In our last reading, we heard about the tragic life of King Joash. Though he followed God and served Him in his early years under the wise counsel of Jehoiada the High Priest, in the end, Joash turned away from God to serve pagan idols and his own desires. His failures led Judah astray and brought God’s judgment on the people once again. Today we’ll turn North again to the kingdom of Israel. Similarly to Judah, Israel, and her kings had ups and downs – sometimes running back to God, but often turning away. Their unfaithfulness had left them weak and vulnerable, and disaster was on the horizon. Finally, we’ll hear of the last earthly days of God’s prophet Elisha and his final words of counsel to a king of Israel.