Joram is driving his chariot by hand because he knows that Jehu is coming with an entire army, and he never thought he would be attacked, so he is so surprised by Jehus attack that he loses his mind. Joram turned quickly to run away, but Jehus arrow struck him in the back, piercing his spine and leaving him lying on the chariot. Ahab, Jorams father, also stripped off his royal robes and put on a disguise to go to battle, but an arrow shot by someone casually pierced the seam of his armor. When God has a plan, there is no escaping it. We try to run away when we suddenly find ourselves in big trouble. We deny it, we turn away, we blame others, we give rationalizations, we identify with the herd that seems to be doing okay, and we try to avoid the problem with a variety of psychological strategies. This is like the cradle turning away and running away. The reason the cradle was destined for judgment was because it didnt trust Gods hand, even though the hand of the Lord was upon the prophet Elisha to bring about a work of salvation. But the target of Gods arrows is not the hand, but the heart, the heart of the heart. If our center is not reoriented, we are bound to be hit by the arrows of judgment.

Second, He repays with His word.

When we fall under the judgment of God, we make foolish decisions that make no sense because we cant hear the Word. Joram should have thought of rebellion when the messenger went twice and didnt come back, but he trusted Jehu to the end and was judged. With Jorams death, Jehus rebellion succeeds and becomes a revolution, and Jehu becomes king as the founder of a new dynasty.

And God, who has been patient with Ahabs house, gives him his first command, which is to take the body of Joram, Ahabs son, and throw it in this field, just as he said, I will avenge the blood of Naboth and his sons on Ahab in Naboths field, and he does just as he said, judging Joram for ignoring the word, for living without the word, and repaying him for his destruction at the hands of Jehu. But that doesnt make him king because Joram was wrong and Jehu was right. If you repent today, God will suspend my judgment. Nehemiah stood up to all the name-calling and attacks to stop the unfaithful marriages that were disrupting the life and order God had created, and at the end of chapter 13, he prayed, 'Remember me and bless me. 'Nehemiah, who ran around trying to do what God said even though he was criticized by the world, was rewarded by God with a word of blessing. I hope you will stand on the side of Gods word until the end.

Third, God repays without reservation.

When Ahaziah sees his uncle die after one of his arrows pierces his heart, he quickly turns his chariot around and flees down the garden path.

Fleeing to the garden gate means that he is being judged by his family myths and family idols. Ahaziah had been born into this world, raised in a royal family, and lived a life of good behavior, only to find himself the target of Gods unrelenting judgment. We too are more often evil because we do something unintentionally than because we want to be evil. Because we are born 100% sinners, our lives are sad and hopeless. Judgment is the end result of Davids descendants going the way of Ahabs house. Being a descendant of David does not save us by itself salvation is by the grace of God alone, but we must work for it. Ahaziah, a descendant of David, also died at the hands of Jehu, because every descendant of the house of Ahab was to be judged with wrath and fury. But unlike the cradle that was abandoned in the field, his body was buried in the tomb of the king of Judah. Not because he had any merit, but because God remembered that his grandfather, Jehoshaphat, had made the fatal mistake of marrying into the house of Ahab, and God gave him grace because he had wholeheartedly sought the Lord. We should not judge by works.Believing in Jesus and being saved is the greatest blessing and miracle.We, who were born as a tree with the root cut off, with nothing left to live for, have hope of being saved because of Jesus.I believe that even if we live in sin all our lives and are punished for it, we can be used for just one day if we believe in the Lord.

I will continue last week with the testimony of my husband, my husband is a cradle. It was a life that deserved judgment, but my husband repented in the nick of time. At that time, the whole country was engaged in abortion for family planning, and even though he was a doctor, he left this earth with 100% recognition of the Lords justice in repaying the sin of taking life. She knew that she was a sinner who could not stand before God, so she truly repented that day, saying, 'If God spared my life, I am grateful, and if He doesnt spare my life, I have nothing to say.' After my husband left, many people met the Lord through his testimony, but it was not easy to apply the husbands sin as the wifes sin because they are one flesh, and God says, 'I will repay you today.' My family and I are very grateful for his repentance.

To join my husband in his repentance, my family and I wish to dedicate the hospital building he left behind to the church, hoping that it will be used to save lives, leading to a wave of repentance and revival that will turn our humanistically hardened hearts back to the Lord.

We must turn our hearts, not our hands, to the 'I will repay thee' we must remember that it is a life lived according to the Word, and we must remember the judgment of a God who repays without measure. I earnestly hope that you will not miss the opportunity like the cradle, but will pay the price of your sins without fail on this earth, be judged and turned around, and become the people of heaven forever.