“Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord. I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee. Do not linger.”
– 2 Kings 9:3
I read this verse, 2 Kings 9:3 because this chapter, 2 Kings chapter nine, is filled with events happening just as God has said. So King Jehoram dies just as God had said. So does Jezebel, his mother. Jehu becomes king just as God has said. It’s this constant refrain in this chapter.
And as we read it, we see these pictures, these truths, realities that are so foundational for our lives, that God is sovereign over all things, that God is ultimately in control, which sure is good news as we read through 1 Kings, 2 Kings, and just this digression of sin and evil among God’s people to know that things are not ultimately out of control, that God is ultimately sovereign and in control, that his word is true, that what God has said will come to fruition, that God’s word will prove true in time, that God’s justice will reign in time. And all of these truths are reasons to put our trust in God.
God’s Word will prove true and that God’s justice will reign.
As we read his word day in and day out, and we meditate on it in the morning and the evening, to know that we are reading the word of one, the God who is sovereign over all things who is in control, two, the God whose word is true, the God whose word will prove true and the God whose justice will ultimately reign.
And so we pray together based on this chapter involving 2 Kings 9:3, and really all of the Bible, and God, we place all of our trust in you, especially amidst hard days in this world, amidst sin and evil around us in this world. We say we trust in you. We are so thankful that you are sovereign over all things. And we praise you for your sovereignty, for your authority. Jesus, we praise you as the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth. We praise you that you hold the world, you hold leaders, and you hold our lives in your hands.
2 Kings 9:3 Reminds Us That God Is the Ultimate Authority
God, we praise you for your word, we praise you that you have spoken, that you have not left us in the dark, that you have given light for our feet in your word. We praise you for the truth of your word, the reliability of your word, the foundations for our lives that we find day in and day out in your word to stand on. God, we praise you for your justice, for your promise that one day justice will ultimately reign, your justice, your righteousness. God, we long for the day when there will be a new heaven and a new earth and perfect justice and perfect righteousness will reign on the earth.
And we praise you for your word that promises that. We praise you that we know the end of where all of this is headed. As we walk through challenges in this world, as we see the effects of sin and evil around us, we praise you that sin and evil will not have the last word, that you and your grace, that you and your righteousness and your justice will have the last word. And so God, we pray that you would help us.
Trust In God’s Plan
I pray for every single person listening to this right now that you would help them to hold fast to your word, to trust your word, to trust your sovereign control over all things. God, to trust that one day your justice will reign. Oh God, we pray, just as you’ve taught us to pray, our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, in our lives, as it is in heaven. We pray all of this with trust in you, in your word, in your sovereignty and your justice and your mercy, oh God. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
