In 849BC, King Joram of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah march out . If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no onewasthere. It was the power of God at the time of his immersion in demonstration of his dependence upon God. At that time, Elisha began his . We need a miracle. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice. No, Elisha does none of this. +1 for pointing out that this question don't even make sense. The flask of oil, which represented the widows utter poverty, has become the very source of becoming debt-free and living daily life. We will struggle with financial debt. Elisha performed many of the same miracles that had accompanied Elijah's ministry. Then they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other sideasred as blood. And he said, Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.. Sunday Bible Study 9:30, Worship 10:30/6:30, Wed Bible Study 7:30. He didnt cancel anyones debt. They seem to . These weren't just some bones now lying in a tomb. The Miracles of Jesus with their Scripture Text. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; andI will cut off from Ahab allthe males in Israel, bothbond and free. It had to be saved for an eternal redemptionto pay off our corruptions, to purchase us for Christ himself, and to pay our way into heaven. Say Thank-You, become a supporter, and/or partner with us in prayer. These include: (1) freedom, (2) new life and sometimes fertility, (3) hope, (4) compassion and love, (5) eternal life, (6) restoration, and (7) provision. 14:2233); reverse death by raising dead sons and restoring them to their mothers (2 Kings 4: 17; Luke 7:1117); help widows in desperate circumstances; are kinsman redeemers to save from slavery (2 Kings 4:17; Luke 4:19); feed the hungry (2 Kings 4:17; Mark 8:112); minister to the Gentiles (2 Kings 5:116); prepare (2 Kings 6:2023) and sit at table with sinners (Luke 5:29); lead captives (2 Kings 6:1820; Eph. The prophet Elijah calls the people to make a decision concerning God and challenges the prophets of Baal to a fiery test. Elisha was an important prophet that led the prophets of God during the turbulent time of the kings in Israel's history. So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, Look, the Shunammite woman! So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying,Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall besoldtomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria. Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, Now look,iftheLordwould make windows in heaven, could such a thing be? And he had said, In fact, you shall seeitwith your eyes, but you shall not eat of it. And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died. Andthe sons of the prophets said to Elisha, See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. I used multiple Study Bibles before but have made this one my daily driver. Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. These overviews are based on a helpful list I found in my Study Bible, the Dakes Annotated Reverence Bible (NKJV, paid link). What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? ncdu: What's going on with this second size column? Then she called to her husband, and said, Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back. So he said, Why are you going to him today? In a land of apostasy and idolatry, the sons of the prophets were true believers and worshippers of the Lord. A limit involving the quotient of two sums. The widow can live off the surplus oil until her children find jobs and start getting a paycheck. Their ministries both start at the River Jordan. With Gods wrath hovering over Israel during the ministry of the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 4, we meet a widow: Now the wife of one of thesons of the prophets cried to Elisha, Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared theLord,but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.(2 Kings 4:1). Her husband is described as old. Meaning that he was too old to have children. One more similarity between Elisha and Jesus would be that people obtained life through their deaths. Evidently this was for him and his household only. Like what I share? Is there a proper earth ground point in this switch box? However, I could be an affiliate for many different products but I specifically chose this one because it is the product I actually like, use, and recommend. You can follow him on Twitter. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'yeshuahboyton_com-box-4','ezslot_1',845,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yeshuahboyton_com-box-4-0');In a time when their political leaders didnt serve God, Elisha asked in 2 Kings 2:9-14 for Elijahs double portion. What is the point of this direction? And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; andhe stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. You are the one who took out the loan. And they said, This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!, A certain woman of the wives ofthe sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared theLord. Read the scripture below to find out who won the contest the god Baal . What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? He doesnt even turn it into a lesson on sin: Something must be lacking in your faith. If the widow and her husband served Elisha with fealty, then as a master, Elisha is obligated to care and provide for his servants. She is worse than dirt poor; she is death poor. Behold, they spied a band of men - rather, the band, i.e. Rather, without a hint of guilt, he offers to help. Sure, the healings made the people able to work, which is big, no doubt. Also, I made another two lists of all 42 recorded miracles of Jesus and of all 22 miracles of Moses both in chronological order, that could be relevant to you! Subscribe with your favorite podcast player. Our faith and fear of the Lord doesnt mean constant ease. She collected some 50, 100, or more containers. He appears on the Biblical Timeline with world history during the 8th century BC. One man carried it in his sack; one bag of groceries. Were the similarities between the miracles of Elisha and Jesus deliberate or simply coincidental? And most significantly, he doesnt blame her. The ministries of Elisha and Jesus share similarities not that surprisingly, as they both lived their lives in relationship with God. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, There isnot another vessel. So the oil ceased. Was the Scapegoat of Leviticus an allusion to Barabbas? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. C. When Elisha announced the coming birth she could hardly believe it. So the messengers returned and told the king. . 2. (2 Kings 2:11) Jesus. Lo and behold, they were in the hands of the Israelites. Why is this sentence from The Great Gatsby grammatical? Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. He was a servant of the people, demonstrating God's love and compassion. rev2023.3.3.43278. (See Lesson Five: Miracles related to Eyes). He purified lepers and a bleeding woman. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org, He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, Where is the, He went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, Thus says the. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyedit! So also, for us, by faith in Christ, we have the privilege of Christs intercession for us. She is pouring from a flask. Elisha, even in death, pointed to Jesus, the one who truly had a double portion, the one who did far more miracles . The Father is just. then action taken by Elisha/Jesus to distribute the food, the consumption of the food, and then finally a declaration that there was . They rather seem to be wondrous events while the prophets were present or God-inspired proclamations. Jesus made the crippled walk; he restored eyesight and hearing. We are lost and unable to save ourselves. Jesus wanted the people to associate him with the prophets and even likened his death and resurrection to Jonas three days in the belly of the fish. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, There is not one vessel more. And the oil stopped. Here is a list of those miracles: 1) Parting of the Jordan by the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him when he was taken alive to heaven (2 Kings 2:14). Thus, there is nothing unjust or oppressive about this setup. Elisha saw his master disappear in a fiery chariot, going up . Lay my staff on the boy's face.". Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.. So, we can say, like Dick said, that there is the same similarities in this two performers than in every single one. Using Kolmogorov complexity to measure difficulty of problems? A. Famine had resulted in short food supplies. (2 Kings 4:2). First, through His death on the cross (John 19:1-42) Second, through ascending to heaven in . And after a report to Elisha, he completes his charity to the woman: She came and told theman of God, and he said, Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest. (2 Kings 4:7). If you think about it, this has to be the slowest miracle ever! 14:13ff; 15:32ff). Powered by Congregate, Fort Logan Church of Christ When Elisha came into the house, behold the lad was dead and laid on his bed. That to me, is honestly the most amazing event of them all. Answered! 6. Then he said toGehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite woman. When he had called her, she stood before him. As noted earlier, the gospels and the book of Acts record many miracles. We remember that Jesus twice fed multitudes with a few loaves and fish ( Matthew 14:13-21 and 15:32-39 ). She reminds Elisha of his duty and then pulls at his heart strings. Get my Most Searched Lists of Prominent, Miracle-Working Bible Characters to save you time in your Bible Study. The popular traditions about Elisha (2 Kings 2-13) sketch a charismatic, quasi . Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Secondly, the widow was granted charity, a charity that all the neighbors helped with. At the beginning of the prophetic era with Elijah and Elisha. C. Only by the power of the God who gives life could Naaman be healed. They show that he was indeed a man of God: -Divides the shallow Jordan River (2 Kings 2:14). I don't think the OP is looking for an analogy with one-to-one analogs, Dick. At the beginning of Israel's exile. Jesus heals lepers by a word, not a river. It only takes a minute to sign up. Have we found a passage that is not Christ centered? Does Counterspell prevent from any further spells being cast on a given turn? The Elijah and Elisha devotionals point to Jesus everyday and open readers' eyes to everyday miracles. 1. On the cross. C. We are reminded in this miracle that God provides food even for the birds of the air (Matt. Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN? 2. It was the other way around. View all posts by todd Author todd Posted on November 1, 2019 February 21, 2020 Categories 1 kings, 2 kings, miracles The usual mediator in those times was the king. Elisha was the son of Shaphat, a wealthy land-owner of Abel-meholah; he became the attendant and disciple of . They consist of 3 healings, 2 raisings of the dead, 3 judgments, 12 wondrous miracles, and 12 prophecies. He was also a mighty man of valor,buta leper. They are listed in chronological with their corresponding Yeshuah is an author,ordained minister, husband, and father who equips Christians to become fruit-bearing disciples. Elisha takes up the mantle of Elijah at the River Jordan and starts his ministry. When the king is wicked, you seek out a true agent of the Lord, and there was none better than Elisha. Why Did Jesus Compare Gods Kingdom to a Mustard Seed and Leaven? Compare this to Matthew 9:23-25, to see that there is very little in common between the two miracles (and only the miracle by Elisha was preceded by prayer): When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, "Go away! A puzzle, except John's power was in bringing people to repentance, which is the primary work of Elijah during the pagan northern tribes: Jn 10:41. . He even raised a dead person postpartum. Her husband had no eyes for idols, but his heart was wholly devoted in reverence to the Lord alone. The flask represents her utter poverty and desperation. They fell on hard times. Elisha means "God is salvation ." He was anointed by Elijah while plowing in his father Shaphat's field with 12 yokes of oxen. by Chris Moen. 3. Here are ten of them: Their names have similar meanings. But as one was cutting down a tree, the ironax headfell into the water; and he cried out and said, Alas, master! Thus, Luke's juxtaposition of the two miracles, under the heading of prophetic visitation, serves a larger narrative purpose. A. Naaman was the captain of the army of Aram. 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. In the end, you have to decide if you prescribe the miracle to them or not. They feared the Lord; they kept his commandments. And for collateral or as a pledge, he put up his two children. But now you will strike Syriaonlythree times.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,100],'yeshuahboyton_com-sky-3','ezslot_22',681,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yeshuahboyton_com-sky-3-0'); Then Elishadied, and they buried him. She fills it, and then it is pulled to the side and replaced with an empty one. So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. In Elisha's case a dead man was thrown into the grave of Elisha and upon touching the bones he came alive. 2 Kings 6:20. Most of the miracles in the Old Testament were repeated by Jesus in some way or another. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, Indeed, now I know thatthere isno God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please takea gift from your servant. But he said,AstheLordlives, before whom I stand,I will receive nothing. And he urged him to takeit,but he refused. Though he performed many miracles, he remained humble and faithful to God, denying monetary gain as he served the Lord. And then Elisha responds, and with such words of refreshment! It means our Father in heaven is listening to us. For it wasborrowed. So the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. Elisha was the successor of Elijah, the greatest of all the prophets. This is a story we are surprised to read in the Old Testament. Then they served it to the men to eat. Like the widow, the Lord has told us that we are not immune to the losses and tragedies in life. Tell us now. So he said, Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, Thus says theLord: I have anointed you king over Israel. Then each man hastenedto take his garment and putitunder him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, Jehu is king!. He was of a gentle and affectionate disposition and without that fiery zeal by which his master had been distinguished. Because he was miraculously healed from cancer he now shares about healing, deliverance, discipleship, evangelism, and spiritual warfare on this website, on Youtube, on his podcast, and in his newsletter. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ButGehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; butastheLordlives, I will run after him and take something from him.So Gehazi pursued Naaman. Surely, the output is not that fast. He blogs at Between Two Worlds and Evangelical History. Attendant and disciple of Elijah, and afterwards his successor ( 1 Kgs. Updated on February 26, 2018. And the Lord opened . The majority are faith healings, exorcisms, resurrections, and control over nature.. When Naaman sawhimrunning after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Isall well? And he said, Alliswell. 5/29/20 The Elijah anointing the Elisha Church In the previous post I discussed the spirit of Elijah the old testament prophet referenced in Luke 1.17 by This is a miracle that Jesus didnt really imitate. Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones. Now it happened in the morning, whenthe grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water. And he didnt use oil, but his own blood. Turning water into wine at a wedding hardly evokes turning oil into an abundance; feeding thousands with loaves and fishes hardly evokes turning poison stew into good stew; curing lepers was a quite common claim or achievement in biblical times; making an iron axe head float in somehow unlike walking on water. They were still Elisha's bones. In one short paragraph, written a couple thousand years before Jesus walked on the earth, is a story that vividly points to his resurrection. The incident reminds us of other incidents where God has acted miraculously with water. Tell me what you have learned from your mistakes. Changing water into wine at Cana in John 2:1-11 - "the first of the signs" Healing the royal official's son in Capernaum in John 4:46-54. Elisha instructed a poor widow to borrow as many empty jars as she could. 5. Now the sons of the prophetsweresitting before him; and he said to his servant, Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and slicedtheminto the pot of stew, though they did not knowwhat they were. Elisha had double the portion of Elijah's Spirit and succeeded him. So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a bandof raiders;and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet. This is a miracle that Jesus didn't really imitate. 2. Why didthis madman come to you? And he said to them, You know the man and his babble. And they said, A lie! It is interesting that each of the three resurrection miracles reports the dead person in a different stage of death from the other instances. 4. a. Elisha raises the son of the 'Shunaammite woman' from the dead. Elisha means 'God is salvation.'. He gives her privileged access: And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Elisha's work serves as a model in teaching righteousness and faith. Yet, Jesus never really performed a miracle like paying someones financial debt. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, There is not one vessel more. And the oil stopped. The miracles of Jesus have at least three kinds of significance, corresponding roughly to three aspects of who Jesus is. It isneither theNew Moon nor the Sabbath. And she said,It iswell.Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.And so she departed, and went to the man of Godat Mount Carmel. The widow has the benefit of prophetic mediation and aid, which was denied Jehoram in the previous chapter. Who Are the Real Schismatics? The Lord knows our real needs better than we do, so sometimes He does things for us that we did not expect or addresses needs that we did not know we had. She prayed for bread, but all she got was a rock. And he said, The arrow of theLords deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians atAphek till you have destroyedthem.Then he said, Take the arrows; so he tookthem. Yet, amid the loss and pain, Christ prays for us. Elisha said, Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and live on the rest.. Bruce Waltke, writing in Ligonier Magazine about the parallels between Elisha and Jesus: Both are designated by a prophet, whom the general populace recognized as a true prophet. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, Man of God,there isdeath in the pot! And they could not eatit. Then she and her husband made a room for Elisha to stay in complete with bed, table, chair and lampstand. The person is a sinner; they deserve wrath, but the Lord graciously saves them. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Primary Sidebar. And they said, This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil! So when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they enteredtheirland, killing the Moabites. The family was struggling to get by, so the husband took out a loan. Jesus raises the dead without full-body calisthenics; he simply speaks or takes a little hand in his. He erupts with charity, generosity, and willingness. Then they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other sideasred as blood. He had given them water in the wilderness in Ex. But Elisha was sitting in his house, andthe elders were sitting with him. If God intended 2 Kings 4:1-7, 4:38-41, 5:1-14 and 6:5-7 to preview or foreshadow the events described in John 2:1-10, Matthew 14:15-20, Luke 17:11-19 and John 6:19-20 respectively, I could not imagine him making the parallels so obscure that they went unnoticed for so many centuries. In Baptism we are like the axe head. 1. Her husband was his servant. They both raise a woman's adult son from the dead. B. 3. We know the widow had faith because she cried to Elisha. Because it gets iffy with Elijahs prophecies. Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the, Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the, Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? That these miracles were similar would have the effect of showing that Jesus was fully a prophet (in addition to being fully the lawgiver and fully God) in a way that would have made sense to those who already knew the works and role of the prophets from the Ketuv'im. What shall we do? So he answered,Do not fear, forthose whoarewith usaremore than those whoarewith them.And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Then theLordopened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. Tell me, what do you have in the house? And she said, Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.. We just need to reach out, ask and truly trust that G-d can help us and He surely will. With the door shut, this buys her time to save them. 2. It exposed women to vulnerability, need, and loneliness. Ultimately it ended in death after a long period of life with the disease. Still 2. It is not a coincidence that this miracle of Jesus is so similar to Elisha's, happening so near the Old Testament . God of salvation or God shall save. He raises us to life at the time of our baptism (Col. 2:12). The word for vessels here is the most general term for containers. So Naaman said, Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to theLord. (Line breaks in the quotes above are mine.). And the pain of the widow in no way diminishes her eloquence. To view the full ESV Copyright information, click here. 7 as He brought Israel out of Egypt. Elijah the prophet served God between 860BC-852BC and did 16 miracles, half the number Elisha did which was 32 miracles.. For a prophet who was supposed to bring the sword, this is certainly merciful. So they departed from him and returned totheir ownland. The three Gospel accounts that tell us about the healing of a leper are: Matthew 8:2-4, Mark 1:40-45 and Luke 5:12-16. When did Jesus do this? 2. He unexpectedly died, and the loan fell to his wife and she defaulted. When the husband died, the loan defaulted. Miracles performed by Elisha can be found in these passages: 2 Kings 2:14, . We are not told her tribe, her hometown or that of her husband, yet we are informed that she was married to one of the sons or disciples of the prophetsthey were loyal to Elisha and faithful to the Lord. At the Jordan River, Elisha received Elijahs mantle and started moving in the power of God right away. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Both receive the Spirit on the other side of the Jordan (2 Kings 2:7-15; John 1:28); are surrounded by more disciples than their predecessors; are itinerant miracle workers; give life in a land of death; cleanse . C. God sustains His people with the water of life and uses water to triumph over their enemies. Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, Myfather, shall I killthem? Its an interesting question. Tim Keller has an awesome sermon series on the similarities. I think Satan can perform miracles. This is huge! It is God who justifieswho can condemn? This prophet actively performed miracles and prophesized through the reign of four kings. (Luke 7:11-17) The location is the village of Nain, two miles south of Mount Tabor.This is the first of three miracles of Jesus in the . info@fortloganchurchofchrist.com However the slingers surrounded and attacked it. When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, Strike this people with blindness, I pray. So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. Sounds like a WWE match introduction. 2. The Prophet Elisha - Elijah's Successor. Elisha really did help out this poor widow and her children. We forget that God used Elisha to do a similar miracle hundreds of years before. Sothe bands of Syrianraiderscame no more into the land of Israel. Thats why I recommend you add this Bible (KJV, paid link) to your study arsenal to deepen your Bible reading insights. Matthew and Mark merely state that the man was a leper, but Luke, who by profession was a medical doctor, gave more details. And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, AmIGod, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? This means that if he defaulted on the loan the creditor had the legal right, by contract, to seize his kids, and they would become the creditors debt-slaves until they pay off the loan. - And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that.