Open the Door and Run!

2 King 9:3 Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run; don’t delay!”

Sometimes instructions can be confusing, especially when there is a language barrier. Those instructions that come from things made in Asia are especially fun to try to decipher. Oh how I wish they would hire me to do their instructions in English. But I guess the instructions are must part of the joy of something new that requires assembly.

Some instructions are simple to understand, but puzzling to execute. Our text has one such instruction. “Open the door and run.” OK, I get it. Open the door and run. Easy, right?

But why is this instruction here. Well, the rebellious nation of Israel is in the middle of political fights and assassinations. It seems as though there is never a smooth transition from one king to the next. And the LORD is involved in the rise and fall of kings.

So the LORD sends word through Elisha the prophet to one of the lessor prophets about an upcoming mission. The lessor prophet, we don’t know his name, only that is he one of the company of prophets, he must carry a message to the soon to be appointed king. He is not the king yet, but the LORD has him next in line.

As you can imagine the present king would not look too highly on such a rebellious act of defiance of his leadership. If he had any spies snooping around he certainly would end any rebellion before it got started. He would stamp it out with a vengeance.

So the instructions to this unnamed lessor prophet is to anoint the soon to be king and get out of there as fast as you can. Don’t get caught in the crossfire. Don’t linger. Just do the job and run!

Now the instructions make sense. That is the great artistry and beauty of the Scriptures. You don’t have to have a special degree in order to understand what is being said. You just need to slow down and listen to what the text says and allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct.

So today as you read the Scriptures, slow down and listen. Put yourself in the shoes of those who walked with the LORD in generations past. The Scriptures are sufficient to meet all our spiritual needs. Go to the banquet and feast!