June 18 (2 Kings 1–2; Psalm 137; 1 Peter 3–5)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry
Episode: June 18, 2025
Scriptural Readings:

• Old Testament: 2 Kings 1–2
• Psalms: Psalm 137
• New Testament: 1 Peter 3–5

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Introduction

In the June 18th episode of "Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry," hosted by Crossway, listeners are guided through a profound journey encompassing pivotal Old Testament narratives, heartfelt Psalms, and instructive New Testament teachings. This episode delves into the sovereignty of God as depicted in 2 Kings, the deep anguish and longing for Jerusalem in Psalm 137, and the resilient faith encouraged in 1 Peter 3–5. Through these scriptures, Jackie Hill Perry offers insights that resonate with both personal faith journeys and broader theological understanding.

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Old Testament Reading: 2 Kings 1–2

Overview:
The episode begins with a dramatic account from 2 Kings 1–2, highlighting the confrontation between the prophet Elijah and King Ahaziah of Israel. After Ahaziah falls ill, he seeks counsel from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, disregarding the God of Israel. Elijah is sent by God to deliver a stern message of judgment.

Key Points & Insights:

• Divine Judgment vs. Idolatry:
  Elijah confronts the king's decision to consult a foreign deity, emphasizing the futility of idolatry. Speaker B narrates, “[...] now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and lay sick...” (00:01), setting the stage for divine intervention.

• God’s Sovereignty and Power:
  The miraculous acts performed by Elijah, such as calling down fire from heaven to consume two captains and their soldiers, demonstrate God's supreme authority. At [01:06], Speaker B describes, “Then Elijah answered: 'If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your 50.' Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his 50.”

• Transition of Prophetic Leadership:
  The departure of Elijah and the succession by Elisha marks a significant transition. As Elijah is taken up by a whirlwind, Elisha inherits a "double portion" of his spirit, symbolizing the continuation of God's work. At [04:37], Speaker A narrates, “Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water. And the water was parted...”

• Elisha’s Faith and Obedience:
  Elisha's unwavering commitment to staying with Elijah, even foreseeing his master's departure, exemplifies steadfast faith. Speaker B notes, “Elisha said, 'As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.'” ([03:21]).

Notable Quotes:

• Speaker A at [02:42]: “Thus says the Lord, because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word...”
• Speaker B at [04:37]: “I will not leave you.”

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Psalms Reading: Psalm 137

Overview:
Psalm 137 captures the profound sorrow and yearning of the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. It juxtaposes the pain of displacement with a steadfast hope for restoration, embodying the struggles between despair and faith.

Key Points & Insights:

• Pain of Exile:
  The psalm opens with the haunting imagery of Zion being remembered by the captives in Babylon, “…by the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept. When we remembered Zion...” ([07:07]). This reflects the deep emotional and spiritual anguish of being away from God's presence.

• Identity and Worship in Adversity:
  The captives wrestle with maintaining their identity and worshiping God in a foreign land. Speaker B emphasizes, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?” ([07:20]).

• Vow of Remembrance and Loyalty:
  The psalmist vows never to forget Jerusalem, signifying an unwavering loyalty to God despite circumstances. At [07:24], Speaker B states, “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill.”

• Retribution Against Enemies:
  The psalm concludes with a desire for justice against those who destroyed Jerusalem, highlighting a raw plea for vindication. Speaker A narrates, “Blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us...” ([07:54]).

Notable Quotes:

• Speaker B at [07:24]: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill.”
• Speaker A at [07:56]: “Blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us.”

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New Testament Reading: 1 Peter 3–5

Overview:
The session concludes with a thorough exploration of 1 Peter 3–5, where the Apostle Peter addresses Christians undergoing suffering and persecution. These chapters offer practical guidance on Christian conduct, humility, and steadfastness in faith.

Key Points & Insights:

• Conduct in Relationships:
  Peter advises wives to be subject to their husbands and husbands to honor their wives, promoting harmony and respect within marital relationships. At [07:58], Speaker A reads, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands...”

• Inner Beauty Over External Appearance:
  Emphasizing the importance of inner virtues, Peter encourages believers to prioritize a gentle and quiet spirit over adornments. Speaker A highlights, “But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart...” ([08:00]).

• Unity and Humility among Believers:
  Peter urges the community to maintain unity of mind and humility, resisting pride and promoting fellowship. At [10:00], Speaker B mentions, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another...”

• Resilience in Suffering:
  The epistle exhorts believers to remain steadfast amidst trials, viewing suffering as participation in Christ's own sufferings. Speaker B conveys, “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings...” ([11:20]).

• Shepherding Leadership:
  Elders are instructed to lead willingly and serve as examples, ensuring that leadership within the church is marked by integrity and humility. Speaker A notes, “Shepherd, the flock of God that is among you...” ([11:12]).

• Final Exhortations:
  Peter concludes with a call to remain vigilant against the devil's schemes, to cast anxieties on God, and to stand firm in faith, promising restoration and eternal glory. At [11:20], Speaker B summarizes, “By Silvanus, a faithful brother... Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”

Notable Quotes:

• Speaker A at [07:58]: “Wives, be subject to your own husbands...”
• Speaker B at [10:00]: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another...”
• Speaker B at [11:20]: “Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”

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Conclusion

The June 18th episode of "Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry" masterfully intertwines narratives of divine authority, heartfelt lamentation, and practical Christian living. From Elijah's unwavering mission and Elisha's succession in 2 Kings, through the poignant cries of Psalm 137, to Peter's robust advice for enduring faith in 1 Peter 3–5, listeners are offered a comprehensive exploration of faith amidst adversity. Jackie Hill Perry, through the meticulous readings and reflections, invites believers to deepen their understanding of God's sovereignty, the resilience of the human spirit in worship, and the practical outworking of faith in everyday relationships and challenges.

Transcript

[A]

A reading from the Book of Two Kings. After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in.

[B]

His upper chamber in Samaria and lay sick. So he sent messengers telling them, go inquire of Baalzebub, the God of Ekron.

[A]

Whether I shall recover from this sickness. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, arise. Go up to meet the messengers of.

[B]

The king of Samaria and say to them, is it because there is no.

[A]

God in Israel that you are going.

[B]

To inquire of Baalzebub, the God of Ekron?

[A]

Now therefore, thus says the Lord, you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but.

[B]

You shall surely die.

[A]

So Elijah went, the messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, why have you returned? And they said to him, there came a man to meet us and said to us, go back to the king.

[B]

Who sent you and say to him.

[A]

Thus says the Lord, is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Beelzebub, the God of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone.

[B]

Up, but you shall surely die.

[A]

He said to them, what kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things? They answered him, he wore a garment of hair with a belt of leather about his waist. And he said, it is Elijah the Tishbite. Then the king sent to him a captain of 50 men with his 50. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, o man of God. The king says, come down. But Elijah answered The captain of 50, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your 50. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his 50. Again the king sent to him another captain, a of 50 men with his 50. And he answered and said to him, o man of God, this is the king's order, come down quickly. But Elijah answered them, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your 50. Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his 50. Again the king sent the captain of a third 50 with his 50. And the third captain of 50 went up and came and fell on his.

[B]

Knees before Elijah and and entreated him.

[A]

O man of God, please let my life and the life of these 50 servants of yours be precious in your sight. Behold, fire came down from Heaven and consumed the two former captains of 50 men with their 50s. But now let my life be precious in your sight. Then the angel of the Lord said.

[B]

To Elijah, go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.

[A]

So he arose and went down with him to the king and said to him, thus says the because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub, the.

[B]

God of Ekron, is it?

[A]

Because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone.

[B]

Up, but you shall surely die.

[A]

So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram, the son.

[B]

Of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son.

[A]

Now, the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? Now, when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me.

[B]

As far as Bethel.

[A]

But Elisha said, as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel and. And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, do you know that today the Lord will take away your Master from over you? And he said, yes, I know it. Keep quiet. Elijah said to him, elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho. But he said, as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.

[B]

So they came to Jericho.

[A]

The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, do you know that today the Lord will take away your Master from over you? And he answered, yes, I know it. Keep quiet. Then Elijah said to him, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan. But he said, as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. So the two of them went on. 50 men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water. And the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ask what I shall do for.

[B]

You before I am taken from you.

[A]

And Elisha said, please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me. And he said, you have asked a hard thing. Yet if you see me as I.

[B]

Am being taken from you, and it.

[A]

Shall be so for you. But if you do not see me.

[B]

It shall not be so.

[A]

And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it. And he cried, my father, my father. The chariots of Israel and its horsemen. And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other. And Elisha went over. Now, when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. And and they said to him, behold, now there are with your servants 50 strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the Lord has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley. And he said, you shall not send. But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, send. They sent therefore, 50 men, and for three days they sought him, but did not find him. And they came back to him while he was staying at Jericho. And he said to them, did I not say to you, do not go? Now the men of the city said to Elisha, behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my Lord sees. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful. He said, bring me a new bowl and put salt in it. So they brought it to him.

[B]

Then he went to the spring of.

[A]

Water and threw salt in it and said, thus says the Lord, I have healed this water. From now on, neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it. So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elijah spoke. He went up from there to Bethel. And while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him.

[B]

Saying, go up, you bald head.

[A]

Go up, you bald head. And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord and two she bears came out of the woods and.

[B]

Tore 42 of the boys.

[A]

From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria. A reading from the Book of Psalms.

[B]

By the waters of Babylon, There we sat down and wept. When we remembered Zion on the willows there we hung up our lyres, for there our captors required of us songs and our tormentors mirth sang.

[A]

Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

[B]

How shall we sing the Lord's song.

[A]

In a foreign land?

[B]

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill. Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy. Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites, the day of Jerusalem, how they said, Lay it bare, lay it bare down to its foundations, O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed. Blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us. Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock.

[A]

A reading from the book of 1.

[B]

Peter likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external, the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear, but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, and you are her children if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Finally, all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil, or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing for whoever desires to love life and see good days. Let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason, for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous, for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey. When God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers, having been subjected to him. Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God for the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do. Living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this, they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you, but they will give account to him who is ready to judge.

[A]

The living and the dead.

[B]

For this is why the Gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the Spirit the way God does. The end of all things is at hand. Therefore be self controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly. Since love covers a multitude of sins, show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. Whoever speaks as one who speaks oracles of God. Whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. So I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed. Shepherd, the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Be sober minded. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish. You to him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother, as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God, stand firm in it. She who was at Babylon, who, who was likewise chosen, sends you greetings. And so does Mark. My son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.