“And Elisha said, [As] Jehovah of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass when the minstrel played, that the hand of Jehovah came upon him. And he said, Thus saith Jehovah, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith Jehovah, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye sec rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. And this is [but] a light thing in the sight of Jehovah: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones. And it came to pass in the morning, when the meal offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water” (2 Kings 3:14-2014And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. 15But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. 17For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 18And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. 19And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones. 20And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. (2 Kings 3:14‑20)).
Whenever God has been graciously pleased to intervene between man and the fruits of his sinful folly, it has been at the same time necessary to maintain a testimony for truth and holiness; and, further, that whoever might be the witness for God in His grace visiting poor sinful man in the circumstances of his sorrow and wretchedness shall, in whatever time, be identified in spirit with the One who sent him. Most blessedly was this manifested in “the faithful and true witness,” the Lord Jesus Christ, who was here, the Sent One, “full of grace and truth.” If God in His own character were not fully revealed man's need could never be perfectly met. God must be made known as He is to those who have lost that knowledge, before we can benefit by that which He has for us. This accounts for the many occasions of seeming delay or reluctance in the ministry of the Lord Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, before accomplishing the coming miracle. Not that there was any real reluctance on the part of the blessed Lord, for His grace was ever ready, but man himself, with the working of his thoughts, stood in the way of the blessing. When people came to know something of the wondrous power of the Lord's ministry, there was a desire to take advantage of it in their own interests, rather than inquire why the blessing and the Blesser were here. Still less did they care to inquire too closely into the causes of their poverty and misery, as we may see more clearly, perhaps, from the following scriptures.
“But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed [them]. And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching” (Mark 6:4-64But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. (Mark 6:4‑6)). “And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tire and Sidon, and entered into a house, and would have no man know: but he could not be hid. For a woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation, and she besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast [it] unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord; yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the demon is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed” (7:24-30). “And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain” (32-35). “And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that, he put [his] hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up; and he was restored, and saw every man clearly” (8:22-25). “And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit. And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him, and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away; and I spake to thy disciples, that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation! how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child; and ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people were running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, [Thou] dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him” (9:17-25).
Many more examples might be cited, but these instances, all to be found in that Gospel which presents the Lord Jesus as the servant Son of God, may suffice to show that the Lord never made the removal of human misery, or the satisfaction of man's need, His primary object, but the glory of God. Yet His gracious, loving heart, again and again, was “moved to compassion,” and “in all their affliction he was afflicted.” With us, indeed, how different it would have been! But He was the Sent One of the Father, and delighted to do His will and pleasure. His activity received a divine, not a human impulse. He would not be forced or hurried beyond or before the will of God, not even to appease His hunger. He lived by every word of God. So again we find, “Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Juda into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die” (John 4:46-4946So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. (John 4:46‑49)). “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to the disciples, Let us go into Judæa again” (11:5-7).
In the activities of daily life and service amongst men here below, never did Jesus depart from the holy intimacy of His own proper relationship to the Father; and what was exhibited in divine perfection and beauty in the service and walk of Christ on earth, is here seen, in its own scanty measure, in the way in which Elisha entered upon the scene of his service and testimony to Israel, and how much depends upon the spirit we cultivate. It is easy for one with favors to bestow to become popular with men; and the preacher of grace will be acceptable in proportion as he makes light of sin, denies the judgment of it, misrepresents God, and flatters men. It was the mission of the Son of God to reveal the Father in light and love in the midst of a ruined world. Such an exhibition must and did bring Him who made it into circumstances of suffering, because “the darkness apprehended it not.” He became an object of scorn and hatred to those whom He would fain have blessed.
Elisha at once takes the place, of a witness to the truth and, of a servant of Jehovah. He was not flattered by the inquiry of Jehoshaphat, nor by the coming down to him of the three kings. If a matter of urgency on their part, not so with him. To him the question was, Where was God in all this? and what about Jehovah's glory? His name had lightly, and with profanity, been brought in, but they had not sought the will of God. What had Elisha to do with Jehoram? And why had the king of Israel, in the present extremity, sought to a prophet of Jehovah? “Get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother.” These former were, ostensibly, prophets of Jehovah. Were they not sufficient? Alas! it had been fully and openly proved that they were as much the creatures of the king his father, as the prophets of Baal were the creatures of his mother Jezebel. Satan could as well use one as the other (see 1 Kings 22). Now, in very truth, this is the position of Christendom to-day. Principles of Biblical interpretation, as dishonest as they are profane, have been applied to Scripture until such as have still, if but a modicum of, reverence for God's word are vainly searching elsewhere for a divine pronouncement worthy of the name of truth. Is this “The Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture,” or is it not?
In what a solemn way do we see, all around us, the fulfillment of scripture warnings! “Behold the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of Jehovah, and shall not find” (Amos 8:11, 1211Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: 12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. (Amos 8:11‑12)). Religious people are, to-day, exultant over the decay of faith and the advance of rationalism under false colors, who will vainly seek light once despised and rejected. How faithfully does the inspired apostle Paul, who clearly anticipated the present developments of ecclesiastical iniquity (as did also Peter and Jude), set before us the judgment in store for those who reject the present testimony of grace and falsify the truth. “For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let] until he be taken out of the way. And then shall the lawless one be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the manifestation of his coming: [even him] whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of a lie, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish: because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-127For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:7‑12)).
It is the spiritual discernment of evil principles, that hide their proper character in the “great house,” which attest the man of God now, and his well-pleasing to the Lord Jesus. Clearly and unhesitatingly did our prophet, in the scene before us, expose and denounce the hidden evil. Judgment would in due time be pronounced upon the Edomite scoffer. “The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye; return, come” (Isaiah 21:11, 1211The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? 12The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come. (Isaiah 21:11‑12)). The inconsistencies of the godly king of Judah would at another time, and in another place, call for rebuke. It is not God's way to rebuke His servants in the presence of the enemy: but the spiritual mind feels and sorrows over the moral confusion of the whole scene. The playing of the minstrel soothed the spirit of Elisha, and enabled him to rise above the depressing influence, which weighed upon his spirit. Like another, he would “stand upon the watch-tower.”
When in the heart of man confusion prevails, and the issues of life and death are involved, the soul instinctively feels and realizes that God must speak-that He alone can act to any real purpose: “My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither fruit [be] in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Jehovah God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' [feet] and he will make me to walk upon mine high places” (Habakkuk 3:17-1917Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. (Habakkuk 3:17‑19)). When God is thus sought and appealed to, He acts in a manner worthy of Himself—the deliverance overlaps the need— “this is [but] a light thing in the sight of Jehovah,” etc.
Thus, meditating upon such displays of mercy, we feel constrained to say, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us; unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20, 2120Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20‑21)). [G. S. B.] (To be continued)