explanations. Accept them for what they are: demonstrations of God’s power over this world. God created this world, so there is no problem with the Son of God having power over his creation.

Jesus’ miracles also show that we can’t explain away his resurrection from the dead. Jesus really did rise, which means he is more than capable of giving us new life too. Elisha’s miracles showed the people in his day that they could trust God to save them. Jesus’ miracles show us that we can trust him to save us too.

Do you have trouble believing that Jesus has the power to do miracles? Do you have trouble believing that Jesus has saved you through his death and resurrection? Pray that God would keep showing you that Jesus truly is God become flesh, and that you can trust him to save you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is one of our Assistant Ministers.