The author of 2 Kings reminds the reader that God had warned Israel over and over to worship only God. God sent his prophets to warn them. They refused to listen.

God is merciful and loving. But, if we continually ignore and disobey the command that He gives us, there will come a time when He will have no choice but to allow us to be destroyed.

May we all respond to the call of God.

Psalm 55:12–14 (ESV):

For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
then I could hide from him.
But it is you, a man, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend.
We used to take sweet counsel together;
within God’s house we walked in the throng.

It is difficult when we are betrayed. But, we can take that burden to the Lord.

Psalm 55:22 (ESV):

Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Acts 2:37-39, ESV

The promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit is for all whom the Lord calls to Himself. All Christians should exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, and all will be given gifts for ministering to others.

“So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. ” (Acts 8:30–35, ESV)

Jesus began with Moses and explained the gospel from the Old Testament. Philip began with Isaiah, since that was where the Ethiopian treasurer was reading, but he explained the Gospel. The Gospel can be found in the Old Testament. We should know our Bibles well enough to share Jesus from any part of Scripture, since the Scriptures testify of Jesus. (See John 5.39)

“This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.” (Acts 7:35–38, ESV)

The grace of God is great enough to use people for His purposes, even if it appears they were failures before!

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17, ESV

About six weeks later, Satan suggests,

But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Matthew 4:4, ESV
(Quoting Deuteronomy 8.3)

When God has told me that I have been adopted as his child (See
John 1.12-13), I don’t need to question. I must trust that His word is true. I may choose to live outside His will, but His love for me does not need to be questioned. We must trust “every word that comes from the mouth of God.”