"Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet."
Well, now, what a lucky fellow, wouldn't you say? Talk about being in the right place at the right time! And it wasn't even his doing... this poor dead man was being buried by others, and not very carefully, at that. In their haste to avoid the marauding Moabites, these men halted their arduous task of preparing a proper burial for their countryman, and, seeing a handy tomb nearby, likely thought, "Well, neither of these fellows will know any better." So, into Elisha's tomb you go, old friend.
Let's pause here to consider... have you, through no action of your own, ever had your destination changed, and not for the better (as far as you can tell)? Has anyone ever treated you hastily out of their own need for a speedy getaway? Before you rise up indignant at the memory, consider the results for this dead man...
Through no choice of his own, and not even the purpose of any man, this man was rescued from the grave. God alone could orchestrate this scenario, and it is for our benefit today as we read it.
It is written, in fact, that we may be saved. Indeed, even into the tomb Elisha's name continues to stand: God saves.
Who saves? God saves. When we believe that, we are believing in this name, Elisha, which in essence is the same as the name of Jesus.
We may say that we chose Christ, that we walked into salvation with eyes open and, seeing the wisdom of His Way, we embraced Him wholeheartedly. If we say this, however, we are fooling ourselves. Jesus told us that, if we claim to see while in the darkness, our sin remains. Who, if convinced he can see, will go to the doctor for a solution? Likewise, who, if convinced he can choose the right way, will depend on the Shepherd to save his soul from the grave?
Let's face it. Any who are saved are saved by a happy "accident" crafted by the One who formed us in the womb. Any who come in contact with the life-giving Body of Christ may be revived. What remains for us is this: once revived, will you do as the once-dead man did next? Read it again...
What did he do? He "stood to his feet."
Have you found yourself in a place not of your choosing? Have you been cast away by those more concerned about their own safety? Perhaps this is your "happy accident" moment, right here, right now. Perhaps, as you touch the life in His Word, you are being revived even now. Will you stay in the grave, or will you stand to your feet?
Life is waiting.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
2 Kings 6:1-7 Salvation in Elisha
A little logic puzzle for you: Elijah is to John, as Elisha is to .......
Did you say Jesus? Indeed, it is not just an interesing coincidence that Elisha's name has the same meaning as Jesus' name. It's the only name by which men are saved, for in fact both names mean "God/YHWH is Salvation."
Think about it. We know John made way for the Christ (John 3:30), but we don't often recall that long before John, Elijah made way for the figure of Christ we find in Elisha.
If you've been following along with Elisha's story, you ought to have found his miracles quite familiar. Multiplying food (2 Kg 4 and John 6), raising the dead (2 Kg 4 and Mark 5), opening the eyes of the spiritually blind and closing the eyes of those who see (2 Kg 6 and John 9), to name just a few.
Today I want to take a brief look at one miracle in this week's reading that, on the surface, doesn't seem to pre-figure Christ at all.
2 Kings 6:1-7
Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us. Please let us go to the Jordan, and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live." So he said, "Go." Then one said, "Please be willing to go with your servants." And he answered, "I shall go." So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, my master! For it was borrowed." Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float. And he said, "Take it up for yourself." So he put out his hand and took it.
There are several pictures of Christ I see here in Elisha, but for now I'm going to consider just two points:
1) No job is too small for His care (blessing children, paying taxes). I have known some to say "Oh, I won't bother God for that, I'm ok, I can handle it...He has bigger issues to deal with."
If this is you, my friend, you may not realize it, but that is pride cloaked in false humility... and a resistance to the Lord who wants to enter into every detail of your life. You know very well that it's in the details of your daily life that you fall to the temptation of anxiety and, if you're not careful, bitterness and then strife. You don't have to be given to this bondage; He truly has made a way out of this temptation:
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
2) Non-formuleic and unpredictable means (sometimes completely supernatural, sometimes uses props... spit (3x), a fish with a coin)
Elisha seems to favor the use of seemingly random props. He used music, a new jar of salt, grain, jars to collect oil, and here a stick and also the hand of the one who lost the axe head the first place.
One lesson to draw from this is that we don't have to limit His means of healing. If we expect Him to behave a certain way and he doesn't (but does something else we're not looking for), we may fall to the temptation of taking offense, leading to ungodly anger and hardness of heart, resisting His commands... like Naaman, for example. Remember him?
When Naaman the leper came to Elisha for healing, what did he expect? Here, check it out:
2 Kings 5:11 ..."Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper.'
But what did Elisha actually do? Well, nothing... he didn't even go out to meet the fellow; instead, he sent his servant to tell him to dip in the Jordan 7 times (that should sound familiar too, btw).
But because Elisha didn't do what Naaman expected, what was Naaman's first response? Let's look at the beginning of verse 11...
"But Naaman was furious and went away."
Fortunately for Naaman, his servants were bold enough and wise enough to steer him back to do what Elisha had said.
When you ask Him for your healing, and you should, His means of healing might surprise you. And if you ask a man of God to pray for you, do not take offense if that individual doesn't do what you expect... and if he asks you to do something you feel is beneath you... uh, just do it, ok? That man of God, if he truly is one, will have sought the Father on your behalf and will be instructing you according to Gods' wisdom, not man's, not even his own wisdom. Who are you to turn your nose up at that? Why not rather obey the instruction with joy and be grateful that you weren't required to fast forty days in the wilderness!
Elisha, true to his name and like the Christ he foreshadowed, preached salvation in his deeds... pointing to the Father who sets captives free from sickness and anxiety, and even death. The God of Elisha is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and longs to set you free as well. You may find your way to pray in your time of need, but will you then listen to what He says... will you SH'MA??
Did you say Jesus? Indeed, it is not just an interesing coincidence that Elisha's name has the same meaning as Jesus' name. It's the only name by which men are saved, for in fact both names mean "God/YHWH is Salvation."
Think about it. We know John made way for the Christ (John 3:30), but we don't often recall that long before John, Elijah made way for the figure of Christ we find in Elisha.
If you've been following along with Elisha's story, you ought to have found his miracles quite familiar. Multiplying food (2 Kg 4 and John 6), raising the dead (2 Kg 4 and Mark 5), opening the eyes of the spiritually blind and closing the eyes of those who see (2 Kg 6 and John 9), to name just a few.
Today I want to take a brief look at one miracle in this week's reading that, on the surface, doesn't seem to pre-figure Christ at all.
2 Kings 6:1-7
Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us. Please let us go to the Jordan, and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live." So he said, "Go." Then one said, "Please be willing to go with your servants." And he answered, "I shall go." So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, my master! For it was borrowed." Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float. And he said, "Take it up for yourself." So he put out his hand and took it.
There are several pictures of Christ I see here in Elisha, but for now I'm going to consider just two points:
1) No job is too small for His care (blessing children, paying taxes). I have known some to say "Oh, I won't bother God for that, I'm ok, I can handle it...He has bigger issues to deal with."
If this is you, my friend, you may not realize it, but that is pride cloaked in false humility... and a resistance to the Lord who wants to enter into every detail of your life. You know very well that it's in the details of your daily life that you fall to the temptation of anxiety and, if you're not careful, bitterness and then strife. You don't have to be given to this bondage; He truly has made a way out of this temptation:
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
2) Non-formuleic and unpredictable means (sometimes completely supernatural, sometimes uses props... spit (3x), a fish with a coin)
Elisha seems to favor the use of seemingly random props. He used music, a new jar of salt, grain, jars to collect oil, and here a stick and also the hand of the one who lost the axe head the first place.
One lesson to draw from this is that we don't have to limit His means of healing. If we expect Him to behave a certain way and he doesn't (but does something else we're not looking for), we may fall to the temptation of taking offense, leading to ungodly anger and hardness of heart, resisting His commands... like Naaman, for example. Remember him?
When Naaman the leper came to Elisha for healing, what did he expect? Here, check it out:
2 Kings 5:11 ..."Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper.'
But what did Elisha actually do? Well, nothing... he didn't even go out to meet the fellow; instead, he sent his servant to tell him to dip in the Jordan 7 times (that should sound familiar too, btw).
But because Elisha didn't do what Naaman expected, what was Naaman's first response? Let's look at the beginning of verse 11...
"But Naaman was furious and went away."
Fortunately for Naaman, his servants were bold enough and wise enough to steer him back to do what Elisha had said.
When you ask Him for your healing, and you should, His means of healing might surprise you. And if you ask a man of God to pray for you, do not take offense if that individual doesn't do what you expect... and if he asks you to do something you feel is beneath you... uh, just do it, ok? That man of God, if he truly is one, will have sought the Father on your behalf and will be instructing you according to Gods' wisdom, not man's, not even his own wisdom. Who are you to turn your nose up at that? Why not rather obey the instruction with joy and be grateful that you weren't required to fast forty days in the wilderness!
Elisha, true to his name and like the Christ he foreshadowed, preached salvation in his deeds... pointing to the Father who sets captives free from sickness and anxiety, and even death. The God of Elisha is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and longs to set you free as well. You may find your way to pray in your time of need, but will you then listen to what He says... will you SH'MA??
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