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God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.Ecclesiastes 7:29Every time you see the wretched destructive power of evil breaking out in the world, use this verse to cultivate a greater hatred toward sin in your life. Say to yourself, “The root of this thing lies in me!” Use this as an incentive to holiness. You can also use this verse with someone you know who is not yet a believer. Every time there is another gun shooting, terrorist attack, or natural disaster, you will probably find yourself talking about it with someone in your office or at school. The conversation usually goes something like this: “What a terrible thing it was! Why did God allow that to happen?” Times like these are opportunities for you to use what we are learning today. “God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” We must stop blaming God for what’s wrong with the world and start confessing that we are far from upright. This is a sure mark of a genuine Christian. Many people have the idea that a Christian is a person who thinks that he or she is righteous. But precisely the opposite is true. A Christian is a person who knows and confesses that he or she is not upright. This is radically countercultural. The mood of our age is to claim the first part of this verse for ourselves: “God made man upright…” while completely ignoring the second: “…but they have sought out many schemes.” People who think they are upright will never come to Christ. That was the problem with the Pharisees. They felt that they were upright, and their religion reinforced their belief. As long as you feel in your heart that you are upright, you will never come to Christ. Can you think of a recent time when you could have used this verse in your own life as an incentive for holiness? How about in a conversation?

God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.Ecclesiastes 7:29God did not burden Adam with sin. God made him upright. Adam was the one who used his freedom to forfeit his righteousness. If you are shaking your fist at God today perhaps it is because, somewhere deep inside, you feel that the problems in your life and the evils in the world came from the hand of God. If that’s the case, you need to know that the Bible says something completely different. There is one God. All that He does is good and all that He does is right. “God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (7:29). The Bible teaches that the blame lies with us and that hope lies in God. If the habits of our hearts and minds are to blame God for the problems of our lives and the evils of the world, we should really be asking if we truly know God. People who are redeemed by Jesus love God and trust Him. They have many unanswered questions, and they may have many doubts, but it is not the habit of their hearts to blame God for the problems of life and the evils of the world. Christians know that the blame lies with sin, and that sin lies in us, not in God. What would it look like for you to begin taking personal responsibility for your problems?

But they [men] have gone in search of many schemes.Ecclesiastes 7:29Doing good and right was instinctive to Adam, but it was not inevitable. Adam’s righteousness was natural, but it was also changeable. So, why did God allow the possibility of sin? If Adam and Eve had remained upright, the whole human race would have been born in paradise. We would all be living in fellowship with God and in harmony with each other in a world with no storms, no famines, no diseases, and no death. God made man righteous, so why did God allow the possibility of sin? God made man upright, but He also made him free, and freedom means that there is another choice. God made Adam with a natural bent and inclination toward good and right, but he was not a robot. God made him a thinking, willing being with real choices and real consequences. God said to Adam, “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Gen. 2:17). Being upright, Adam would already have known this in his heart, but God made it plain to him by saying it face to face. Adam was upright, but he was not locked into righteousness. God placed him in paradise, but he was not a prisoner. There was a door by which he could leave. You know the story. The serpent came to Eve and said, “You can be like God” (Gen. 3:5, author paraphrase). Eve was upright. She loved God. But she chose against the inclination of her heart. Adam joined her in this wretched choice, and all the blessings of paradise were lost. Adam experienced frustration every day of his working life. Eve experienced pain in bearing her children. Their kids were born outside paradise and never knew its joys. It was not long before the first human family fractured—four people, and none of them upright. Friendship with God was broken and fellowship with Him was lost. In your own words, what was lost by Adam’s sin?

God made man upright.Ecclesiastes 7:29The word that is translated “man” here is the word “adam,” like the name—Adam. “God made adam upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (7:29). So, there is a contrast here between Adam and men and women today. What does it mean to be upright? Adam was good and right in himself. That is how God made him. Doing what is good and right came naturally to him. He had a bent toward what is good and right. It was what he wanted to do. Adam loved God. He did not have to work at it. We often feel that we ought to pray and that we ought to worship, but there was no “ought” about it for Adam. Love for God was in him by nature. God made Adam upright. Can you imagine how good this was? God gave this man a wife and she was made upright too. Eve never had to correct her husband. He was upright. Adam did not have to work at understanding his wife. The word “upright” indicates that, from the beginning of time, there was something called “right” against which Adam could be measured. The Ten Commandments were given much later in human history. So, how did Adam know what was right? The Scottish preacher, Thomas Boston, in his book Human Nature in Its Fourfold State, says, “Adam did not have the law written on tablets of stone, but it was written upon his mind, the knowledge [of the law was] created within him. God impressed it upon his soul and made him a law to himself.” Adam didn’t need the law. The knowledge of good and right was in him. Loving God and loving his neighbour was completely natural to him. He lived in glorious freedom. If you said to Adam, “Just do what you feel. Act on impulse,” you could be sure that what he did would be good and it would be right. God made him upright. What do you think would happen if you simply acted on whatever you were feeling?

This alone I found...Ecclesiastes 7:29What is your explanation of evil? People will tell you that it is social, educational, or economic. But acts of great evil are committed by the rich as well as the poor. Evils abound under capitalism as well as under communism. Some of the most wicked acts in all human history have been conceived by the most brilliant minds. To bring the question down to a more personal level: Why do families break up? How do people whose love brought them to the place of pledging their lives to each other end up hating each other and feeling that they can no longer live under the same roof? Why is the world as it is today? The entire book of Ecclesiastes is an exploration of this question. It was written by Solomon, the king of Israel, the son of David. Solomon had fabulous wealth and power, and at the beginning of his reign he walked with God and was given great wisdom. But then he made a different choice. Money, sex, and power took possession of his heart. He began to live at a distance from God. He lived on impulse and pushed every boundary of life. Here’s what he found—the more he pursued money, sex, and power, the emptier his life became. Out of that experience, Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, which is the chronicle of a wasted life. Solomon gives us a firm conclusion from his exploration of life: “This alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (7:29). What is the world’s explanation for the ills of society? How is God’s explanation fundamentally different?

“This day is a day of good news.”2 Kings 7:9Among us today there will be four responses to the good news of Jesus Christ. 1. Some will be like the captain: We hear the good news, and we refuse to believe itJesus gave us a picture of the last day. Many will come to share in a great feast. But outside will be people who heard the good news and refused to believe. If you hear His voice, do not harden your heart (Heb. 4:7). 2. Some will be like the king of Israel: We hear the good news, and we doubt itThis king had done some good things, but he found it difficult to believe that God would set a feast before him. Perhaps that was because he had also done some evil things. But his servants urged him to look and see. Come and see the provision God has made for you: forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and a glorious eternal life. 3. Some will be like the lepers: We hear and believe the good news, but we keep it to ourselvesWe are storing the treasures God has given. The word of God to us is simple: “We are not doing right” (7:9). What will the king say if we keep the good news to ourselves? 4. God calls us to a different response: Share the good news with othersThe greatest opportunity of our time is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. If we hear this message and act on it, a vast number of dying people will find life. Consider carefully which of these four responses you will make today.

Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”2 Kings 7:2There is a big difference between the king and his captain. The king did not believe, but he was open to investigating. “Go and see” (7:14). But the captain’s mind and heart were closed. He refused to believe. “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” (7:2). Picture this man facing a crowd of starving people who have heard that there is food outside. As the gates open, the crowd surges forward. The captain falls backward and is trampled to death. Elisha had said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it” (7:2). Then we read, “He died, as the man of God had said” (7:17). The lepers’ words “this day is a day of good news” are at the heart of this story (7:9), which points us to the good news of Jesus Christ. When He was born, an angel said, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born… a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). The word gospel means “good news.” God opened the windows of heaven and sent His Son into the world. Christ has defeated the enemy of our souls, and He freely offers an abundant and eternal life to all who will come and receive it from Him. Thank God for opening the windows of heaven to send abundant life for you through His Son.

The king rose in the night and said…“The Syrians… know that we are hungry. Therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide… thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive.’”2 Kings 7:12Just one day earlier, the king had heard the Word of God from the prophet Elisha: “Tomorrow… a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel” (7:1). But when the king hears the news that the Syrian camp has been abandoned, he doesn’t believe it. He thinks it is a trick. God scattered the Syrian army, He supplied the food that He had promised, and He overcame the barriers that stood in the way of the people receiving what He had provided. The first barrier was the selfishness of the lepers. They were feasting while others were dying until God awakened their conscience: “We are not doing right” (7:9). The second barrier was the unbelief of the king. Notice how this barrier was overcome: A servant urged the king to send out horsemen to see if what the lepers said was true. The king agreed to investigate, saying, “Go and see” (7:14). The king did not believe the Word of God, but he allowed the possibility that it might be true. That is the great invitation of the Bible: “Come and see” (John 1:46). Take an honest look at Jesus’ claims. Be open-minded enough to allow the possibility that what God said in the Bible might be true. “What do you have to lose?” This was the argument of the servant. The king said, “Go and see,” and these words led to the salvation of an entire city. This was a day of good news for the king and his people. God delivered on what He had promised. Are there any barriers today that might be keeping you from taking an open-minded look at the claims of Jesus? Come and see!

Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die?"2 Kings 7:3The city was under siege, and outside the gates were four lepers. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! Behind them was a city where they were not wanted. In front of them was a vast enemy army. So, they evaluated their options: “If we stay here, we die. Let’s go over to the enemy camp and surrender. They might spare us, and we will live.” What they didn’t know was that God had already stepped in! “The LORD had made the army of the Syrians hear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army” (7:6). They assumed another army was coming to attack them, so they ran for their lives. The lepers got to the tents, and there was nobody there! So here were four lepers, with the supplies of an entire army. “They carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them” (7:8). But at the end of the day, they said, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us… let us go and tell the king’s household” (7:9). So, the lepers walked back and told the gatekeepers. The gatekeepers told the king’s servants, and the king’s servants woke the king to tell him the good news. Are you keeping good news to yourself that you might later regret? Have you personally experienced the truth that it’s better to give than to receive?

Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria.2 Kings 6:24We take up our last story from the life of Elisha in Samaria. The tactic of a siege was to form a camp around the entire city. No one could go in, and no one could come out. So, it wasn’t long before food was in short supply. And when supplies are low, prices go up. We are told: “a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels” (6:25). You’d have to be pretty desperate to want to eat a donkey’s head! The king of Israel blamed Elisha for this crisis and he vowed to take his life: “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today” (6:31). But God revealed to Elisha that the executioner was coming. He was in his house with the elders, when the king, the executioner, and the captain (the king’s chief adviser) arrived outside (6:32, 7:2). While the door was being held shut, Elisha proclaimed: “Thus says the LORD, Tomorrow… a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria” (7:1). Notice, this was the Word of God. There will be plenty of food tomorrow! When the king heard this, he postponed the execution. “An abundance of food tomorrow? Let’s wait and see.” But the captain wasn’t impressed. He thought Elisha was making this up to save his own skin. He said, “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” (7:2). The captain refused to believe. And Elisha said to him, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it” (7:2). Have you ever trusted in God’s Word when it seemed unlikely? Are you refusing to believe something God has said in His Word right now?

“He prepared for them a great feast…2 Kings 6:23The Syrian army wanted to kill the king of Israel, and when they were delivered into his hand, he could have destroyed them, but instead, he prepared a feast for them. Don’t miss how this story points us to Jesus Christ and the mercy we find in Him. The king of Syria sent “a great army” to arrest one man. That’s how it was in Gethsemane. Judas had “procured a band of soldiers” (John 18:3). That was several hundred men. And the chief priests sent “a great crowd with swords and clubs” (Mat. 26:47). Two armies to arrest one man! Peter drew his sword, but Jesus said, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (26:53). “Peter, what you don’t see is the hidden army that stands with me.” Jesus could easily have destroyed His enemies, but He chose to have mercy instead. We were God’s enemies. We were blind to His glory, blind to His truth. Justice would have condemned us and destroyed us. But God is merciful. Instead of condemning us, He invites us to a feast. God showed us mercy when we were His enemies. We can count on Him to deliver us now that we are His friends. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:10). The armies of God are all around us. Nothing can ever touch us, unless it be the Father’s will. Can you see how it is possible for you to show mercy to your enemies?

When the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.2 Kings 6:18You might be thinking, “I know that God is with me, but…” And you go back to all that is against you, and you end up as fearful as the servant before God opened his eyes. If that’s where you are, you may have been infected by an old faith-sapping heresy called deism. Deism thinks of God being with us in the same way as friends in the stands when you’re playing a game. They are there to cheer you on, but they can’t change the course of the game. That is not the God of the Bible. This story reminds us that God is with us and that God works for us. God frustrated the ambitions of a powerful king. God opened the eyes of a young believer. And then God closed the eyes of a vast army. The army came to arrest Elisha, and suddenly God “struck them with blindness” (6:18). Then Elisha said, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek” (6:19). The man they really wanted was the king of Israel. So Elisha led them to the king’s residence. Then Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see” (6:20). When the Lord opened their eyes, they got the shock of their lives. They had fallen into the hands of the king they were seeking to destroy. Do you sometimes feel that God is cheering you on but can’t change the course of your life? Or do you truly believe that God is working for you?

Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man… and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.2 Kings 6:17The servant did not see the full picture. He saw what was against him, but he did not see Who was for him. Elisha wants him to have peace, so he prays, “O LORD, please open his eyes” (6:17). Paul says that we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). To walk by sight means that we are controlled by what we see around us, and that leads to fear. To walk by faith means that we believe what the eyes cannot see: God is with us. Faith counts on God as much as you would if you could see Him sitting in the seat next to you, as much as you would if you could hear Him speak to you in an audible voice. Walking by sight leads to fear, but walking by faith brings peace: “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). That’s what Elisha had here: a peace that passes understanding. The student couldn’t understand it until God opened his eyes, and then he saw that the power of God is greater than all the powers arrayed against him. Do you see today that God stands with you and is for you? Do you see that nothing can ever touch you apart from His will? If you do, you will have peace. Pray this prayer when you are afraid: “Lord, open my eyes. Help me to see that you are with me. Help me to see that your power is greater than the powers arrayed against me.”

The king of Syria… called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said… “Elisha, the prophet… tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”2 Kings 6:11–12God’s perfect knowledge is a wonderful comfort to His friends. But it infuriates His enemies. When the king of Syria heard that Elisha was revealing his plans, he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him” (6:13). There is a strange leap in the king’s logic here. The reason he couldn’t catch the king of Israel was that Elisha knew when the troops were coming. And the king’s response is to send troops to capture Elisha! How is that going to work? The king wasn’t taking any chances. “He sent there horses and chariots and a great army” (6:14). A great army to capture one man! That’s how desperate the enemies of God’s people were. When Elisha went out in the morning, “behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city” (6:15). His servant panicked: “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (6:15). Elisha said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (6:16). What would you be thinking? “Does Elisha not have eyes to see? There’s a vast army out there. And who’s with us? There’s only you and me!” Elisha was a prophet. He spoke the Word of God. But this young servant was living in fear. He had not applied his faith to the realities of his own life. He heard the Word of God, but he did not believe it. Identify one area of your life where you need to apply your faith today.

Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.”2 Kings 6:8Here is another remarkable story from the life of Elisha, and this story is especially for all who are fearful. If you feel that darkness is closing in. If you are saying, “What am I going to do?” If you find it difficult to sleep at night, this story is for you. The king of Syria wanted to ambush the king of Israel. You can almost see him poring over the map, with his advisors huddled around him saying, “The king of Israel will be there: That’s where we will take him.” But God disrupts the plans of the wicked (Ps. 146:9). He revealed the enemy’s plans to Elisha, and Elisha warned the king of Israel. This king was receiving military intelligence direct from Almighty God! The king was always one step ahead of his enemies. This was infuriating to the king of Syria. “When we show up, the king of Israel has already moved on! He seems to know when we are coming. But how? There must be a spy in our court.” So we read, “The mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled… and he called his servants and said… ‘Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?’” (2 Kings 6:11). Then one of his servants told him there was no spy in his court. “Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom” (6:12). God knows every word you have ever spoken. He even knows the words you speak in your bedroom. Does knowing this comfort you or make you angry?