The Ministry of Elisha: No. 11

§{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{tcl97}tcl96}tcl95}tcl94}tcl93}tcl92}tcl91}tcl90}tcl89}tcl88}tcl87}tcl86}tcl85}tcl84}tcl83}tcl82}tcl81}tcl80}tcl79}tcl78}tcl77}tcl76}tcl75}tcl74}tcl73}tcl72}tcl71}tcl70}tcl69}tcl68}tcl67}tcl66}tcl65}tcl64}tcl63}tcl62}tcl61}tcl60}tcl59}tcl58}tcl57}tcl56}tcl55}tcl54}tcl53}tcl52}tcl51}tcl50}tcl49}tcl48}tcl47}tcl46}tcl45}tcl44}tcl43}tcl42}tcl41}tcl40}tcl39}tcl38}tcl37}tcl36}tcl35}tcl34}tcl33}tcl32}tcl31}tcl30}tcl29}tcl28}tcl27}tcl26}tcl25}tcl24}tcl23}tcl22}tcl21}tcl20}tcl19}tcl18}tcl17}tcl16}tcl15}tcl14}tcl13}tcl12}tcl11}tcl10}tcl9}tcl8}tcl7}tcl6}tcl5}tcl4}tcl3}tcl2}tcl1}KI 4:18-27  •  10 min. read  •  grade level: 10
Listen from:
• BibleTruthPublishers.com
By the word of prophecy God kept alive in the hearts of His people the hope of Messiah's coming. His mercy was indeed the only resource. They had corrupted themselves in the very blessings they had received from God, and the hope of the faithful lay in the salvation to be brought in by the Eternal Blesser of His people, to whom all prophecy pointed. It was not indeed that the child promised and given to this daughter of Sarah was himself a type of the Messiah long promised to Israel, but his remarkable birth, death and restoration to life, taken in connection with the mother's subsequent loss of, and reinstatement in, house and land (2 Kings 8:1-61Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. 2And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. 4And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. 5And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. 6And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now. (2 Kings 8:1‑6)), form a chain of circumstances full of interest, and, at least, suggestive of Israel's future restoration to their inheritance, when they shall in deep repentance and genuine faith appropriate the Christ whom they rejected and crucified. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:77Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:7)). This will be the divine way of re-establishing His people in the inheritance from which, by reason of sin, they have long been exiled. Here, if not a personal type of Christ we surely have a very instructive one of Israel, “of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came” —the mother widowed and exiled amongst the Gentiles, awakened by God's Spirit to a sense of her proper relationship to Him whom she once despised and rejected. In her case there was no expression of unbelief, only the very natural difficulty she experienced in understanding how the promise of the man of God could be realized. “Nay, my lord, man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid” (1 Kings 4:1616Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth: (1 Kings 4:16)), just gave expression to this difficulty. It was not unbelief, although very near it.
We find the same difference noted between unbelief and ignorance, in connection with the birth of John the Baptist and of the Lord Jesus. In the former case we are introduced to a righteous man, “walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless” (Luke 1:5, 65There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (Luke 1:5‑6)), and having, in virtue of his office, unusual opportunities for making himself acquainted with the divine way of fulfilling the hopes and desires awakened in the heart by the word of prophecy. We may opine that Zacharias had often-times read the very Scripture we are now considering besides others already referred to. Cherishing the hope of Israel, he may well be reckoned with such as were at that very time awaiting its consolation (chap. 2:25). There were also the Old Testament Scriptures pointing to the messenger who should go before Jehovah's face. The study of the holy oracles had been his constant occupation, or ver. 6 could not have been true of him. His office necessitated it, and God acknowledged both him and his wife as righteous. Nevertheless, the divine announcement to him disclosed not ignorance but real unbelief. “And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw [him] he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall. be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering, said unto him, “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season” (vers. 11-20).
Here, in one whose priestly occupation brought him into touch with the sacred writings and institutions connected with the worship and service of God, we find carnal reasoning and unbelief, as if the weakness of nature could prevent the fulfillment of God's promise. In pleasing contrast with this was the simple reverence and submission of Mary, sure evidence that the Spirit of God had prepared her to believe and to receive the promise. “And the angel answered and said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God.... And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord” (vers. 30, 35, 45). Truly, God has marvelous patience with our weakness and ignorance, but how obnoxious our pride and unbelief! A divinely wrought condition is indeed necessary for the reception of the blessing, but when faith is established and borne witness to by its fruits, there is the further dealing of the husbandman that the fruitbearing branch may bring forth more fruit (John 15:22Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2)).
“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 died. And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door] upon him, and went out. 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 to-day? neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, [It shall be] well. Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not riding for me except I bid thee. 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, that Shunammite! Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, [Is it] well with thee? well with thy husband? well with the child? And she answered, Well. And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the foot, 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 Jehovah hath hid it from me, and hath not told me” (2 Kings 4:18-2718And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. 20And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 22And 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. 23And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. 24Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee. 25So 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: 26Run 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. 27And 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 4:18‑27)).
We may here call to mind the case of Abraham offering up his son Isaac (Genesis 22). As to discipline and fruitbearing, there might be, to a certain extent, a parallel, but we see far more of contrast than of similarity in the two cases, for we know that Isaac was a personal type of the Lord Jesus Christ, whilst we cannot say that of the son of the Shunammite. Nevertheless, it is an important and instructive lesson we are set down to learn, viz., that of man's inability to keep the blessing God bestows. If faith has been in exercise in connection with the gift and its reception, it is still needful that we should learn how necessary it is to have to do and go on with God alone, even in the surrender of His own gifts. For if we are unable to do this the blessing itself may become a snare. The creation of the woman and her presentation to Adam (Genesis 2:18-2518And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:18‑25)) is set before us in a way distinct from the history of creation as such, given us in chapter 1. There is unfolded to us God's loving care and solicitude for the perfect happiness of the one whom He had set as lord of creation in responsibility to Himself. Yet did she not become a snare to her husband, who deliberately disobeyed the word of the Creator by receiving the prohibited fruit from her hand? God must be more to us than all the blessings He has bestowed. It is thus that God is glorified, and grace known and received becomes the principle of our relationship to Him, and the only guarantee for the permanence and continual enjoyment of the blessings bestowed. It pleased God to withdraw for a time the son He had given to this dear woman, that she might receive him again in resurrection, and recognize His power and prove afresh His goodness. It was remarkable that God did not make known even to His servant Elisha what He was doing. Man could not help her, she must come to God and have to do with Him alone. The occurrence of death had raised questions which God alone could answer.
We see this also in the two disciples going to Emmaus. They had known Christ after the flesh, and indeed had believed in Him, but the occurrence of death shook their faith, although it did not destroy it.” And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering, said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. And the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified Him. But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel, and beside all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done.... Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory” (Luke 24:25, 26, 18-2125Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? (Luke 24:25‑26)
18And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. (Luke 24:18‑21))?
But we shall see how perfectly resurrection as the witness of the mighty power of God, answers the questions raised by the presence of death, and establishes the soul before God in blessedness more secure and permanent than before death had broken in upon, and marred, the whole scene.
.[G. S. B.]
(To be continued)