Yesterday we learned how Edom would be punished for not helping, but as we read today that hasn’t happened yet. Today we go back in time slightly to learn about two very important men in Israel.
Elijah and Elisha are two of the most important prophets in Israel’s history. They are joined by several others like Isaiah and Jeremiah, so they aren’t the only ones, but they are very important. In Israel’s government there were three important positions: Prophet, Priest and King. The prophet spoke on behalf of God, the priest offered the sacrifices, and the king led the people. None of the three were authorized to do the job of the others, with the very rare exception. When Saul took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice and inquire of the Lord (which Samuel the prophet was supposed to do) the Lord took the kingdom away from him. The only person who ever fills all three roles is Jesus Christ. He is our prophet, priest and king.
Today we learned that Elijah was taken up to heaven during Jehoshaphat’s reign (Jehoshaphat was king in the south). Up until now, the primary focus of the text has been on the activities of the kings. Today our focus shifts to the activity of the prophets….so we go back in time to where Elijah hands off the ministry to Elisha. The only way I can ever keep them straight is to remember that the two follow each other alphabetically. Elijah, with a “j” comes first, the Elisha, with an “s”. Maybe that will help you too.
Several things we are called to remember: Elisha knew that Elijah was leaving, and refused to leave him alone. I don’t know why Elijah kept trying to “shake off” Elisha…maybe he didn’t know how he would die and wanted to spare Elisha the scene. In any case, Elisha isn’t having it, and refuses to leave. It was probably the only time Elisha refused to do anything that Elijah asked. When Elijah asks what he can do for Elisha, the request is steep, and apparently Elijah isn’t given the answer directly, so he simply says “if the Lord is going to do it for you then you will see me as I leave earth”. That was God’s sign to Elisha that he would be with him.
Elisha does twice the miracles that Elijah had done. (inheriting a double portion). The Spirit of the Lord can rest upon different people in different degrees. Elijah was filled with the Spirit and did certain things, Elisha was filled and did more, and different types of things. The Spirit resting upon Elisha brought out what was unique to him. I suspect that as the Spirit of God rests upon us, He will do the same thing…bring different abilities in different measures to the “surface” of our lives. Same Spirit, different working.
As I think about the miracles that Elisha did, I recognize that they were for the betterment of the people. Poison was taken out of food. Food was multiplied, water was purified, a child was brought back to life. None of these are “church related” miracles, they are practical outpourings of God’s love for His people. We learn something about God from the miracles that He allows Elisha to perform: God loves and cares about us. So, when God becomes angry because He wasn’t consulted for a problem, I can understand. God loves us, and He expects that we will love him in return. If I spend all my resources on my children, and then when they are praising someone they leave me out of it and talk with affection about a person who has done nothing for them, my feelings would be hurt. I think that’s what was happening with God and the king here. The king has received much from God, but has ignored God when he praises, and when he is in need. I learn something else here as well:
God is pleased when we come to Him with our dilemmas. When we bring our great and small issues to the Lord, we are saying “I know you can fix this, because you are great and powerful”. This activity pleases God very much. When we try to handle it ourselves, we are saying “I can do the same as you” which is neither true, nor praise worthy. We cannot even begin to do what God can do.
This is Independence Weekend in the U.S. We celebrate our independence on July 4th with parades and cook outs and ceremonies….but when we think of our spiritual lives, there is no “Independence Day”. We are created to be dependent. In fact, our dependence on God is one of the things that make God so happy with us. When we rely on Him and “depend” on Him, He is pleased with us, and makes us even more successful.
Stray thoughts: There were three groups of soldiers that approached Elijah, the first two were demanding and arrogant and God killed them. The third group wanted the same thing, but came humbly, and received what they asked for. The third commander cared about himself and his men, as well as his mission. Because he feared God he was successful.
Elisha is teased by a group of youths and curses them. It seems rather harsh until I read that 42 of them were mauled by the bears. 42 young men who are following and jeering someone sounds like a gang to me. And it seems like this gang didn’t like prophets, or at least Elisha who must have had a shaved head. Maybe it’s not the same, but I am thinking of some of the threatening things the white supremacists do…maybe that’s what was happening here. In that case, God is merely showing the young men “who really has power”. Perhaps some of these young men had a change of heart as they saw God’s power demonstrated against them. If they were wise, they certainly would have.
As usual there is so much more, but I don’t have more time this morning…
Consider the miracles of a dead person coming back to life, and a few loaves feeding a multitude with some left over. Sound familiar? I wonder if those exact miracles were performed in Elisha’s day so we would recognize Jesus later…..or did Jesus do them while He was here because they had been done in the past, and it would help us recognize Him? Or….is this the sort of thing that God is always doing when someone is filled with His Spirit?
Faithfully,
PR