Spanning fifty years of prophetic ministry from 850 to 800 B.C.
the life of Elisha son of Shaphat, was more than just the political voice
of God to the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel. He also took a very
personal role in the life of the people of the nation. When called by Elijah
to follow him into the service of Yahweh, Elisha literally burned the bridge
to his past life by slaughtering his yoke of oxen and using his plowing equipment
as fuel for the fire that cooked the meat. He then distributed the food to
his friends and neighbors as a testimony to his commitment to the call of
God upon his life. He faithfully remained at the side of Elijah and was the
recipient of God’s mantel of ministry when Elijah was swept away by
the chariot of fire. He advised the kings of the northern kingdom from Joram
through the monarch’s of the fifth dynasty ending with Joash. His wisdom
from God thwarted the military plans of Israel’s enemies and brought
protection and deliverance to the nation.
The Word of God gives many examples of Elisha’s personal
ministry to individuals and families. Elisha whose name means “God is
salvation” reveals to us a side of our Heavenly Father that is both
national in His dealings with a monarchy, and intensely personal as He responds
to the individual cries and needs of His followers. These are people living
during difficult and challenging times. Their very security is a fragile thing.
In the midst of all of this, God’s prophet walks among His people providing
hope and personal intervention to the obstacles of daily life. Elisha truly
represents the God who saves and who cares.
Without the array of social services available today, we see
a Hebrew widow on the brink of sheer desperation. Still dealing with the loss
of her husband, she now faces financial ruin with her creditor on the way
to take her sons as slaves. In her mind she has nothing left and no way out.
Her last resort is to seek out the prophet of God with her dilemma.
The next scene takes place among his friends in the school or
company of the prophets. They’ve outgrown their location and must move
and build a new place to live. While trying to clear the land, the head of
an ax comes off and falls into the river. This is a borrowed item, an expensive
item to these followers of God, and a seemingly impossible emergency.
Lastly, we see relatives of Elisha trying to bury a dead loved
one. Robbers appear on the horizon. In their haste, they rush to leave and
God does something unbelievable and powerful. Through the life and personal
ministry of Elisha, Yahweh demonstrates His personal care and concern for
each and every one of us. Whether the problem is big or small, our God cares
and loves us. His love for us compels Him to respond to us in our time of
need. He was and still is our great source of hope. Nothing is impossible
with God. He is the all sufficient and all caring One. He is actively involved
in the lives of His people. Just as He was with the people of Israel during
Elisha’s ministry, He is still with us today.
Our relationship with God does not keep the difficult and challenging
from coming our way just as was the case with those in the time of Elisha.
We face the fear and uncertainty associated with loss and the financial obstacles
of our day. We experience emergencies that we could not foresee. We can find
ourselves backed into the proverbial corner with no solution in sight. What
are we to do? We may even feel that God has distanced himself from us. Lastly,
we ask ourselves if our lives have had any impact upon others and future generations
of followers.
It seemed to be the perfect picture of devotion and service
to God. A man answers the call of God upon his life. His wife joins him in
leading their family to honor and serve the Lord within the company of prophets.
Their two sons grow up in the midst of this community of devotion and faith.
Suddenly, this man passes away and she is both widowed and in extreme debt.
She needs a financial miracle. God’s answer causes her to focus not
on her lack, but upon what she still has and uses it as the basis for the
miraculous. Through Elisha, she must also put feet to her faith and act upon
what God has pointed out as a provision and source of deliverance. Even the
two sons, on the verge of slavery, must participate in God’s solution.
God provides for the immediate need and meets the long term needs.
“Where did it fall?” was the question posed to the
panic stricken man when the ax head fell into the Jordan River. We must understand
that what may seem hopeless is not with God’s divine love and care.
Iron doesn’t normally float, but it can when God gets involved. In the
midst of every crisis, our Lord is still the source of our salvation and solution.
When we ask if our lives will really matter and make a difference,
God shows us the life and ministry of Elisha whose bones still give life and
testify to the power of God even after his earthly has ended. Yahweh provides
all of His followers with a hope and a future.
We must, in the midst of all life’s challenges, look at
what we possess and not at what we lack. We must be willing participants in
the plan of God as it unfolds before our eyes. We must be unafraid to get
others involved in our Lord’s divine solution. We must not panic when
the unexpected arrives. We must look at all situations through eyes of faith
and be confidant of His ability to provide. We must focus on what we have,
not what we lack. We must look away from what can’t be done to what
we can do. Lastly, we must have faith that everything done in the name of
Jesus will last and bring a future reward to God’s glory.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons.”)
Our Lord’s love for us is often found in the mist of life’s
challenges. Too often we miss the message of God’s love for us as we
live out the reality of this world’s obstacles. The prophet’s
widow was faced with a financial dilemma. The impending threat of her children
being forced into slavery because of her inability to repay a debt caused
her to focus on what she did not have. Elisha helped her in the midst of her
problem to see what she still possesses and used it as the basis for the solution
to her needs. She had to participate in the solution and when the miraculous
was completed, not only was there enough funds to pay off the debt, but God
had provided her with enough to live on. Her miraculous answer went far beyond
the immediate need.
God’s love is also shown to us through an iron ax head
lost in the murky waters of the Jordan River. The prophet who had seen it
fly off of its handle into the muddy current had cried out in despair. It
was not even his to lose and he would be unable to replace it, nor would he
be able to finish the task at hand. Through Elisha, God makes iron defy the
laws of science and float on top of the river. What was once impossible becomes
simple; the man reaches down and retrieves from the top of the stream.
Lastly, we see even the ministry of Elisha still have an effect and bringing life to another. Again we see tragedy compounded by crisis, but God brings life out of death and fear. We must change our focus from what we need to what we already have. We must renew our minds to see what we can do instead of what we can’t. Finally, we must grasp that everything we do, included a life lived to honor Christ, brings about a legacy that will continue to yield results even after our natural life has passed. We will truly make a difference in this world.
