Elisha: God Is Salvation

The truth of deliverance is also illustrated by the Old Testament story about the ax head that swam. The Spirit of God who penned the New Testament also penned the Old. In 2 Kings 6 there are seven verses that, I believe, link directly with our subject. I do not say they are a type, but they are a picture of what we have before us in Rom. 7. (Types are generally well identified in the New Testament.) These verses are a picture (an outline) of the subject of deliverance. I like pictures because they help us to understand and to remember the truth.

"And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a beam, the ax head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it." 2 Kings 6:1-7.

Our late brother Ruskin Gill said this was one of the most discouraging passages in Scripture for a man to see. The man's case is hopeless; he depends entirely on the ax, yet it lies at the bottom of the Jordan and he cannot retrieve it. It's an utterly hopeless picture. It is a picture of you and me after we are saved, when we see we are confronted with this body of death. Unless God comes in, our case is hopeless.

Behind Closed Doors

"And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons." You will notice that "sons" is used, indicating the dignity of the new position of those who are empty vessels ready to be filled with the holy Word of God by the Spirit of God. The doors are closed to the world and its defilements.

"And shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full." There should be discernment in the assembly to recognize the service for which the Lord by the Spirit has fitted a vessel. When God raises up a person to go out to gather others in, there should be a desire on our part to help him. Sometimes we may allow the flesh to act in criticism, looking for mature spirituality rather than a heart for Christ.

"So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out." 2 Kings 4:5.

The woman acts on the instructions which he had given her. This is faith. Her sons go out and bring in new vessels for her to fill.

In the assembly we learn truth. God does not repeat Himself, so new revelation is not given to each, but the filled vessel is poured out to fill the empty one. The assembly does not teach but is to be the pillar and support of the truth that is taught through the individual vessels.

Are you inside the closed door of the assembly, or are you saying, "I can learn the truth and worship God with anyone"? No, you must be willing to be filled with the vessels the Lord has provided and where the truth is collectively maintained by the assembly.

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must wor ship Him in spirit and in truth." John 4:23,24.

God is a Spirit. The believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The worship must be in truth. The truth is declared in the Scriptures, and unless the Scriptures are our guide, we are not worshipping God in Spirit or in truth.

God tells us that the place where He is must be holy. The assembly is His habitation on the earth by the Spirit. If there is allowance of doctrinal or moral evil, the assembly is defiled and the evil must be judged. That is what is meant by the closed door. There is room for every believer on earth. It is the assembly of God, but any who are connected with evil must be barred from fellowship at the Lord's table until the evil is judged.

Bethel

Bethel's history is almost lost in antiquity. It has a special meaning in Gen. 28, however.

"And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first." Gen. 28:10-19.

It was at Bethel where all of the promises were unconditionally given to Jacob, who was made the depositary of the counsels of God for all of the families of the earth. A personal promise, "I am with thee," was given at the same time. All of this was before the law was given and was outside of the law altogether.

Since Elisha's ministry was the subject of grace, he must learn this great lesson at Bethel, "the house of God," before starting on this mission.

"And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." John 1:16-18.

As we follow the blessed Savior through the gospels, we find Him drawing poor hearts who have come to the end of themselves and have no hope, sitting down at the table with them, and in all their rags and ruin they were at home with Him. What a Savior! Thus the heart of Elisha was attracted to Elijah, and he would not leave him.

We can discover truth by faith or by experience, but experience leaves scars, while faith does not. Oh, how sad the scars, and how much better if we just take the Word of God and realize that the path we are treading is through a spiritual wilderness.

Bethel

"And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little-children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria." 2 Kings 2:23-25.

The path is always upward for the man or woman of faith. Jordan is at the bottom, Jericho a little higher, then up to Bethel. No law here, only promises, free grace.

Everything for the believer is a gift, but must be valued by faith.

In the interval, since the first visit to Bethel, declension had set in, for Satan with his wiles had corrupted Bethel (the house of God). It was still the house of God and now must be judged as such. Satan's inroads had not changed its responsibilities.

The prophet Elisha was going up by the way. There was only one way and that had been shown to him all the journey down from Gilgal with Elijah. He was now in that way going up.

A tremendous change had taken place. What had been once a place of blessing and joy had become a center for mockery of the grandest truths ever given to man. Christendom is pictured here in all of its external religion, persecuting those who are real.

The little boys, or children of the city, awaited the coming of the old prophet Elijah in order to mock him, his very walk as he went up showing where he was going. They used this as the subject for mockery. "Go up, thou bald head, go up, thou bald head." These are the children of an infidel generation.

"And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald; yet is he clean." Lev. 13:40,41.

For Elisha, this mockery only enhanced his position, because in Leviticus, one whose head was bald was clean, a loss of hair suggesting remnant weakness, but the remnant is clean. "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Such was the testimony in the midst of Bethel in the last days.

"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." 2 Tim. 2:19-21.

That is the position of the present-day believer who is separated unto the Lord alone.

"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you." Acts 13:38-41.

But the Spirit of God goes on to tell what the end will be for despisers of His grace. The prophet turned back and looked on them and cursed them in the name of the Lord.

"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 1 Cor. 3:17.

The two she bears are apt figures of a double, sudden, stormy judgment that will fall on Christendom without further warning.

"Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow." Rev. 18:6,7.

The only judgment recorded in the history of Elisha prefigures the day when the Lord Jesus will come out of heaven with His mighty angels to judge those who, as Bethel, have had the benefit of all of the promises but despised them.

The prophet Elisha went from the scene of judgment to Carmel (God's fruitful field, a picture of paradise), then to Samaria.

A Borrowed Ax

The ax head is "borrowed." What does that suggest? Our bodies and everything we have in nature are "borrowed" of God and we must give an account of their use to God. Everything has to be accounted for with God. The discovery of what we are within, in the face of our responsibility to God, is not pleasant.

When a man is saved he is like a drowning man who just grabs for the life line. The work in his soul is real, but it isn't very deep. He has yet to find out what is inside himself. Unless we learn what's inside, we never discover what God is. We have to discover our need and wretched condition before we can discover the remedy and the full provision that is made for our soul. After we learn that our sins are forgiven, we discover that thing called "self'-this wretched I. "0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

What a wretched position this man was in. He has lost the very means by which he thinks he is going to build a place of rest down by Jordan. There he has lost it all. What is he going to do now? He is driven to this. "Alas, master! for it was borrowed." At least he comes to the right person. He comes to Elisha, who represents Christ.

Chamber on the Wall

"Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither." 2 Kings 4:10.

The simplicity of faith-"When he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither." Do we have that confidence which results when Christ is before us and we are walking in separation from evil, both secular and religious?

"Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." 1 John 3:21. In John 14 the Father Himself and the Son come and make Their abode with us down here, but it is in connection with the keeping of His commandments and walking in the path of faith. We do not refer to the law of Moses but to the precepts of Scripture which the new nature rejoices to keep, desiring to please the One whom we love. Soon we will go up and live with the Father and the Son in heaven. What grace!

The great woman felt that she and her husband must make a place for the prophet to stay, but she was tested in that there was little response from her husband, and she must act alone. Soon there was a room on the wall, furnished. There was a table for communion and a stool to sit at his feet to hear his words, the precious words of life. As Mary of Bethany sat at Jesus' feet to hear His gracious words, so we picture the great woman sitting at the feet of Elisha as he ministered grace to her heart. We, too, can sit at Jesus' feet to receive needed grace. "Grace is poured into Thy lips." Psa. 45:2.

The prophet would find (in the room prepared for him) a place of rest, the bed. He also would find the candlestick, which is the light, always found where the bed, table and stool are. Testimony is the overflow of communion.

Are we so near to Christ that we anticipate His likes and dislikes, and are we confident that we have His mind to do what would please Him and that He will accept our work? As pilgrims, these are sufficient until Jesus comes-a bed, a table, a stool and a candlestick. Anything else mars the simplicity and joy of the path of faith.

In building the chamber on the wall the great woman was gradually preparing, perhaps unknowingly, for a rich blessing to come, connected with the inheritance in view, and the wall itself would suggest that she realized the truth of separation to God alone.

Let us meet the tests as they come, for to miss them is to be unprepared for the blessings the Lord would bestow, and they will be a guard and solace for the days of sorrow and disappointment along the path of faith.

"And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there." 2 Kings 4:11.

She fully expected Elisha to turn into the room; he did so and was pleased to rest there. Faith is never disappointed, and there is sure to be a reward for anything done for the Lord.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Cor. 15:58.

"And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him." 2 Kings 4:12.

Here Elisha refers to the great woman as the Shunammite, thus commending the faith which anticipates a lasting inheritance. Israel worshipped idols at that time, unable to enjoy their inheritance in peace, and because of their sin, God allowed them to be the target of their enemies who spoiled their land. Israel had rebelled and, with no spiritual vision, they ignored God's promises for blessing, but individual faith had never given up, and the Shunammite believed God.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Prov. 29:18.

Today we also find ourselves in the midst of confusion (Babylon), but individual faith looks beyond circumstances and dwells, in spirit, in the heavenlies since our inheritance is there with Christ. We have a blessed hope, "one hope," the coming of the Lord to take us to be with Himself.

Deliverance

The Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans teaches deliverance: deliverance from man's guilt, from the power of sin, and from the claims of the law. We have to recognize the first two deliverances before we can understand the third. We have to see that there is no deliverance in the old man Adam. Then, we see a new man, and for those who are associated with that new man, Christ, there is deliverance.

What would the law have to say to me if I were not dead to it? Rom. 7 begins by reminding the believers of the claims of the law. By law the woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If he be dead, she is "free from that law." The chapter teaches deliverance from what the law would have to say to me about sin in the flesh. We learn that we are "dead to the law by the body of Christ," so "now we are delivered from the law."

In this chapter it is not a question of guilt. The Lord Jesus Christ and His precious blood take care of that question. It is a question of sin in the flesh, that is, what I am, not what I have done. My whole being is corrupt. There is not one thing in the flesh that can please God. Do you and I realize that there is not one movement of the flesh that can please God, no matter how good it is? There is a way to please God, but it is not in the flesh. On that point the law remains adamant; it cannot be changed; it has proven that the flesh cannot please God.

Trying to please God in the flesh brings one to the helpless condition of verse 24 (JND), "0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of this body of death?" I am in this world in a body of death in its various aspects. It includes the whole subject of the body of death-not only the defilement, but also the weakness. It's the body of death because deliverance has to do with the complete thing. The Apostle Paul speaks of it as the body of humiliation. How do I get delivered from this thing? That is the subject in our chapter-deliverance.

Deliverance

As a result of Elisha seeing a man (type of Christ) ascending on high (2 Kings 2:9-12), a double portion of the Spirit, the sealing and the earnest, is given to him, having believed the testimony of the kingdom of God, thereby also receiving deliverance of all that had gone before. This suggests the kingdom of God in its present or formative work in our souls.

Elisha is not only a type of Christ, but also a picture of the true believer, as well, who has repented, having true deliverance. All believers have true deliverance which goes with salvation. The truth of deliverance is often misunderstood and so the practice and enjoyment of a new life is marred by the bad doctrine concerning it which has spread throughout the public testimony of Christ.

To be maintained where the Spirit of God is free to minister the things of Christ (to a clean man in a clean place) to our souls in power through the written Word is to be cherished by our souls as a privilege of inestimable value, and only has been given to those who have "slain the oxen wherewith they have plowed," in view of serving and worshipping our ascended, glorified Christ.

And now with salt (savor) in a new cruse (a new man in Christ) and oil (the Holy Spirit) in the vessels with the lamps (the testimony of the power of a risen Lord), we cross the Jordan (the river of death) and leave all that belongs to our former conversation and interests of life religiously as on dry ground (judgment passed) to experimentally retrace the path of faith in company with Elijah (Christ)-He coming down, and we going up. Does not this, beloved, finally bring us to Gilgal at Shiloh (the heavenly places in our hearts) both to wonder and adore the grace that picked up those who needed what circumcision (Col. 2:11) sets forth, and also to feast on the old corn (Christ) of the land in the new, heavenly land. This truth enjoyed in the soul of the child of God keeps them from idols (1 John 5:21).

Deliverance by Flesh?

They go to Jordan to cut down wood. Wood speaks of humanity. It is man's efforts by the flesh. We should discover some of the meanings of these symbols that are used. Scripture interprets itself.

"And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood." Haven't you made a New Year's resolution? Haven't you tried to get deliverance through the flesh? Haven't you done this and done that and said, "I am not going to do this anymore"? You will never get deliverance that way. That is still the flesh. If you did succeed, you would just give the flesh credit for it anyhow, wouldn't you? That is how the man of the world goes on because he doesn't have Christ. He makes his New Year's resolutions every year and then starts all over again. The first week he breaks them and is back in the old rut again. There is no deliverance that way. No, there is no help for man, utterly no help for him in any way except through the death of Christ.

Since there is to be a new heaven and a new earth, there is to be a new creature in a new creation-not the old creature, but a new creature in Christ. In this scene of trial and testing, we discover these precious truths and what our portion really is. It is an entirely new one. It isn't something that is remade by ourselves. It is an entirely new life, a new position in Christ. Oh, if only we could lay hold of this truth! If my soul could lay hold of it in all its fullness, that would be true deliverance.

Deliverance by Law?

"But as one was felling a beam, the ax head fell into the water." In Matt. 3 the ax is mentioned. John the Baptist said, "The ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down." He doesn't hew the tree down first, he simply lays the ax there-the keen edge of the Word of God. It is the law and what it has to say to the flesh. It should produce repentance, that is, fruit. If it does, then the tree will be spared, but if there is no fruit produced the tree will be cut down-God's final judgment on the first man.

God said in Gen. 6, "The end of all flesh is come before Me." The I of the man who does not have Christ is simply the old man in the flesh. But to the one who has Christ, the new I is that new man in Christ Jesus. "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." So there is an entirely new I that is no longer identified with the flesh. If there is the flesh acting, it isn't in keeping with that new position where there won't be any flesh. As soon as Christ comes it will be gone forever.

The ax head is the instrument that this son of the prophets is going to use for his deliverance. He is going to apply the law. Have you ever tried it? You couldn't be saved by the law in the first place, and yet you try to get deliverance that way. That is the basis on which most of Christendom is founded today. They are resting on the ax head. You talk to a man and he will say, "Well, just keep the golden rule." That is the ax head. While religious flesh boasts in the golden rule, it cannot keep it.

The ax head fell into the water. Why doesn't it say it fell into the Jordan? Wasn't that true? Yes, it was true, but the point is that deliverance comes through the Word of God. The water is typical of the Word, and so the ax head has to fall into the water. "He sent His word... and delivered them." Psa. 107:20. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." There is no deliverance outside the Word of God. It has to come by way of faith. It has to come by way of hearing, and once it's heard, then it reaches down into the conscience and from there it proceeds to the heart.

Deliverance by Works?

To Elisha they say, "Let us go, we pray thee." They are going to get this deliverance by their own means! Often we are like them. We try to get something we already have in Christ. How foolish we are as Christians. We will take up with most anything we read in the newspaper or hear over the air, but we won't read our Bibles or meditate. Isn't that strange? Only by the Word of God do we get deliverance.

They want to go "unto Jordan"; that's a good start. They want to "take thence every man a beam," for they think they must work to get their deliverance. Is the Spirit made perfect by the flesh? "And let us make us a place there, where we may dwell." They want to make for themselves a place of rest. In response to their requests and plan Elisha says, "Go ye."

Why did Elisha say, "Go ye," when he knew that their work could not produce the deliverance and rest they desired? Someone once asked Mr. Darby how he could get out of the condition described in Rom. 7. He answered, "You have to get into it first. You must see your need before you can understand the remedy for it. You can't get out of something you haven't got into." And so the prophet says, "Go ye." Because every believer has this experience, he must pass through Rom. 7. Elisha passed through the experience as well.

Deliverance From Law

Deliverance is for those who have had their guilt removed. They are in a new position. They know and enjoy the truth of Rom. 3. They have seen that they were guilty before God and that Jesus Christ has removed every sin by His precious blood. But they are not delivered; they are still in this body of death. The Lord says, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32. The truth of deliverance is illustrated in John 11:43,44 when Jesus said at the grave of Lazarus, "Loose him, and let him go."

We will not be delivered thoroughly out of our bodies of death until Christ comes to take us home. We will have new bodies and then we will have full deliverance. But the point is, Are you and I enjoying the truth of it now? Do we see how the work of Christ has done everything for us?

Elisha Meets Elijah

The name "Elijah" means "Jehovah is God." The name "Elisha" means "Jehovah is salvation."

"So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." 1 Kings 19:19-21.

We have the first glimpse of Elisha in a rather abrupt and homely introduction, for he who is to typify, or speak of, Christ must be hidden.

It is only proper that the history of Elisha be short so that he would display the antitype rather than self. A happy thing this, so that not a ray of that heavenly brightness be obscured through an instrument darkening the beams of pure light.

This brief, terse meeting between the two prophets, probably for the first time, carries with it an immense volume of basic instruction for one who would follow or serve the Lord. When tested, Elisha gave up his former occupation to wholly follow Elijah, who here is a type of Christ. Even nature's dearest ties must take a back place.

There are many prophets in Scripture, but I do not know of another one who was taken from the plow. There were twelve yoke of oxen plowing and he with the twelfth. What does that suggest to us?

Have you seen two oxen, a yoke, start out? The second yoke takes the next furrow, then the next one, until Elisha went last. Twelve yoke of oxen, and he with the last. It is the end of a dispensation, the beginning of a new era, a new day. In the Epistle of John, "Him that is from the beginning" is the beginning down here, a new beginning for man, not the beginning back in eternity, as in John's gospel, chapter 1.

Man is a moral ruin, and there was no hope, but the blessed Savior, the Son of God, as Man, established a new race. It is called the seed of Abraham in Rom. 2, a new race, the seed of faith, those who have simply cast themselves in all their need on that blessed Savior who takes them home with Himself to the Father's house.

Elisha's Deliverance

We find the record of Elisha's own deliverance in 1 Kings 19:19-21. Elisha had been "plowing with twelve yoke of oxen... and he with the twelfth." This would indicate the end of the dispensation of law. "Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him," showing that he was to be his successor.

"He left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee." Elijah tests him: "Go back again: for what have I done to thee?" The issues of the kingdom of God are paramount, for "he that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me." Matt. 10:37. To return to the old order of life even with the natural affections would not do if he were to follow Elijah, a type of Christ. There must be a clear break.

After this rebuke Elisha returned, not to kiss his father and mother, but to the oxen and he "slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat." By so doing he removed every trace of his former life and occupation. "Then he arose, and went after Elijah," taking a low place to minister to him.

In this illustration, salvation and deliverance are seen as one. Putting the hand to the plow is repentance-looking back is backsliding and in the end apostasy. As Jesus said to the man in Luke 9 who said he would follow Him: "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." We all fail, but with Elisha we see a course, a manner of life completely changed. He received deliverance, which is true of all God's people. The understanding of it, with us, may come some time after salvation, but if we are real we have it.

Elisha's Kingdom Call

In the account given us in 1 Kings 19:19-21 of Elijah and Elisha, we have the scriptural explanation for Luke 9:61,62.

Elijah is a picture to us of the rejected Christ about to ascend into the heavens. Christ (Elijah) chose a little remnant (Elisha) to be his testimony concerning heavenly things. Later this testimony goes out to the Gentiles.

Let us follow the activity of the Spirit in regard to Elisha. Elijah finds Elisha (sovereign grace). There were twelve yoke of oxen plowing in the field; Elisha was with the twelfth pair. In the Scriptures, the expressions "plowing," "digged," "digged deep," "made a trench," "a pool," and "every valley shall be filled" give us a picture of repentance, the preparing of the ground (heart and spirit) for the rain and for the seed.

Empty Vessels

"Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full." 2 Kings 4:3,4.

In Elijah's ministry of repentance, the vessel was emptied, cleansed and made ready to fill with oil. Like the empty vessels at the wedding in John 2, the newborn soul must be filled with the water of the Word and this must be made good in the soul by the power of the Spirit. If a new believer is not received as an empty vessel, a great deal of trouble may result. Those who lead in the assembly should be able to discern if the vessel is empty and ready to be filled.

"Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors." It pictures the gospel going abroad from the midst of the assembly and that whosoever will may come. When brought into the assembly, the vessel needs to be emptied of the world and filled with Christ.

First and Last Adam

Rom. 5 brings in two men: the first man Adam, and the second, the last Adam-Christ. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. 5:12. Judgment came in through the first man-Adam. He disobeyed and brought the race, of which he was the head, into that position of death. "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners." Rom. 5:19.

"Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin bath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 5:20,21.

From Rom. 5:12 on, the subject is not, as previously, the guilt of sin. That is forgiven and the believer by faith in Christ is clean through the work of the cross. The subject is not what I have done, but what I am. I am a new man in Christ; the old man is still with me, but in the place of death.

Follow Me

The Lord spoke to another and said, "Follow Me." The natural man is full of excuses to avoid obeying God, even using the burying of his father to avoid following the Lord Jesus. The issues of the kingdom of God are paramount; nothing should interfere.

"And another also said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:61,62.

The above reference connects us with Elisha's ministry and is probably taken from it. This scripture is often used to apply to a person going out to serve the Lord, getting discouraged, and returning home again. I have no objection to this application. The Lord said to His disciples, "How readest thou?" Luke 10:26. We should be very careful how we read the Word of God. The emphasis here is on "is fit." The proper interpretation is that if a man turns back to the call of nature rather than the call of the Lord, he is not fit for the kingdom of God.

What a solemn thing it is when God speaks. What did Peter and Matthew do when He spoke? They up and followed Him. Dear friend, the answer that you give the Lord determines your eternal destiny.

In the Gospel of Luke the Spirit of God sets before us the Lord Jesus as Man, as you would see a man going about in this world with a particular purpose. The purpose that was before Him was to open up the hidden springs of the human heart, so that in exposing them He might fill the heart with the measureless grace of God which meets every need of that heart. Man's need can be met in no other way except through Jesus. At the same time we see the blessed Savior attracting the heart of a rebel sinner to Himself and drawing the heart, as it were, with the cords of a Man because He came to us as Man and also with the cords of love.

By coming down in grace to us, the Lord Jesus does not forfeit one bit of that glory, holiness, or righteousness which properly belongs to God. In the scriptures with which we're occupied, we see the beginnings of a soul with God. The one who is led to know something of his own heart will simply wait on God in dependence, because dependence and obedience characterize Christianity.

Further Testing

"Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. And the mother of the child said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her" 2 Kings 4:29,30.

Again the mother was being tried, but she refused to go with Gehazi, knowing he had no power; and she would not leave Elisha. He followed her to the little room on the wall which she had made with her own hands. What memories must have filled her soul as she recalled the various tests that had come her way; and, in those testings and sorrow, recollections had sweetened her path so she could say at all times, "It is peace."

"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6,7.

"And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked." 2 Kings 4:31.

Gehazi was thus proved as to the power in his profession, and his failure in raising the child should have spoken to him. How solemn to take up the path of testimony in the flesh, which profits nothing, for the time of testing will come.

"And every sacrifice shall be salted with salt." Mark 9:49.

"And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed." 2 Kings 4:32.

It must be clear that the child was dead, for death precedes resurrection. How many believers have seen themselves clean every whit, every spot of sin washed away in the precious blood of Christ, and know that they are secure for eternity, but they have not realized that their blessings are in resurrection life in Christ.

God has blessed us in the heavenlies with every spiritual blessing in Christ; there will be no separate blessings, and all are in Him. Eternal life, known in the heart where it belongs, is anticipated by faith now. John writes, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life." 1 John 5:13.

What will it be like when we hear the shout and enter the Father's house, to be surrounded by everything that is of God, not one thing to mar or hinder our joy in that day? Serenity and peace will enclose all, and our joy will be of the same character as God's, all in His beloved Son. Our thoughts, tastes and desires will be like His. By feeding on Christ we can enjoy that life now.

Gilgal

God starts from Himself. There is no higher starting point -"Gilgal."

The Apostle Paul could say, after being called, that he had seen the Lord. To have a glimpse of the end of the road and the object there, from the beginning, fixes and warms the heart in devotion and first love. It also gives the character of the ministry which is to occupy the servant.

Of the several Gilgals in Israel, the one on the top of the plains, near Shiloh, is the one found here, which speaks of the heavenly places, the ultimate hope of the Church of God. There the Apostle Paul heard unutterable words and experienced the ecstasy of that place. Elisha's ministry was to be one of heavenly grace.

Here we have a continuing picture of the activities of the Spirit of God with a soul who is brought into the kingdom of God, righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Spirit, that more permanent aspect of it which has a heavenly character, not just the kingdom on earth which will be true of Israel in a coming day, but the portion which belongs now to all those who have put their trust in Jesus.

It is a marvelous thing to think of the work that was done for us, but have you ever thought of the work that is being done in you? "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Elisha had his eyes fixed on Elijah, and go where he would, he would not leave him. That is the power of the Christian life. If Elijah went to Bethel, he would go with him. Elijah did not ask him to go with him, but he drew him with the cords of love. They are the only permanent cords which last forever. At the same time they were the cords of a man. The heart of Elisha was attracted to the heart of Elijah and he would not leave him.

Elijah requested Elisha to tarry at Gil-gal while he went down to Bethel, as the Lord had sent him. Elisha's response was, "I will not leave thee." "So they went down to Bethel [the house of God]."

Gilgal

"And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets." 2 Kings 4:38.

The dearth in the land, when Elisha came again to Gilgal, might be compared with the Dark Ages when the original truths of Christianity were, in the main, lost.

About one hundred and fifty years ago the Spirit of God raised again these precious truths.

The sons, of the prophets, in the setting before us, were real, for the most part, and they were sitting before the prophet. When one is sitting, he has a lap, as in verse 39, "his lap full." The language suggests energy and lassitude intermingled.

How rich the truth recovered, "the unsearchable riches of Christ"; how slow we are to appropriate them to ourselves, so much sitting, so little walking. If we do not walk in the truth recovered for us, we may lose it. England has largely lost it, as well as the continent of Europe. The Spanish-speaking people seem to value the truth and are being blessed.

The command of Elisha was, "Set on the great pot." This was the same great pot that was set on at Pentecost.

"And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord." Eph. 2:20,21.

The pot was originally filled by the apostles and prophets of the New Testament. It was not a new one but contained all that is necessary to feed the people of God until Christ will come for us. How precious to have all of the truth ministered to clean souls in a clean place, by the Holy Spirit of God. "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." John 15:3.

"And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot." 2 Kings 4:39-41.

It seems that the sons of the prophets have made progress. They now have a capacity for what is in the pot and discernment as to its purity.

One among them who did not have discernment shred wild gourds into the pot. This permeated the whole pot of food, similar to the leaven referred to in Matt. 13. The sons of the prophets discovered death in the pot.

The prophet said, "Then bring meal," and there was no more death in the pot. Then the food was fit to eat. The meal is Christ, come down from heaven. Every doctrine of man can be tested and set aside by the meal.

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:1-4.

How full the provision and the protection of the truth for the last days.

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Eph. 2:6.

Gilgal speaks of the heavenly places where the believer is now seated. That is now our native land, but we are sent to bear witness on earth to the truth, all of it. Have your spiritual travels led you to Gil-gal?

The next step will be heaven. All who are trusting in the precious blood of Christ are sure to be in heaven. Many of the same are already there in spirit. For such, the transition, or translation, when it comes, will produce little change, only the place of bodily residence.

May the Lord lead our hearts already into Gilgal. There the earthly journey will end.

If the believer has traveled the path fully, from Jordan to Gilgal, taking in the lessons along the way, he must have, besides a good understanding in the things of God, a real deep joy that nothing can take away and which he cannot lose.

We go this way only once. May the Lord lead us by the hand from Jordan to Gilgal and fill our hearts with the joy of the Holy Spirit as a result.

Go, Sell the Oil

"Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest." 2 Kings 4:7.

After the rapture of the Church there will be the judgment seat of Christ. Then our works will be evaluated for reward. Also, there will be some loss if there was unfaithfulness in our path down here.

"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." 1 Cor. 3:13-15.

In Scripture "selling" does not necessarily mean a monetary transaction. Sometimes it means an evaluation to determine what a certain thing is worth. The debt which the woman was so concerned about was paid for by the oil.

Consider for a moment our debt and the payment made for it. What fullness of blessing that we, once beggars from the dunghill (1 Sam. 2:8), are now to inherit the throne of glory We, the debtors, shall be associated forever with Christ who paid the debt and shall be in the Father's house, accepted in the Beloved.

We have and are to enjoy the blessings of "the mystery of godliness": adoption, redemption, sealing of the Holy Spirit, our acceptance in the Beloved, and our receiving an inheritance in Christ.

Do we value the truths restored and passed on to us? To truly know them we must walk in them as they are opened to us. They are fully learned only where the Spirit of God is free to use the vessels He has filled and fitted to teach them and where the assembled believers act as the pillar and support of the truth. In spite of the confusion of the great house of Christendom, the Spirit of God still gathers the Lord's own together in His name.

"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt. 18:20.

Each person, in the presence of God and through the Word of God, will have to discover the place. Do we, by the Spirit, gather to that precious name alone, separate from man's traditions and rules of expediency?

How precious to know something of the testimony of the Spirit of God in the place where He gathers to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ for worship. There He opens to our hearts, by the Spirit, the precious truths of God.

To slight the clear instruction of Scripture, the Word of God, will result in loss, eternal loss for some, and will expose the soul to the seductions of the enemy as little by little he lures away those who had once taken their places for the truth. He may scatter them afar until they are lost in the great delusion. Let us be warned, and let us be drawn by the cords of a Man-the cords of love.

God's House

We applied the widow's house to our individual dwellings. We may also apply it to the assembly as God's house on earth. We find the truths of 1 Tim. 3 in picture form in 2 Kings 4. The books of the Kings portray responsibility in connection with the truth, so do the epistles to Timothy, which emphasize our individual responsibility in the house of God.

The epistles to Timothy were not written to the Church but to an individual. The instruction is: "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." 1 Tim. 3:15.

Here it is responsibility, not of an old nature which cannot please God (because that old nature should be reckoned as dead), but of the believer (a new creature in Christ Jesus), having new desires and purpose. All things are become new By the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, the believer has been given power to carry out the will of God. What we need is the direction as to which way to go and what to do.

Christ came to this earth to die for us, to put away all of our sins and to give us a new life. This was His work of redemption. Also God is doing a work in our souls. We seldom think of this side of the matter-of a work by the Spirit within us, giving us an appreciation for the things of God so that we will be able to enter into them.

The present day of grace is characterized by the coming down of the Spirit of God to be present among men, especially in God's house on earth.

"In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." Eph. 2:22.

The Lord said before He went to heaven, "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you." John 16:7. "He will guide you into all truth." John 16:13. The Gospel of John gives ministry for each heart and conscience, bringing us individually up to Christianity.

God's Testimony

Twelve, a number that speaks of perfect administration, is used in connection with the kingdom of Israel and in connection with the laver of brass in Solomon's temple, which was supported by twelve oxen. From whatever angle you looked at the laver, you saw the oxen who were types of the patient One (Christ) that keeps the worshippers fit for their worship through cleansing of their hands and feet.

In John 13, the Lord Jesus maintains His disciples in a condition of fitness to enjoy the Father's house. They needed not to be washed all over (the work of the cross), but just the feet-the advocacy of Christ.

From David onward, God has maintained an adequate testimony to the coming, perfect administration of the promised kingdom. This line of testimony is figured in the twelve yoke of oxen plowing. Eleven yoke went ahead of Elisha, then he came with the twelfth yoke. A yoke of two of one mind plowing together indicates an adequate testimony. These yokes of oxen plowing picture the ways of God with men, seeking to reach the conscience down through the ages, not administrating a perfect, outward manifestation of the kingdom of God-that will finally appeal-but an inward, moral fitness for it.

Elisha is found at the close (he with the twelfth) of this ministration, called to heavenly things by a rejected Master who was going to heaven. On the reception of a double spirit Elisha was to be the eyewitness to man, not merely by words, but by the spirit of his master that rested on him (2 Kings 2:15). As a result, he was given works of power to do.

It was said of John the Baptist, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias [Elijah], which was for to come." Since that time the kingdom of God is preached and every man presses into it (presses in, if he wants to).

Going to the Jordan

A further step in their history is now before us-deliverance from the law and what it has to say to them. They seem to be without liberty and seeking deliverance. They say, "Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye."

They had already seen what had happened to Elisha at Jordan; he had received an entirely new life as he passed over Jordan on his return to Gilgal. They had seen that his previous occupation and interests were entirely gone and in their place was a life of heavenly grace. This they desired but did not have. They go to Jordan seeking it.

The Jordan river had been impressed on them as the place where the life of Elisha was changed, where he found deliverance from the old life and began a new one. They say, "The place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us." They want deliverance; they want liberty.

"Strait" means narrow and constricted, like a narrow gate. Like them, we want liberty, the liberty of the sons of God. That is what we get in Rom. 8-the liberty of the children of God. Are you enjoying it?

A Great Mystery

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." 1 Tim. 3:16.

Godliness is a mystery to everyone except to those who have been indwelt by the Spirit of God and have responded to His teaching.

"God was manifest in the flesh"-God was in the world in the person of His Son. Is that the center of the truth on which you stand, that God was manifest in the flesh in the person of Jesus?

'Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Heb. 1:3.

"For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Col. 2:9.

"Justified in the Spirit"-He was justified in the Spirit in the display of the power of the Spirit in His works here in this world. What He taught, His works justified, proving the justification in the Spirit. There was only one Man who ever walked through this world who could say, "If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin." He was the only One who could say, "Which of you convinceth Me of sin?" That was the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you hold that truth? If you rest your soul on anything else, you will be disappointed, because if the sacrifice which put away all of our sins was not made by the Son of God Himself, the Holy One, the perfect sacrifice, who was justified in the Spirit in all that He did, then you and I have no Savior.

"Seen of angels"-In Luke 2, we find the whole heavenly host coming down and worshipping their Creator as they saw Him for the first time, and that, as a babe in a manger.

"Preached unto the Gentiles"-He was known to Israel as Jehovah. Now, He has made Himself known to the Gentiles in the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham. Many of the prophets, such as Isaiah, were used to foretell the coming testimony to the Gentiles. (See Isa. 49:6.)

"Believed on in the world"-Thank God, some have believed on Him. Others have made only an empty profession which carries an eternity of punishment from the One whom they have spurned in their hearts. Are you trusting in the precious blood of Christ? Can you say, "He is my Savior," from the heart? "Believed on in the world" because all those who believe on Him in this world will be caught away soon to the Father's house to be the companions of Christ forever.

"Received up into glory"-He has gone up and is seated at God's right hand. His place now is above all powers, and authorities, angels, or any other creature, yea, He has gone up higher than any created thing or being, so as to fill all things. (1 Peter 3:22; Eph. 4:10.)

A Great Woman

KI 4:8-37{

"And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great [wealthy] woman." 2 Kings 4:8.

Our attention is focused on a great (wealthy) woman of Shunem, which was a city of Israel belonging to the tribe of Issachar.

"Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: and he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute." Gen. 49:14,15.

Jacob prophesied that his son Issachar would look on to his inheritance and see that rest was good and the land pleasant. It is the normal thing for the believer to be taken up with Christ and the inheritance. There may be times when the Lord has to remind us of our ways to correct them, but normally we should be pressing on to the mark for the prize, as did the Apostle Paul in Philippians, chapter 3.

"Where was a great woman." 2 Kings 4:8.

The great woman is a lovely picture of this normal Christianity as taught in Philippians, where the believer, walking in the Spirit day by day, pursues to the end the Lord Jesus as the object set before him. We speak of this as a proper state of soul becoming to a Christian.

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Col. 3:1-3.

The Spirit of God presents to us a great woman, because woman represents position, devotedness and affection. Responsibility belongs to the man, but devotedness with affection, in the divinely-appointed position in the assembly, is the woman's place.

Several tests of faith will be observed, allowed of God in the life of this woman. The first is: "And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread." 2 Kings 4:8.

Elisha came to Shunem, but he might have passed by, had the great woman not recognized him as the prophet of God. When the Spirit of God speaks to our hearts and consciences, are we so engrossed in life's activities that we have no time to listen to the still, small voice? Let us not miss the first test, lest we lose the second.

Elisha represents to us Christ gone on high, having now sent the Holy Spirit to work through His servants down here in the world in His absence.

As Elisha passed by, the great woman constrained him to eat bread, else he would have continued on his way, as the Lord walked with the two on the way to Emmaus in Luke 24. He would not have stopped at their home, had they not constrained Him to abide with them. What a privilege! Christ is passing constantly, and we can have as much of Him as we wish. If we try to busy ourselves with both worlds, earthly and heavenly, we will soon be robbed of these precious visits by Christ, and will we not lose in the end? Everything here is of a transient nature, but everything of Christ lasts forever.

The great woman had one object before her, Christ and the inheritance, and she let nothing interfere to draw her away from Elisha.

"And so it was, that, as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread." 2 Kings 4:8.

The soul who has a pure object in the heavens is enlarged spiritually, and what once was a visit with the Lord becomes a habitual desire-"oft." Christ finds it His joy to pass near His beloved people and is delighted when asked in to eat bread, especially if invited repeatedly.

"And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, which passeth by us continually." 2 Kings 4:9.

If we wish to enjoy His presence, there must be holiness in our walk. We cannot allow evil in our lives and expect to go on in communion and the enjoyment of fellowship with the Lord in a path of happiness and growth. Our guard is the eye fixed on the holy Prophet of God, and thus we are changed into the same moral character as the Prophet in a practical way here in this world. (2 Cor. 3:18.)

To be "continually" in His presence is the safest way of life, a great gain if it be so, a great loss if it be not so. There is much on earth demanding our time but surely not our hearts.

How many happy occasions there must have been in the home of the great woman as the prophet stopped to eat bread. She was providing something for the prophet, and she will surely be rewarded, although reward was not in her mind-his presence in her home meant everything.

The question has been asked, "How can I gain an appetite for the Word of God?" The answer is, "Read it, and the more you read it in communion, the more you will want of it."

A Green Tree

The man of God said, "Where fell it?" The man who lost the ax head is the only one who could answer that question; no one else knows. It is not "them" but "he." It's an individual matter between the man of God and the one man. "And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim."

As soon as the man shows the man of God the place, the man of God cuts down a stick. He would cut it from a green tree; a dead tree would likely be down already. He is not cutting down the tree; he is cutting down a stick. It makes us think of the cross of Christ.

In Scripture man is likened to a tree and in Luke 23:31 the Lord Jesus says, "If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" There was only one green tree, and that was the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus went into death, even the death of the cross.

The death of the cross was more than just death; it was the kind of death given to a common criminal, especially a slave. It was the type of death Roman society gave a slave who had made himself obnoxious by his crime; they hung him on a cross. They put the Lord Jesus to death that way. Why? Because I deserved it. If that is the kind of death that He died, that is the kind of death I have died, for He took my place. I am no longer associated with that form of life. It is gone, and so the stick reminds us of the cross.

Guilt

Rom. 3 brings man's position of guilt before God to an issue, showing how men, whether well-educated, philosophers, or religious, all stand on common ground-guilty before God. Christ comes and puts away all sin and guilt for those who simply believe, by His precious, shed blood.

Heavenly Grace: 1 Kings 19 to 2 Kings 4

"And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." 1 Kings 19:14-18.

A marvelous change took place in the life of Elijah. He learned that the breaking of the will (repentance) was a great means of opening the understanding. Elisha, too, learned the lesson of repentance and passed from Elijah's lost commission of restoring Israel to the law to the happy position of being a type of a dead, risen and glorified Christ.

"Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." Rom. 4:23-25.

Elijah and Elisha are brought before us by the Lord Jesus Himself in the Gospel of Luke.

"But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias [Elijah], when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus [Elisha] the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." Luke 4:25-27.

From the lives of Elijah and Elisha we can learn two ministries of the Lord Jesus. Elijah sets forth His earthly ministry calling for repentance, and Elisha opens to us the character of the new ministry, which is especially to the Gentiles and is after the Lord Jesus is risen and has returned to heaven. This ministry He committed to the Apostle Paul.

Her Inheritance

"And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said unto his father, My head, my head! And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died." 2 Kings 4:18-20.

The child was carried to his "mother," not now the "Shunammite," for God was touching the heartstrings.

"Oh," you say, "can't the poor woman be left alone a little while without being tested again?" No, this is the path of faith, a few years here to enlarge our hearts for eternity, the glory ahead, each stone being shaped and prepared for its place in the temple up there. God has great things for His people and will have the inner man prepared in the full counsel, full assurance and full knowledge of God. "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:6.

"Noon," the middle of the day when everything is brightest, suggests the highest point reached in nature's joys and tranquility, with needs filled and life pleasant. It was then, at that moment, that the blow fell. A sunstroke on the child might have dashed a mother's hopes to the ground. It appears to be a hopeless picture, but it is really a blessed one. Why? Because God is a God of hope, and He will complete the work He has begun. When she receives her son back, it will be in resurrection life, a life not subject to change or failure. All will end in glory Oh, that God would wrench our souls from the desire of earthly joys as objects and set our hearts on Christ alone, as seated beside the Father on His throne.

"O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit." Isa. 38:16.

If you do not know Christ as your Savior, now is the time to receive Him, or you can have no part in what we are speaking of.

"And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out." 2 Kings 4:21.

How beautifully and nobly the great woman acted without a display of discouragement or despair. "And she went up." She was Abraham's daughter by faith. When Abraham gave his son he told his servants, "I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you."

"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward." Heb. 10:35.

She laid her son on the bed of the man of God. If she had not met the first test she would not have had a place to take her son-hope. Did she not build the room of separation with her own hands? What a comfort for faith to know that her son, her hope, rested on the bed of the man of God.

Whatever might come, this woman was in possession of the enjoyment of communion and peace, and she knew, because of continued experience in communion, that the path the Lord chose for her would end in a perfect day.

"But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Prov. 4:18.

Step by step this woman had laid the way for blessing for her own life. Is this what we are told in Philippians, "Work out your own salvation"?

Could you shut the door on your son, lying in death, and go out? This great woman went up, not down, in her trouble. To her all was well.

The Holy Spirit's Work

Through the work of the Holy Spirit we have fitness for the kingdom of God set forth. It must be a complete moral revolution which changes man's whole complex being or spirit. This change does not necessarily take place in a moment, but the working of the Spirit is like the way bones grow in the womb. "As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all." Eccl. 11:5. It is the process of forsaking, as it is revealed to me, all that characterizes a religious man in the flesh.

"No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles.... But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new; for he saith, The old is better." Luke 5:36-39.

The garment pictures man's character; the wine pictures joy. The marriage feast in John 2 shows that the new wine, the new joy for those who enter the kingdom, is better than the old.

If the work is not of the Holy Spirit there will always be the turning back. Millions in Christendom are turning back to an outward form of Christianity that can never change the spirit of fitness for the kingdom of God. Only repentance through believing the Word of God can do this. "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32); she turned back.

Let us carefully examine Luke 9:61,62 in connection with our subject-the kingdom of God and fitness for it.

And another also said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

A Hopeless Case

When the ax head falls into the water he cries to Elisha and says, "Alas, master! for it was borrowed." It is not even his own; it belongs to another, and yet he depends on it completely for his deliverance. Then he loses it. Now, his case is utterly hopeless.

The ax head and the ax handle are incompatible. They have two different natures; one is wood and the other iron. So when he uses the ax, the head comes off. It is like the law. The law is all right. There is nothing wrong with the law-the ax head, but it is incompatible with the flesh-the handle.

The law and the flesh do not work together. There is nothing wrong with the law, but it is weak through the flesh. The law is spiritual and the flesh is carnal. Rom. 7 tells us that the law is holy, just and good. But what is man? Why, man is just flesh. There isn't one spark of life. The sentence of death is on the flesh, so there is no deliverance there.

Being holy, just and good, the law is not set aside. In fact, the life of Christ on earth confirms the law and His death does not set it aside. But it no longer becomes the rule of life for the believer nor the means of his salvation.

Salvation is through Christ, and righteousness is what God gives-His own righteousness in Christ Jesus. It is not a righteousness of Christ; it is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Why in Christ Jesus? Because God is giving us His own righteousness in association with His Son. When we get that righteousness, it includes our position on high, which you see in Christ. Supposing He gave us that righteousness outside of Christ. We wouldn't be sons before Him in love. We would still be righteous because He gave it to us, but He gives it to us in Christ, in the body of His flesh, and all our blessings are in association with Christ. Whatever position Christ has as a man belongs to the believer. Oh how precious that is.

The House of God

KI 4:1-7{We have noticed that the first mention of Elisha in Scripture tells us of his repentance. He determined that he was going to follow Elijah wholeheartedly. Elijah tested the reality of Elisha's desire when Elisha said he first wanted to kiss his parents before following Elijah. After this Elisha followed him down from Gilgal to Jordan, where he saw him go up into heaven. Then he went back over Jordan in the power of his master, and he retraced the path leading through the four points: Jordan, Jericho, Bethel and Gilgal. This journey covers, in type, about two thousand years of the Church's history.

The subject, "The House of God," which we shall now consider, does not have to do with length of time but with the assembly of God as a testimony to the great truths given in 1 Tim. 3:15,16 and 4:15,16.

Let us turn to 2 Kings 4:1-7.

"Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen." 2 Kings 4:1.

In another translation "sons" in verse 1 reads "children." It suggests the thought of adoption. This is the beginning of our knowledge in the things of God, the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. One of the first actions in the soul with divine life is to cry, "Abba, Father!" Every one who by faith can cry, "Abba, Father," is one of the children of God and belongs at the Lord's table as well. Being at the table is not a question of intelligence but of nature.

New creation is not a question of time or place, but of kind. Of what kind are you?

What nature do you have? Are you in the flesh or in Christ?

After Elijah had gone on high, Elisha represented him, giving a picture of Christ working on earth through His servants by the Holy Spirit.

In 2 Kings 4:1 the Holy Spirit has set before us a woman who had lost her husband. "Woman" in Scripture is sometimes used to set forth position in contrast to responsibility.

Iron That Swims

He cuts down that stick and casts it in the very place where I lost my "ax head." I am the only one who can tell Him. It is my own experience. But do I have anything to do with what takes place next? No, not a bit. A miracle happens. The iron comes to the surface. Yet the story doesn't say that. It says, "The iron did swim."

Why does it say iron instead of ax head? Because iron has a nature that doesn't swim. But the iron did swim-it is the law of the principle of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. It has set me free from the principle of sin and death. It is an entirely new law not known before. Could man explain how a piece of iron could swim? Never! It doesn't belong to the old line of things at all; it is a new thing.

I still have the same identity I had as a man before, but the old nature is gone. My identity with sin in the flesh is gone. I may allow it to come out again, but that is why Romans says, "Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin." Practically, by faith, take the place you are in; that is what Romans tells us, because the man is still struggling. In Colossians he says, "Ye are dead." Then he sets a positive fact before them-life.

In Rom. 7 the man is still struggling; he is still trying to build himself a place by Jordan where he may rest, where he may dwell, and so the exhortation in Romans is, "Reckon... yourselves... dead." Do I need that exhortation for my soul? Do you need it for your soul? Are we still struggling or are our souls at rest? Are we resting in the full work of Christ? We are not to be occupied with our former manner of life in the flesh. In Christ is where I find joy. We need to be exercised about these things, each one, before the Lord.

Jericho

"He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over." 2 Kings 2:13,14.

Elisha took up Elijah's mantle to represent him in a world opposed to God. The first step was to take the mantle that fell from Elijah and, in the power of faith, pass over Satan's powers of death, "Jordan," under a new principle of life in the Spirit.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Rom. 8:1,2.

He was now to walk by faith, not by sight. The sons of the prophets did not manifest faith.

"And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?" 2 Kings 2:15-18.

How this searching by the sons of the prophets suggests what will happen immediately after the Church is caught up to be forever with the Lord.

And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake." 2 Kings 2:19-22.

Elisha stood by the river, having crossed in the power of his master. He must next make the trek up to Jericho, from there to Bethel, and last of all to Gilgal. This is the path of the Church on earth.

"He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." 1 John 2:6.

Elisha must walk in the path that was shown him by Elijah, but in reverse order, having started at Jordan in the land. The Jordan was the end of Christ's path below, and the beginning of ours.

Christianity is not the flesh made new but the flesh in the place of death and a new man entirely.

"When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth." Luke 11:21-23.

Christ vanquished and bound Satan and then went about to spoil his goods. Elisha typifies Christ in this.

Jericho had a pleasant situation, but its refreshment (water) was bad and the land barren. There must be a new cruse, a new nature, which is symbolic of capacity, then there must be salt in the new cruse. Unless there is personal devotedness to Christ, and unless the source of the waters (complete dependence on God) is reached, where heavenly grace is in exercise, there never can be blessing or refreshment in the city of the curse. Grace comes from God.

Salt must be cast into the spring of the waters. Only God can heal the waters in the city of the curse, but it is by my casting salt into the source of the waters. It is the personal energy of faith which depends entirely on God, which makes the water sweet. There are no substitutes for personal faith and communion, which always precede service.

The waters being healed suggests that one who follows in the path set forth here finds rest, joy, and peace in a troubled world because of having salt in a new cruse to cast into the source of the waters.

Refreshment in a dry and thirsty land comes from heavenly graces bestowed on the one who walks near to Christ.

Jordan

"And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on." Beautiful! Something new has been added: communion. Elisha had an object that did not interest him before, not now plowing in this world, but with his eyes fixed upward he went on in communion.

The communion shown here, "and they two went on," seemed to enlarge and deepen as they stood together by Jordan, the river that speaks of the death of Christ.

"And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground." 2 Kings 2:7,8.

The sons of the prophets came again manifesting their unbelief. You are either following, as Elisha, or you are a hindrance among the people of God. Fifty sons of the prophets stood to view afar off as these two stood by Jordan, the river of death. "And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground."

Do you know why the Apostle says in Romans, "Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin"? It is because the man is still alive; he has not crossed the Jordan yet. The Red Sea is a picture of the death of Christ and the river Jordan is a picture to us of our death with Christ. The crossing of the Red Sea is a picture of the death of Christ for us, all enemies lying dead on the seashore.

It is not through efforts of the flesh but in the work of another, Christ, that we receive a new life. We must in spirit go down into the waters of death with Christ and be risen with Him.

With his mantle he smote the waters. What a vivid illustration of the work of Christ! The mantle speaks of complete subjection to the will of God in His whole life and character. It was with this that Christ won the day.

The action of Elijah typifying Christ going through death for us along with Elisha going through death with him leave us with a most salutary lesson of the position of the new man.

For us, traversing the path with Him in memory of His death, we go over on dry ground. The judgment is spent, we are free.

The sons of the prophets, curious, but not in on the blessings, stood and viewed afar off, still in unbelief.

"And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces." 2 Kings 2:9-12.

Elisha requested a double portion of his spirit; and seeing Elijah go up into heaven he would receive it.

Every godly soul has been born anew, the work of the Spirit, and "after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." This is the double portion of the Spirit.

The flesh always makes its bid first, and those, as the sons of the prophets, who do not have faith cannot cross Jordan in the power of the Spirit to witness to a risen, glorified Master.

The two still went on and talked in precious communion. It was then while in communion that it all happened-the chariot and horses of fire, the whirlwind, and then he saw him no more. From then on, Elisha must walk by faith.

"My father, my father"-or, "Abba, Father"-this is Christianity. Elisha rent his clothes; his whole character was changed.

Elisha was told that he had asked a hard thing. Christianity is a path of rejection and is a hard thing because of Satan, who tempts by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. The eye must be on Christ. To have a pure object before us-Christ in heaven-is necessary for a double portion of the Spirit.

Mount Carmel

"So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well." 2 Kings 4:25,26.

Elisha dwelt at Mount Carmel on the hill, suggesting the heavenly places, and it was to Mount Carmel that she went, just as we see Christ in the heavens as our great High Priest, to whom we are told to go for seasonable help. We will never be disappointed if we go, for no one with a need was ever turned away. The widow of Nain had her son restored to life, and she was comforted. Peter's wife's mother was raised up from a great fever. Christ is always on hand for faith.

Jesus came here to serve; now, when on high, He serves as our great High Priest; when we reach home, He will come forth to serve His people. Blessed Savior! Although the natural eye cannot see Him, faith knows and believes the love of His heart.

The great woman had often been to God's fruitful field in spirit, but at this time she went directly to Elisha in person. The prophet saw her approaching, as God is watching continually for the good of His own. The prophet spoke of her as the Shunammite, about to claim her inheritance, now in a permanent character, because without a son she could have no continuance of her inheritance. Are we interested in our eternal inheritance or do we find our interests only in this present world?

When tested by Gehazi's question, she answered, "It is well." She could not open her heart to him because her spiritual discernment led her to detect that he was not a man of God. Later, Gehazi became covered with leprosy. It is one thing to open our hearts to the Lord, quite another to the world.

"And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me." 2 Kings 4:27.

The servant did not know that her soul was vexed within her, and he did not manifest the sympathies of Christ, but should she tell her sorrow to such a man as Gehazi who did not have the mind of God?

"Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?" 2 Kings 4:28.

The truth regarding the son's death, which the Lord had hidden from Elisha, now came out.

The Mystery

God had a purpose in putting before the king of Syria a mystery-the mystery of who was exposing the king's secret military movements. This mystery illustrates the "mystery" of Christ and the Church. Then, through a servant, the Lord revealed to the king the mystery; now, through the Apostle Paul, He has made known to us the mystery "which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men."

"And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan." Verse 13.

The Syrians, the enemies of God's people, wanted to take Elisha captive, because he knew the king's secret plans. It was the enemies of Christ who not only took Jesus captive, but put Him to death. With a purpose of good in His heart, God was behind all and in control of all that was happening in Israel. So, too, God had an eternal purpose of good in allowing His Son to be taken and crucified.

"Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about." Verse 14.

The king of Syria sent his forces with a great display of power to take Elisha. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, Satan marshaled his great host, showing his power in putting Jesus to death.

"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?" Verse 15.

The young servant with Elisha is a picture of ourselves with the Lord Jesus and the need to have our eyes open to heavenly things-the "mystery"-to see the great spiritual blessings as well as the treasures that are already ours. We need to learn that the power of God is greater than the power of the enemy, Satan.

While sure there was a way out of their difficulty, the servant did not know what it was. Elisha assures him that he was not to fear because "they that be with us are more than they that be with them." How good to know about the surpassing power of Christ over all enemies (both His and ours). He proved it at the cross. In all things He shall have the preeminence (Phil. 2:9,10; Col. 1:18).

"And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." Verses 16,17.

After Elisha prayed to God, the young man's eyes were opened. Only the Holy Spirit can make us see what we have in Christ in connection with the "mystery"-Christ and the Church. Think of the power of Christ, who is now exalted above the heavens with every power, authority and dominion made subject to Him (1 Peter 3:22). In Ephesians 1 Paul prayed, not that we might have power, but that we might have the truth made good to us.

The mountain full of horses and chariots of fire that the young man saw suggests the greatness of God's power to us who believe when He raised Christ from among the dead and set Him (a man) at His own right hand above every name and power on earth or in heaven.

"And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria." Verses 18,19.

Needs and Resources

"And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil." 2 Kings 4:2.

In verse 1 the woman declared her need (she was a debtor) and in verse 2 the resources (the pot of oil) to meet her need, but she did not recognize the resource for what it was.

When you and I were born again, little did we realize either our calling or the resources which God had placed here to carry us through this world to heaven itself. Christ died once. He will never die again. And when He died, the whole work of salvation was completed for us, besides satisfying a holy God as to our sins. The groundwork has all been laid; it only remains that these bodies be changed as we rise to meet Him in the air.

In Eph. 1 the Apostle Paul does not pray that believers might have power. We have that, but he prays that the eyes might be opened to see what we have in Christ. We must have childlike faith to lay hold of the things of God.

The woman felt that she had no resources, yet her house was full of provision to meet every need, and verse 7 of the chapter proves it, for it says, "Go, sell the oil, and pay the debt."

The prophet said, "What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house?" He asked her a question but he did not let her answer, because he was speaking to her conscience. Any truth we acquire must be through the conscience. How solemn it is to pray for light when God has made it all available. We will not get more light opened to us, until we act on what we already have been given and our eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit to receive it by faith.

If one goes on year after year without growing in the things of God, there is something wrong. It may be that we are unconcerned as to truth, or there may be unjudged sin in our lives. The understanding of truth is dependent on our walking in it.

Little did the woman know that the pot of oil was not only going to deliver her children from the creditor, but she and her house were going to live (because) of it. The oil speaks of the presence and present testimony of the Holy Spirit in this world.

On the Right Track

Having experienced deliverance in his own life, Elisha becomes a teacher of others. "One said" to Elisha, "Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants." This man is getting on the right track. He wants deliverance, but he also wants company. Like this man we want to take the Lord with us. We may try to get deliverance our own way, but we want to take the Lord with us. However, he is gaining ground; he is getting a little closer to the position he should be in because he is bringing the Lord into it. Elisha answers, "I will go," and goes "with them."

Notice the change in persons. First it was a company, then it is "one said," and finally, "he went with them." Deliverance must be understood individually. It is not an assembly matter. Deliverance is an individual experience in the presence of God in which we discover the end of ourselves and bring in death on everything. Then we have complete practical deliverance. Because the new man is waiting to act the moment we declare death to the old, the full provision of rest is there for us to enjoy the moment we declare ourselves dead (Col. 3:3).

Open His Eyes, That He May See

<2KI 6:8-23>Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that... the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." Eph. 1:15-18.

The ministry of Elisha touches on and enlightens several New Testament truths in picture form. This form makes the truth more interesting to us and helps us to lay hold of the underlying spiritual meaning in our souls.

It may seem strange to find an illustration of Eph. 1:18 in the second book of the Kings, especially when we have been taught that the "mystery" concerning Christ and the Church had not been revealed until it was given to the Apostle Paul by revelation (Eph. 3:5-8). But it is not strange, for "it is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." Prov. 25:2.

The "mystery" was not revealed in 2 Kings 6:8-23, but what was written in the time of Elisha was written for us, "for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Rom. 15:4. "And they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come." 1 Cor. 10:11 JND.

"Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice." Verses 8-10.

The king of Syria was an enemy of Israel-God's people. The Lord sent the man of God to save His people Israel and these enemies; God sent the Lord Jesus to save all, for all were His enemies by wicked works.

"Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber." Verses 11,12.

Order in God's House

There is disorder in Christendom because the Scriptures have been set aside. Many have no regard for divine instruction as to the place that the Spirit of God has in the assembly; rather, man himself takes that place. Human expediency is error.

God shows His order, "the church of the living God," in contrast to idols and every dead work that religious man has contrived. This "church of the living God" is to be "the pillar and ground of the truth."

Is this "church of the living God" composed of those who are living and also others who have died and gone to heaven? Scripture does not speak that way. It speaks of an actual Church (assembly) on the earth which represents God in practical testimony.

What characterizes "the house of God" and "the church of the living God" is that it is "the pillar and ground of the truth." Even if only a few of those that call themselves Christians maintain the word of truth, nevertheless the assembly (while on earth) is the only witness of God for the truth on the earth. That which does not maintain and present the truth is not the assembly as God understands it.

These truths are solemn. In olden days God chose Jerusalem as a center where His truth was given out, and all the nations of the earth who wanted the truth would have to go to Jerusalem to get it.

In the Epistle to Timothy we do not get the truth of the believer seated in heavenly places as in Ephesians, but rather we learn how to conduct ourselves amidst such a volume of truth of such a solemn character.

Are we going to recognize and maintain the Word of truth in the house that God Himself has established. Do we recognize that only when kept in its entirety does it answer to the mind of God as "the house of God"?

Ordinances or Faith?

"And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him today? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well." 2 Kings 4:22,23.

Her husband represents formal religion, forms without faith or feeling. The mother was not dismayed by the indifference of her husband, for faith must press on alone, turning neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:13,14.

She left formal religion behind, pressed on to the mark for the inheritance, and ran to the man of God, for there only rested her hope, all in a person. If the prophet could lay the power of nature aside and give her a son contrary to nature, he could also give her a son back in resurrection. She had not asked for the son; it was his own choice.

"Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee." 2 Kings 4:24.

The discomforts of the way are not noticed when the heart is set on the proper object, for it is "but a little way to come to Ephrath [fruitfulness]." Gen. 35:16. How we should covet the spirit of this mother, this great woman, the spirit of normal Christianity.

Our Blessings

In the Epistle to the Ephesians we learn three truths, which are ours through sovereign grace: our adoption, our inheritance and our sealing by the Spirit. Adoption is individual. The inheritance we share with Christ. The sealing of the Spirit gives the house character of our blessings, and this is what we would speak about from 2 Kings 4 and 1 Tim. 3.

The Old Testament should be read and understood in the light of the New Testament. The Old Testament prophets did not themselves understand, but searched their own Scriptures to see what they meant.

Now the Spirit of God has come and He opens to us all of the truth (John 16), if we want it opened to us. How much we have depends on how much we want and are willing to walk in. He is here to open it all to us if we want it. Both in Kings and Timothy we learn the way in which it is opened. Timothy gives us the doctrine and Kings gives the picture.

In 1 Tim. 3 the Apostle says, "These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: but if I tarry long... " 1 Tim. 3:14,15.

In the words, "if I tarry long," he is speaking of the two thousand years that the Church has been on earth. The Apostle is setting before us, not himself, but his ministry Since He is going to tarry long-the Church period-we are reminded how we are to behave ourselves in the house of God. He adds, "Which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." 1 Tim. 3:15.

This is remarkable. What is the house of God? This scripture says, "the pillar and ground of the truth." Was he speaking of something to take place in the future when we will be caught home to heaven? He is speaking of what is being formed right now, which God has set up for His present habitation on the earth.

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by [through] the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Eph. 3:9-11.

It is not only to men, but also to the principalities (angels of high rank) and powers in the heavenlies, that the manifold wisdom of God is to be known through the Church.

"Which things the angels desire to look into." 1 Peter 1:12.

In the tabernacle in the wilderness you would see on the mercy seat two cherubim with their faces inward and downward as they spread their wings over the mercy seat. They were looking at the precious blood on the mercy seat, "which things the angels desire to look into." By marvelous wisdom God takes poor, wretched sinners who were on their way to hell and forms them into one body, first to be a testimony of God on the earth and then to be with Christ as His companions for all eternity!

Our response to these truths will be manifest at the judgment seat of Christ, either for reward or for loss.

Our View From Heaven

Samaria, the city on the hill, is a picture of the believer once dead in sins but alive unto God and seated in heavenly places in Christ. Until they got to the hill, they were blind. The natural man cannot understand the things of God at all. The believer needs to learn of his new position "in Christ" so that the eyes of his understanding may be opened to understand the "mystery"

"And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria." Verse 20.

In their new position on the hill, the eyes of these men who had been enemies were opened. "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Rom. 5:10. If the death of the Lord Jesus has brought so much blessing, what will His life as a man (our new position in Christ) bring to us who have believed? The "mystery," Eph. 1:8-23 and 3:8, brings us the full life and blessings forever with the Lord Jesus, the Bridegroom, as He takes His place with His bride, the Church, that we may live with Him in His Father's house.

"And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master." Verses 21,22.

The king of Israel had in his hand the host of Syria, his enemies, but they were not to be destroyed. Christ has brought in grace for those who, as ourselves, were enemies and were not deserving of any of the least of His mercies. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." John 1:17. What a Savior! We shall praise Him forever for this.

But there's more! Instead of being smitten as they deserved to be, he set bread and water before them. Not only did the Lord Jesus provide eternal sustenance, but He set us free.

"And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel." Verse 23.

What would grace do? Set before them the necessities of life only? No! "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Rom. 8:2. The great provision was the "mystery" laid up since before the foundations of the world, now brought to us through the ministry of Paul and the New Testament prophets.

Why return to their master and his land? They were now at liberty-set free. The believer is sent into the world, where his former master is, to be a witness of the Lord's goodness and mercy to lost sinners. This is our mission until the Lord comes for us.

Paul's Prayer

The Apostle Paul's prayer to God the Father was that He would give to us "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him [Christ], being enlightened in the eyes of your heart, so that ye should know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what the surpassing greatness of His power towards us who believe, according to the working of the might of His strength, in which He wrought in the Christ in raising Him from among the dead, and He set Him down at His right hand in the heavenlies, above every principality, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name named, not only in this age, but also in that to come; and has put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the assembly, which is His body, the fullness [complement] of Him who fills all in all." Eph. 1:17-23 JND.

We are placed in the world to be prepared for that eternal, glorious day. Do we realize that we are being washed by the water of the Word in view of that day? "Seeing then that all these things [all natural things] shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" 2 Peter 3:11.

To feed on Christ exalted in heaven, the hidden manna, and to learn these eternal principles found in His Word will take the rest of our stay on the earth. Soon we shall be taken home to heaven for the marriage of the Lamb. Marriage is a picture of our happiness with Christ in heaven forever. May our affections be aroused now for that happy day.

Courtesy of BibleTruthPublishers.com. Most likely this text has not been proofread. Any suggestions for spelling or punctuation corrections would be warmly received. Please email them to: BTPmail@bibletruthpublishers.com.

The Power of Sin

Rom. 6 deals with the power that sin had over me. Because I have died in Christ (in His death), the issue of power is settled, for sin has no more dominion over me.

Having died with Christ, sin can have no dominion over me. Did Christ go down into death? Yes! So in chapter 6 we have baptism, which is a figure of death.

Baptism will never save anyone, but if you and I lay hold of the truth of baptism, we will be delivered practically from the power of sin in our lives and will see the old man dead, just as Christ died. Is the power of sin attached to me any longer? No! It is His death that delivers me and I have the happy privilege of seeing myself dead in that death which He died on the cross.

Romans does not present a man seated in heavenly places; that is the teaching of Ephesians. In Rom. 6 we see a man coming up out of death where he had been buried (baptism). We are not taught here about the resurrection of life; that we will find in the epistle to the Colossians.

Rom. 6 shows a man on earth who has come through death spiritually, his guilt having been removed. We are taught the truth of deliverance from the power of sin. How can a man be delivered from the power of sin? Only by the death of the old man, and life in the new man who has come out of death.

The place belonging to the first man (the old man) is death. If we do not leave the old man in the place of death we shall never understand the place that the new man has in Christ.

Coming out of death, we are in a condition of newness of life. All guilt is gone. It is entirely a new start. All that has gone before is to be forgotten. All that we were lies in the death of Christ, removed forever.

Here the subject is the power of sin in the flesh. If Christ has died, that life in the flesh has gone. He arose in newness of life. In Christ we have that new life.

The Practical Key

The practical key to the whole subject of deliverance is 2 Kings 6:7-"Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it." It is a direct word of God to the conscience. Are you going to take it up? This is the man who is struggling for deliverance and for rest of heart. "Oh wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Here we have deliverance through the work of another-Christ.

Scripture says in John 14, "Because I live, ye shall live also." That is deliverance, and if we keep our eyes on Christ by reading His Word and by prayer, because it is in this way that we keep our eyes on Christ, we will enjoy this deliverance practically, every day. When we make worldly things our object-making money, pleasure or whatever-we lose a sense of deliverance.

"The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." It is a new law-"the iron did swim." All the iron could do was sink to the bottom of the Jordan river, but as a result of casting the stick in where the iron sank, a new spirit of life took over and delivered the iron with a life within. What a glorious deliverance-a new principle of life in Christ Jesus. It now is ours. May we live it!

Put to the Test

"And he cast his mantle upon him"-to test him. "And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee." The expression "father and mother" signifies first principles rather than the natural father and mother. One who has tasted old wine never desires new It is grace, sovereign grace, and that alone which has done anything for man, and that is what we have to learn, and so he says, "Go back again, for what have I done unto thee?" He is drawing him with the cords of a man and is putting him through each step to see what effect it is going to have on him. Does he go back to his father and mother? No, he doesn't. The attraction to Elijah was so great that there was a new object before his soul. If you and I get Christ before our souls as our object, we will not go back.

The act of slaying the oxen with which he was plowing brought death on all former life and resources. Dear Christian, have you and I done this, or are we making provision for the flesh? These truths are vital, and they are necessary today. We either have to have Christ in everything, or we are going back, and so it says, "He slew them," and he turned everything into a new path.

He boiled the oxen and provided meat for the people of God. Remember the oxen and the instruments of the oxen in the fire. That is judgment; put them in the place of judgment where they belong, because we never reclaim anything from the flesh. The flesh profits nothing. "And they did eat." It means that if we take this path our work will be profitable, there will be results from it; they did eat.

Before Elijah was taken up into heaven, he had to show Elisha, step by step, the path to take in his absence.

"And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel." 2 Kings 2:1,2.

In four places, Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho and Jordan, he was given the necessary instruction. At these points and in the journeys between them, the prophet Elisha was tested for his fitness, besides providing sweet communion with his master.

Repentance

When He was on earth, the Lord's ministry called for repentance. After going to heaven, He began a new ministry.

Now, He ministers through men, for "when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men" (Eph. 4:8), and we see the Apostle Paul coming forth with a line of grace, the gospel of the grace of God. While it involves the kingdom, Paul's ministry is an entirely new thing. Before, He was hidden, but now in grace God is coming out to manifest all that He is, in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul saw Jesus, not as a Man on earth, but as the exalted Son of man in the glory. In type, Elisha demonstrates the character of Paul's ministry.

You and I will never know God until we know something of these wretched hearts of ours. But that is where the gospel brings us. It gives us to see what we are, and we find that Elijah himself had to repent, and also Elisha. Repentance is not merely an act when we receive Christ as our Savior, but it is a state of soul. Unless you and I go through life conscious of what we are by nature and conscious of the grace that saved us (I am not saying, occupied with nature, but, conscious of it, because it is our happy privilege to be occupied with Christ), the enemy is going to get advantage over us.

The ministry of Elisha speaks of his coming in contact with the leper Naaman, a Gentile, and on repentance and owning the prophet of God and what the Word of God had to say to him, his flesh came again to him as a little child. This exemplifies a new beginning, a divine life, which comes only through sovereign grace.

As we closed the ministry of Elijah and began the ministry of Elisha, the subject of repentance was prominently brought before us, because the Spirit of God was bringing in a candidate for the kingdom of God. When we use the expression, "kingdom of God," we speak of it in a moral sense, not a literal kingdom on earth. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Rom. 14:17. The following principles set forth in Luke 9 give us illustrations of what repentance entails.

"And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto Him, Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." Luke 9:57,58.

A man came to the Lord and proposed to follow Him wherever He went. Immediately the Lord told him that to follow Him called for being willing to be rejected and have nothing to depend on but the Lord Himself. The foxes had their holes, and the birds of the air had nests; but the Son of man had not where to lay His head.

"And He said unto another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." Luke 9:59,60.

Repentance

Elisha repents, and then comes his deliverance. He turns back, not to kiss his father and mother, but to slay the oxen and bring death on all that he was formerly connected with in the flesh, religiously.

He took "the yoke of oxen" (J. N. D.) and slew them and boiled their flesh with the instruments "of the oxen." He used the very instruments that he was employed with, in the former testimony, now to lay the foundation, in his own soul, for the new testimony of heavenly things, which brings death to the old and life to the new. This death of the oxen spells life for the people of God. How far-reaching the ministry of grace that follows.

Elisha is now a minister of heavenly grace with Elijah who is about to go up to heaven, as his lord and object, for Elisha will remain as a witness of heavenly things.

Repentance and Deliverance

Man through Adam's fall had a nature that could do nothing but sin, but through the work of Christ on the cross, God will restore all that was lost through the fall. The individual receives the blessing through repentance and the obedience of faith. Having repented, the soul is now in dependence on the Lord and His work on the cross.

In Luke 3 God traces man's lost condition right back to its source (Gen. 3) where the mischief began in the garden. Then He shows us how the problem is met and resolved in the person and work of the Son of man. Now God is free to bless all who repent.

The kingdom of God is a vast moral kingdom with Christ, the Son of man, at its head. Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit are its attributes. When the nation of Israel refused the kingdom of God and its king, it was offered to the Gentiles who received it by faith.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [the Word] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5. Flesh and blood cannot enter it (1 Cor. 15:20), for the works of the flesh disqualify one to enter.

The forsaking all of our former religious life shows a new birth and a new creation. The work of the Holy Spirit in a soul is like the woman sweeping the house, my inner being, and discovering the lost silver coin. She continued until she found it and then rejoiced with her friends (Luke 15:8-10).

Resurrection

"He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes." 2 Kings 4:33-35.

The picture before us is resurrection, but in the sense in which it typifies the Church. When raised in that day, everyone in the assembly will be just like Christ. Oh, the power of resurrection life! What a change!

"Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself." Phil. 3:21.

Elisha went up, just what the Spirit of God wants us to do, rise in our souls, with only one path for us-up.

In the Old Testament we read that Aaron had a coat, and his sons had little coats just like his, the outward side of the blessing. Physically we shall be just like Christ, His companions there in the glory In Elisha and the child we have a picture of what God will do in the day of resurrection. We shall be changed into the physical likeness of Christ.

In the first creation the Lord God breathed on Adam, and he became a living soul. Here the child sneezed seven times.

“I am come that they might have life,and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10.

This is the more abundant life, eternal life, not life in the first man, Adam, for in Adam all die. If you do not have this life, you have nothing but eternal separation from God and all that is good.

Seven speaks of spiritual perfection, or life in the Spirit, a life that is of the same character as Christ's.

"Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Rom. 8:9.

It was not an inheritance down here that the great woman was seeking, but in the language of Hebrews, "For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city." Heb. 11:14-16.

We are looking forward to a heavenly inheritance with Christ in glory "And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out." 2 Kings 4:36,37.

Sons of the Prophets

"And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace." 2 Kings 2:3.

The cursory insight of coming events had such little meaning to the sons of the prophets (those taught by the prophets) that what they said was only a disturbance to Elisha and Elijah as they went on in communion together. Elisha's answer quieted them for the moment. It is one thing to know truth mentally, but in a coming day, unless such have received the love of the truth by walking in it by faith, they will meet with the common judgment of Christendom, in its season. The greatest of all judgments will roll over those who, as the Bethelites, of the truth and promises but have spurned them.

"And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace." 2 Kings 2:4,5.

Jericho, the city of the curse, must be visited. Elisha was again tested but would not leave the prophet Elijah.

Jericho had been rebuilt in defiance of God, and it is the character of a cursed world through which we are passing, as Elisha did, where there is nothing to satisfy the heart. What a Babylon of violence and corruption!

The sons of the prophets could only repeat what they had said before. They did not participate with the prophets.

"And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on." 2 Kings 2:6.

"The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it." Luke 16:16.

Elisha would not leave Elijah, for he insisted on pressing into the kingdom. Notice the beautiful language. Sometimes we have tried to encourage someone by setting out a path for him, but this is not of God. Example is rather the principle. The Lord might send me to this or that place. If the Lord has sent me and I take that path, then I am sure that it will be an example to someone else.

Sons of the Prophets

The first thing to notice in this chapter is the "sons of the prophets." They are in a new position; they are in the presence of Elisha. Elisha is a picture of Christ in grace and they, like the man in Rom. 7, are in this new position. They are like those who know their sins are forgiven but are not yet delivered from this body of death.

These "sons of the prophets" could not see where they might rest. They saw no place of deliverance, so they set out to make themselves one. If you and I don't see the truth of deliverance, we will set out to make ourselves a place of rest. We will be very disappointed, just like these "sons of the prophets" were, and we will get ourselves in a place of hopelessness. What gives rest and peace is to discover the work of Christ-to discover how fully it meets every need and gives the spirit complete rest.

The history of the "sons of the prophets" is interesting. When first mentioned in 2 Kings 2:3, these men manifest little or no faith. Their display of disbelief when Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind is appalling. However, when last mentioned at Gilgal, they seem to show real faith, a concern about purity, and a discernment of evil regarding the great pot and its contents. The ministry of grace by Elisha seems to have done its work.

The Test of Reality

"Elijah passed by him [Elisha], and cast his mantle [succession of the office of prophet] upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss [the assurance of affection] my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee." To run after Elijah betrays the lack of reality. The oxen are still alive and waiting for his return to them. Elisha was acting like the young man in Mark 14:51,52 who turned back when he faced the cross and rejection. He had nothing beyond death.

For Elisha to return to kiss his father and mother (the old relationships) would show where his heart was. Double-mindedness will not do for entrance into the kingdom of God. "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife." The old must be abandoned for the new; there must be no attempt to mix the old and the new or there will be no fitness for the kingdom of God.

Elijah rebuked him, saying, "Go back again: for what have I done to thee?" If the old garment is to be retained, there is no use even starting with the new Fitness for the kingdom of God comes by having a new object (Christ) altogether. "Death and judgment are behind us, grace and glory are before." All of the past life must be put in the place of death, then the new life will thrive. This is the arrow that struck deep into the conscience of Elisha.

Barbed words may fasten where they fall, and stay, deep in the hearts of men, and never pass away. Whether one receives or rejects the rebuke, the message heard at that time, and it comes to all, will remain with them for all eternity, having either accepted or rejected the kingdom of God. How good for the believer to reminisce about that moment when darkness was turned to light, when eternal life was assured, when we forsook all for Christ.

The Final Test

The final test for the great woman was Elisha's word, "Take up thy son." "Son," suggesting "hope," very important to the woman, in this case personifies the inheritance. The prophet used the word "son" instead of "child," and "the Shunammite," which connects her with the inheritance. We noticed that the term, "great woman," had a moral bearing showing the largeness of appreciation of God's ways, and "mother" signified that the affections were involved.

The great woman made clear by this final action that she valued the prophet more than her son, displaying a maturity of faith such as Abraham had. Have you ever thought that putting all else aside and making Christ everything for your soul is Christian maturity?

"Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out." 2 Kings 4:37.

She valued the prophet most but did not despise the blessing. When we have Christ we have all.

"Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it." Eph. 5:25.

He gave Himself—all that He is—for us.

The Oil Stayed

"And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed." 2 Kings 4:6.

In this verse, "her son" suggests the individual's responsibility in his position among the sons.

The woman said, "Bring me yet a vessel." His answer was, "There is not a vessel more." Then "the oil stayed." God will wait until the last one is brought in. Then the Church is raptured and the Spirit of God is taken away.

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:15-17.

The Spirit of God will indwell the believer forever. What blessed truth! Are you going to be taken to heaven when the Holy Spirit of God leaves? You will if you are sheltered by faith under the precious blood of Christ.

Warnings

"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself; and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." 1 Tim. 4:15,16.

Chapter 4 is a warning to us that unless we hold these truths and continue in them in God's assembly, we are going to find ourselves in spiritual difficulties. If we are not under the control of the Spirit of God, we are liable to be under the control of seducing spirits mentioned at the beginning of the chapter.

This is a warning to Christendom, because Christendom ends in strong delusion after the true Church has left this world. The great apostasy which is coming will envelop all of Christendom-those who refused in their hearts to own the truth of God.

1 Tim. 4:16 is an exhortation to the individual, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine [the teaching]." He would not tell each of us to take heed if there were not danger, which is rapping on our doors every day. If we do not take heed, if we do not follow in the truth which we know and have been assured of and bow to it, we will be in trouble spiritually.

"Take heed unto thyself." The Apostle Paul speaks to Timothy, a beloved servant and warns him, "Continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." This does not mean that he will save himself from hell. He is speaking of the testimony of God on the earth, and if one will not take heed, he will find himself outside of the testimony of God on the earth and into delusion. If one is a real believer he will not lose his soul, because "My sheep... shall never perish," but he will lose his sight as Samson lost his spiritual sight-and maybe his reward, which he might have had if he had walked in the path of faith.

God has made the assembly on earth to be His house-the habitation of God through the Spirit. As God's house it is the pillar and support of the truth and God's present witness for the truth on the earth. Are you and I going to be found walking in fellowship with God where God has set the truth, in "the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth," or are we taking the path leading to the great delusion? (2 Thess. 2:10.)

We Have

What do we have in connection with the "mystery" concerning Christ and the Church?

•We have every blessing in the heavenlies.

•We shall reign over all things with Christ in the eternal state.

•We shall enjoy with Him the entire inheritance of all created things.

•We have all spiritual blessings from the Father-to be included in the heavenly family in the Father's own house forever.

•We have been chosen in Christ before the world was founded, to be holy and without blame (as Christ is) before the Father in love.

•We have been predestinated to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of the Father's will. (Predestined means to be singled out before the foundation of the world, to have a place with Christ in heaven in a coming day.)

•We have been accepted with the same acceptance that Christ, as man, has, for we are in the Beloved-in Christ.

•We have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of our sins through the riches of His grace.

•We have been given wisdom and intelligence, in that He has made known to us the "mystery" of His will-that in the fullness of times He will gather together in one all things in Christ in heaven and on earth. Then, with sin gone, all will be holy forever.

•We have obtained our inheritance.

•We shall be to the praise of His glory.

•We have been sealed (a sign of possession) with that Holy Spirit of promise, the earnest of our inheritance until we have been taken to heaven-His purchased possession.

What's in Your House?

When I read this question, "What hast thou in the house?" it comes home to my own soul, "What do I have in the house?"

What do we allow in our houses? Do we have just what this woman had and nothing more, the presence and testimony of the Holy Spirit?

The Lord told His people of old that when He walked through their camp He did not want to see anything that deified. If there was anything dead seen, the people were to bury it.

Are there hindrances to our spiritual growth in our houses? The woman had a pot of oil, and that was all. Is Christ, ministered to us by the Spirit, enough, or do we have the attractions of this world to entangle our souls until we lose our spiritual sight?

Worldly Honor

"And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?" 2 Kings 4:13.

When this test of worldly honor is set before the Shunammite woman, her response is intelligent, decisive and ready.

"I dwell among mine own people." 2 Kings 4:13.

Earthly, worldly honor, appealing to the natural heart, soon passes, but this beautiful answer of faith would bring eternal blessing, faith expecting that God will do what He says in His own time and way.

"By faith Moses, when he had become great, refused to be called son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction along with the people of God than to have the temporary pleasure of sin; esteeming the reproach of the Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect to the recompense." Heb. 11:24-26 JND.

Just at the time Moses was in a position to take over the throne of Egypt, he chose rather to dwell with the people of God, and his name is inscribed in heaven, not on a tomb in Egypt.

Perhaps Heb. 11:33, "obtained promises," and verse 34, "out of weakness... made strong," include the great woman.

"And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she bath no child, and her husband is old. And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said, About this season, ac cording to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life." 2 Kings 4:14-17.

The Shunammite knew well that the prophet's choice for her was far better than anything she could ask, and this confidence made her great. She received the same blessing as Abraham, a son, a miracle beyond nature, but God acts in sovereignty and delights to bless in His own way. The inheritance was now assured.

Choosing our own path in this world leads to disappointment and prolonged bitterness. Choices of all kinds-ecclesiastic, business or marriage-must be left with the Lord, as Hezekiah said, "Undertake for me."

Elisha: God Is Salvation

Table of Contents

The Ax Head

Behind Closed Doors

Bethel

Bethel

A Borrowed Ax

Chamber on the Wall

Deliverance

Deliverance

Deliverance by Flesh?

Deliverance by Law?

Deliverance by Works?

Deliverance From Law

Elisha Meets Elijah

Elisha's Deliverance

Elisha's Kingdom Call

Empty Vessels

First and Last Adam

Follow Me

Further Testing

Gilgal

Gilgal

Go, Sell the Oil

God's House

God's Testimony

Going to the Jordan

A Great Mystery

A Great Woman

A Green Tree

Guilt

Heavenly Grace: 1 Kings 19 to 2 Kings 4

Her Inheritance

The Holy Spirit's Work

A Hopeless Case

The House of God

Iron That Swims

Jericho

Jordan

Mount Carmel

The Mystery

Needs and Resources

On the Right Track

Open His Eyes, That He May See

Order in God's House

Ordinances or Faith?

Our Blessings

Our View From Heaven

Paul's Prayer

The Power of Sin

The Practical Key

Put to the Test

Repentance

Repentance

Repentance and Deliverance

Resurrection

Sons of the Prophets

Sons of the Prophets

The Test of Reality

The Final Test

The Oil Stayed

Warnings

We Have

What's in Your House?

Worldly Honor