Elisha did many things in a way that was similar to Elijah, including bringing the son of people who had helped him, back from the dead. Later, the crops had failed and food was scarce. A group of prophets were meeting with Elisha, who told his servant to make a big pot of stew. Someone found a wild vine with fruit growing on it. They added it to the stew, which made it too sour to eat. Elisha sprinkled some flour into the stew and it tasted fine. Some time after that a man brought Elisha some bread from the firstfruits of the barley harvest. Elisha told his servant to give it to the people. The servant told him that there wasn't enough to feed 100 of them, but Elisha told him to do it anyway, because God promised there would be enough. So the servant served them the food and there were leftovers, just as God had promised.
Naaman a commander of the Syrian army was well respected, brave, and strong, but he had leprosy. An Israelite servant of his wife's told her about Elisha and how he could heal him. He went through proper channels and found Elijah's house. A servant met him at the door and told him to wash in the Jordan 7 times. This made him angry, because he thought it wouldn't work. He was wrong. It worked, then he knew that the God of Israel was God. He had brought clothes and riches which Elijah refused to accept. Gehazi decided to get some for himself and composed a lie which he told to Naaman. Elijah knew everything that had happened and cursed him with leprosy.
The prophets wanted to build a larger meeting place. As they were chopping wood for the new place an ax head of one of the men flew off and sank in the Jordan. The man was upset because he had borrowed the ax. Elisha asked him to show him where it had fallen in, and he threw a stick he had cut into the water and the ax head floated up to the surface and the prophet reached in and grabbed it.
The king of Syria was convinced he had a spy, because the Israelite army always seemed to know what he was going to do. Elisha knew because God told him and he told the Israelite king. The Syrian king heard about Elisha and wanted to caprure him. Elisha's servant was afraid until Elisha asked God to let him see. What he saw was the hillside covered with fiery chariots and horses all around Elisha. As the soldiers drew near Elisha prayed to make the soldiers blind. So they were blinded by the light. Then Elisha led them to his king who thought he should kill them. But Elisha told him not to kill them, but feed them and send them back home.
Later, Israel was attacked by Syria again. It lasted so long that there was nothing to eat. A couple of women even agreed to eat their children, and one welched on the deal and the other complained to the king of Israel. He blamed Elisha and ordered him behedded. The king went to Elisha, who told him that by that time the next day the famine would be over. An officer with the king told him that could never happen, and Elijah told him he would see it but he wouldn't eat it. Then 4 men with leprosy figured they had nothing to lose if they went to the camp of the Arameans. So at sundown they went and found the entire camp with everything left just the way it had been set up with just the people missing. (The Lord had made them hear thundering hooves of horses and chariots of a great army, and they had run for their lives leaving everything behind.) After they enjoyed a meal, they went back to tell the Israelites what they had found. Everyone went to the camp and helped themselves and the famine was over, just like that. The officer who had doubted God's word was trampled to death in the frenzy of the people.
Elisha had told the Shunammite woman who's son he had brought back to life to leave for 7 years because of the famine. She did as the man of God told her and returned 7 years later. She went to the king to ask for her property back and told him she had been told to leave. Gehazi happened to be there and backed up her story to the king. So the king returned everything she had owned to her.
Later, Elisha went to Damascus to visit king Benhadad who was ill. He asked his servant Hazael to take a gift to Elisha and ask him if he would get well. So he did and Elisha told him that the king would get well. Then he told him that the Lord had told him that Benhadad would die. He stared so long at Hazael that he was embarrassed, then he started crying. When Hazael asked him why, Elisha told him the horrible things he would do to the people and their children, and that he would be the next king. When he returned to the king he told him he would get well, then he smothered him and became king.
Tomorrow read 2Kings 8:16-10:24
No comments:
Post a Comment