God is Our Hope

2nd Kings 4

I sometimes get scared when I start thinking about the trials that one must face in this life. The Bible talks about the problems we will face as believers (John 16:33- We will face tribulations). We will face persecution but we will also see the effects of sin, death and disease work in this life. I always seem to think, how will I react once I face a trial? Will it hurt? How painful will it be? Lord, do I really need to go through this? As it is easy to get caught up about these issues, I always need to remind myself that today has enough to worry about so I do not need to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34).

In this chapter of 2nd Kings we see Elisha doing ministry but we need to no let this pass over the fact that God shown himself to the people effected by the trials.

Issue #1- A Debt so High the Children would be Taken

Elisha is walking and a woman cried out to Elisha and said, “My husband is dead and not the creditor is coming to take my children and sell them into slavery to pay off the debt that we owe.” What a desperate situation! I could not imagine what this would be like to first lose someone so close to you as your spouse and then finding out that your children will be taken away. This would have been like the world was crashing around you and you do not know what to do.

God showed himself by providing for this woman and her family in a very miraculous way. Elisha asked her if she had anything to sell to pay off the debt. She replied, “Only a little jar of oil.” That was enough, which would make no sense to anyone, but for God, it was plenty. They gathered extra jars and pots and this little jar of oil kept on producing more and more oil, enough to fill all the jars, pots, and vessels. It was enough for her to sell the oil and pay off her debts and live off the rest. Amazing! God provided in a desperate time.

Issue #2- We have been trying to have children for years but can’t

Elisha was walking to Shunem and a wealthy couple took interest in Elisha. Everytime he was in town they would provide for him food and shelter. They liked him so much that they built a little room for him on top of their house. Elisha asked what he could do for them and they just wanted a child. Elisha said, “At this time next year you will embrace a son.” 

I take this part a little to heart because my wife and I are expecting our first child in April. We were not really trying to have children for years like I know so many others are trying but the fact to know you are having a child brings so much joy to you. She may have not be as desperate as the first issue but it still was a burden she carried and God took that load and fixed it.

Issue #3- Why Would You Take My Son You Gave me

We read in verse 18-37 that some years passed and that family that could not have children did give birth to a son, just like God spoke through Elisha. He now is older and helping dad out in the field. He starts having some serious headaches and then dies. They probably had years and years of joy because of God bringing forth a son, but now it would all change. This woman who wanted a son so bad knew this was not the end even when all the signs looked like it was. She herself went to look for Elisha and knew he could do something because of how amazing God is.

We do not know how much time passed before the woman actually found Elisha, but we do know that Elisha came and asked for God’s help. God provided the hope in a desperate situation again. God is sovereign where he even holds life in his hands. This was nothing light for the Lord. 

Issue #4- So Desperate for Food that even if it is Poisonous You would still Eat it

We read in verses 38-44 that there was a very severe famine in the land and a group of prophets were trying to make a pot of stew. One prophet was trying to be “Emerald” and put some special plant in the pot which turned out to make the food poisonous. Now we may not look at this as a desperate situation like the previous issues but we need to understand people were hungry. I have never ever been in that situation where I have been so hungry that I had nothing to eat and when I did make something I could not eat it and then be upset because I would not eat it. Most of us would say, throw it out and make another one. They could not do that, there was barely any food in the land to begin with.

Elisha, the man God used during this time in Israel, threw flour in the pot and it was good for food. The food and lives were saved. God again showed himself in a desperate situation.

Do you have any desperate situations going on? Maybe you have not faced any of these or anything to bad yet but do you know who to go to for help? We need to know that God is in control of all things. He is in control of our daily lives. He is control of our desperate situations. We can look at Job or David or Paul or Peter or any of the apostles and they faced hard stuff but God still showed himself to them. God will show himself to you, he is our hope and light in darkness. May you see that now so it will be easier when it gets tough.

Be Christlike

2nd Kings 3

The coolest thing is when someone you may no know but they have heard of you and what they have heard of you is good. It is not cool when someone that you do not know knows you but only the bad things. One of the most important things that we need to have as young believers is integrity. Integrity is being able to be the same in public and in private; being a godly example in both worlds. I know we mess it up but it is being able to say, I am not pursuing sin in private and acting godly in public. It is true in both places. 

In this chapter we see what happens with Israel as Jehoram the son of Ahab and Jehoshaphat king Judah do as Moab comes against them. 

A Short Treaty is Made

Remember the kingdom is split. Israel of the north and Judah of the south, come together because Moab decided to rebel against Israel. Jehoram decides to go to war against Moab but instead of going by himself he asks the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, to go with him and also the king of Edom. This was a serious battle and they had to travel pretty far to get to Moab. On the seventh day as they traveled they were without water and the animals and men began becoming faint. They thought they were about to die because of the lack of water, but Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there a prophet of God that could help?” 

The prophet that came was Elisha and he was only going to speak truth.

Integrity 

So the king of Israel who did evil in the sight of the Lord asked for help and Elisha was like, “Why should I help you?” But then Elisha saw that the king of Judah was there and he said, “Since you are here, I will help.” The reason was because Jehoshaphat was a king that desired the Lord. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord (1st Kings 22:43). Because of him Elisha decided to help. The Lord was going to bring water for the troops and the animals to drink and Moab would think they were going to die. 

God did as he said he would and you know what is cool? He brought water out of dry ground and this was a light thing for the Lord. God is so awesome that he could bring water to a dry stream-bed without rain. This was easy, God is in control of nature and life. We serve an awesome God.

Are you a Wolf in Sheep Clothing?

We need to be young people of integrity! I know I am guilty abusing this and I know I need to constantly ask the Lord to forgive me and to give me strength. We need to realize that if we do not have integrity and we act one way in front of certain people and another way with others we are being a wolf in sheep clothing by being a bad example of Christ. In fact, we are leading people away from the Gospel of TRUTH and LIFE. 1st Timothy 4:12 tells us, “Do not let others despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” How true are these words for today? We need to be an example in all of those areas. May we desire to be such an example people that we do not even know may know that we are Christians by our light. 

A Hero’s Ending

2nd Kings 2

In the movies we do not like seeing an end to a hero. Usually we think of defeat when we say the end. I know I can be watching a Superman or Spiderman movie and think is this the end of them, but somehow they overcome the danger. The end of Elijah is something far from normal.

In this chapter we see how Elijah did not face death like everyone else but instead God, took him to heaven in a chariot of fire.

Gone in a Whirlwind of Fire

We see that Elisha, Elijah’s replacement, was not going to miss this moment. We read in verse 1 that the Lord was about to take Elijah to heaven. If you knew your mentor was about to be going to heaven in a way that no one else saw before that would, of course you would not miss it.

Three times Elijah asked Elisha to stay put and Elisha said, “No way am I missing this!” This was not disrespect but a chance for Elisha to show his loyalty to Elijah. Elijah then said, “Ok.” “What do you want me to leave you with?” This was a chance for Elijah to fulfill his last request or wishes of Elisha. Elisha just asked for a double portion of whatever Elijah had. He wanted a double portion of the filling of the Holy Spirit. He wanted to be used by God in a powerful way. This was not a bad request at all but one that needed to be take with great responsibility.

As they were talking Elijah was taken up to heaven by chariots of fire and Elisha saw him no more (11-12). What a way to go, not to see death but to go straight to heaven, the only other person recorded in scripture to not have seen death is Enoch (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). He was a man who loved the Lord, even though he had his doubts he still was a faithful man to a faithful God in a time when people were unfaithful to God and did what was evil in his sight.

The Double portion begins (2nd Kings 2:15–25)  

Elisha took the mantle that was left behind from Elijah and went to work. The first miracle we see him doing is when he crosses back over from the Jordan he strikes the water and the waters parted (vs 14). We read in verse 15 that the spirit rests on Elisha. He was now the hero of the time for a dark nation. There was still work that needed to be done.  The water in the city of Jericho was bad, somehow it was contaminated. Elisha takes some salt and throws it in the spring and says, “the Lord has healed this water.” The next act we see Elisha doing was he was walking to another location and along the way some boys from the city were making fun of him for being bald. He called on the Lord and two she bears tore the 42 boys apart.  these boys were very disrespectful to Elisha the prophet of God but even more so disrespectful to God.

Are you salt to the earth? Do you heal by leading people to the great healer? The prophets of the Old Testament were there to show who God was and is. God is the healer and he wanted to help Israel out in their time of rebellion. Are you more like the boys who stand in the way of God’s work? Maybe you do not make fun of the spiritual leaders but do you not help out? Do you just sit on the side and watch and never participate? Matthew tells us to be salt to this world and a light. May we be challenged to be salt and light which leads to the glory of the Lord.