Good and Evil

“Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.””
~ 2 Kings 17:13

If you are a fan of the western, you know the characters at first sight. He rides in on the sunset with a white hat and a white horse. He is the hero. The good guy. A man of honesty and integrity who protects the weak, saves the innocent, and captures the heart of the leading lady. In the saloon, there is another character. He sits in the dark under a black hat. He is surrounded by thugs and thieves. His language is harsh and his actions are violent. He is greedy and wants control. He is the bad guy. The oppressor of the town. The good guy and the bad guy are destined to clash. This town ain’t big enough for the both of them. A meeting in the street and all will be decided. The white hat will be just a hair faster, just a little quicker on the draw. Black Hat lays in the dust of the street while White Hat collects his kiss and rides off into the sunset.

Second Kings is a classic story of good and evil. The story of people who either choose God or choose themselves. Elisha, Hezekiah, and Josiah choose to listen to the voice of God. They stand in their culture and in their context as men who point others to see God’s hand at work. They protect the weak and live with integrity. They shine in the pages of the Bible as men to learn from and to whom we should listen. But there are others, characters of bad reputation, who have chosen to live according to the standards of the world and their own desires. Men like Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Jehoahaz. They do evil in the sight of God, following the ways of the idolatry and sin.

Second Kings shows us the power and pull of both good and evil, and calls us to make a choice. Will we wear the white hat or the black?