Ministers of Wrath

When Elijah made his complaint against Israel at Horeb three persons were named to him by Jehovah as the ex­ecutors of His will upon the guilty nation—Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha (1 Ki. 19:15-17). Of these Elisha was brought forward first with his wonderful ministry of grace. This is so like our God. Had Israel possessed eyes to perceive it, Elisha’s service amongst them was the divine interlude between the sentence and the execution of the judge­ment. It was for Israel to say whether the sentence should take effect or not; for Jehovah is ever willing to turn aside the threatened stroke when men really humble them­selves before Him. This is His declared principle of action in Jeremiah 18:7-8, and we get an illustration of it in Jehovah’s dealings with Nineveh in the time of Jonah.
Elisha’s ministry of grace was practically fruitless. Israel sinned more and more. The time had come there­fore for the sword to be unsheathed. Accordingly we have the ministers of wrath appointed—Hazael, in 2 Kings 8:7-­15; and Jehu, in 2 Kings 9:1-10.
When Elisha visited Damascus, King Benhadad, who was sick, sent Hazael to him to inquire if he should recov­er of his disease. Possibly the merciful deeds described in 2 Kings 5 and 2 Kings 6:22-23 had given the prophet favor in the eyes of the Syrian monarch, if only for a sea­son. Like Naaman, he was prepared to pay largely for any benefit he might receive, and so he sent the man of God “a present of every good thing of Damascus, forty cam­els’ burden.” That God is not a trader, but a giver (and a very generous giver) seems a fact exceedingly difficult for men’s minds to grasp. In every dispensation men are disposed to barter with God—so much money or labor for so much blessing.
When Hazael came before him with his message Elisha realized that a fateful moment had arrived for Israel. Hence, after he had informed his visitor that though there was no real reason why the sick man should not recover, but as a matter of fact he would riot do so be­cause Hazael was destined to be king over Syria, he wept. All the barbarities attendant upon war rose up before his mind, and though he knew Israel richly deserved the chastening rod, he loved the people, and mourned over their impending desolation.
When the weeping prophet told Hazael what he would do to the children of Israel in burning their strongholds, slaying their young men with the sword, and massa­cring their women and children, the Syrian exclaimed in amazement, “What, is thy servant a dog that he should do this great thing?” Hazael is not the only person ap­parently incapable of realizing all the evil of which flesh can be guilty. It is likely that he had never hitherto per­petrated such enormities, and so he recoiled from the terrible suggestions. But the result proves that when he found himself in the place of power he committed all the ferocious deeds of which Elisha warned him. It has been truly said that many of us are harmless only because our position in society does not permit us to be otherwise.
Perhaps some of our readers have not yet learned the hopeless evil of flesh—their own flesh. To such it may be staggering to find the offensive things mentioned in Colossians 3:5 described as “your members.” Or again, it may be painful to ponder the horrible list of the works of the flesh as given in Galatians 5:19-21. The poor, shocked heart is apt to exclaim, “Is thy servant a dog that he should do this great thing?”
Let us note it well, there is no evil of which flesh is not capable. It met its end in judgement before God in the cross of Christ, and they that are Christ’s have, by their acceptance of the divine sentence, crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24). Henceforward for us confidence in flesh is impossible. Christ is all.
However startled Hazael might be by the prophet’s an­nouncement, in the sequel he did everything that was predicted of him. First, on his return to Damascus he murdered his master in his bed and usurped his throne; then during many years he waged pitiless war with both Israel and Judah, inflicting frightful suffering upon the people. The following passages chronicle Hazael’s de­structive work: 2 Kings 8:28-29; 10:32-33; 12:17-18; 13:3-7, 22-24. But all the anguish and ruin might have been averted had God’s rebellious people humbled them­selves before Him.