When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. – 2 Kings 11:1

Today's Scripture Reading (March 14, 2026): 2 Kings 11

In 2023, CNN released a special documentary series titled "Giuliani: What Happened to America's Mayor," which examined the life and career of Rudy Giuliani, his ascent to power, and his demise during the Trump Years. Maybe the one line of the documentary that we all need to hear is that "power changes you." And the words don't just apply to Rudy, but to all of us. Maybe we all question why our politicians do what they do, and often we think that we would do things differently. We would work with politicians from different parties, so why can't they? We would reward good ideas wherever they might arise, so why can't they? And maybe the answer is the same for all of us. We really don't know what we would do because now we don't have the power, but then we would. And power changes us.

I am tempted to wonder about Athaliah's emotional state, or maybe her mental capacity, that she was willing to kill her grandchildren and anyone else who might be in the line of succession to the throne of Judah. As I read the story of Athaliah, I honestly can't imagine a grandmother who would be willing to kill her grandchildren so that she could be Queen. My grandchildren are precious treasures to me. All I want for any of them is the absolute best this life has to offer. Yet, that is precisely what Athaliah does. She kills anyone who might have reason to claim that she isn't the rightful Queen of Judah.

But the real reason why she is willing to do any of this is that power has the capacity to change us in a very fundamental way. Once we have had power of any kind, the human race seems to be willing to do anything to get it back. What was once unthinkable suddenly becomes not only thinkable but a logical response to the situation. We will do anything to keep the power that we have. The story of Queen Athaliah killing the members of the Royal Family, including her own children and grandchildren, and some of the seemingly incomprehensible actions of Rudy Giuliani have the same cause; they are a result of power changing us in ways that we could never imagine in the days when we lived without that power. The story of Athaliah, as well as the contemporary tale of Rudy Giuliani, is a cautionary tale of which we all need to be aware. Only if we remember these stories will we be able to safeguard ourselves from doing the unthinkable in our lives if we ever gain the kind of power that changes us.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 22

See also 2 Chronicles 22:10

 

When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. – 2 Kings 10:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 13, 2026): 2 Kings 10

I admit that one of the historical mysteries that has captured my imagination is the fate of King Edward V of England and his brother, Prince Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. When we use the title King Edward V, if we don’t know the story, we might get an image of a grizzled old King with a list of enemies he has built up throughout his reign. But Edward V reigned for two and a half months, and he was only twelve at the time. Yes, it was a different era, and twelve-year-old boys were closer to adults than they are today, but a twelve-year-old boy who has just lost his father, even in the 1400s, is still in a vulnerable position. Richard of Shrewsbury was only nine at the time of his disappearance.

We might know these boys better as the Princes in the Tower. The two boys disappeared into the Tower of London in July 1483, never to be seen again. The majority opinion is that Uncle Richard, the regent and protector of the boys, had them murdered soon after their disappearance so that he could become King Richard III. But the truth is that we don’t know. Bones were found while a stairway was being rebuilt in 1674, and it was assumed they belonged to two brothers. However, that understanding is far from certain, and animal bones were found mixed in with the human bones.

Some have wanted to believe that the boys lived, or at least that Edward survived the Tower. It is hard for us to understand how the protectors of the princes could have decided to kill them. It has been suggested that Edward made a life for himself in the rural Devon village of Coldridge, living under the name John Evans. Others have sought a different fate for the boys, out of a desire to prove that Richard III could not be the monster this story portrays him as. But the reality is that we just don’t know what happened to the boys. It still seems likely that they died in the Tower in July or maybe August 1483. However, we can’t say that with any certainty.

It was a different age. And it was a different age when Jehu sent a message to the leaders of Samaria regarding the seventy sons of King Ahab. This number would likely have included the sons of Ahab, as well as the grandsons and possibly even great-grandsons of the King; any male who could trace his lineage back to Ahab. So, there was also a wide age range among these male descendants; some, if not a majority, might have been boys.

For me, the hardest part of this story is that it was the men, leaders, who had raised and protected these men and boys who were left with the task of killing them. Yes, Ahab had been an evil king made even worse by his wife, Jezebel. His sons would probably have been just as evil; after all, they had learned their lessons in life from King Ahab. Yes, this was the societal expectation of the day. It is an interesting parallel that the King who demanded the grapes of Naboth be placed into baskets had the heads of his descendants placed in similar baskets. And some of those heads were likely young children.

Jehu would not be much better than Ahab. Even though he had been anointed to become King, chosen by God to replace Joram, the son of Ahab, he would not make the most of his opportunity. And maybe this beginning hinted at the evil Jehu would continue to do as he led from the throne of Ahab.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 11

Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu's head and declared, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anoint you king over the LORD's people Israel. – 2 Kings 10:12

Today's Scripture Reading (March 12, 2026): 2 Kings 9

What did you want to be when you grew up? I must admit that I wish I had a clearer idea of what I wanted to be when I was younger. I wish I had applied myself more in one area rather than scattering my time across several areas of interest. Sometimes I think I lived the bridge of Albert Hammond's hit song "Free Electric Band."

Well, they [mom and dad] used to sit and speculate upon their son's career
A lawyer or a doctor or a civil engineer
Just give me bread and water, put a guitar in my hand.
'Cause all I need is music and the Free Electric Band (Albert Hammond).

I think the only occupation I didn't consider was that of a civil engineer. But I gave serious thought to becoming a doctor or a lawyer, and of course, the dream was always the Free Electric Band.

David had been anointed as King over Israel while he was still a child. He didn't become King for a couple of decades, but he knew where he was going. He lived with the assurance that he would be King; he prepared himself for that moment, yet he was also able to wait for it; at no point did David feel he had to press the issue. David seemed to have an amazing trust that he would become King; God had already declared that. But he also trusted that he would become King at the time God had chosen, not at a time chosen by David. All of this gave David time to prepare to become king.

A young prophet is charged with the task of anointing Jehu as the next King of Israel. He is the only candidate for the highest office of the Northern Kingdom to be anointed as King. The prophet separates Jehu from his compatriots, then anoints him, giving the general a prophetic message about what comes next. But it doesn't happen right away. By doing it in private, he allows Jehu the time necessary to prepare for and assume the position without having to defend himself against King Jehoram's attacks, the son of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.

Jehu would become King, but later. Until that moment, he would gather strength and prepare for the moment, without wondering if there was another path. But there was no doubt now in the mind of Jehu that he was not intended to become "a lawyer or a doctor or a civil engineer." Jehu's "Free Electric Band" had arrived; he would become King over the Northern Kingdom."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 10

Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, "This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life." – 2 Kings 8:5

Today's Scripture Reading (March 11, 2026): 2 Kings 8

In the early days of planting a church, I was looking for a place where the new church could meet. One of the leaders of the church had a line on a small church that might be looking for a tenant. The small church was being underused by another local congregation in the area. As a result, I arranged to meet with the pastor who was in charge of the church building. This local pastor and his church board agreed to meet with my leadership and me one evening at the church property in question. We gathered outside the church's front door, waiting for the pastor to arrive.

As we waited, a man in jeans and a T-shirt arrived and joined the conversation. What we didn't realize at the time was that no one knew who this guy was. We both assumed that he was a part of the other delegation. Then the pastor arrived, and the two of them exchanged greetings, and we moved inside the church. The mysterious man who had joined us was the Director of Church Planting for the denomination that owned the building. The Director happened to be driving past the building, noticed a group of people, and decided to stop. He was an uninvited guest at that first meeting. He became a significant part of bringing the church plant into the denomination—just another serendipitous moment in what sometimes seems like a sea of spontaneous moments.

So much of life seems to be about timing. We meet significant people in our lives through an accident of timing. Unexpected moments change our lives, sometimes for the positive and sometimes for the negative. People waltz into our lives for a brief moment, but leave us changed in ways that we couldn't have predicted or planned. As I write these words, a pantheon of images comes to mind of people I met by chance who left me changed. And I am indebted to every one of them.

Gehazi was the servant of Elisha. For some reason that the story doesn't reveal, this servant has an opportunity to speak with the King. Not only is Gehazi able to speak to the king, but the king is asking Gehazi questions. "The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, 'Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done'" (2 Kings 8:4).

Gehazi answers by telling the story of Elisha resurrecting the Shunammite woman's son, just as this Shunammite woman is ushered into the king's presence. It was a serendipitous meeting in a couple of ways. First, Gehazi has firsthand testimony that the story he is telling the king actually happened. And second, the woman hopes the king will restore the land that was taken from her during her absence.

Both situations are transformed amazingly by a chance meeting with Gehazi, and that unexpected, God-ordained moment changes everything.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 9

Personal Note: Happy Birthday, Dad.

It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” – 2 Kings 7:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 10, 2026): 2 Kings 7

In 1949, Germany was officially divided. Following World War II, Germany was divided into “zones of control” between the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. But in 1949, the division was made official. The areas controlled by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France became the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), and the area controlled by the Soviet Union became the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The deep political and ideological divide was symbolized in 1961 by the construction of the “Berlin Wall,” which divided the city into East and West Berlin.

By the time I became aware of East and West Berlin and Germany, all of these events were in the past. As a teenager, the Berlin Wall was simply a reality of life. It was as if it had always been that way. It was a part of the history that happened before I was born. I had a National Geographic Map of the World hanging in my bedroom, which displayed this political reality. Every once in a while, the idea of German reunification came up, usually in my Social Studies class. I couldn’t even imagine such a thing. There was no path I could imagine for Germany to be one country once again. The political divide, to my young mind, was just too wide.

I was watching from my home on the other side of the world on November 9, 1989, as the Berlin Wall came down. It was probably the only time in my life when I wished that I were in Germany. At that moment, I wanted to be one of the protestors standing at the wall, bringing it down. I was still in a state of amazement on October 3, 1990, as Germany was officially reunited. What I couldn’t have imagined a couple of years earlier had become a reality.

A man of God had come to the king to predict the price of food. The city of Samaria had been under siege, and food had become scarce. People were going hungry; most couldn’t afford either flour or barley. But the prophet had told the king that, in 24 hours, all of that would change. Within a single day, flour and barley would go from being unavailable to plentiful. The king and likely most of the officials in the city thought such an event was impossible to imagine. The implication was that in less than a day, the siege would be over, and not because Samaria had given in to their enemy, but because the enemy had disappeared.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 8

"Lift it out," he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it. – 2 Kings 6:7

Today's Scripture Reading (March 9, 2026): 2 Kings 6

I am not sure why, but I receive political emails from both the political right and the left. At some point, and I really don't remember, I must have signed up for something. And to be honest, they both frustrate me. One of the reasons for my frustration is that both sides are trying to convince me of things that just aren't true. I really do believe that the correct political path for the nation is found somewhere in the center. These emails, however, are always trying to cast the other side on the radical right or left, a place where some exist, but not as many as we are often led to believe.

One of these emails contained a poll. And the poll question was "I am going to vote for (Political Party) and for sanity in our politics." The second option was "I am comfortable with out-of-control policies of the (other Political Party)." I quickly voted for the out-of-control option in frustration and sent my vote back in. If you don't really want to know, or you don't want to take a serious look at our political problems, then stop asking the question.

The reality is that we need to take a stand for what is correct and moral in our politics. And that reality sometimes means voting for sanity, even if it runs counter to our political leanings. I admit I have recently voted against my political beliefs because I have felt the party's leadership in my comfort zone had leaned too far to the extreme. However, I do believe that we all have a responsibility to do something. Vote not just in your comfort zone, but because a party is willing to address issues that are relevant to where we live our lives—protest, especially if the government is involved in something that goes against your sense of morality. Write your representative. These people are ruling in our place, and they need to know we are paying attention to their actions. What is right will not be done automatically. Every politician I know (well, almost) will do something stupid if they believe we are not willing to participate in the process. If you are silent, then those who are vocal will shape our nation.

We read this story of Elisha, and we get caught up in the description of the piece of wood that Elisha throws in the water, which seemed to allow the ax head to float. Like many other rods and sticks in the Bible, it is just a sign of a miracle that God was about to perform. God could have lifted the ax head out of the water and placed it into the hand of the man who had lost it. But he didn't do that; he made it float. Which meant the man who lost it still had to get wet, get into the water, and grab the ax head for himself. God will move, but usually only if we are willing to move and meet him partway. If we want God to move in our lives or in our nation, we need to meet him halfway and be involved in what is correct and moral. God can make the ax head float, but we will still have to get wet.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 7

Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. – 2 Kings 5:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 8, 2026): 2 Kings 5

On October 7, 2023, Hamas, supported by several Palestinian militant groups, attacked from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope in Southern Israel. In the process of this attack, not only were over 1000 people killed, including over 300 civilians who were attending a music festival, but Hamas took over 250 people hostage. In doing so, they joined a long tradition of countries that have committed a border raid and brought hostages home with them. There are several reasons for taking prisoners. In the case of the Hamas attack, it was to gain some leverage over Israel. In this case, ordinary people were taken to gain that leverage. At other points in history, it has been relatives of those in power, blackmailing kings into actions they would not have taken if it weren’t for the hostages that had been taken. At other times, hostages have been taken to enforce a peace treaty; after all, you might not want to wage war with me if I have placed your brother or sister in the line of fire.

At other times, it was to gain enslaved people for some sort of work. What we sometimes miss about the North American Slave Trade is that the White Slave Dealers who went to Africa to get slaves to sell in the Caribbean and Southern United States usually didn’t go into Africa to get their slaves. It was often the Africans who went into the continent and captured the future slaves. These captured people were often from enemy or weaker tribes, and the trade made some Africans rich while destroying the lives of others. The White Slavers piloted their boats into certain ports, or sometimes islands off the east coast of Africa, where they could buy these enslaved people to be sold for a profit on the other side of the Atlantic.

It is an ancient practice. Hostages have been taken for various purposes throughout human history. As long as there have been people in power, there have been people who were willing to use that power to make money off of those who were weaker.

The raiders of Aram seem to fit into this last territory. They aren’t worried about kidnapping important hostages to sway the actions of a government; they want to enslave people to sell. And during this raid, they grab a young girl from her home and away from her family, who no doubt mourned her loss, and took her back to Aram, eventually selling her to the house of Naaman, where she served his wife.

If we stop here, it is a sad story. Parents, other relatives, and friends sadly remembered her for years after her disappearance. And yet God was still able to use her for an important purpose. The truth we often miss is that God doesn’t care how much power we might have. He can use us wherever we are, as long as we allow him to work through us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 6