Ever get something caught in your throat? Wow, I hate when it happens! We cough, gag, and hack to get it out. The metaphor in today’s proverb says something like that happens with dishonest people. And wisdom, we come to understand, is about being skillful and successful in one’s relationships. It is prudent to avoid the offer of a selfish person.

The last chapter drew two comparisons to the story of King Baasha and his assassin. Jehu seems to follow Zimri’s roadmap from 1 Kings 16: the assassination of an idolatrous king who led the people into sin, dogs licking up royal blood and a warrior ruthlessly exterminating a family.

The whole of Joash’s early education prepared him to take the throne at age seven. While he certainly would have been taught to run a country, his real education came from the high priest.

Remember, Joash couldn’t leave the temple.

Government projects are notorious for dragging on. So it’s not surprising that King Joash’s taxpayer funded renovation project gets off to a bad start, even though it’s a plan to restore a national monument as well as something far greater: the centre of worship of Almighty God.

Was the problem honesty?

Though Elisha has been silent for most of the past 40 years, he still has huge influence over, and respect from, those in power. We see this as King Jehoash visits Elisha on his deathbed.

The scene raises questions about Elisha.

I find it interesting that we are told that Jonah “ran from the Lord”. How does someone do that? It’s not like God is a physical entity from whom a person can run. But what we do see is Jonah running by not doing what he was asked to do. Whenever we know what we should do and don’t do it, we are in effect running from God; creating distance between us and him.

Relief in times of difficulty and strife do not often come to an end as quickly as we would like. The psalmist talks about this very thing in verse 82 as he describes his eyes failing while looking for God’s promises. He is straining his eyes to see deliverance come down the road.