PERLES D’ELIE ET D’ELISEE -REVELATION DE CHRIST

Elijah and Elisha Message #10

Spiritual Warfare

Ed Miller

As we come to study God’s word, we need to remember that it’s only by the
Holy Spirit that we can come, and He shows us Christ. Our brother, Jay
Holloway, has gone to have surgery; he’s having a stent put in his neck, so we’ll
remember him, as well. So, let’s commit our time to the Lord.

Father, thank You for who You are and for giving us the Bible and the Holy Spirit
to show us the Lord Jesus. In a special way with this lesson, I just pray that You
would instruct our hearts and draw us close to Your heart and deliver Your
people from anything I might say that is not from You. We, also, pray for our
brother, Jay, and just pray that Your presence would be very meaningful to him,
and he would know Your presence, and we thank You for the technology and we
ask You, Lord, to accomplish all Your purpose for Him. We commit out study
unto You now, in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.

We’re going to be looking at the truth of spiritual warfare, and Exodus 15:3, “The
Lord is a warrior, the Lord is His name.” Exodus 15:6&7, “Your right hand, oh
Lord, is majestic in power. Your right hand, oh Lord, shatters the enemy, and in
the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You.
You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.” Just a
reminder that the battle is the Lord’s, and it's not ours.

I’ve been announcing for several weeks that we’d be stopping our little look, at
least stepping back, from Elijah and Elisha and have this special lesson on
spiritual warfare. This lesson was occasioned by my understanding of one of
the events in Elijah’s life. 1 Kings 18:1, “It happened after many days, the word
of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, ‘Go show yourself to Ahab.’”
That expression to go show yourself to Ahab, I took that to be that Ahab
represents the enemy, and this is the first time in the Bible record that he had to
stand face to face with the enemy. Up until this time he had been hidden away
and protected, and he had been provided for, and he had been learning who the
Lord was, but now he has a new experience, “Go stand face to face with the
enemy.” I think Ahab just represents or can represent every enemy: the world,
the flesh and the devil.

It wasn’t only Ahab he had to face, but verse 19&20, “Now, then, send and
gather to Me all Israel at Mt. Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal, 400
prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table. So, Ahab sent a message
along with the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mt. Carmel.”
He had to face all of the Israelites who were idolaters at the time, 450 prophets
of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah and Ahab. He’s standing before the
enemy. I think all of you know the history without me retracing everything, but
only to say this much, that when God said, “Go stand before the enemy,” he was
courageous. He actually did that. He stood before wicked Ahab and the wicked
queen Jezebel and stood before the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets
of Asherah and a whole nation of idolators, but he repeated several times this
comment, 1 Kings 18:22, “Elijah said to the people, ‘I alone am left a prophet of
the Lord. Baal’s prophets are 450 men.’” That expression, “I alone am standing
here as the only prophet left of the Lord,” because of that, I think it to be that he
didn’t understand spiritual warfare. There’s nothing wrong with his dedication,
and there’s nothing wrong with his loyalty and there’s nothing wrong with his
zeal, and there’s nothing wrong with his love to the Lord. God said, “Go stand
before the enemy,” and he did. He obeyed.

I’m not going to try to prove it, but I think in my understanding, the records
shows that he obeyed, but in his own strength, in his own energy, “I alone am
the one standing before the Lord.” Therefore, I think he didn’t understand
spiritual warfare. It was followed, as you know, by a deep depression, because
it didn’t work; it failed. He was in despair, and he cried out to the Lord, that the
Lord would take his life. Everyone would agree with this, at some point Elijah
took his eyes off the Lord. Some would say that it wasn’t on Mt. Carmel, like I’m
suggesting, but later when Jezebel threatened him. Then he began to look at
circumstances and took his eyes off the Lord. I’m not trying to prove that I’m
right when I say that he fought in his own strength, but if I am right, his error was
that he didn’t understand 2 Chronicles 20:15, “The battle is not your, but God’s.”
That’s a serious error for any Christian. I think Elijah illustrates it, but even if he
doesn’t, it’s still a profitable lesson that we should look at. So, it was the
occasion for me, I don’t know where you stand on that, and I’m not trying to
prove that I’m right, but what I thought was his failure, fighting, the war in your
own strength, is a very serious issue. So, I think it should be addressed.

Many Christians think that they’re called to live for Jesus, and to fight for Jesus,
and, if necessary, to die for Jesus, but you aren’t going to find that in the Bible.
You’re not supposed to live for Jesus. He wants to live for himself. We’re not to
fight for Jesus. He’s to fight for himself, in you and through you, in me and
through me, but that’s not the same thing. It’s all about the exchanged life.
Certainly, when God said, “Go stand before Ahab and all of this wickedness, that
which represents evil, God was trying to teach Elijah how-to walk-in union with
Him, and how to trust Him. So, I say understanding was spiritual warfare, and
certainly it was necessary for Elijah, and for all of God’s children, and it’s
necessary to me and for you, if we’re going to go forward in a heart knowledge
of the Lord. Again, I think that was Elijah’s confusion, but I’m not going to fight
for that. Even if I’m mistaken, this focus that we’re going to take this morning is
misunderstood by many thousands of God’s people. So, a revelation of God’s
heart on this subject is not out of place, even if we were studying something
else, and we took a break. This is not out of place. I’m not condemning Elijah; I
just want to safeguard your heart and mine. I guess another reason I’m doing
this is because I was terribly burned in my own life, in my early understanding of
spiritual warfare. If I can help somebody not get burned that way, I would like to
do that.

I handed out reference notes on the topic of Spiritual Warfare, and I understand
that Janet put that online, so many of you have probably already had those
notes. I’m not going to teach from those pages. That’s simply for reference. I
didn’t want to read all of those Bible verses that you see there, so I gave that to
you, if you ever need it for a reference. I will probably refer to it now and then.
I’m not going follow the outline, but I’m certainly going to include the heads that I
put on the outline. We DO have an enemy, and we DO have a problem, and we
DO have a Mediator, and we DO have a victory.

Let me begin by repeating again the main verse, 2 Chronicles 20:15, “The battle
is not yours but God’s.” Of course, there’s more involved than that, but it’s not
more complicated than that. The battle is not yours, but it’s God’s. Until every
Christian is crystal clear on that, there is going to be confusion, just because of
life, and because of the things we face as we go along.

I don’t know where any of you are on this matter of spiritual warfare, but from
the time I first became a Christian I had an early introduction to it, because that’s
what they were studying in the Bible group when I got saved. That was my first
taste of the Bible. I learned pretty early that I had an enemy, and he hated my
guts. Well, that scared the living daylights out of me. I was only a Christian for
a couple of weeks, and you need to understand that I had no Christian
background. I didn’t know there were two testaments in the Bible. As far as I
can trace back, I’m the first one that was saved in our family, and that’s even
looking back. God, in His mercy in the third or fourth generation visited the
iniquities of the fathers, but He visited in grace, and not in judgment, and He
saved me. Anyway, I was only saved a couple of weeks and I knew nothing,
and I was involved in the Youth for Christ, and in those days, there were a lot of
teenagers. I was called on to pray before a gathering of about 800 teenagers. I
knew nothing. I was only saved a couple of weeks. I got up there and I’m
thinking, “What am I going to pray?” So, I asked the Lord to save Satan. I
thought that would be a great idea. That would save a lot of trouble, wouldn’t it,
if the Lord saved the devil? Later they said, “You can’t pray that.” How did I
know I couldn’t pray that?

Later, I was only a year a Christian, but I still had that early teaching in my mind,
that Satan is out to get me, and he hates me, and I was on a city bus going from
Wilke to Waterbury Conn., and I was the only one on the bus, and I was in the
last seat in the bus, and I’m just enjoying the Lord. I was still in first love, and
I’m enjoying the Lord and thinking about the Lord, and I looked in the mirror, and
the bus driver is looking at me. Well, I began to get afraid. Fear filled my heart,
the bus driver is looking at me, and I’m thinking, “I’m a Christian, and there’s a
good chance he’s not a Christian, and if he’s not a Christian, he belongs to the
devil, and he hates me. He wants to kill me.” In those days on the city bus, they
had a cord that you could pull, so I stood up and I started yanking that cord. I
wanted that bus to stop. I went up in the front of the bus and said, “Stop the
bus. You belong to Satan and you’re trying to kill me. Let me out.” He was glad
to let me out! You can see why! Those were my early ideas of spiritual warfare,
that Satan is out to get me, and I better watch out because even the bus driver
is trying to kill me.

Through the years, I didn’t do much better, because of that early study, the first
reference I had to the scripture was studying warfare, and I was full of
superstition and fear and imagination, and I didn’t know the Holy Spirit from the
evil spirit from the human spirit, and I was in a big mess. Anyway, I started a
study; I was interested, in the hard-core Satanism, and all these seances. So, I
began to study all this demon activity, and then we had some missionaries come
from third world countries, and they told us about missionary activity on the field.
The more I heard, the more interested I got, and I wanted to do the occult, and I
wanted to do magic, and all of that kind of thing.

Then, I heard that there is a way to break the generational curse. I didn’t know
what a generational curse was, if there even was such a thing. There are
hundreds of books on Satanism and warfare, and so on. There are handbooks,
study guides, manuals, and if you go online, you can actually get a Bible that’s
called, “The Spiritual Warfare Bible.” There’s a book out there called, “The Bride
in Combat Boots.” It’s all about spiritual warfare. I began to read books. I’ll
name a couple. I read, “The Christian in Complete Amour,” by William Gurnall.
By far, that’s the most Christ-centered book on warfare that I read. If you’re
going to read that, get ready to spend a lot of time; it’s more than 500 pages with
small type. It’s a wonderful, wonderful book. Then I read, “The War on the
Saints,” by Jesse Penn-Lewis, and “The Spiritual Man Volume 3,” by Watchman
Nee, and then Charlotte Elizabeth wrote a book in 1846 called, “Principalities
and Powers.” Then I read periodicals and sermons, and I was filling my mind
with spiritual warfare, and I remained as confused and in the dark as that first
days when I asked God to save Satan. I still think that would have been a good
idea! I speak as a fool; I know better.

When the Lord began to open my eyes several years ago to what you know as,
and I’ve often quoted it, the exchanged life, once the Lord began to teach me
that it’s His life and not my life, much confusion dissipated, not only on spiritual
warfare, but almost on everything. It’s amazing to me what a master key that
exchanged life becomes to spiritual doctrine. Again, here we go; I’m not
pretending that I have all the answers, and I can’t explain all the ins and outs of
spiritual warfare. I shared some of this with my Lillian, and she said, “They’re
going to be disappointed when they hear your teaching.” I don’t think you will,
but she said that because all of those things that intrigued me, we’re not going
to look at today. If you came excited to hear about that, you’re not going to hear
about that. I discovered God’s heart on spiritual warfare, and I’m not interested
anymore of all the ins and outs of spiritual warfare. I think most of that is off
centered, so I wouldn’t give that, anyway. I’m still in the dark about a lot of
things, but the light that God has dawned on my heart in terms of the exchanged
life is more satisfying than anything I’ve ever heard, I have ever read, or I have
ever experienced, and it’s that I want to share. With the aid of the Lord, the
Holy Spirit, I just pray He’ll show us the Lord Jesus and His wonderful provision
in Christ in terms of the all the details of spiritual warfare.

Let me start by just homing in on the focus. I want to talk especially about the
war against Christians that the enemy has, Satan against Christians, Satan and
his crew against Christians. The reason I’m making a point of that is because
there’s a lot of warfare that takes place before a person becomes a Christian,
and I’m not going to deal with that part. Before I was Christian, was I at war?
Yes, but I was confederate with Satan; I was at war with the Lord. I was an
enemy of God. I wasn’t an enemy of Satan. I was a friend of Satan; I loved to
sin. I was on his side, but when God saved me, I changed armies. You
changed armies when He saved you. Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates His love
in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” When we were enemies,
He loved us and He died for us. Colossians 1 :13, “He rescued us from the
domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” He
reached out and took this enemy out of Satan’s kingdom and put him in God’s
kingdom, the kingdom of His Son. Genesis 3:15, and the whole Bible, is based
on that verse, that’s the warfare verse, “I will put enmity between you and the
woman, between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and
you shall bruise Him on the heal.” The whole Bible is nothing more than that
verse developed, Satan, the seed of the serpent, going against the seed of the
woman, Satan trying to corrupt and destroy, and Jesus God counteracting, trying
to preserve and to purify. The whole Bible is a record of that back and forth. I
love that verse because it says, “I will put enmity…” That’s grace; there’s no
enmity there, unless God puts it there. I would still be loving Satan and loving
sin, but God put enmity there.

Satan hates Christ with an infernal hatred, but he can’t reach Him. And he hates
you because you belong to Christ. Revelations 12:17 illustrates that, “The
dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of
her children.” If I hate you and I can’t get to you, I’ll go after your kids. If I go
after your children, I’ve hurt you, and probably have hurt you more by going after
your children than going after you. So, that’s the war I want to speak about, the
war between the enemy, Satan and demons and all, the world, the flesh and the
devil and the Christian, after you’ve become a Christian, the war we face every
day, as Satan accuses us and condemns us, and as Satan deceives us, and as
Satan tempts us, that war.
On the second side of those notes I handed out, I called attention to the many
descriptions in the Bible that prove there is a spiritual warfare. You can’t read
words like, “the weapons of our warfare,” “Christian armor,” “a law warring in our
members,” “soldiers of Jesus Christ,” “resist the devil,” and we’re described as,
“those who wrestle with principalities and powers,” the word of the Holy Spirit is
that, “we struggle, but not as those…” So, if you are a soldier, if you have
weapons, if you have an armor, if the gates of hell oppose you, and if you’re in a
struggle, I can’t say, “There’s not such thing as warfare,” because those words
make me believe and know that there is a war.

The question isn’t, “Is there such a thing as spiritual warfare?” That’s clear.
What I want to talk about is, “What provision has God made in the Lord Jesus
Christ that I might be a victorious warrior, and that you might be a victorious
warrior.” For the remainder of this study, I’m going to focus on two things: #1
God’s provision in Christ, obviously, and then #2 what it will look like if I embrace
God’s provision in Christ. I want to start with what provision has God made for
us to be victorious? There’s a double answer to that, two parts; it’s really two
sides to the very same coin but let me give you both as a principle.

Part one, God’s provision is the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
What’s part two? Part two is the unfinished work of the Lord Jesus in my heart.
He finished everything on the cross. The unfinished warfare is what He finishes
now in the heart of the Christian. Both parts turn your eyes to Christ; everything
turns your eyes to Christ, because He is everything, and He is ever, only, always
God’s answer and God’s provision for the Christian.

When we say, “God has provided His Son, the Lord Jesus, as His provision for
us for victory, we’re automatically saying, “If Jesus is God’s provision, then I am
not God’s provision for victory.” We’re not qualified to fight Satan. You better
understand that early. We’re not adequate to stand against him or his forces. If
you look at the handout sheet, you’ll see that on the first sheet I mentioned 27
different titles of the enemy, and each of those titles emphasizes some
qualification, some power, some hostility that Satan has and has advantage over
us. Just think about it, brothers and sisters in Christ, how arrogant can we be?
Do you think you can stand where heaven fell? Are you more qualified than
Adam and Eve before they had their own sin nature, and stood before the
tempter in the garden? Romans 7:18, “I know nothing good dwells in me, that is
in my flesh. The willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
There’s nothing good in me. Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all
else, and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”

We’re combustible. You have an old sin nature, and I have an old sin nature,
and that thing is ready to catch on fire at any minute and is ready to flare up. All
Satan needs to do is throw one little spark, and poof, the old sin nature goes into
a flame. Our passions, our anger, our impatience, our lusts, we are flammable,
and we’ll just go. I like to relate that to 1 John 14:30, speaking about our Lord
Jesus, this is one day before the cross, “I’ll not speak much more with you. The
ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me.” That expression is so
interesting in the original, “He has nothing in me.” One translation says, “…no
claim on Me, no hold over Me, no power to appeal to, nothing to grasp on to.” In
other words, He doesn’t have a sin nature. To use my own words, He’s fire-
proof. He’s not combustible. Satan can go at Him with a blowtorch, and He’s
not going to catch on fire, because there is nothing to latch onto. That’s what
Jesus said the day before the cross, “The enemy is coming, but you are going to
have the victory, because he can’t latch onto Me. You’ll find out that he’ll bruise
my heel, but I’m going to crush his head, and he’s not going to be able to latch
onto Me.”
The fact that you and I are combustible, and we have an old sin nature, it’s
ludicrous to think that you or I in our strength can stand up against what the
Bible describes as our enemy. He’s got at least six thousand years’ experience
on deceiving humanity. He knows how to do it. His army, I don’t know how big it
is. It’s 1/3 of an unnumbered host. I’ll leave it to you to figure that one out. I
don’t know. He’s invisible. You are fighting an invisible enemy. 1 Peter 5:8,
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like
a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” That’s twenty-four seven. I’m going
to use Satan as representative of the enemy. Do you think the enemy needs to
eat food? You need food. The enemy doesn’t eat food; he doesn’t need any
drink to stay alive. He doesn’t need to sleep. This is your enemy. He has no
pity. He doesn’t care if it’s a child, if it’s a woman, if it’s widow, if it’s a crippled
person, if it’s an old person. He hates Christ so much. He’s a murderer, a liar
from the beginning, he’s a hater. It’s been tried to be explained this way, “Be
care, now, because Satan is going to attack you in your strong points. Like
Moses was meek, the meekest man on earth, and where did he fall? He spoke
unadvisedly with his lips. And Job, his strong point was patience, and where did
Satan go? It was after his patience. And Elijah was a man of zeal, and that’s
where he fell. Peter was a man of courage. That was his strong point, and
that’s where he fell. And Paul was claiming to be humble, and where did he fall?
He had to get a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble, because he was really
proud in his heart.”

The thing that’s wrong with saying that Satan attacks in your strong points, is to
think that you have strong points. You don’t have any strong points, and you
don’t have weak ones. We’re not divided up in strong points and weak points.
We are nothing, and we have nothing. 1 Peter 1:24, “All flesh is like grass, all
the glory like the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off,
and the word of the Lord endures forever.” Psalm 39:5, “Every man at his best
is a mere breath, less than vanity.” A breath, we’re nothing. We’re a worm.
Psalm 140:7, “Oh God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered
my head in the day of battle.” It was that verse that got John Wesley to write
this verse in the great poem, the song, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.” Second
verse: “Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee. Leave me
not alone, still support, and comfort me, all my trust on Three is staid. All my
help from Thee I bring; cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy
wing.” And he got the “defenseless head” from that psalm. We are in a spiritual
battle, but let me tell you, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, your head is
defenseless without the Lord, and so is mine.

We can’t stand in our own strength against the enemy; we’re all POW’s. Jesus
told a story one time about the strong man, where He called Satan “the strong
man.” Matthew 12:28, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, the kingdom of
God has come upon you. How can anyone enter the strong man’s house and
carry off his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he’ll plunder
his house.” Satan is pictured in that parable as the strong man. Every person is
pictured as his property. You are stuck. You are in his command, in his hold
forever, unless somewhere, somehow, some day there comes somebody
stronger than the strong man. That’s out Lord Jesus, and that’s what He was
saying. Satan is a strong man, and there’s no way to release his captives,
unless someone stronger than the strong man comes and binds the strong. Our
Lord Jesus is exactly that provision.

I’m going to pass over the first 33 ½ years, especially the record of the 3 ½
years when Jesus lived in His incarnate body on the earth. You know He
showed absolute authority over the enemy at that time. I like Luke 10:18 where
He said where He was describing to His disciples, who had, by the way, an
inaccurate view of spiritual warfare, and He said, “I was watching Satan fall from
heaven like lightning. You don’t know who I am. I was there, and I saw him fall
like lightning.” And then all through His ministry He’s casting out demons right
and left. You know that just from the record. I want to look at the climax of the
war. It took place on the cross, and I told you that’s the first part of God’s
provision, the finished work of Christ on the cross. Here are a couple of
summary verses that show what happened on the cross. 1 John 3:8, “The Son
of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
Hebrews :14&15, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he
himself likewise partook of the same, that through death He might render
powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Render
powerless, our enemy. Colossians 2:15, “When He had disarmed the rulers and
authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them
through Him,” and the context is the cross. Probably, the most important
expression that I want to call attention to is from John 19:30 when Jesus was on
the cross, “When He had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished.’ He
bowed His head and gave up the ghost.” It is finished.

What was finished? Well, there are a couple of ways to look at it. Your debt was
paid. Everything you owed God was paid in full. Everything that I needed to
suffer because of my sin was finished, but in context the war was finished. He
said, “I went to war with Satan. I wanted to destroy him, destroy his works,
render him absolutely powerless, and I accomplished that on the cross.”

Hold that for a moment. It may seem strange that we’re studying spiritual
warfare and Jesus says it is finished. That’s like saying, “We’re going to study
something, but it doesn’t exist anymore. It’s over, it’s finished, it’s done, it’s
through. He’s been victorious.” Hold that a moment, and we’ll come back to it.
We learned from 1 Corinthians 15:26 that the last enemy to be destroyed is
death. I call attention to that because when Jesus died on the cross, He said,
“The war is finished,” and three days later He conquered the last enemy. When
He rose up from the dead, that’s the last enemy. There’s no enemy after that.
Luke 24:34, “The Lord has really risen, and appeared to Simon.” The point I’m
making is that on the cross Jesus won a complete victory, and He said, “It’s
finished, and the war is over,” and when He rose from the dead, He took that
victory all the way to the last enemy, and he rose from the dead. So, how great
is the victory? It’s finished all the way to the last enemy, and you can’t get a
greater victory than that. Death is swallowed up in victory. So, here’s the
question, and I am trusting God will help me answer it, “If the war is over, why is
it still raging? And if He has gone all the way to the last enemy and conquered
the last enemy, why are people still dying? He’s won the war and He’s
conquered the last enemy; in two weeks I’ve got to go to Massachusetts and
bury and dear sister in Christ. Why? How could the battle be over, and the last
enemy be defeated while the war rages on and people are continuing to die?

Let me back off and give two illustrations, and then come back and give you
what I believe is the complete answer to the question, “How can the war be
over, and still continue, and how can the last enemy be destroyed, and it’s still
here?” Revelation 13:8, KJV, “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him
whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.” The reason I’m using KJV is that it says, “The Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world.” Some translations say, “Your names are
written from the foundation of the world.” I want you to see this. The Lamb slain
before time, and Jesus already died, in the mind of God and in the purposes of
God. That same truth is in 1 Peter 1:19&20, “You were redeemed with precious
blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. He was
foreknown before the foundation of the world and has appeared in these last
times for the sake of you.” Jesus not only died before the foundation of the
world, in the mind and purposes of God you have already overcome by the
blood of the Lamb before the foundation of the world. Again, if Christ was
crucified in the mind and purposes of God before the foundation of the earth,
why didn’t it end then? Why did He have to come? Why did He have to die? It
was finished in the mind and purposes of God, but it has to be worked out in
history. So, what was true, finished, and done in the mind of God, He now lets
Him come to earth and accomplish what was already done.

The day before the cross Jesus prayed what we call the High Priestly Prayer.
You see it there. The theologians call it, “The predictive past tense.” “I glorified
You on the earth,” speaking to His Father, “having accomplished the work
You’ve given Me to do.” He said, “I’ve finished the work.” He hadn’t been to the
cross, yet. How could He pray that?

Rick Baker was going to build a study onto our home, Lillian laid it all out, and I
said, “Do you understand what we want, and all?” And he kept saying, “Ed, it’s
as good as done.” It hadn’t been done. There wasn’t one stick laid on the
property, yet, and it was as good as done in the mind and heart of Rick Baker,
he knew exactly, he was the contractor, and he knew exactly what it was. Paul,
in Romans 8:30, “Those He predestined, he called. Those He called, He
justified. Those He justified, He also glorified.” What? Are you already
glorified? You say, “I’m justified, I’m called,” but the Bible also says you’re also
glorified in the mind and purposes of God, but it hasn’t happened, yet, but it’s as
good as done. It will be worked out in history. Let’s go back to the cross. Jesus
said that it’s finished, He completely defeated Satan on the cross, He rose from
the dead, He conquered the last enemy, the warfare is finished right up and
including the final enemy in the mind and purposes of God, but it has to be
worked out in history.

Now we come to the second part. He said that it’s finished right up to the end, “I
did that on the cross, and now I live in your heart, and I need to work that out in
history, in your history and in my history. It’s already true, you already have the
victory, you’re already glorified. I’m not in heaven. My mom’s been in heaven
for 35-40 years, and she’s no safer than I am. She knows more about Jesus,
but she’s no safer than I am, and soon I’ll be there. The whole point is that now
Jesus lives in your heart, the One who did it on the cross, now must do it again,
and work it out in history. It’s not that you are in a warfare. It's the One who
finished it on the cross now is going to come into your life and finish it actually in
history in terms of you and in terms of me. That’s what I mean when I said that
the first part of God’s provision is the finished work of Christ on the cross, and
the second part of God’s provision is the unfinished work of Christ in your heart,
the unfinished work of Christ in my heart. The war is over and is as good as
done. It was finished on the cross, but now He’s going to work it out in you and
in me.

When we say that the war is over, and we quote the verse, “It is finished,” can I
as a Christian say, “It is finished, the war is finished?” I can say it’s finished for
me. It’s not finished, yet; it’s unfinished work, but it’s over for me, and the battle
is not mine. The whole battle belongs to Lord. It’s finished in the sense that it’s
finished for me. It’s my experience, but it’s His war to fight, and that’s why this
exchanged life becomes so very important. It’s called in 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight
the good fight of faith.” What’s our part? It's faith; it’s believing in the Lord. 1
John 5:4, “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that
overcomes the world, our faith.” We don’t have faith in faith. Faith needs an
object; the object of faith is Christ. It’s the Lord Jesus. He’s the object of our
faith. We fight the fight of trusting Jesus. That’s your part. Trust the Lord; trust
Jesus.

Some would say, “Well, I know it’s Christ, but He has given us authority, and in
the name of Jesus we can stand against the enemy, and we can plead the blood
of Christ, and in the name of Christ we can cast out demons, because we have
kingdom authority. That is a good chorus, but that’s not good Bible. You don’t
have any authority as a Christian, and neither do I. It’s better than that! You
have the One who has all authority living in your heart. Matthew 28:18, “Jesus
came and spoke to them saying, ‘All authority,’” that means there is none left for
you or me, ‘has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” So, in your heart, to
win the battle and to fight the battle is the Lord Jesus, and He has all authority in
heaven and earth. The idea that I can in the name of the Lord claim this and
claim that is a very dangerous thing, because it’s not our war. It’s His war. The
One who finished it on the cross lives in your heart to finish it again and work it
out in history. 1 John 4:4, “You are from God, little children; you’ve overcome
them because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” Do you
see how that ties in? That’s the warfare, and greater is He who is in you.

Notice what He told His disciples in John 16:33, “These things I’ve spoken to
you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you’ll have tribulation, but
take courage, I have overcome the world.” I like the KJV, “Be of good cheer.” I
like it better than, “Take courage.” Be of good cheer, I’ve overcome the world.
What is the world that He’s overcome? He spells it out in 1 John 2:16, “All that’s
in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of
life is not from the Father but from the world.” What is in the world? Some say,
“Some Christians are worldly because he goes there and associates with that.”
Do you know what worldly is? We’re going to look at it. What is the world? The
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life. In 1 John you
have light and darkness, you have up and down, you have good and bad; you
have opposites. What is the opposite of the world? Notice the verse, verse 17,
“The world is passing away, and also its lust, but the one who does the will of
God abides forever.” So, on one side you’ve got the world, and what’s the
opposite? It’s the will of God. Did you remember what Jesus said? He said,
“Be of good cheer, I’ve overcome the world.”

Let me word it another way. Jesus has already overcome everything that stands
between you and the will of God. Jesus has already overcome everything that
stands between me and the will of God. He’s the overcomer. He didn’t say, “Be
of good cheer, you will overcome.” He said, “Be of good cheer, I have
overcome.” He didn’t say that you are dead in Christ. He said, “I’m dead in
Christ, and you’re in Christ.” You’re in Christ; He’s the One that’s dead and alive
to God, and you’re in Him. It’s Christ Himself.

Some may ask, “If it’s not our battle, what’s all this about the Christian armor?
Ephesians 6:10-11, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put
on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the
schemes of the devil.” Then He gives the details of that armor; the breastplate
of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the
shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit and praying in
the Spirit. Please, don’t make the mistake that I made. Actually, I was led into it.
There are books written on this armor, Roman armor, but it could turn into a
system of works; you make sure you have your feet shod, and make sure you
have the shield, and make sure your back is covered because the breastplate
included the back, and all that kind of thing.

God never intended you to focus on the armor. Why did Paul write that? Where
was he when he wrote it? He was in prison. Where? In Rome! And who were
his guards? Roman guards. He looked out at the Roman guards in their armor,
and he said, “Wow, will you look at that guard in his Roman armor; that’s just like
the Christian in his God.” The armor is not a bunch of pieces; it’s a Person. It’s
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It’s Romans 13:14, “Put on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make no provision for the flesh.” I spent so much time making sure I
had the helmet on and making sure I had the shield and figuring out what were
the feet shod and how did they have these studs to keep me from tripping and
stepping on snakes, and all of that kind of thing. It’s not that. Once again, the
simplicity of it will blow you away. Your victory is named Jesus, and He’s the
warrior. It’s Christ Himself, and that armor is Christ. Galatians 3:27, “All of you
who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” We’re
reminded to put on the armor to put on Christ, to make sure we’re looking to
Him.

I think that’s a glorious truth that Elijah missed. I could be wrong, but I know it’s
a glorious truth I missed for many years, and many Christians miss it. The
battle, dear friends, is not yours; the battle is God’s. They say, “Doesn’t the
Bible say, “Resist the devil?” Read the whole verse. James 4:7, “Submit,
therefore, to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God
and He will draw near to you.” You can’t resist the devil. Submit to God, and
then He’ll enable you, as He works it out historically. It’s already done; He wants
to do it again in you. The way you resist the devil, I resist the devil, is by
submitting to God. It sounds radical especially today. You go to certain places,
you couldn’t say something like this. Janet lets me say anything, so… It sounds
radical to say, “There’s no warfare for you and me.” I spend so much time
struggling with the flesh and trying to die to self, and trying to get rid of passion,
and then stop being impatient, and stop being angry, and stop being bitter, and
have a forgiving spirit, and I work so hard on all those things, and then someone
comes along and says, “That’s not your battle.” I say, “It’s not? It sure feels like
my battle.” It’s not your battle. You died to self two thousand years ago. You
don’t have to die everyday to self. That’s ridiculous. You’ve already been dead.
You need to reckon yourself dead by faith. You need to take it by faith, but
you’re already dead. This is the fight of faith. It’s a fight trusting the Lord Jesus.
He's the One that lives in us.

A large part of our victory while under attack is answered because the way He
works it out now is by present ministry, the Melchizedek priesthood of Christ. At
the men’s conference, it’s unbelievable how much the spiritual warfare and
spiritual prayer ties into the prayers of Christ. Jesus, the One who prayed, when
Satan wanted, when he got permission to sift Peter, and Jesus said, “I prayed
for you that your faith wouldn’t fail.” That’s your victory right there. The Lord is
going to pray for you, and you’ll fall, and you’ll trip, and you’ll stumble, and you’ll
fall and fall, but you’ll never fall further than the prayers of Jesus. There’s a
great net under you that’s protecting you, and He is your keeper.

This is the part that I said was new life for me, just another illustration. There’s a
graphic picture in the Old Testament of an enemy of God’s people that was
relentless, and no matter how many times they fought Him, He rose up, and He
kept appearing and appearing and appearing. I’m talking about Edom. You can
trace it through the Bible, and I’ve done it, but I’ll give you the main points. He
was descended of Esau, and he’s just a picture of the flesh and the enemy. It
was a dreaded enemy. After they crossed the Red Sea, they are now on the
way to the Promised Land, but there’s an enemy that’s going to stand in the
way, and Edom was that enemy. Edom said, “You can’t pass through our land.”
So, they had their conflict with Edom. Then King Saul went out and said, “I’m
going to destroy the Edomites.” He tried but he didn’t destroy the Edomites.
So, David stood up and said, “I will destroy the Edomites,” and he killed
thousands, but they kept coming and coming. So, Solomon said, “I’m going to
destroy them,” and they plagued him over and over all through his kingship. So,
Joram, who was the next king, said, “They’ll not rise up in my land,” and the
Edomites rose up again, and Joram tried to put them down. And Amaziah said,
“We’re not being plagued by the Edomites,” and all of the Edomites
surreptitiously went through and set up all their idols all over the land of
Amaziah.

When Nebuchadnezzar finally came in to destroy God’s people, listen to what

the Psalmist said, “They want judgment,” Psalm 137:7, “Remember, oh Lord,
against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem who said, ‘Raise it, raise it,’ to
it’s foundation.” Edom gloated when Babylon came in and took God’s people,
and Edom was standing around gloating. Edom was a great enemy. Obadiah,
the whole book, only one chapter, is about Edom, and the reason it’s about
Edom is because it’s the enemy that’s entrenched, deeply entrenched and you
can’t get him because he’s entrenched. God said in Obadiah, “Even if he makes
his nest in stars and brings that together, I will reach up and pull him down.
There’s no cave. I’ll reach into the cave and rip out the Edomites.” So, Edom
was, to me, like my flesh. It won’t go down. You fight it, and then it comes back
again. Isaiah describes it. I’ve got to read these verses, Isaiah 63:1-6, “Who is
this that comes from Edom with garments of glowing colors,” the Hebrew word is
crimson, “from Bozrah, the one who is majestic in his apparel, and marching in
the greatness of his strength? It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to
save. Why is your apparel red and your garments like one who treads in the
wine press? I have trodden the wine troth alone, and from the people there was
no man with me. I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath. Their
life blood is sprinkled on my garments. I stain with all my raiment. The day of
vengeance was in my heart. The year of redemption is come. I looked and
there was no man to help. I was astonished; there was no one to oppose. So,
my own arm brought salvation to me. My wrath upheld me. I trod down the
peoples in my anger, and made them drunk in my wealth, and I poured out their
life blood on the earth.”

Israel was terrified; they were staring at Edom, because are they going to attack
again? They’re always coming, “I can’t get rid of them.” As they looked, they
didn’t see the Edomites; they saw a person, one person coming toward them,
and they said, “Who is this that comes from Edom, and why are his garments
crimson, why are they stained with red?” It’s a messianic passage and is talking
about Jesus. He said, “I tread the wine press alone. There was nobody to help
Me; My own arm bought salvation to Me.” Isaiah 63:3, “I’ve trodden the wine
press alone.” Isaiah 63:1, “Who is this guy who is coming? It is I who speak in
righteousness, mighty to save.” You know who it was. It was the Lord Jesus,
and I said that He is going to work this out in history. Well, there comes a day
when history is finished. Let’s go to the end of the Bible where history is
finished. Revelation 19:11, “I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse and
He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and
wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire. On His head are many diadems. He
has a name written on Him which no one knows except himself. He’s clothed
with a robe dipped in blood. His name is called the Word of God. The armies
which are in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, are following Him on
white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, and with it He may smite
the nations. He’ll rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the
fierce wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe, on His thigh, He has a name
written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

Do you see the picture? Who is this One at the end coming on a white horse,
and why are His garments stained with red. He’s the One mighty to save. Do
you know why He’s stained with red? It’s because He faced the enemy. And
who is behind Him on horses, white horses, in pure linen, white and pure? It’s
you, it’s me, it’s the believers. There’s not a drop of blood on their garments.
Why? It wasn’t their war. The One from Edom, the One in crimson, the One
whose garments are stained red, the One on the white horse whose name is the
Word of God, The King of Kings, The Lord of Lords, that’s gone forth in battle.
His garments are red, and you ride behind Him on a white horse in garments
white and pure, because it’s not your battle, and it’s not my battle.

Let me describe what it looks like. 1 John 5:18, “We know that no one who is
born of God sins;” you might think that’s a Christian and you are born of God,
but He’s not talking about Christians. He describes it: “He who was born of God
keeps Him and the evil one does not touch Him. but He who was born of God
keeps him, and the evil one does not touch Him.” He’s talking about the sinless
Son of God, “…the One begotten, born of God, keeps you, so that the devil will
not touch you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will
strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” Psalm 121:5&8, “The Lord is
your keeper;…The lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this
time forth and forever more,” and that includes your last going out, my last going
out.

Thanks be to God for 2 Corinthians :14, “…who always leads us in triumph in

Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in
every place.” Satan has only one target, 2 Corinthians 10:5 describes it, we are
in a battle and in a war, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, and they are
mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, “…against the
knowledge of God.” That’s all Satan ever goes after, the knowledge of God. He
doesn’t go after anything else. If you are knowing Christ, He’ll go after you,
because it’s all about the knowledge of Christ.
I said that He finished it on the cross, and He’s going to finish it now in your life.
Listen to this verse, Romans 16:20, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan
under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” 2 Corinthians 1:10,
He has delivered us, He does deliver us and we have hope that He will yet
deliver us.

I want to close with one more verse and a poem. Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord
your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exalt over you with joy;
He will be quiet in His love, and He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” The
One in your midst is the warrior. I think you all know the poem. I didn’t write it.
It was written by Martin Luther. Listen in terms of what we just heard. “A might
fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our Helper, He, amid the flood of
mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe, his craft
and power are great, an arm with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. Did we in
our own strength confide; our striving would be losing. Were the right man not
on our side, the man of God’s own choosing. You ask who that might be?
Christ Jesus, it is He! Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same, and
He must win the battle. And though this world with devils filled should threaten
to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure,
for lo his doom is sure. One little word will fell him. That word above all earthly
powers, no thanks to them abideth. The Spirit and the gift are ours through Him
with us sided. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life, also. The body they
may kill, God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever.”

Father, thank You, not for what we think Your word means, but for what You’ve
inspired it to mean. Thank You that you live in our hearts to deliver us from the
evil one. You live in our hearts to work out the victory that You won at Calvary’s
cross, right to the last enemy, right until death is swallowed up in victory, when
the mortal puts on the immortal, and the perishable puts on the imperishable.
That You, Lord, for such a Victor as our Lord, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name we
pray. Amen.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE HANDOUT

“.. the battle is not yours but God’s.”

( 2 CHRONICLES 20:15)

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING NOTES ARE MEANT TO BE SUGGESTIVE, NOT

EXHAUSTIVE. THIS IS A GENERAL OVER-VIEW; THESE NOTES DO NOT
ADDRESS SATAN’S CONFEDERACY WITH EVIL SPIRITS; DEMON
POSSESSION; DEMON INFLUENCE; EXORCISM; THE MANY
COUNTERFEITS OF TRUTH; THE LIMITS AND EXTENT OF THE ENEMY’S
POWER (WEATHER? DISEASE? VISIONS AND DREAMS?
CIRCUMSTANCES? MIND CONTROL OR PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS?
PREDICTING THE FUTURE?) WE DO NOT ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC
BIBLE ILLUSTRATIONS THAT SHOW SATAN’S DIRECT INVOLVEMENT:
EVE (2 CORINTHIANS 11:3); JOB (JOB 1:6-12); BALAAM (JOSHUA 13:22;
REVELATION 2:14); INFLUENCING DAVID TO NUMBER THE PEOPLE (1
CHRONICLES 21:1); DESIRING TO SIFT PETER LIKE WHEAT (LUKE 22:31)
; ENTERING JUDAS (JOHN 13:2); INFLUENCING ANANIAS AND
SAPHARIAH TO LIE (ACTS 5:3); AND USING ELYMAS TO TRY AND TURN
PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE LORD (ACTS 13:8-10). WE ALSO DO NOT
ADDRESS SATAN’S FALL OR HIS CERTAIN DOOM. OUR PURPOSE IS
SIMPLY TO PROCLAIM THE LORD’S PROVISION FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO
APPROPRIATE THE LORD’S VICTORY OVER THE ENEMY.
WE HAVE AN ENEMY

NAMES AND TITLES OF THE ENEMY

SATAN (LUKE 10:18); LUCIFER/DAY STAR (ISAIAH

14:12); DEVIL (MATTHEW 4:1); TEMPTER (MATTHEW 4:3); RULER OF
DEMONS (MATTHEW 9:34); BEELZEBUL (MATHEW 12:24); EVIL
ONE (MATTHEW 13:15); ENEMY (MATTHEW 13:39); LIAR (JOHN
8:44); FATHER OF LIES (JOHN 8:44); MURDERER (JOHN 8:44); RULER OF
THE WORLD (JOHN 14:30; god OF THIS AGE (2 CORINTHIANS
4:4); DRAGON (REVELATION12:9);ANGEL OF LIGHT (2 CORINTHIANS
11:14); RULER OF THE KINGDOM OF THE AIR (EPHESIANS
2:2) ADVESARY (2 PETER 5:8); ROARING LION SEEKING TO DEVOUR(1
PETER 5:8); ANGEL OF THE ABYSS (REVELATION 9:11) APOLLYON AND
ABADDON (REVELATION 9:11; DRAGON (REVELATION 12:9); OLD
SERPENT (REVELATION 12:9); DECEIVER OF THE WHOLE
WORLD (REVELATION 12:9) ACCUSER (REVELATION 12:10); PRINCE OF
THE WORLD (JOHN 12:31; MATTHEW 4:8-9; ACTS 26:18); PRINCE OVER
NATIONS (DANIEL 10:13)

THE THREE-FOLD ENEMY OF THE CHRISTIAN

THE WORLD THE

FLESH THE DEVIL

(1 JOHN 2:15-16) (ROMANS 7:24)

(1 PETER 5:8)

THE THREE CHIEF TACTICS OF THE ENEMY

THE ENEMY IS AN ACCUSER THE ENEMY IS A

DECEIVER THE ENEMY IS A TEMPTER
(REVELATION 12:10) (REVELATION 12:9)
(1 CORINTHIANS 7:5)

(ZECHARIAH 3:1-7) (JOHN

8:44) (MATTHEW 4:1)

THE ENEMY IS REAL! NO WORDS CAN ESTIMATE HIS CRUELTY; HIS

HOSTITILITY AGAINST THE SEED OF THE WOMAN; HIS DARING; HIS
CUNNING; HIS POWER; THE NUMBER OF HIS HOST OR HIS INFLUENCE
IN THE WORLD. THE ENEMY IS INVISIBLE, DOES NOT NEED SLEEP OR
FOOD OR DRINK, DOES NOT GET WEARY, HAS NO PITY ON MEN,
WOMEN, OR CHILDREN, AND RELIES ON MORE THAN 6, OOO YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE IN HIS SCHEMES TO CORRUPT AND DESTROY THE SEED
OF THE WOMAN. APART FROM UNION WITH CHRIST AND VIEWING THE
FACTS FROM THE LEVEL OF THE EARTH ONLY, IT MUST BE ADMITTED
THAT THE FORCES OF THE ENEMY ARE OVERWHELMINGLY SUPERIOR
IN NUMBER, WISDOM, VIGILENCE AND MIGHT.

WE HAVE A PROBLEM

THE DESCRIPTIONS OF OUR WARFARE PRO0VE WE ARE IN A WAR

THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE (2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5); THE

ARMOR (EPHESIANS 6:11-17); THE FIGHT OF FAITH (1 TIMOTHY
6:12); WRESTLING (EPHESIANS 6:12); A LAW WARING IN OUR
MEMBERS (ROMANS 7:23); RESIST THE DEVIL (JAMES 4:7); THE GATES
OF HELL NOT ABLE TO PREVAIL AGAINST THE CHURCH (MATTHEW
16:18); BE VIGILENT (1 PETER 5:8); SATAN AS DEVOURING LION
SEEKING TO DESTROY US (1 PETER 5:8); SOLDIERS OF JESUS
CHRIST (2 TIMOTHY 2:3)

SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS REAL! THE CONFLICT IS NOT AN ELECTIVE!

EVER SINCE MAN FELL INTO SIN, THERE HAS BEEN AN ALL OUT
OFFENSIVE WARFARE BETWEEN THE SEED OF THE WOMAN AND THE
SEED OF THE SERPENT.

WE ARE BORN AN ENEMY OF GOD AND UNDER JUDGMENT

WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN (JOHN 3:3); THERE IS NONE GOOD (ROMANS

3:10-18); ALL HAVE SINNED (ROMANS 3:23); WE WERE BORN, DEAD IN
SIN AND SEPERATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD AND WITHOUT
HOPE (EPHESIANS 2:1-2; 2:12); IN OUR FLESH THERE IS NO GOOD
THING (ROMANS 7:18) WE ARE BORN UNDER CONDEMNATION (JOHN
3:18); NO PARTIALITY WITH GOD, ALL ARE GUILTY (ROMANS 2:11); WE
ARE BORN IN SIN (PSALM 51:5); WE ARE UNCLEAN (ISAIAH 64:6); WE
ARE BY NATURE, CHILDREN OF WRATH (EPHESIANS 2:3)

WE HAVE NO NATURAL ABILITY TO OVERCOME THE ENEMY

WE ARE HELPLESS (ROMANS 5:6); OUR HEART IS A DECEITFUL

HEART (JEREMIAH 17:9); THE GOD OF THIS WORLD HAS BLINDED
MINDS OF UNBELIEVERS (2 CORINTHIANS 4:4) WE NEED TO BE
RESCUED FROM THE DOMAINE OF DARKNESS (COLOSSIANS 1:13); WE
ARE BOUND BY THE “STRONG MAN (LUKE 11:21); SATAN DESIRES TO
SIFT US LIKE WHEAT (LUKE 22:31-32); WE ARE NATURALLY RELATED TO
OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL (JOHN 8:44)

WE HAVE A PROBLEM INDEED. WE ARE BORN IN SIN UNDER THE

RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT OF A HOLY GOD; WE ARE HOPELESSLY
SUBJECT TO LIVE UNDER SATAN’S DOMINION IN HIS KINGDOM. APART
FROM THE LORD’S DELIVERANCE, WE WILL DIE IN OUR SIN. NO
AMOUNT OF HUMAN RESISTANCE OR WORKS WILL AVAIL IN THE
CONFLICT. WE ARE HOPELESSLY HELD UNDER THE WRATH OF AN
OFFENDED GOD BY AN ENEMY WHO WILL NEVER VOLUNTARILY
RELEASE US. WE MUST BE RESCUED! WE MUST BE SAVED! WE
MUST BE DELIVERED! A STRONGER THAN THE STRONG MAN MUST
SET US FREE! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

WE HAVE A MEDIATOR

HE ONLY HAD TO DIE ONCE TO TAKE AWAY SINS FULLY AND FOREVER

HE DIED TO SIN ONCE (ROMANS 6:10; THIS HE DID ONCE (HEBREWS

7:27); THE PURPOSE OF HIS APPEARANCE WAS TO PUT AWAY
SIN (HEBREWS 9:26); CHRIST OFFERED ONCE TO BEAR THE SINS OF
MANY (HEBREWS 9:28); SANCTIFIED, ONCE FOR ALL (HEBREWS
10:10); CHRIST ONCE SUFFERED, THE JUST FOR THE UNJUST (1 PETER
3:18); WHO CAN LAY ANYTHING TO THE CHARGE OF GOD’S
ELECT? (ROMANS 8:33-34); THROUGH HIM, FORGIVENESS (ACTS 13:38-
39); INIQUITIES HE REMEMBERS NO MORE (HEBREWS 8:12) OTHER
SCRIPTURES SHOWING HE WILLINGLY GAVE HIS LIFE AS A
SACRIFICE (EPHESIANS 5:21; GALATIANS 2:20; EPHESIANS 5:2;
REVELATION 1:5 AND JOHN 10:11-12)

THE LORD JESUS SINGLEHANDEDLY DEFEATED THE ENEMY ON THE

CROSS

ONE GOD AND MEDIATOR (1 TIMOTHY 2:5); NO OTHER NAME BY WHICH

WE MUST BE SAVED (ACTS 4:12); WHILE WE WERE SINNERS, CHRIST
DIED FOR US (ROMANS 5:8); THE PURPOSE OF HIS APPEARANCE WAS
TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL (1 JOHN 3:8); TO RENDER
POWERLESS THE DEVIL (HEBREWS 2:14-15); NOW, RULER OF THE
WORLD CAST OUT (JOHN 12:31); RULER OF WORLD JUDGED (JOHN
12:31); DISARMED RULERS AND AUTHORITIES, HAVING TRIUMPHED
OVER THEM (COLOSSIANS 2:15).

GOD COMMENDED HIS LOVE FOR US, IN THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET
ENEMIES, HE DIED FOR US. THERE IS ONLY ONE SAVIOR—THE LORD
JESUS. HE ALONE WAS QUALIFIED TO DEFEAT SATAN. HE DEFEATED
THE ENEMY BY WILLINGLY OFFERING HIMSELF AS A SACRIFICE TO
ATONE FOR OUR SIN. NO ENEMY TOOK HIS LIFE. HE GAVE IT; HE LAID
IT DOWN WILLINGLY; WHEN THE ENEMY, EARTH, HELL, AND HEAVEN
GANGED UP AGAINST HIM, HE DID NOT BACK DOWN BUT FOUGHT AND
WON . EARTH’S RULERS; HER KINGS, AND PRIESTS, AND SOLDIERS,
AND MALEFACTORS; HER JEWS AND GENTILES; EVEN NATURE
SEEMED TO JOIN IN THE CONFLICT—THE FOREST PROVIDED WOOD
FOR THE CROSS; THE CURSE OF THORNS WAS WRAPPED AROUND HIS
HEAD; BITTERNESS WAS MINGLED IN VINEGAR AND GALL AND LIFTED
TO HIS LIPS: ADD TO THAT HELL’S FURY AGAINST HIM AND HEAVEN’S
GOD FORSAKING HIM—HE DIED VICTORIOUS. HE DID NOT DIE
SUBDUED! HE SATISFIED GOD’S EXTREME JUSTICE AND ENDURED
SATAN’S EXTREME INJUSTICE. THE LORD JESUS SINGLEHANDEDLY
DEFEATED THE ENEMY ON THE CROSS. THAT WAS WARFARE INDEED!

WE HAVE VICTORY IN JESUS

THE BATTLE WAS HIS ON THE CROSS; THE BATTLE IS HIS NOW, IN OUR
HEARTS
WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERERS IN HIM (ROMANS 8:37); HE HAS
OVERCOME THE WORLD (JOHN 16:33); HE GIVES US THE VICTORY (1
CORINTHIANS 15:57); HE PROTECTS FROM EVIL (2 THESSALONIANS
2:3); OUR FAITH IN HIM IS THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMES THE
WORLD (1 JOHN 5:4-5); THE LAMB CONQUERS (REVELATION 17:14); WE
OVERCOME BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB (REVELATION 12:11); HE
PUTS ENMITY BETWEEN US AND THE ENEMY (GENESIS 3:15); DEATH IS
SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY (1 CORINTHIANS 15:54) THE GATES OF
HELL WILL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST THE CHURCH (MATTHEW
16:18); GREATER IS HE IN US THAN HE IN THE WORLD (1 JOHN
4:4); WHEN WE SUBMIT TO GOD, SATAN FLEES (JAMES 4:7); THE BATTLE
IS NOT OURS BUT GOD’S (2 CHRONICLES 20:15); THE LORD IS A MAN OF
WAR (EXODUS 15:3); THE LORD. . .HE WILL SAVE (ZEPHANIAH 3:17);THE
LORD FIGHTS. . .TO SAVE (DEUTERONOMY 20:4); GIVE HELP, FOR VAIN
IS THE HELP OF MAN (PSALM 60:11-12); VICTORY BELONGS TO THE
LORD (PROVERBS 21:31) AND MANY OTHER PASSAGES.

WE ARE AS HELPLESS TO CONFRONT THE ENEMY NOW THAT WE ARE

CHRISTIANS AS WE WERE BEFORE WE WERE SAVED. THE ONE WHO
DIED AS OUR SUBSTITUTE ON THE CROSS TO WIN OUR VICTORY, NOW
LIVES IN OUR HEARTS TO GIVE US CONTINUAL VICTORY. OURS IS A
FIGHT OF FAITH AND FAITH NEEDS AN OBJECT. CHRIST, THE VICTOR,
IS THE OBJECT OF OUR FAITH. ALLOWING CHRIST TO FIGHT THE
ENEMY AS OUR SUBSTITUTE GURANTEES THAT WE WILL HAVE
VICTORY FROM THE PRESENT MOMENT UNTIL SATAN IS CRUSHED
UNDER OUR FEET (ROMANS 16:20) AND THE LAST ENEMY, DEATH, IS
FINALLY DESTROYED (1 CORINTHIANS 15:26). OUR WARFARE IS HIS
WARFARE!
Elijah & Elisha Message #14

Elisha at Jericho

Ed Miller

As we look into the word, I remind my heart and yours that we need the Holy
Spirit. It’s His book and only He can reveal Christ. I’d like to share a verse
before we pray. Psalm 84, the last portion of that verse, “How blessed is the
man who trusts in You.” That’s the simple verse. It’s not just, “How blessed is
the man who trusts.” It’s the man who trusts in the Lord, because we can trust
in our surrender, in our prayer, we can trust in our faith; blessed is the one who
trusts in the Lord. With that in mind, let’s commit out time to Him.

Father, again we thank You for the privilege to gather in this home. We thank
You for the sisters who have opened the home for us. Lord, we ask you now to
guide us as we look in Your word, in order to behold the Lord Jesus. I pray that
You would deliver me from my own ideas and flesh and blood and protect Your
people from anything that’s not from You. We want to be taught of God this
morning. Turn our hearts toward the Lord Jesus. We ask in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

We welcome you again to our fresh look and revelation and discovery of our
Lord Jesus. I’ll repeat what I’ve already said; you know we’re studying 1 & 2
Kings, and you know we’re also studying the spiritual history of God’s servants,
Elijah and Elisha, but if that’s all we’ve come to see, 2 Kings or the spiritual
history of the men of God, our purpose for gathering will be in vain. The
purpose is to behold the Lord Jesus. Every time you study the Bible ask the
Holy Spirit to put the spotlight on the Son of God. We need to see Jesus. The
Bible is a revelation of our Lord Jesus, and in God’s revelation of Himself to us
He’s made Christ central in the Godhead, so we need to see the Lord. If we
only learn the Bible, the more we learn, the prouder we will become, because
knowledge puffs up. We don’t want just knowledge; we want a heart knowledge
of our Lord Jesus. So, let’s continue our meditation in that direction.

Let me summarize a little. In our last study we transitioned from the prophet
Elijah to the prophet Elisha, and we began our look. Let me sort of summarize
what we looked at last time. We began with 1 Kings 19:19, “And so he departed
from there and found Elisha, son of Japheth, and while he was plowing with the
twelve pair of oxen before him, he with the twelve, Elijah passed over to him and
threw his mantel on him.” That was Elisha’s call, and the mantel which we tried
to show you, symbolizes the life of God, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, that
was on him. Elisha’s response to the mantel on him, his proper response was
an immediate, thorough surrender. When the mantel is on us, the only proper
response is a total surrender, full unqualified surrender to the Lord. That was
illustrated, because immediately he kissed his family goodbye, and he
immediately burned up that which represented his past employment, and with
great joy he threw a banquet, a party to celebrate, “The Lord has called me.” It
was such a blessing to him. So, a surrender, a yielding without turning back,
that’s how it began. According to the record, that’s how it was for the next six
years, or seven years, depending upon how you read it, even more than that.

He was the faithful servant of Elijah during that time. Listen to the last part of 2
Kings 3:11, “Elisha, the son of Japheth is here, who used to pour water on the
hands of Elijah.” That expression “pouring water on the hands of Elisha” is just
a way to say, “He was a humble servant.” Whatever Elijah needed, he was
there, and they travelled together.
I’m not suggesting at all in those years of total surrender that God never used
him. He was serving the people of God, and he was serving Elijah, but we call
that ministry, or the main flow of God’s redemptive purposes, that had not yet
begun for Elijah. He had come, the mantel was on him, and he was totally
surrendered, and he lived that way for years, but his real ministry had not
begun. Those were years of preparation, as he observed the life and ministry
and the Lord working through Elijah.

When we closed our meditation last time, we saw what we called final
preparation. This time the mantel was not on him, but the mantel was in his
hand. He took hold of that which represents the life and Spirit of God. 2 Kings
2:13&14, “He took up the mantel of Elijah that fell from him, and returned and
stood by the bank of the Jordan, and he took the mantel of Elijah that fell from
him and struck the waters and said, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ And
when he had also struck the waters, they were divided here and there, and
Elisha crossed over.” Again, the mantel signifies, pictures the Spirit of God, as
Jesus in His ascension sent down the Holy Spirit, picturing that, Elijah in his
ascension dropped the mantel. That mantel is an apt picture of the Life of God.

When it was on him, his response was surrender, but now it’s in his hand, and
what is the response? His response is not, “I will surrender more,” but he took it
up and his response is, “I will now appropriate His life.” There’s a big difference
and a large step, brothers and sisters in Christ, between me surrendering me, or
me appropriating Him. It’s my life surrendered, or His life appropriated, and he
had his grasp now on the Lord. For Elisha that was the beginning, the start of
his ministry. The proof of that preparation came when by the mantel he was
able to cross the Jordan River. He needed to get to the other side, and he
couldn’t swim across, and there were no boats or barges to get across, and no
raft, and there was not bridge, so listen to verse 14, “He took the mantel of Elijah
that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of
Elijah?’ And when they struck the waters, they were divided here and there, and
Elisha crossed over. That for Elisha was the first evidence of his new
experience, the life of God.

When a person, man, woman, young person, a child of God lays hold of the
Lord, then there’s going to be an opening of the way. There’s going to be a
crossing over and a new beginning, and there’s going to be a removing of that
which pictures a hindrance. That Jordan River was an obstacle that was in the
way, but there’s no obstacle to the life of the Lord. He can open and no man
can shut. That was not an obstacle. So, crossing the Jordan was Elisha’s first
taste of his miracle life, but it was not the first taste of his ministry. That’s what
we’re going to look at today, his early ministry, the beginning of his ministry.
We’ll look at his ministry at Jericho. I was planning to look at his ministry at
Jericho and Bethel, but too much happened at Jericho, and I’d be keeping you
too long. We’re only going to look at Jericho.

You remember when Elijah walked his last mile with Elisha by his side, the route
that they took to get to the Jordan. They visited the schools of the prophets on
the way. At first, they went to Gilgal, 2 Kings 2:1, “It came about when the Lord
was about to take Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, Elijah went with Elisha from
Gilgal,” and from there they went to Bethel. 2 Kings 2:2, “’Elisha, stay here,
please; the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel,’ but Elisha said, ‘As the Lord
lives, as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So, they went to Bethel.” From
Bethel they went to Jericho, 2 Kings 2:4, “Elijah said, ‘Elisha, please stay here;
the Lord sent me to Jericho,’ but he said, ‘As the Lord lives, as you yourself live,
I will not leave you.’ So, they came to Jericho.” That’s the path they took:
Gilgal, Bethel and Jericho. Now we’re going to go in reverse Jericho/Jordan,
Jordan/Jerichol. It’s the exact same path but in reverse.
His early ministry, then, began after he crossed the Jordan at Jericho. After we
look at that early ministry, I already told you we’d come to see Jesus, and you
didn’t come to see the ministry of Elisha. We’re going to see that, but then,
because of that ministry, the Holy Spirit puts a special light on the Lord Jesus.
So, what is the revelation of Christ illustrated by Elisha’s ministry at Jericho?
That’s where we’re heading, and that’s where we’ll end up. That’s what we want
to see. First, we’re going to look at this ministry at Jericho. Before we actually
begin the ministry at Jericho, I want to make one comment. I’m going to put
Jericho and Bethel together, and I want to do an overview of both ministries, and
call attention to an observation we already made when we studied the life of
Elijah. After that general observation, we’ll come back and just look at Jericho
and some of the details, and then, of course, how our Lord Jesus is revealed.

Let me remind you of the principle that we saw some weeks ago when we
looked at Elijah. It was illustrated in the story when Elijah called down fire from
heaven, 2 kings 1:9&10, “The king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty, and
he went up to him and behold he was sitting on top of the hill, and he said to
him, ‘Oh man of God, the king says, “Come down,”” and Elijah replied to the
captain of fifty, ‘If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and
consume you and your fifty.’ Fire came down from heaven and consumed him
and his fifty.” If you remember the story, it was repeated again, because the
king sent another group of fifty to arrest him. But the third time was different, 2
Kings 1:14, “’Behold a fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two
captains of fifty with their fifty, but now let my life be precious in your sight.’ And
the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go down with him, and do not be afraid of
him.’” So, on the third fifty Elijah showed great compassion and great mercy as
he was guided of the Lord. At that time I pointed out that the man or woman of
God that God uses will always have a double ministry; sometimes it will be
positive, illustrated by having mercy and compassion, and sometimes it will be
negative, illustrated by calling fire down from heaven.

At that time we looked at Micah, and I want to show you that one more time,
Micah 5:7&8, “The remnant,” and that’s you and me, those who seek the Lord,
the generation of those that seek His face, “of Jacob will be among many
peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on vegetation.” That’s very
precious, isn’t it? I want to be used like dew, like showers on vegetation. But
look at verse 8, “The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among the
people like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks
of sheep, which if he passes through, tramples down and tears and there’s none
to rescue. So, our life will be a blessing, and our life sometimes will be very
negative. The New Testament words that truth this way, 2 Corinthians 2:14,
“Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests
through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. We are a
fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those
who are perishing; to the one, an aroma from death to death, to the other an
aroma from life to life.” It’s the same message, and sometimes it melts and
sometimes it hardens. It’s the same message. The reason I call attention to that
is because Elisha in his early ministry tastes and begins to experience that
principle.

At Jericho, 2 Kings 2:20, he said, “’Bring me a new jar and put salt in it.’ So,
they brought it to him, and he went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it
and said, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I’ve purified these waters. There shall not be
from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.”’” We’ll look at that story, but it
was a blessing. The spring was foul; it was polluted, and God used Elisha to
sweeten and purify the water. That was at Jericho.
It was different when he went to Bethel, 2 Kings 2:23, “And he went up from
there to Bethel, and as he was going by the way, young lads came out from the
city and mocked him and said to him, ‘Go up you baldhead; go up you
baldhead,’ and when he looked behind him, he saw them and he cursed them in
the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore
up forty-two lads of their number.” That’s not very positive. That’s pretty
negative, and then he went into Bethel. Wouldn’t you think that after having all
those people killed, that they would not be happy with him? I’ll tell you, though,
when there is fire in the sky and bears in the woods, they’re going to honor
God’s people, and that’s what they did.

Anyway, let me give the truth from God’s side. In time, and by that I’m
contrasting it with eternity, while you are alive rather than after you’re dead and
live, in time, when God smites, when He uses a negative ministry, it is always,
without exception, redemptive. Every time God calls you to be negative, if He’s
calling you to that, it’s going to be redemptive. That’s not the case after death.
When God smites after death, that’s eternal and that’s very scary, actually and
not redemptive. In this life when God uses you as a lion or a bear, it’s
redemptive. Let me give a couple of passages. I love Isaiah 19:22 in this
regard, “The Lord will strike Egypt, striking but healing, so they will return to the
Lord. He'll respond to them and he’ll heal them.” Just that expression “striking
but healing”, and KJV says, “smiting but healing,” God smites in order to heal.
That’s why He does the negative. Sometimes He has to bring people pretty low,
and He has to smite them, but it’s always redemptive.

You are probably familiar with that group of psalms which we call the
imprecatory psalms. What that means is, when you pray against the enemy.
Those psalms are, sometimes you wonder, boy it seems like they are full of
animosity and vindictiveness and hate and vengeance, but they aren’t at all.
Listen to one of the imprecatory psalms, Psalm 83:15&16, “Pursue them with
Your tempest, terrify them with Your storm, fill their faces with dishonor, that they
may seek Your name, oh Lord.” Why does He do it? It’s that they will turn
around and repent and come back to the Lord. Verse 17&18 in the same
chapter, “Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, and let them be
humiliated and perish, that they may know that You alone, whose name is the
Lord, are the most high over all the earth.” Every time you saw a plague in
Egypt, it was followed by, “in order that you might know…” That’s the reason He
smites.

So, if God calls you to a negative ministry, an uncomfortable confrontation that

you have to make with some other Christian, a rugged stand you may have to
take on some truth of God, someone teases you for being a fanatic and you
have to take an uncompromising stand on something to them seems trivial,
don’t be afraid to do it. Let the Lord work through you positively, and let Him be
dew through you, refreshing showers on vegetation, but also, don’t be afraid to
be a lion and be a bear and take a rugged stand; it’s redemptive, it’s for them.
When you recoil at that, you can find yourself working at cross purposes with the
Lord. So, we need to be sensitive to the Lord. That was Elisha’s first taste of
ministry. One minute he’s positive and healing a spring, and the next minute
bears are coming out of the woods tearing people up.

There are two Jericho stories. We’re going to Jericho now, and there are two
stories in Jericho; one was the sons of the prophets searching for the prophet
Elijah, and the other one was the healing of the spring that was polluted. Each
contains a principle of ministry. We’ll look at the story, the principle of ministry,
and then together that points to Christ, and that’s what we want to see. Let’s
look together at Elisha’s ministry in Jericho.
We know that some of the sons of prophets from Jericho were watching from a
distance when Elijah was caught up to heaven. 2 Kings 2:7, “Fifty men of the
sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance while the two
of them stood by the Jordan.” So, they were watching from a distance what was
going to happen. They knew he was going to be taken; they had an advance
knowledge of that, but what did they see? They’re looking from a distance.
What did they see? Did they see the same thing Elisha saw? Listen to verse
11&12, “As they were going along and talking, behold there appeared a chariot
of fire, horses of fire which separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a
whirlwind to heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, ‘My father, my father, the
chariots of Israel and its horsemen,’ and he saw Elijah no more.”

Remember, he was promised a blessing, a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, if he

would stay focused, if he could see what was actually happening, and he did
stay focused, and he saw what took place. The Lord in a chariot of fire took his
servant to heaven. That’s what Elisha saw. What did the fifty men standing on
the other side of the Jordan see from a distance see? They didn’t see what
Elijah saw. Verse 11, “Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.” They saw a
whirlwind. They saw a tornado. They saw something natural come and
separate them. They didn’t see the fiery chariot. They just saw the whirlwind,
and that’s why they wanted to search for him. 2 Kings 2:16, “They said, ‘Behold
now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please, let them go search
for your master.”

Before we continue the Elisha story, let me draw a practical observation from
this. Many, even Christians, even some instructed Christians make the mistake
that the fifty prophets who saw from a distance made. When a loved one is
carried away, forget the chariot, when a loved one dies, when you are separated
from them – it could be a wife or it could be a husband or it could be a child or a
grandchild or some relative or some friend – when a loved one dies, we need to
heed the advice that Elijah gave to Elisha, “You’ve asked a hard thing. If you
see me when I’m taken, it shall be so for you. If not, it shall not be so.” We
need to focus when someone dies on what’s really happening. When our loved
one who is a believer, a Christian, dies, the Lord is calling that person to
heaven, to glory, and we need to see that by faith, but sometimes we can get
distracted and just see the whirlwind and just see the tornado, the wind that
comes and turns the house upside down, that makes a mess and leaves
everything in shambles. If all you see when your loved one departs is the
whirlwind, if you just see the pain that they’re going through and the suffering
that they’re going through and the agony, and all you see is the whirlwind, when
they’re gone you’re going to be broken hearted and confused, and you’re going
to feel alone and you might even hold the love of the Lord in suspicion, “Why did
You allow this loved one to go?” You’ll have a difficult time adjusting and
processing and, “Why at this time did God take my loved one?” May God give
you and me vision and focus when a loved one goes; look at what’s really
happening. That person is being carried by the Lord to heaven. The Lord Jesus
said, “If you love Me, you would rejoice because I’m going to the Father,” and if
you loved that loved one, you would rejoice because they’re going to the Father
in the Father’s house. I just wanted to make that little application.

So, the sons of the prophets just saw the storm and just saw the whirlwind.
Verse 16, “Behold, there are with your servants fifty strong men; please let them
go search for the master.” Remember that the only information they were given
is that Elijah would be taken. They were not informed that he would be taken in
death. All they knew is he would be taken, so when they wanted to search, did
they hope to find him alive? Is that why they wanted to search? We read,
remember Obadiah in the Elijah story? 1 Kings 18:12, “It will come about when I
leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know, and when I
come to tell Ahab that he cannot find you, he’ll kill me.” They believed that the
Spirit of the Lord could carry you away, and he said, “I’m afraid that’s going to
happen.”

Literally, in the New Testament we have that, don’t we? In Acts 8:39, “When
they came up out of the water,” this is Phillip and the eunuch, “the Spirit of the
Lord snatched Phillip away and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his
way rejoicing, but Phillip found himself at Azotus.” So, it’s possible. My own
guess is that they were not expecting to find him alive because of what they
said. I think they were looking for his body. As the mantel fell from heaven, so
they expected the body to fall from heaven. Verse 16, “Perhaps the Spirit of the
Lord has taken him out and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.”
That’s what they said, I don’t think they expected to find him alive. I’m not going
to argue about that. I think they just wanted to give him a proper burial and to
honor him. They thought it would be dishonoring to have that body of such a
man eaten by birds of prey and that kind of thing, and other animals. When they
said, “Perhaps the Spirit of God threw him on a mountain or in a valley, I don’t
think they had a bad view that the Spirit of God was cruel. I think they were
trying to be spiritual. They saw the whirlwind, and I think they’re just trying to
say, “Of course, God is behind everything, and maybe the Spirit of God just
allowed that to happen.” I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on that.

The Holy Spirit calls attention to two characteristics of those sons of Israel. I
want to focus on that for a moment. #1 They seem to glory in the physical
strength. In verse 16, “Behold, there are with your servants fifty strong men.” In
other words, we can make the hike and we can go up the mountain; we’re in
good shape, we can go in the valley. The Septuagint, are you familiar with that?
That’s the Greek translation of the Old Testament. In the Septuagint on that
verse it says, “Maybe he’s in the valley and maybe the Spirit threw him on the
mountain,” and it adds, “or in the river Jordan.” “Maybe he’s in the river; we’ve
got to go check the sides of the river.” Anyway, they’re claiming that they are in
good shape to do that. #2 I already mentioned, they were living and operating
by sight. They saw the whirlwind. They didn’t see what spiritually took place.
When you put those two things together, looking at physical strength and living
by sight, you can see the ministry Elisha needs to have, because they’re trusting
their own selves, and they’re trusting vision, their natural sight.

There was a back and forth when they said, “Let us go,” and Elisha said, “Don’t
go,” and they said, “Let us go,” and in the original Hebrew it’s that they kept
going, that was back and forth, “Please let us go,” “No, you can’t go,” “Please let
us go,” “No, you can’t go,” “Please let us go,” “No, you can’t go,” until it came to
this, verse 17, “And when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said,
‘Send.’” What does it mean that they pressured him until he was ashamed? Did
Elijah cave in? Did Elijah give into high pressure? Did he compromise? What
was he ashamed of? What does that mean? Does he think that if I don’t let
them go, they might have bad thoughts about me? We don’t know what was
going through his mind. God doesn’t tell us. Did he think maybe, “What if they
are thinking that we’ll find him alive, and now I’m taking his place and I’m the
new prophet, and maybe they’ll think I don’t want to find him alive and I like this
idea of being the new prophet.” Did that go through his mind? Or, “Are you
afraid if we find him alive you’re going to have to return the mantel?” We don’t
know what they were thinking.

That’s not what it means when it says that he was ashamed. Let me quote a
scripture that uses the very same Hebrew word. It’s Psalm 69:5&6, “Oh God, it
is You who knows my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from You. Let those
who wait for You not be ashamed through me, oh Lord of hosts.” Let me use
myself as an example, and the possibility is there because we’re human. If I
take my eyes off the Lord, I can do anything an unsaved person can do, and so
can you. If I publicly fell from the Lord…. You’ve been coming to these studies,
and I’m supposedly the instrument of teaching, and if I publicly fell into some sin,
would you be ashamed? See, the same word for shame can be translated as
disappointed. If I fell from the Lord, I’m sure everybody in this room would be
terribly disappointed because of the testimony that would have been broken. I
think that it’s in that sense that they insisted on going out based on their strength
and their eyesight, “We’ll go,” I think Elisha was terribly disappointed. He was
trying to get them to live by faith, to walk by faith, and they insisted in going by
sight. They trusted their muscles and they trusted their eyesight and they
persisted.

2 Kings 2:17, “They sent, therefore, fifty men. They searched three days but did
not find it. They returned to him while he was staying at Jericho and he said to
them, ‘Did I not say to you, “Do not go.”? That’s not the same as “in your face”,
“I told you. You should have listened.” It’s not that at all, but there’s just some
people, and in an early ministry that had to be disappointing. There are just
some people that insist, and they will not be satisfied until they fail. They are
going to try it their way and do it their way, and they’re going to come back, and
the man of God is disappointed and says, “I told you; you should have trusted
the Lord.”

That was the first message that Elisha had to the children of Jericho, “Don’t trust
your physical strength and don’t trust your eyesight; trust the Lord.” Looking at it
from his standpoint, if you want to take the word “shame” to mean “ashamed”,
he may have been ashamed in the sense of embarrassed that he couldn’t
convince them. In other words, he had the power to open the river that has no
will, and now he comes to a people with a will and he can’t convince them. He
could have been embarrassed thinking sort of like the blind man that was
healed, born blind, and he just couldn’t understand these Pharisees, “Why can’t
you get it? I was blind and now I see. I don’t understand why you don’t see it.”
Maybe Elisha expected that kind of a response, “Now I have the Life of God,
and I’ll go and share it and they’ll accept it,” and they don’t, and they just insist
on sight.

Looking at it from their standpoint, I think he was terribly disappointed that they
insisted on that which would end in futility, by looking with the eyes of nature.
His body was not going to be found, not on the mountains, not in the valley, and
not in the river Jordan and not anywhere on earth; he was in the presence of the
Lord in heaven. So, the first principle is Elisha’s appeal to faith.

Let’s look for a moment at the second ministry he had in verses 19-22, “Then
the men of the city said to Elisha, ‘Behold now, the situation of the city is
pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful. Bring
me a new jar and put salt in it.’ So, they brought it to him and he went out to the
spring of water and threw salt in it and said, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I have purified
these waters. There shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.”’
So, the waters have been purified to this day according to the word of Elisha
which he spoke.”

Verse 19 begins with the words, “The men of the city came..” There’s a good
chance these were not the same sons of the prophets. It looks like the men of
the city were the authorities of the cities, the rulers, the politicians, the ruling
class. The problem in the city was the water supply. It’s a graphic picture, verse
19,”To the eyes it was pleasant,” but underneath it was corrupt and polluted.
Jericho was a pleasant place. It was perpetual summer there. That’s where
you’d go if you were a snowbird in that area. You would go to Jericho. It was a
beautiful situation, the palm trees and you could look over to the mountains of
Judea which were 3500 feet above. It was just a beautiful place to go, but the
problem was that everything was miscarrying. In other words, the trees would
bud and blossom and then they would rot. There was no fruit. It looks good and
it starts good, but it just miscarries. That was the problem they had.

What happened? Some people think it went back to the curse that Joshua put
on anybody who would build Jericho. Joshua 6:26, “Joshua made them take an
oath at that time saying, “Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and
builds this city Jericho.” Obviously, it had been rebuilt because that’s where
we’re talking about. “With the loss of the firstborn he shall lay it’s foundation and
with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up the gates.” That was a curse.
They did rebuild it by a man whose name was Hiel and you can read about that
in 1 Kings 16, and as they began, his son died, and when they ended, his
youngest son died. So, the curse was literally fulfilled. Something was foul in
the water and some think that curse was included, and that’s why it was foul. I
wonder if Hiel would have rebuilt Jerusalem, he did it at great cost, his two sons,
but if he had known the water was no good, I don’t think he would have tried to
rebuild. Something was foul.

It wasn’t like what happened in Palestine, Ohio, with the train wreck and thirty-
five hundred fish were killed because of chemicals in the water. There was
nothing like that, but it’s implied the foul water was a judgment of God on sin.
When we go back to these places, Gilgal, Bethel, don’t forget these are lands of
idolatry and Baal worship and they’re not looking to the Lord and the people of
Jericho were wicked people. In that connection listen to Psalm 107:33, “He
changes rivers into a wilderness, springs of water into a thirsty ground, a fruitful
land into a salt waste because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.” I
assume the water was foul because they were sinful, and God was smiting in
order to bless.

Anyway, Elisha did a symbolic act. What he did was parabolic; it was a parable,
a parable to show God’s heart forever. That is, the way to deal with pollution is
to go to the source, to the spring. Publicly he asked for a new cruse and to put
salt in it. Why a new cruse and why salt? I think because there’s going to be a
symbolic act here, they carry a spiritual truth. When God wanted something to
be sanctified and set aside for His use, even the vessels in the temple, you
couldn’t have a bowl that was used for something else; it had to be new. I think
because God is about to do something spiritual, He didn’t want to have it been
corrupted by something worldly.

So, get a new cruse and put salt in it. Why salt? Some say, “Well, salt prevents
corruption.” Well, that’s true if you put it on a dead fish, but if you put it in water,
you don’t drink salt water. Salt makes it brackish; salt makes it worse. Others
think it had to do with what the Bible calls the salt covenant. Are you familiar
with that? I’m not going to get into that, but I’ll tell you, the Bible talks about the
salt covenant, and there are three of them. God made a salt covenant with His
people, Israel, and God made a salt covenant with the priesthood, and God
made a salt covenant with the house of David. If you ate in my house and there
was salt on the food, I’m obligated to protect you forever. That’s the idea of the
salt covenant. While you are under my roof, you have my protection. If it
means I have to lose my wife and I have to lose my kids, lose my own life, I will
protect you because there is a salt covenant. Some of the commentaries relate
that to the salt covenant. I don’t see it there. I think it’s a little fanciful, so I’m not
going to do that. I think the spiritual principle is this symbolic action, verse 21,
“He went out to the spring water and threw salt in it and said, ‘Thus says the
Lord, “I’ve purified these waters.”’
I think the salt was sort of like, remember when Jesus healed the blind man?
He always healed the blind differently, never did it the same way. One time he
used spittle and clay, made mud and put it in the eye. Is mud a good thing for
giving you sight, mud in the eye? I think that was just to show that it was the
Lord and not the instrument. I think the salt was the same. It’s not the
instrument. It’s the Lord that’s going to do that. So, he threw it in the spring.
There were creeks and brooks and stuff; he didn’t throw it in the brook, he didn’t
throw it in the stream, he didn’t throw it in the creek. He said, “We’ve got to go
to the spring, to the source.” As he tried to get Jericho to live by faith, now he’s
trying to teach them, “If you’re going to deal with pollution, you have to get to the
source.” That was the parable, that purification comes by getting to the source,
and we’ll see that later when they need to deal with Baal and idolatry and all of
that. It’s an important lesson, even for us. It’s so easy and we are so apt to
chop weeds off at the surface and not deal with the source. There are roots,
and we’ve got to deal with the source. The problem is me, the problem is
always me; I’ve got to reckon myself dead. It’s got to deal with the source.

Watchman Nee gives a wonderful illustration in one of his writings of this. He

was talking about a drunkard who was longing to be delivered from drink, and
the way he did it was that he kept smashing liquor bottles. Watchman Nee said,
“It might have been better to deal with the factory, than to keep smashing liquor
bottles, because you keep breaking the bottles and they keep producing more.”
I think our nation has not yet learned that lesson at the border, because we’re
intercepting fentanyl and opiates and destroying it. I read that last year they
seized 11,000 pounds of that stuff. I think they need to deal with the cartels and
the factories and get to the source.

I’ve never been to the Holy Land? Have you been to Jericho? I read this. You
tell me if it’s true. When you go on these tours and they stop at places of
attraction, there’s a place outside Jericho, they say, a spring, and it’s named
“Elisha’s Spring”. Did you experience that? I read it and I don’t know if it’s true.
Anyway, the ministry of Elisha was to live by faith and get to the source of the
problem, but now as we get ready to close, what is the distinctive revelation of
our Lord Jesus in that early ministry of Elisha? I want to start by calling attention
to faith. Elijah lived by faith, but Elijah could not pass that faith onto Elisha. You
can’t pass that on to your neighbor or anybody in your family. When Elisha
picked up Elijah’s mantel, now he has the Life of God in his hand. 2 Kings 2:13,
“He took the mantel of Elijah.” Let me just say as an example, let’s say he took
that mantel and threw it over his shoulder and started walking toward the Jordan
river, would the Jordan river open up? He’s got that which symbolizes the Spirit
of God on his shoulder. I’m suggesting that it’s no; if he started to get into the
Jordan, he’d get wet and he’d have to come out again or start swimming. What
we read in verse 14, “He took the mantel of Elijah that fell from him and struck
the waters and said, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ And when he struck
the water, they were divided here and there.” Until he struck the water, holding
the mantel is one thing, but using it is another. I think all Christians have the
Spirit of God, but not all Christians know how to live by faith and apply that. So,
faith is a big deal here. Until he struck the waters, that obstacle was still in the
front. There was a block, a hindrance. Striking the water was by faith.

It’s like Moses when he stretched out the rod over the Red Sea, and then the
way opened up. Just so, the salt that was put into the spring was an act of faith,
and it’s Elisha’s attempt to dissuade the sons of the prophets from their search
committee, appealing to faith. Up until this time the ministry was all about faith,
but now we’re getting close to the revelation of the Lord. Is faith the main
message? Was it faith that opened the Jordan? Was it the mantel that opened
the Jordan? 2 Kings 2:14, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” It was the
Lord and not the mantel. It was the Lord and not Elijah’s faith. Elisha had as
much now of the God of Elijah on earth that Elijah had of the God of Elijah, now
that he’s in heaven. Was it the salt that healed Jericho’s waters? Was it
Elisha’s faith that healed Jericho’s waters? 2 Kings 2:21, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I
have purified the waters.’” It was the Lord that purified the water.

The point is that faith needs an object. The revelation of Christ is Christ is the
object of faith. We’re not called to have faith in our faith. Actually, faith is the
most unreliable object that you can ever have. We began this lesson by quoting
Psalm 84:12, “How blessed is the man who trusts in You.” It’s the object of faith.
Many Christians are faith-centered. You’ll hear somebody say, “Oh, please pray
for me. You have such faith. I wish I had faith like you. You’ve got so much
faith and it’s so wonderful.” Then they pray, “Lord, increase my faith and make
my faith stronger, and make it bigger and make it larger. I want to be rich in
faith. If I had more faith, I could have victory. If I had more faith, I could
understand the Bible. If I had more faith, I could be healed. If I’m not healed,
it’s because I don’t have enough faith. If I had more faith, I could have more
peace. If I had more faith, I could move mountains and I could walk on water.
What I need is more faith.”

No, it’s not faith. Faith needs an object. What are you trusting? I weigh around
205 now. If I walked on ice that could hold only 85 pounds, but I’m going to trust
the Lord to get across, the ice will only hold 85 pounds and I weigh 205, how
much faith would I need to cross that ice? None; it won’t work. All the faith in
the world wouldn’t help me because my object is ice, thin ice. If I have ice that
will only hold 85 pounds, all the faith in the world is not going to get me across,
no matter how much I pray or trusted the Lord.
Why am I calling attention to this? It’s because I want to call attention to the
only object of faith. Faith is only as strong as the object of faith. If a chair or a
bridge could only hold a certain weight, all the faith in the world isn’t going to
help if I tried to sit on it. Who is Christ? The answer is that He’s the object of
faith. That’s why it doesn’t take a lot of faith, and that’s why your faith can be
the size of a mustard seed. Why? It’s because of the object; Christ is so great
that a little tiny faith lays hold of a great big Christ, and that’s the message, that
Christ is the object of faith.

Let me give a closing illustration based on Colossians 2:6, “Therefore, as you’ve

received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in Him.” In other words, it’ll never be
harder to walk in the Lord than it was when you first trusted the Lord. I’m going
to give an illustration. I want you to picture a room filled with obstacles. It could
be stones, it could be bricks, it could be a chair, it could be a table. It’s filled with
obstacles, and the room is large; it’s a great, big room, and it’s totally dark,
absolutely black, and on the floor are also marbles and other things like that.
You are called to walk through that dark room filled with obstacles. How do you
think you would do? Do you think you might stumble, might trip, might fall, or
might bump into something? What if you turned the switch on and all of a
sudden, the light filled the whole room, the whole room filled with light, and you
could see the obstacles? Now you could navigate your way through. You could
step over them, you could walk around them, you could get by without tripping
and falling.

Suppose another day comes and you find yourself in a season or in another
room or situation and it seems all dark, and there are obstacles all around, the
same kind of obstacles, and you know you’ve got to walk through. So, you start,
and you hit a marble and you’re down. Then you get up and you bump into a
chair. You say, “Wait, I remember, a switch. I turn on the light.” Was it any
harder the second time? Did it take more effort to turn on the light? That’s faith.
It’s not going to grow. You are just going to use it more, and you are going to
rise up and use it sooner, before you start tripping and falling down all over the
place. It’s faith with a history. You need faith with a history. It’s not going to get
any harder. It’s always the same, trust Jesus, “As you receive Christ, so walk.”
It’s that simple, and it will never get harder. “Oh, with all these obstacles it’s
going to be so hard to trust Jesus this time.” It’s exactly the same. It never gets
harder.

I don’t know if you know this, but my eyesight is not great. In fact, my eyesight
is pretty bad. I don’t have bifocals. I have another kind; there’s more than “bi”,
there’s more than two. When I first got these glasses, I’m telling you, I couldn’t
move and couldn’t walk. I almost fell down the stairs because I couldn’t see,
until I learned to stop looking at my glasses and start looking through them.
That makes a difference. I was looking for the lines and trying to walk looking at
my glasses. Don’t look at faith; look through it to the Lord Jesus Christ. He IS
the object of faith. So, this is Elisha’s ministry. His ministry is to turn people to
faith rather than sight and strength; it’s to get people to get to source of the
problem and get people to see the object of their faith, and not at all rely on
faith. Next time we’ll take Elisha’s hand and go to Bethel where the bears are.
Let’s pray together.

Father, thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for Your precious word.
Thank You for the simplicity of it, that a little child can understand it. We pray
that You would write indelibly into our hearts these great truths, that we might
learn to live by faith, that we might always know that You purify the source, and
that we might know that You are the object of our trust. Work this in us we pray,
in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Elijah & Elisha Message #16

Introduction Widow/Oil

Ed Miller

Welcome to our gathering, our flocking, I like to call it. We’ve come to behold
the Lord Jesus. That’s why we’re here. As we come to look in the word of the
Lord, there is one principle of Bible study that’s absolutely indispensable, and
that is total reliance on God’s Holy Spirit. God has written this book, and God
breathed it, and He needs to breathe it again. Only God can reveal God. We’ve
come to see the Lord, so we’ve got to trust His Holy Spirit.

I want to share a verse from Amos 8:11, “’Behold, the days are coming,’
declares the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine for
bread or thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord.’” I just
want to praise the Lord publicly; that famine might be in many places on the
earth, but it hasn’t hit us, yet. We still have the privilege to hear the words of the
Lord. It’s a privilege to meet like we’re meeting, and we can’t take occasions
like this for granted. I think there’ll be a day when Christians will not be allowed
to gather, as we are privileged to gather. So, we meet at the Lord’s pleasure,
and we have to praise the Lord for that. Let’s commit our time to the Lord, and
then we’ll look in His word.

Heavenly Father, thank You again for the indwelling Holy Spirit who searches
the depths of God and reveals unto us the things concerning our peace and our
salvation. We want to see Jesus, and just ask that You would be so gracious to
unveil Yourself, and then give us the grace to receive that revelation. We know
we all have different capacities, and we pray we might walk in the light as You
reveal Yourself to us in the light. We commit our study unto You, and we thank
You in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.

For those that are recently coming here, I just want to make a comment. We’re
in lesson #16. Sometimes that frightens people. They say, “I’m coming in the
middle, or I’m coming at a different lesson.” Not here, because our goal is to
present the Lord Jesus. So, every lesson stands on its own. It’s true that it can
build, but you don’t need the first fifteen lessons in order to see the Lord this
morning. So, we’re going to see the Lord together.

In the last session, I took a little bypass in our study. We’re studying the
ministries of God serving Elijah and Elisha, and we took a little bypass. We’re in
the study of Elisha, but let me explain what we did last week, and then bring us
up to where we are now. If we had been faithful to the chronological record, last
week we would have looked at 2 Kings 2:23-25, and that was Elisha’s ministry at
Bethel, and that’s the story of the two she-bears. But the next story, the one that
followed that record, took a whole chapter, the record of Jehoshaphat and the
war against Moab, that whole chapter of chapter 3. I didn’t want to start the
bear story, and then have not enough time to do the whole Jehoshaphat story. I
didn’t want to end in the middle or three quarters through that story, so I jumped
over the bear story, and we looked at Jehoshaphat last time. I’m not going to
review a lot of that, except to say that Jehoshaphat had a heart toward the Lord,
and if you have a heart toward the Lord like Jehoshaphat had, even if you mess
up like Jehoshaphat did, and even if you’re one who tries to do the right thing in
the wrong way, like Jehoshaphat did, and even if you compromise like
Jehoshaphat did, it’s never too late to call upon the Lord.

When we closed last time, I quoted Psalm 107:17 and then 19&20, “Fools,
because of their rebellious way…cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved
them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them and delivered
them from their destructions.” I made a portion of that and made a little plaque
and it’s hanging in my study, and it says, “Fools cried, and were delivered.” The
reason that’s hanging in my study is, I’ve been that fool, and I’ve cried, and God
has delivered. There’s never a time when you can cry, and God won’t deliver.
So, that’s what we looked at last time.

Where are we this morning, and where are we heading? Here is the plan, Lord
willing. I still have a few closing observations to make about the Jehoshaphat
story, so we’re going to return to that story just so I can mention three great life
principles, and then I’m going to go back, and we’ll pick up the story we jumped
over last week, the ministry at Bethel. Then we’re going to introduce, and only
introduce Elisha’s next ministry with the widow, the widow of one of the sons of
the prophets, and her sad condition. It’s only going to be an introduction, but it’s
enough to give us the revelation of Christ. That’s why you’ve come. You didn’t
come to learn about Elijah or Elisha or the book of Kings. You came to see
Jesus, and that’s why I came. If we don’t see the Lord, we’ve all wasted our
time. That’s why we’re here. That’s where we are, and where we’re going.

Let me return to the ministry that Elisha had with God’s servant, Jehoshaphat,
that we looked at last week. We know that whole chapter was about one man,
and the reason we know that is because of 2 Kings 3:14, “As the Lord of host
lives, before whom I stand, were in not that I regard the presence of
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you.” So, Elisha
came for one purpose, to deal with Jehoshaphat. Even though there are three
different kings and three different armies in that story, and many, many people,
the focus was on Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was a man, as I pointed out,
whose heart was toward the Lord. 1 Kings 22:43, “He walked in all the ways of
Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord.”
That was the main direction. Now, you can have the main direction correct, and
yet we’re not perfect, are we? There can be many bypasses. By the way, any
Christian, no matter how he has seen the Lord, at any moment in his life, if he
takes his eyes off the Lord, is capable of anything any unsaved person is
capable of. David was a follower of the Lord, a Christian, when he committed
adultery and committed murder. So, let’s take heed and not think we’re able to
stand in our own strength.

Jehoshaphat made many blunders, and in this present story he was put in a
rather embarrassing situation because he had followed the ungodly. They led
him down a path that led to desert and dryness and emptiness. 2 Kings 3:9, “So
the king of Israel went with the king o Judah and the King of Edom; and they
made a circuit of seven days journey, and there was not water for the army or for
the cattle that followed them.” Jehoshaphat found himself in the company of the
ungodly, a man whose heart was right toward God, and now he’s in the midst of
the ungodly, listening to their advice, following their path, and ending up in a
terrible situation.

I want to call attention to three facts in the history that we didn’t mention last
time, but I believe are instructive and carry life principles. The first is this, that
when God performed the miracle that rescued, that restored Jehoshaphat, we
read in the 2 Kings 3:20, “It happened in the morning about the time of offering
the sacrifice, that behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was
filled with water.” They were in a desert, and they had to dig trench. Digging a
trench is offering God nothing but an empty hole, and God is able to fill any
empty hole you happen to bring to Him. That miracle took place about the time
of the morning sacrifice. Remember when we were studying Elijah, and he was
with his contest on Mt. Carmel against the prophets of Baal, we had the same
thing, only it wasn’t the morning sacrifice. That time it was the evening sacrifice.
1 Kings 18:29, “When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering
of the evening sacrifice.”

The principle is clear. The Bible in the Old Testament is full of pictures, symbols,
object lessons, and the morning sacrifice told a story, and the evening sacrifice
told a story, and the ocean of blood shed on Hebrew altars told a story. Whether
we’re coming to the morning sacrifice at 9 o’clock, or the evening sacrifice at 3
in the afternoon, the Lord is reminding us that His miracle takes place, and it’s
based on the sacrifice, it’s based on the blood. Whether it’s the first time you’ve
come to Him, you need the blood. Whether it’s the hundredth time you’ve
returned to Him, you need the blood, the morning and evening sacrifice, and you
need that one that pictures the one sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. Every miracle
that’s ever taken place in your life is because of the precious blood of Jesus.
Every miracle that’s ever taken place in my life is because of the precious blood
of Jesus. I think there’s a danger of those of us who have been brought a little
deeper into the meaning of the atonement, that because we say that we now
understand the exchanged life and it’s Christ living in us and it’s victory, that we
can forget that it all depends on the blood of Christ. It all goes back to the cross.
No matter how far you come in the Lord, don’t leave the cross. We’ve got to
continually go back. Every blessing you’ve ever had since you’ve been a
believer is because of the cross.

I’ve heard Christians say, “I left that particular church because all they do is
preach the gospel every week; they just tell you how to get saved, every week
the same thing. We need to go deeper.” I understand there’s a deeper
message, but there’s no other word than the gospel. The gospel is good news,
and no matter how deep you go, we will never plumb the depths of the good
news, but it’s all based on the blood of our Lord Jesus. I don’t know where you
are in your walk with the Lord, but no matter how much you’ve seen of Him,
don’t ever lose focus on the blood. In our particular fellowship where we gather,
we’re reminded every Lord’ Day about the blood, and His finished work,
because we remember in the cup of blessing which we share together.

Jehoshaphat is not getting saved in this passage; he’s being restored in this
passage, but the Holy Spirit takes great pains to bring us back to the blood, to
bring us back to the work of Christ. That’s one of the things I appreciate about
Lewis Jones’ great gospel song, “Power in the Blood.” The reason I like it is
because it starts with getting saved: “Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, there’s power in the blood.” But then it ends with the
Christian life: “Will you do service for Jesus your King, will you live daily His
praises to sing? There’s wonderful power in the blood.” And that blood will
never lose its power.

So, Jehoshaphat is being restored and God reminds us that it’s based on His
perfect work, His finished work. Praise God for where you are in the Lord
Jesus, but never take your eyes off the reason for where you are in the Lord
Jesus. Don’t say, “That’s elementary; we want to move on to deeper things.”
It’s been a lot of years since I recited or said my ABC’s. I haven’t sung my
ABC’s in a long time, but those are elementary. I’ve never left my ABC’s. I use
my ABC’s every day in different combinations. You couldn’t speak without your
ABC’s, and that’s fundamental to all communication. So, the blood is just as
fundamental. That’s the first thing I wanted to call attention to.

The second thing is in 2 Kings 3:20, “It happened that in the morning at about
the time of the offering of the sacrifice, behold, water came by way of Edom, and
the country was filled with water.” I call attention to the miracle was based on
the blood, but even though the story is all about Jehoshaphat, and he’s in the
middle of a company of ungodly, the ungodly profited from that miracle. They
also were saved from dying from thirst because of that miracle. So was the
army of Israel and the army of Edom. Jehoshaphat’s miracle, his miracle of
restoration had a sanctifying effect on the ungodly that were all around him. I
mentioned on the level of earth it must have been embarrassing for
Jehoshaphat to have to be restored in the company of those renegades. If I
mess up, to be honest with you, I’d rather be restored in my closet in private
where it’s just me and the Lord Jesus. I don’t want to be exposed as the sinner I
really am. I try to cover that up; I don’t want people to know that what is flesh is
flesh and it will always be flesh, and I’ll never improve. No matter how long I’ve
known the Lord, I’m still me, and that’s what the flesh is.

That’s what Paul said in Romans 7, “Nothing good dwells in me, that is my
flesh.” What is my flesh? It’s me; it’s you. That’s what the flesh is. It’s
embarrassing enough to have to be restored in the presence of God’s people
who love you and know you and identify with you. In the front of my Bible, I
have Psalm 69:6, and I pray it very often. It says, “May those who wait for You
not be ashamed through me, oh Lord God of Hosts. May those who seek You
not be dishonored through me, oh God of Israel.” I don’t want God’s people to
be hurt because of my life and my turning from the Lord. How much more do I
not want the testimony of the Lord Jesus to be sullied by my actions in the eyes
of the unbeliever. Romans 2:24 says, “The name of God is blaspheming among
the gentiles because of you.” That’s a dreadful thought, just to think that we can
tear the testimony of Christ down. That’s only one side of it.

The other side is illustrated in 1 Corinthians 7:14, and the illustration there is
marriage, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the
unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband, otherwise your
children are unclean, but now they are holy.” In other words, when a believer
lives in union with Christ among an unbeliever, there’s a sanctifying influence.
Whether one member of the family is unsaved, by living in union with Christ, it
has an affect on the kids. It’s a sanctifying influence. A sanctifying influence is
no guarantee that they’re going to turn to the Lord. It’s their best shot, but it’s no
guarantee that they’re going to turn to the Lord.

Jehoshaphat was humbled by having to be restored before the eyes of the

ungodly, but the miracle that saved him had a tremendous effect on all the
ungodly, the two ungodly kings and their armies that were around them. They
also, witnessed the miracle of the Lord. I know there are a lot of questions
about the early part of Hebrews 6, but let me just give you this verse, Hebrews
6:4&5, “In the case of those who have once been enlightened, have tasted the
heavenly gift, have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, have tasted the good
word of God and the powers of the age to come…” It’s possible for the ungodly
to taste, to experience, to live in the presence of, to feel the anointing, and God
opens their eyes, and they understand, and then turn and walk away, to reject it.
I’ll just tell you that Jehoshaphat could have been embarrassed when he was
restored, but it's not me or my reputation that matters, and God doesn’t really
care if my reputation goes down in flames, or your reputation. It’s not your
name, it’s not your reputation. Brothers and sisters in Christ, it’s all about Him.
It’s about His name and about His renown and about His glory and it’s about His
testimony. Everything is redemptive, and Jehoshaphat’s restoration was
redemptive. The sad record is that they didn’t respond that well to that, but they
still tasted it.

Don’t think for a lonely moment that if you mess up and blow it and the Lord is
gracious enough to bring you back, that you’re coming back to the Lord, not how
embarrassing it’s been for you, don’t think it doesn’t have an effect on all those
around you, and even those who are blinded by sin. You say, “My testimony is
just a whisper.” It may be a whisper to you, but it’s a thousand thunders in their
heart. You don’t know what God is doing when He restores you. You can tell
how deep a hole you’ve been in by measuring the length of rope it takes to pull
you out. Think about that, because the rope that pulled you out started in
heaven. That’s a long rope, and you were way down, and the Lord pulled you
out and pulled me out. We can thank Him for such love and patience and
compassion and mercy. His arm was not shortened that it could not save.
Psalm 51:12&13, I love David’s repentance, he said, “Restore to me the joy of
Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit,” and then he added, “then will
sinners be converted unto Thee.” So, in your restoration, it’s redemptive and we
can praise God.

I want to make a third comment about the Jehoshaphat story, not only is your
restoration based on the precious blood of Christ, not only is your restoration
redemptive and has a sanctifying influence on all around, even the ungodly, but
the third observation is in 3 Kings: 11, “But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not a
prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?’” He sought
the Lord, but it was a last resort, but he finally sought the Lord, “And one of
Israel’s servants answered and said, ‘Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who
used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.’” This was one of the king’s servants,
not the King Jehoshaphat, but the king of Israel, one of King Ahab’s servants.
Of course, at that time it wasn’t Ahab; it was Jehoram.

We know that Israel had their own prophets. We know by the comment Elisha
made to Jehoram in verse 13, “Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘What do I
have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother.’” Ahab
and Jezebel had their prophets, but somewhere in the army of Israel there was
a soldier in the camp, or a special servant to King Jehoram, somewhere there
was someone who knew the prophet of the Lord, because when he said, “Is
there not a prophet?” this guy stood up and said, “Elisha is in the camp.” Elisha
must have been well-known; he must have had a testimony. Even though he
slipped into the camp without anybody knowing it until Jehoshaphat sought him,
this unnamed somebody, this unnamed person recognized that he’s in the
camp. In verse 12 again, “Jehoshaphat said, ‘The word of the Lord is with him.’
So, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.”

Let me make a couple of observations. The first is this. I’m going to mention
this again when we come to the bear story and his ministry at Bethel, but I want
to make it now, and that is that God has His people everywhere. This is a
tremendous truth. Sometimes you’re shocked to death when you see where
Christians appear. You say, “Are there Christians in Hollywood?” There are.
“Are there Christians in Washington, D.C.?” There are. “Are there Christians in
athletics?” Indeed, there are. “Are there Christians in the military?” Yes, there
are. “Are there some Christians caught up in the cults?” I believe there are.
They’re in Communist countries and they’re in Muslim countries. Christians are
everywhere.

One of my favorite verses in Philippians is chapter 4:22 as you come to the end,
it says, “All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.”
Imagine Caesar’s household having saints there? So, I just want you to notice
that this man, unnamed, we don’t know who he was, he’s in the army or at least
in the kingdom of the ungodly king where they have false prophets, he’s very
much aware of the true prophet of the Lord.

One of the kings of Israel’s servants, the whole story depends on this unnamed
guy. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have the rest of the story. How precious is
the Lord! So many of the works that God does and the miracles He does are
because of somebody, and we don’t have a clue. There’s some wash woman
praying at the sink, and we have no idea of the unnamed saints of God that are
so crucial in the work of the Lord. So, praise God for this! In fact, Jehoshaphat
is in the Messianic line, and I wonder if that unnamed servant had a part in
Bethlehem. We have no clue. You might say, “Well, I’m not famous and I’m not
a good speaker and I’m not this and that,” but you know an unnamed somebody
who knows somebody who knows Jesus. You know Jesus, so you can be used
of the Lord. This guy just recommended, “Here’s a good prophet.” You can say,
“I don’t know the answer to your problem, but here’s a good book, here’s a good
church, here’s a good pastor, here is someone you can ask.” You can do that;
that’s what this guy did, and it was a mighty influence for good. Everything is
based on the blood of our Lord Jesus, and restoration is redemptive, and God
has His people everywhere.

I want now to revisit the story that we jumped over last week. I’m going to read,
only a couple of verses, 2 Kings 2:23, “Then he went up from there to Bethel;
and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and
mocked him and said to him, ‘Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!’ When
he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord.
Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their
number.”

When I introduced this story some weeks ago, it was in terms of the firs two
ministries of Elisha, Micah 7 and so on and Corinthians, where God sometimes
uses His people positively, like he used Elisa in Jericho, and sometimes He uses
His people negatively. As a remnant we can be like dew from the Lord and
showers on vegetation, or we can be like a lion among the sheep. Don’t rebel; I
know my natural heart wants God to use me as dew. I want to be a blessing all
the time, but sometimes you’ve got to take a rugged stand, and sometimes He’s
going to use you as negative, as in this case here in Bethel.
I’m going to enlarge on that truth, that sometimes our ministry will be positive,
and sometimes negative. I want to go back about ten years in the record, when
Elijah was recommissioned by the Lord after his restoration. It’s in 1 King 19:15-
17, “The Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of
Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram
(or Syria); and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and
Elisha the son of Shaphat of Aberl-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your
place. It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael,
Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu,
Elisha shall put to death.’”

Well, as we read the history, we read about the sword of Hazael. We read about
how God used his war machine, his army, to purify the house of Israel, and we
read about the sword of Jehu, and we see how God used him in a special way
to show judgment against the house of Ahab, but where is the sword of Elisha?
It speaks about Elisha, “The ones that these two don’t kill, then Elisha will kill.”
Verse 17, “It will come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael,
Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu,
Elisha shall put to death.”

The only indication that we have of that negative ministry is here in the bear
stories. Let me suggest that Elisha had a different kind of sword than Jehu or
Hazael had; he had what we know as a two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12, “The
word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,” and
I’m suggesting that one edge is positive, and the other edge is negative, and we
have that sword. Elisha had the word of God. He didn’t have authority over
bears. When he cursed them in the name of the Lord, if God didn’t control those
bears… Elisha had no power over those bears. That was a judgment of the
Lord, and what Jehoshaphat referred to when they said, “There’s a prophet
here, chapter 3:12, “Jehoshaphat said, ‘The word of the Lord is with him.’” That
was his sword, that double-edged sword. Ephesians 6:17, “Take the helmet of
salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

The story of the two female bears makes more sense since we did the
Jehoshaphat story, and we know the background of Bethel. 2 Kings 2:23, “Then
he went up from there to Bethel…” At this point in the history, you remember
last week we pointed out Jeroboam, the first king of the ten tribes, the split
kingdom, 1 Kings 12:29, talking about a golden calf, an idol, “He set one in
Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.” It seems a little strange that five hundred
years have passed since Aaron made a golden calf, and now here we are again
with golden calves in Israel.

You might be familiar that the name “Bethel” means “house of God”, that’s what
it means. When Elisha went to Bethel, Bethel was no house of God. They had
a golden calf there. That was a place of idolatry, the seat of idolatry in Israel.
The prophet Hosea makes a play on the word “Bethel”, and I want to show you
that. Hosea 10:5, “The inhabitants of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven.
Indeed, its people will mourn for it, and its idolatrous priests will cry out over it,
over its glory, since it has departed from it.” He took the name “Bethel” and
dropped off the “el”, and “el” is El Shaddai. He dropped off God, House of God,
and he added “aven”. The word “Beth-aven” means the house of vanity. The
house of Bethel, the house of God, had become the house of vanity, Beth-aven.
When Elisha went up there, don’t just think, “Oh, he’s going up to witness to an
unevangelized group.” They’re unevangelized alright; they’re a bunch of
idolators and they hate God and they hate the message. They’ve already kicked
Him out under Jezebel and Ahab.
Don’t think that this group of young lads was a spontaneous response, that all of
a sudden Elisha shows up and then a big crowd forms. It was not spontaneous.
He came and he met a mob. They were waiting for him. They were prepared
for him. Again, verse 23, “He went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going
up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to
him, ‘Go up, you baldhead….” Now, we know there were more than forty-two of
them because the Bible says at the end, he tore up forty-two lads of their
number. There were more than forty-two. We don’t know if there were fifty or
sixty or a hundred. We don’t know how many, but it was a set-up from the
beginning. They knew Elisha was on the way. He had come to Jericho and they
had already received the report.

You might read the record and say, “How cruel that God would allow bears to
tear up little children. Verse 23 says “young lads”. How old were they? You
don’t know from the Hebrew word “young lads”. When Abraham’s servants
accompanied him up to Mt. Moriah, his servants were called “young lads”.
When Joseph was in the pit, and we know he was 18 or more than that, he was
called a “young lad”. When Solomon was 20 years old, he was called a “young
lad”. Soldiers are described as “young lads”. When Rehoboam received from
the younger people the ungodly counsel, they were called “young lads”. We
don’t know the age. I’m not saying there were no kids there. I can’t imagine a
crowd gathering and kids not stepping in the crowd. There may have been.
When Isaiah described the Millennial kingdom, he spoke about the day coming
when a little child will lead the leopard and the wolf and the lamb together, and it
was a little child. We’re assuming it was a very young child. We know, whoever
these young lads were, that they showed tremendous disrespect. They showed
scorn and irreverence. If there were children among them, I think we can say
something about their parents to allow them to be so rude and say such terrible
things. No one can be certain of their age. That’s the point I’m making, the
ones who were mauled by bears. If there were children, boy, that was also a
judgment against their families and against their parents.

This organized mob was rejecting the message of the Lord, they were rejecting
the Lord, and they were rejecting the messenger of the Lord. This was a
reference to Elijah, when they said, “Go up, you baldhead; go up you baldhead.”
Remember, he was caught up in the fiery chariot. They didn’t see that. They
only saw a tornado. They just saw the whirlwind come. They didn’t see what
was really there. What they’re saying is basically, “I hope you get struck by
lightning. I hope a tornado comes and carries you away. I hope you drop in a
sinkhole. Get out of here. We don’t want you. We have our calf, we have our
idolatry. When they were rejecting, they were rejecting the Lord and the Lord’s
messenger.

Now wouldn’t you think after such a horrible scene… I went to school at Moody
Bible Institute for a season, and right down the hall there was a very grotesque
looking student. Half of his face was gone. It was all scarred and horrible. He
had been mauled by a bear. I got to be friends with that man. He wasn’t in the
woods or anything like that. He just climbed over a fence and went up to the
bars at a zoo and the bear reached through the bars and mauled him. I can’t
imagine forty-two being mauled, and I’m sure the rest scattered. I don’t know if
many died, but it was a terrible thing. Wouldn’t you think that after such a thing,
that Elisha would be afraid to continue on into Bethel, because how the people
would turn against him in violence and blame him, “Look what you’ve done.
You’ve taken our young lads and you’ve called this bear out.” But I think it was
like what God did for Moses and Aaron. He said, “I’ve made you like a God to
Pharoah.” This put a fear in their heart. This made people around not ready to
raise a hand against him. It’s like what God did for Joshua when he crossed the
Jordan. The people of Canaan, the Canaanites began to tremble.

So, God puts a fear in them. I’m sure after the bears, the people hated Elisha
even more than ever because now there are grieving families putting the blame
on this man. Forty-two dead, and I’m sure their families hated Elisha. God gave
him authority for his message. I’ll tell you, when there is fire in heaven, and
bears in the woods, God’s people are going to be respected. Don’t
misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that God’s people won’t ever be
persecuted and martyred, but when it’s redemptive. This was redemptive to
save at that time, Elisha, and other times it’s redemptive to let someone like
James be beheaded.

God is holy as certainly as He is love. He’s going to have mercy, but He’s also
going to have judgment, and judgment is a call to repentance, and these bears
were a call to repentance. God is not going to share His glory with another.
What we’re seeing in our country with all the storms and all the tornadoes and
all the earthquakes and floods and stuff like that, God is not going to share His
glory with something man calls “climate change”. This is God; this is calling
people to repentance. I think this gives Elisha authority in the face of the
ungodly.

I told you I was going to emphasize a point made earlier, and that is that God
has His people everywhere. He had that unnamed person in the army or in the
court of Israel, and now here at Bethel. This is the seat of idolatrous worship.
God had a witness here. Remember when Elijah walking his last mile before he
was carried up into heaven in the chariot, on the way he stopped at several
places where there were Bible schools. 2 Kings 2:3, “Then the sons of the
prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him…” The sons of
the prophets at Bethel; there was a Bible school in Bethel, right at the place
where this idolatrous worship was. At one end of the street, you had a golden
calf, and at the other end you had a Bible school.

I mentioned that for a while I attended Moody Bible Institute, and that’s located
in Chicago, the heart of Chicago, and many, many dangerous streets all around
it. Maybe you’ve heard of the Pacific Garden Mission, a very famous mission.
Billy Sunday has claimed that he got saved there. That’s where the Unshackled
radio program comes from. We have many ministries where students were
assigned to the gospel missions, and I went to the Sunshine Gospel Mission in
Chicago. Like Bethel, Chicago had its Bible school, and Bethel had its little
Bible school. One block from one of the missions that I attended was Clark
Street. I wasn’t one hour in Chicago, and I was mugged and left on the street
there, my suitcase torn open. I got off a Greyhound bus and had to walk up to
the school and went up Clark Street and I got mugged. That was my
introduction to Chicago, but God had a witness there, and praise God for that!

That’s all I have on the bear story, so I’d like to introduce it before we close this
unique story. 2 Kings 4 is very unique because it has five miracles in it. Verses
4:1-7 is this multiplied oil for the widow, and then in verses 8-17, God gave a
supernatural son to this Shulamite woman, and then in verses 18-37 that son
died and God raised that son from the dead, and then in chapter 4:38-41, the
poison pot of stew that God healed, and finally at the end of the chapter, the
miracle of the multiplied loaves. That wasn’t only in the New Testament; that’s
here, as well. Those are the visible miracles in chapter 4. There are some
invisible miracles, and what I mean by that is that they’re not as obvious, like the
miracle of timing, and the miracle of insight and the miracle of faith. You see so
much of that in here that’s not spelled out.
I want to begin this story that comes next. We’ve looked at Jericho, the positive
ministry, and we looked at Bethel, and we looked at the joint expedition between
Jehoshaphat and Jehoram, and now we come to the widow and the jar of oil.
So many rich realities in this story, and we’re not going to even suggest that
we’re going to finish it this morning. I want to introduce and give the great and
prevailing revelation of our Lord Jesus. That’s what we’ve come for; we want to
see the Lord Jesus. Next time, Lord willing, we’ll take it apart and dive a little
deeper and look at the other principles. The story is recorded in the first seven
verses. 2 Kings 4:1, “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 Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two
children to be his slaves.’” That’s the background. Many miseries are piled up in
that single verse: widowhood and poverty and the possibility of the future of her
sons, and so on. They could have become slaves.

This is different, this story, than the ones we’ve looked at already, because this
woman is not a hypocrite like some were at Jericho and needed their spring
purified. This woman wasn’t mocking the messengers of the Lord like they were
in Bethel. She wasn’t trying to do the right thing in the wrong way, like
Jehoshaphat was, she wasn’t hobnobbing with the ungodly. This is a different
kind of story. It wasn’t an external enemy. There wasn’t a Moabite in sight in
the story of this woman. Her husband died and she’s about, in her mind, to lose
her two children. Her situation is clearly the result of circumstances that are not
her fault, circumstances that, in the will of God, came into her life. Her great
fear was, of course, for her sons. The law required that if you couldn’t pay your
debts that you would work it off, either you, your family or somebody. Matthew
18:25, Jesus referred to that in one of His parables, “And when he had begun to
settle them,” the debts, “one who owed him 10,000 talents was brought to him.
Since he did not have the means to repay, his Lord commanded him to be sold,
along with his wife and children and all that he had in repayment to be made.”

It's enough this morning to give you her situation, which you already heard, and
to answer the one question that Elisha asked her that gives us the revelation of
our Lord Jesus. I want to go straight to the question; it’s in two parts. Verse 2,
“Elisha said to her, ‘What shall I do for you?’” And I assume the verse 1 was her
answer to that part of the question. When he asked the question, the next part
has to do with the whole narrative, and we’ll come back over and over to this.
He said, “What do you have in the house?” I want to give you the answer that
she could have given; she didn’t, and you aren’t going to find this in your Bible.
This is my imagination, but I think it’s based on logic. She could have said this.
He said to her, “What do you have in your house?” And I picture her saying,
“You want to know what I have in my house? I’ll tell you; there’s a lot of sadness
in my house. That’s what’s in my house. My husband died. I’m empty. I’m
alone. That’s sad, and I’m only left with my two sons and there is a good
possibility I’m going to lose them. What’s in my house? I’ll tell you: tears,
heartache, agony, grief. That’s what I have in my house. You ask, ‘What do you
have in your house?’ I’ll tell you what I have in my house. I’ve got a pile of
unpaid bills. That’s what I have in my house. I’m bankrupt. I’m insolvent, and
there’s a great burden to satisfy those debts. I don’t see a way out. You ask
what I have in my house. It’s a growing sense of hopelessness. That’s what’s in
my house. I don’t have what it takes. My breadwinner, my husband, in the will of
God, he died. He was a Godly man. I don’t only have a house full of sadness
and a house full of debt, do you want to know what’s in my house? My heart
that’s full of anxiety and full of fear, and I’m terrified. The creditor is coming to
take my two sons. I don’t want that. They’ll have to work off the debt. I’m
nervous, and I’m about to have a nervous breakdown. That’s what’s in my
house. I don’t want to lose my sons because of debt that me and my husband
got, and its our fault, and they’ll be slaves, and the only hope according to the
Bible is some kinsman redeemer, some rich relative will come along and bail
them out, and that’s not in our family. I don’t expect that. I don’t know how
many years to the Jubilee, but it could be many years. I don’t know. I’m just in
trouble. So, in answer to your question, “What do I have in my house, I’ve got
sadness, I’ve got debt, I’ve got fear, I’ve got anxiety.”

Notice her first answer in verse 2, “Your maidservant has nothing in the
house…” Now, she may have meant, “I have nothing of value,” or some believe
that “nothing” is literal, that she sold everything before she went to Elisha; she
sold everything of value to pay off her debts, and there was nothing left. That’s
speculation, but that could have been; we don’t know. But we know this widow
was in a world of hurt, sadness and debt and fear for the future of her children,
emptiness and confusion, she doesn’t know what to do, and anxiety; that was in
her house. But then she gave another answer, she said, “Your maid servant has
nothing except a jar of oil.”

Now, that jar of oil is the thing that gives this story inspired space in your Bible.
If it wasn’t for that jar of oil, you wouldn’t be reading about this story. That jar of
oil became the woman’s salvation. That jar of oil became everything. Every
truth in this story is going to revolve around that jar of oil. Commentators
believe, and I incline to agree, that it was olive oil that is being talked about.
There was a lot in that place. Olive oil was very important in those days; it was
a common commodity. It was used for baking, and it was used for cooking, it
was used for medicine, it was actually used as a cosmetic, like suntan lotion, it
was used for fuel. It had many uses, and it was used for investment; if you had
a lot, you could sell some of it. But the real value of that oil is symbolic. God is
not only telling a history, He’s writing a Bible, and you trace that word “oil”
through the Bible, and you’ll know very clearly what that is picturing. The oil was
used on the sacrifices, the oil was used for anointing, it was used for anointing
kings, and anointing priests, and anointing prophets. In the New Testament it’s
used for anointing the sick. The symbolism was deeper than, “Oil is used for
anointing.” It points to the Anointer, the One who does the anointing, and like
Elijah’s mantel —remember we traced out that symbol, and that was a picture of
God’s Holy Spirit. Three times in the New Testament, that figure of the Lord
Jesus being anointed by the Holy Spirit is used: one in Luke 4, one in Acts 10
and then in Hebrews 1. This is a picture of God the Holy Spirit.

I think the clearest reference relationship between the oil and the Spirit is
Zachariah’s vision in chapter 4 of his book in the first 14 verses, Zechariah 4:3,
“Two olive trees were by it,” that was by the lampstand, “one on the right side of
the bowl, and the other on the other side,” and then they explained that vision.
Zechariah 4:6, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might,
nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” The Spirit of God is the
Life of God. Some people say, “I have a body, soul and spirit.” You don’t have a
spirit; you ARE spirit. That IS you. You spirit is your life, and God’s Spirit is His
Life, and when you have the Holy Spirit, you have the Life of God. That’s what
the Spirit is.

Even adding to her testimony, “I have nothing in the house. I don’t have a job, I
don’t have resources, I don’t have a lot of friends, I don’t have a life partner,” or,
“I have one, but I may as well not have one because the life partner doesn’t
seem like a life partner. I don’t have hope, I don’t have strength, recently I don’t
have youth, and I don’t have health, and so on. Alright, let me ask you the
question, “What do you have in the house?” You have a bowl of oil. What do
you have in the house? You have the Holy Spirit. What do you have in the
house? You have the Lord. That’s the revelation of this entire story; we have
the Lord in every situation, every circumstance, every loss, every need. She
said, “I have nothing except a jar of oil.” He’s not the last resort, brothers and
sisters. He’s our first line of defense. You have the Lord and I have the Lord.

This widow is about to learn that she already had everything she would ever
need for that moment and for the rest of her days. It was already there, an
abundant supply. She did not need anything new; she didn’t need anything
different; she didn’t need anything extra; all she needed, and she’s going to find
out, she needs more emptiness. The more emptiness you have, the more
fullness you’re going to have. She had the Lord, and the ministry of Elisha is
going to show her the fullness of what it means to have a jar of oil, to have the
Lord. I’ll just encourage you, as we get ready to close, no matter what comes
down the pike, what do you have in your house? You’ve got the Lord. We’ll pick
up the details of that thrilling truth, but we’ve got the Lord, and that oil is in a
vessel, and you are a vessel, and it’s Emmanuel, it will always be true, “The
Lord with you.”

Let me quote 1 John 2:27, “As for you, the anointing you’ve received from Him
abides in you; you have no need for anyone to teach you, as His anointing
teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught
you, you abide in Him.” The word “Christ” means anointed, the Anointed One.
Do you know what an anti-Christ is? It’s somebody that’s against the anointing.
That’s what an anti-Christ is, someone against the anointing. So, you have Him.
This comment I read by an old Puritan in the early 1800’s, listen to this comment
and then we’ll pray, “If I have everything, but I don’t have the Lord, I have
nothing. If I have nothing, but I have the Lord, I have everything.” And then he
added this, “If I have the Lord, plus everything, the everything has not added
one bit to the Lord.” Let’s pray together.
Father, thank You for Your precious word, not what we think it means, but all that
You’ve anointed and inspired it to mean. Work it all in our hearts and take us
forward in a heart-knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank You, Lord, that
we can trust You for this. You desire it far more than we do. We commit this
lesson unto you. Prepare our hearts as we continue in Your word. Thank You
that we have oil in the house. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Elijah & Elisha Message #19

Shunammite Woman’s Reasoning and Faith

Ed Miller

Once again, as we come to look into the Bible and to God’s word, we remember
that we must trust the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts, because He is the One,
and He’s the Life of God, and He lives in us, and He unveils Christ.

I want to share Mark 4:34, “He did not speak to them without a parable, but He
was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.” So, in one sense the
Bible, the written word, is a parable. We need light, and He was explaining
everything privately to His disciples. So, if we come as disciples, He will take
the written word and explain it, and we’ll get to see our Lord Jesus, the Living
Word. With that in mind, let’s bow together.

Heavenly Father, we thank You this morning that we can gather here and trust
the indwelling Holy Spirit to turn the eyes of our heart, our faith again unto our
Lord Jesus Christ. We know that in Your revelation of Yourself You’ve made
Christ central in the Godhead, and we just pray that we might behold Him
afresh. Thank You in advance that You’re going to guide us, and I ask You to
protect Your people from anything that I might say that is not from You. You’ve
promised to root up what is not from the Father. We’ll trust You for that. We ask
you now to be with us in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

As usual, we’ve gathered to get a fresh view of our Lord Jesus Christ. In our
meditations together we’re in 2 Kings 4, and we’re actually looking at verses 8-
37. That’s the longest miracle in this chapter that contains five miracles. So,
we’re studying this particular miracle, and it’s the story of the family that lived in
Shunam, and we usually call it the Shunammite woman; that’s how we recall this
story.

I’d like to tell the story and get the facts before our heart, and then gradually
move toward the central message of the story; in other words, why did God put
it in the Bible. Then, once we see the central message, we’ll be able to see the
distinctive revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every time you’re taught of God,
you come to Christ. Every Bible study is a revelation of Him. It’s not complete if
we don’t behold the Lord in a real way.

I want to start with 2 Kings 4:8, “There came a day when Elisha passed over to
Shunam, where there was a prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat
food. So it was, as often as he passed, he turned in there to eat food.” Just that
first expression, “There came a day…” When Elisha passed over to Shunam,
he was off the beaten track. That was not his general route. According to 2
Kings 5:9 he had a personal home in Samaria. He would go from Samaria to
Mt. Carmel. That was sort of his retreat, and you could find Elisha at Mt. Carmel
very often. On one of these trips, he decided to take a different route, and even
though it wasn’t a direct route, he went from Samaria and through Shunam to
Mt. Carmel. He went by a certain house, verse 8, where there was a “prominent
woman”, and she persuaded him to eat food. The New American says
“prominent” and the KJV says “a great woman”. You’d be amazed at the
commentators. One commentator said, “Great woman means fat, a big, fat
woman, a great big woman.” I doubt that’s what God intended there. Most think
that it means well-to-do; she was prominent, she was wealthy, she had some
resources. Some, when they read chapter 8, she appears again and there she
looks like she’s quite wealthy; she has an estate. Some would suggest that it
was large, and she had orchards and vineyards and farmlands and flocks and
herds. We don’t know if all of that is true. We know from this story that she
certainly had a field and there were workers there and there were servants there
because one of the servants carried her sick child back to the house.

Some think that idea of “prominent”, “great”, means that she was famous, that
she was well-known and important, and that she had some influence in the area.
Some of that might be true, or all of it, but I know this, she was great in that she
was a woman of character. She was great in that sense. I believe she was a
believer, and she had some insight because of verse 9, “And she said to her
husband, ‘Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us
continually.’” Up until this time, as far as the record goes, Elisha had not spoken
to her. I know he must have because he kept stopping in there for a meal, and
I’m sure he had a lot to say, and I’m sure he probably shared some things of the
Lord. But she had the insight to see that he’s not only a man of God by
profession and saying religious things, but he’s a holy man of God. She
perceived that by him passing by. As you pass by your neighbors and as you
pass by your friends, do they perceive, “That must be a holy person passing
by.”? That’s quite a testimony, and I think it’s part of her greatness that she
knew that. We know that she was very generous because she always had him in
for a meal every time he passed by. You need to remember that his visits were
unannounced. She didn’t know when he was passing by, but every time he did,
she just invited him in for a meal.

It may have been a whim at first for Elijah to say, “I think I’ll take a different route
and go by Shunam,” but I think once he tasted one of those meals, that became
his general route. The Bible says that from now on when he went from Samaria,
he always went that way. When you read the Bible, a meal is a picture of
fellowship — breaking bread, sitting down together. I’m sure they became great
friends as he continually went in there and had meals with them. I think that
tradition today is under attack. It’s hard to see families anymore sitting down
and having fellowship meals; they’re either punching on an I-Phone or social
media or something like that, and it breaks the rich fellowship. I know one family
that their children have never eaten with their parents. That was just something
that they had. It seems very strange. The parents would eat, and then later
they would come and feed the children. I have a hard time with that tradition.

Let me make a remark here. You can see the providence of God in this story
because if he hadn’t decided one day, “I think I’ll take a different route,” we
wouldn’t be reading this Bible story. The Lord guided in that. Did you notice in
verse 8 that she persuaded him to eat food? The first time she invited him, he
refused. He said, “No.” Maybe he was just shy, maybe he didn’t want to
presume on her goodness, but she had to persuade him to come in and stop
and eat food. That whole story hinges on those two details. You can see the
sovereign hand of God, His providence. If he didn’t take that out of the way
route and if she hadn’t convinced him and talked him into coming in for a meal,
we wouldn’t be studying this Bible story today. How great a door sometimes
swings on how small a hinge, and the Lord is in charge of all of that.
Let me get back to the story. Part of this woman’s greatness is when she
suggested to her husband that they build a special room for this holy man of
God who is continually passing by. Verse 10, “Please, let us make a little walled
upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a
lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.’”
Most reliable commentaries believe that was an addition on the outside of the
house on the roof with its own private entrance, so that he could have privacy. It
was wonderfully furnished for the one who was a holy man of God. He had a
bed for resting and he had a table and chair for writing, and he had a lamp for
studying, and it was perfect for a prophet of the Lord.

God doesn’t tell us how long he took advantage of that wonderful generosity of
that man and woman, but one day it was on his heart to say, “I’d like to express
gratitude, and I’d like to show some kind of thank you, so in his modesty he
asked his servant, Gahazi, to address her and ask her two questions. Those
questions are in 2 Kings 4:13, “He said to her, ‘Say now to her, “Behold, you
have been careful for us with all this care; what can I do for you? Would you be
spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?”’” So Gahazi went to her
and asked her. Her response to those questions I think is part of her greatness.
In verse 13 at the end, “And she answered, ‘I live among my own people.’” In
other words, what she is saying is, “I appreciate you wanting to show influence
with the king but thank you; I don’t need that. And thank you for wanting to talk
to the captain of the army but I don’t need protection either. I’m very satisfied
here living quietly among my own people.”

Now it’s at this point that the spiritual message of this story begins to come into
view and take form. All of the rest that we talked about is sort of an introduction
to get us to the spiritual part. Elisha, when Gahazi came back and said that she
has everything and that she doesn’t want protection and she doesn’t want your
influence, Elisha said to Gahazi, “Can you suggest something; can you think of
anything that we can do to say thank you for your kindness?” 2 Kings 4:14, “So,
he said, ‘What then is to be done for her?’ And Gahazi answered, ‘Truly, she has
not a son and her husband is old.’”

As I attempted to introduce this story in our last session, it was this suggestion,
this promise, that she’s going to have a baby, that she’s going to have a son, in
spite of the fact that she was barren, she was childless, and her husband was
old, when Elisha gave her this promise — now this is important — she read far
more into the promise than Elisha stated. Her promise is stated in full in 2 Kings
4:16, “At this season next year you will embrace a son.” That’s the whole
promise right there. She said, “No, my lord, O man of God, so not lie to your
maidservant.” That promise, “You’re going to have a son,” even the gender was
predicted. Of course, that limits her to two, “male and female made He them.”
She was going to have a son, and only the Lord can perform that.

I want to take you through the thinking of the Shunammite woman as she was
given news that she was going to have a baby. I said already that she read
more into this promise than Elisha stated and perhaps than he intended. This is
important because the spiritual message and the revelation of Christ depends
on the way she views this promise. I might even say it depends on her faulty
view of this promise. The way she looked at this promise, the whole message of
Christ depends on that. So, from her concept will flow the spiritual message.

Everything from here on in is going to be around the child, the promise of his
birth, the supernatural birth, the death of the child, the resurrection of the child,
and her response to each stage of the revelation that we get of the child. It’s
necessary background, if we’re going to understand, and this is where our
hearts are. We want to see the message of Jesus; we want to see the
revelation of Christ, and it’s embedded, and it’s fossilized in this story. So, we’re
going to do a little mining in order to see that.

To set this before our hearts, I want to mention three things I know, and I’m not
guessing, she was thinking. How do I know it? It’s in the Bible. I’m going in the
Bible, in the word of God where I’m going to isolate that she thought this, and
she thought that. If you bring those three things together, you’re going to have
the message of the Lord. So, we’re going to look at those three things.

The first thing that was clearly in her mind is suggested in 2 Kings 4:16, “He
said, ‘At this season next year you will embrace a son,” and she said, ‘No, my
lord, oh man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.’” We know from that verse
and one other that I’m going to bring up in a moment, that this was I’m going to
say a surprise, it might have been a shock to her to hear at this stage in her life
that she’s going to have a child. When the boy died, she called attention to the
same thing. 2 Kings 4:28, “Then she said, ‘Did I ask for a son from my Lord?
Did I not say, “Do not deceive me”?’” When she said, “Did I ask for a son?” what
was in her mind is, “Remember, I did not initiate this. I didn’t come and say, ‘Will
you please pray to God that I’d have a child?’ I told you that I was content. I
was living here among my people. I didn’t need influence from the king, and I
didn’t need any protection; I was absolutely content, and I was happy living here
with my husband and peacefully among my own people. You called me in. I
didn’t volunteer. I wasn’t praying and I wasn’t asking; this was not my idea.
That’s the first thing that’s in her mind, that the birth of her son was not her idea.
It was a gift from God, a wonderful gift from the Lord. Maybe that was in her
heart, that desire, but as far as the record goes, she didn’t express it.

To be a barren woman in the Old Testament was a heavy burden. The reason
was because right at the beginning God promised that Messiah would be the
seed of the woman, and if you were barren, you were left out of that promise,
that possibility that that woman might be you. So, Jewish women took that quite
seriously because they were all looking for that privilege to be the mother of
Messiah. Hold that a moment; that was an important part of her reasoning, that
this was not my idea. She didn’t say this, but she could have said, “I’m not like
Hannah,” remember Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Listen to 1 Samuel 1:10,
“And she, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. She made a
vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your
maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give
Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life,
and a razor will never come on his head.’” Hannah longed for a baby and
expressed it. 1 Samuel 1:27, “For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me
my petition which I asked of Him.” The Shunammite woman was not like
Hannah; she did not seek, she did not ask, she did not pray, she did not beg,
she did not initiate. This came to her.

There’s a second thing about her thinking that I know is Biblical, and it was
expressed when her child died, and she fell at the feet of Elisha. 2 Kings 4:28,
“Then she said, ‘Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, “Do not deceive
me?”’” In that is the suggestion that if her child remained dead, that somehow
the promise was broken, “You gave me a promise for a child, and now he’s dead
and I don’t have a child. You deceived me, and you’ve broken your word.” See,
that was her thinking. Some commentators say that it’s not quite that serious,
that in verse 16 when she said, “Oh man of God, do not lie to your
maidservant…” some commentators think that what she meant by that is more
like, “I’m going to have baby? You’ve got to be kidding! Don’t lie to me. Are you
sure? Is this the truth?” and it’s just sort of that light idea, and it’s not as heavy.
But because she brings it up again after the child dies, I don’t think she was just
saying, “Are you kidding?” I don’t think she meant that. I think she wanted to
know for certain that what God was promising through Elisha would actually
come to pass and continue, and that it can’t fizzle out.

Many say that the promise was completely fulfilled in verse 17; the woman
conceived, bore a son at that season, the next year — alright, it’s over, and the
promise has been fulfilled; she was promised a son, and she received a son,
and God kept His word and fulfilled His promise; she was barren, God opened
here womb, and did a miracle, she had a child, and the promise is finished; she
embraced a son as promised. But in her thinking and in her mind that promise
to have a son included more than the birth of that child. She wasn’t thinking like
Job expressed, Job 21:1, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” He can give and He can take away. She
wasn’t thinking that. In her mind, when that child died, somehow that promise
was not fulfilled, “You promised me a son, and now my son is dead. I didn’t ask
for a son. I was content without a child. In fact, I was happier then than I am
now. If it weren’t for this promise, I wouldn’t be so sad as I am right now. It’s
worse for me now than before I even had a child.

Whether she was right or wrong in that thinking, if the promise is true and not a
lie, if God kept His word, if this is not a deception, then now she’s got to think,
“What is going on?” I’m not going to challenge her faith because it’s a wonderful
faith. She trusted God to raise the dead, but as I said, in her mind, it’s sort of
like when God created the universe in Colossians 1:16-17, “For by Him all things
were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
throne or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created
through Him and for Him. He is before all things,” and then this part, “in Him all
things hold it together.” In her mind, He’s a Creator, and now let’s see Him hold
it together; He created everything, and now He’s got to preserve everything that
He made. So, in her mind, the death of the child challenged the promise, but
she knew of several things. She knew that Elisha was a holy man of God and
he’s not going to lie to her, and she knew Elisha was trusting Elisha’s God. God
is not going to lie to her. So, in her mind she has a dilemma, and in her mind
the dilemma is, “God promised me a son. That son can’t die, and I know He
won’t break His promise. I know what’s going on. He’s testing my faith. He
wants to test my faith. So, I’m going to trust God by faith. God said that I would
embrace a child, and I did embrace a child, and in fact I was embracing him
when he died on my lap; I embraced the child.”

Let me present to you her thinking. Now, she believed that God would not lie,
and she believed the prophet Elisha would not lie. But somehow in her mind the
promise was being contradicted, so she said, “I’m going to trust God.” Is that in
the Bible? Yes, it is. Hebrews 11:35, this is the chapter on faith, “By faith
women received back their dead by resurrection.” There are only two women in
the Old Testament that could apply to — the one Elijah dealt with, and this
woman. By faith now she says, “I’m going to trust the Lord because he’s testing
my faith. He gave me a promise, and that child must be preserved, the child
died, and He’s testing my faith to see if I really believe that He’s a promise
keeper. Do I really believe He’ll keep His word? Do I believe that He’s a
covenant keeper? So, she’s saying, and I’m reading this in, but you’ll see that
it’s so, “I don’t care how much He tests my faith, I am going to trust Him until that
child breathes again, until my child lives again”. The record shows, indeed, that
her faith was tested.

What I’ve done is that I’ve gone through the record, and I’m just going to
mention four or five different ways her faith was tested. How do I know that’s a
test of faith? My answer is that it’s because in the New Testament when God
tested faith, He used exactly those experiences, and called it a test of faith. I
know she’s being tested by her faith. But since the testing of her faith is not the
main message, what I’m going to do is give the illustration, and I’ll give a New
Testament reference, but I’m not going to read the reference. I’m assuming that
many of you will be familiar with the story. I’ll give the reference if you’re not
familiar, then later you can look it up and read it.

I’m going to begin with the first test of faith as the one we already mentioned last
time. Elisha sent Gahzi with his staff to lay the staff on the face of the dead
child. When they approached the house, he came out and basically said, “It
didn’t work; the child is still dead.” The first test of faith was failure. Put yourself
in her shoes, a mother, and Elisha says, “Go put this on the face of the child,”
you are assuming that some miracle is going to take place, and when you arrive
at the driveway, he comes out and says, “It didn’t work.” I think her heart must
have sunk. The New Testament reference is in Mark 5 where Jairus’ daughter
was at the point of death, and he begged Jesus to come and heal his daughter
before she died. Jesus never said a word; he just started walking with Jairus.
Then it was interrupted with the woman who touched the hem of the garment,
and when they got to the driveway, people came out and said, “It’s too late; don’t
trouble the master anymore. The child is dead.” For the first time Jesus spoke
to the woman. What did He say? He said, “Do not fear; only believe.” It was a
test of faith. That apparent failure was a test of her faith.

A second test of her faith —you know, we’re to live by faith and not by sight.
The temptation for her to live by sight and by emotions must have been great.
By sight the child is dead. She can see that. She carried that dead weight up
the stairs to Elisha’s apartment and laid him on the bed; she knew he was dead.
She didn’t cave into her emotions. I can’t imagine my Lillian, we had six
wonderful children, if one of our babies died on her lap, that she’s going to be
calm and cool and collected. I have an idea that she would be shrieking,
screaming and looking for me and looking for others and saying, “Look what’s
happened; call somebody, call 911.” She would be all excited. It’s amazing to
watch this woman and her apparent calmness. She didn’t go by sight. She
wasn’t hysterical. A baby dies on your lap. You wouldn’t expect what you read
when you read this record.

When she goes out to her husband, a husband knows pretty much (not
completely) what’s going on with his wife, and her son has just died, and she
carried his corpse up to the prophet’s apartment, and she goes to her husband,
verse 22, “Then she called to her husband and said, ‘Please send me one of the
servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.’
He said, ‘Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.’
And she said, ‘It will be well.’” So, he gave her permission. He had no clue that
his son had died. He knew that he had a headache, a sunstroke, perhaps, and
that he was brought sick into the house, but now she’s wants to go, and he
trusts her, and he says, “Go.”

The same conviction that she had when Gahazi met her and asked this
question, 2 Kings 4:26, “’Is it well with the child?’ And she answered, ‘It is well.’”
Her son is dead, but she’s determined; He’s going to test my faith, and I’m going
to trust Him. So, she said to Gahazi, “It is well.” She said that by faith. The
New Testament in Acts 16, Paul and Silas were beaten up and thrown into a
dungeon and put in chains; at midnight they weren’t going by sight and sense;
they were trusting the Lord and singing hymns, and what a great result from
that! So, this woman said, “I’m going to trust God no matter what. Failure is not
going to stop me from trusting Him. I’m going to trust Him to raise my son, and
not going by sight, I don’t care what I see, I’m not going to believe that; I’m going
to believe God. I don’t care how I feel in my heart; I’ll suppress that. I’m not
going to go by emotions.
A third test of her faith was the apparent refusal of Elisha to go with her. When
she came, she fell down at Elisha’s feet, and Elisha gave the staff to his servant,
and said, “Go,” and expected her to go, as well. Elisha didn’t plan to go. 2
Kings 4:30, “The mother of the lad said, ‘As the Lord lives and as you yourself
live, I will not leave you.’ And he arose and followed her.” It’s a real challenge to
faith when it seems like God is resisting, pictured by Elisha.

Remember the story in the New Testament in Matthew 15, when that dear
Canaanite woman begged Jesus to cast the demon out of her child, and the
outward resistance that Jesus gave? It was a test of her faith. At first, He said,
“My ministry is to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” but she continued to
pursue Him, “You’ve got to come and heal my child.” Then He said to her, “It
wouldn’t be right to take the children’s bread and throw it to dogs.” Imagine
hearing that! Then she said, “But the dogs eat from the bread that falls from the
master’s table.” And then He commended her faith. It was a test of her faith,
that resistance. That’s what’s happening to this Shunammite woman. Elijah
said, “I’m not coming,” and then she said, “I’m not going. I’m waiting and I’m
going to press until you come with me.”

A fourth way her faith was tested was by delay. It must have been hard seeing
someone carrying your sick child from the field into the house, and then to hold
him on your lap. We know it was morning. We don’t know exactly what time,
but she held him on her lap until noon. The Bible says that he died at noon.
Then we read that she decided to go to Elisha. We sort of read that la, la, la.
Shunam was about twenty miles away from Mt. Carmel. We are talking about a
five or six hour trip one way. She’s leaving after noon; it’s going to be dark when
she comes home. We just sort of read this that she went to Elisha, but you need
to understand the time in between this. I don’t know in this time process and the
process of decay may have already begun on the dead child, but delay is a
huge test of faith. I’m think it’s powerfully illustrated in John 11 when Jesus
deliberately delayed with Lazarus, Mary and Martha, and He waited four days;
that was a test of faith. But this woman said, “I believe that God keeps His
word, and I believe that a holy man of God would not deceive me. God is
testing me to trust Him, and to see that child raised from the dead, and I’m not
going to be deterred by failure, and I’m not going to be deterred by sight, and I’m
not going to be deterred by emotion, and I’m not going to be deterred by
resistance, as if God is holding back.” Time was swiftly passing away, and that
was a test of her faith.

Let me give one more test of her faith. She had to trust God in the dark,
because she didn’t know how God was going to do it. It’s very much like that
centurion pleading for his servant in Matthew 8 where he says, “I’m not worthy
that you come under my roof. Do your miracle at a distance.” When Jesus
raised Jairus’ daughter, Jesus invited mom and dad to come up and watch the
miracle. They were invited in. This woman was not invited in. Notice in verse
33, “He entered and shut the door behind them both and prayed to the Lord.”
That word “both” is the only indication that the father, the husband, was back.
So, he’s involved in this, as well. They’re both now shut outside the door, and
that had to be a great test of faith.

Many read 2 Kings 4:34&35, “He went and laid on the child and put his mouth
on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, his hands on his hands, and stretched
himself on him, and the flesh of the child became warm. Then he returned and
walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and stretched himself on
him,” and so on. Many read that as it relates to Elisha, and they say, “Why did
Elisha use that method? How is that different from Elijah’s method, and why
was Elijah’s immediate, and why was this one gradual, and take time,” and they
try to relate it to Elijah. I don’t know how this relates to Elijah, but the way I’m
studying this, this had to be painful for the mother and father. It’s sort of like
sitting in a waiting room waiting for the surgeon to come to give a report on how
the operation went on your loved one. You just sit there, and minutes seem like
hours, “When is he going to come?” and you’re just nervous — that whole
suspense of being outside the room, outside the door. We don’t know how long
it took. We know it’s late in the night now. Elisha goes in and he prays, and
then he stretches himself on the child, and then he gets up, and then he walks,
and then he paces, and then he goes back on top of the child. That takes time.
And all that time, she’s on the outside of the door. She said, “I’m going to trust
the Lord no matter what; it doesn’t matter about failure, and it doesn’t matter
what it looks like, and it doesn’t matter what it feels like, it doesn’t matter how
much it seems like God doesn’t want to do it, it doesn’t matter how long it takes,
it doesn’t matter how deep this darkness is, God wants me to trust Him to raise
that child from the dead, and I’m going to trust Him to do that.

A lot has been made about 2 Kings 4:35, “The lad sneezed seven times and the
lad opened his eyes.” You’d be amazed at how the commentators approach
that sneeze. They might be right; I don’t know. But I think, it’s just my idea, that
sneeze was the final confirmation of her faith. If she sneezed as loud as my
grandmother sneezed, she could be down in a valley somewhere, and she could
have heard it. My mother couldn’t control the sound of her sneezes. Can you
imagine a mother after being tested in the ways I’ve mentioned? You know
they’re outside the door when she hears her dead child sneeze, and again and
again. I can’t imagine what took place in her heart when she had that evidence
of life that, “My child is alive.” She trusted God to do that.

Alright, all of that set aside. Let’s look at the main message. What’s the
message, and what is the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ pictured in this
story? Again, when her son died, she had that in her mind, “I didn’t initiate, and
this is all by grace, I got the child but included in the promise, that child must not
perish. I’m going to trust God all the way through until that comes to pass.”
That was her thinking. Let me set it before you in a general way. We won’t
finish it today. I want to get back to it because there are certain things I’m
leaving out here. I want to show you how her reasoning was, in my thinking,
incorrect. It was wrong concerning her son, but it was perfect reasoning
concerning the Son of God. I want to show you how her reasoning was perfect
as it related to the Son of God.

You see, God did the same thing one time to Abraham. He gave Abraham a
promise. He said, “Your wife is going to have a baby and you’re going to have a
son,” but he added to that promise. He said, “Your son is going to grow up and
get married and is going to have children and God’s is going to use your children
to bless the whole world, and Messiah is going to come through your son. Now
kill him.” That’s what He said, but he had that promise.

So, Abraham’s reasoning was, “God told me to kill him. So, I’ll take a knife and
kill him. Oh, God told me to burn him, as a burnt offering. I not only have to kill
him, but I have to put him on the altar and turn my son into ashes. But He said
that he’s going to grow up, get married, have a family, bless the world. It must
be that He’s going to raise him from the dead.” He was wrong. Isaac never had
to die. His thinking was wrong, but he was ready to go by faith and offer Isaac
as a sacrifice. Listen to Hebrews 11:19, “He considered that God is able to raise
people, even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.”
His reasoning pictured God’s reasoning, and God said, “Isaac didn’t have to die,
but My only begotten Son will die. Isaac doesn’t have to be offered as a burnt
offering, but My Son will be offered as a whole burnt offering. Isaac never
literally had to be raised from the dead, but My Son will be raised from the
dead.” Abraham’s reasoning pictured reasoning, and just so, the Shunammite’s
reasoning pictured God’s reasoning. Concerning her son, I don’t think it was
accurate, but concerning God’s son, it was perfect.

Job testified, as I already quoted, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.” If
her reasoning was accurate, any mother, any parent at any time could say, “God
gave me a child; guaranteed, that child won’t die.” Or if the child dies, it will rise
again. So, people pray for healing. We’ll get into that a little deeper next time,
but the whole point is that that reasoning cannot be applied literally. But God
takes her reasoning and says, “You thought that applied to your premise, but
everything you thought applies to My promise,” and there’s only one covenant
on the planet that her reasoning would apply to, and it’s called the New
Covenant, that God will save you and give you life, that God will keep you until
the end, and that you will trust Him by faith to do exactly that.

2 Kings 4:28, “Did I ask a son from my Lord?” It begins with, “I didn’t initiate
this.” Ephesians 2:8&9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no
one may boast.” You are sitting here as a believer, as a Christian, and you
didn’t choose Him. He chose you. You didn’t love Him first; He loved you first.
You didn’t come to the Father; you were drawn to the Father, by grace. The
Lord does it all. That was her reasoning, “I didn’t ask for this; I didn’t initiate it.”
God says, “Boy, that applies to My covenant. That’s how I did it.”

For the woman’s reasoning to come to pass there had to be a resurrection.

Resurrection here is a picture. What’s the principle? We always looks for the
principle. If you wanted to see the power of God in the Old Testament, you’d
study creation. If you want to see the power of God in the New Testament, you
study resurrection. Resurrection is God’s picture of power. Listen to Ephesians
1:19,” What is the surpassing greatness of His power forward us who believe?
These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He
brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead…” It’s resurrection.
Philippians 3:10, “..that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. ”The
woman said, “My son must be kept by resurrection.” The principle is power. So,
we read in 1 Peter 1:5, “Who are protected by the power of God through faith for
a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

This whole reasoning introduces us to that debated question of the security of

the believer. In God’s reasoning in the New Covenant, when a person is born of
God, will he be kept by the power of God? I don’t want to get into all the in’s and
out’s of what has been called “the doctrine of eternal security”. I dealt with that
when we were in the book of Hebrews in some detail, but I’ll say of that doctrine,
and I’m not going to clear my throat when I say this, but you might have an issue
with it, and it’s what I say of all doctrine, I will not put my faith in any doctrine. I
will not, not in any doctrine! A doctrine is just man’s attempt to take God’s truth
and put it into some kind of a dogmatic order. There is no life in doctrine.
There’s only Life in a Person. The natural mind is capable of forming a doctrine.
The natural mind can go in the Bible and trace things and relate them and put
this with this, and then come up with some dogmatic statement. But the natural
mind, though it can formulate a doctrine, cannot receive the things of the Spirit
of God. It’s not possible. No matter how logical or how accurate the doctrine is,
there’s not Life in it. The doctrine of eternal security has never secured a flea,
and it never will. It cannot.

In the hour of my death, and I have an idea that’s not far off, I am not going to
cling to some doctrine called “eternal security”. When my spirit is leaving my
body and I know it’s going into eternity to live forever, I’ve got to rest on
something more substantial than a doctrine, no matter how true that doctrine
might be. In the hour of my death, and as I said, I think I hear the hoofbeats of
the pale horse, but it doesn’t matter. In the hour of my death, I want to trust a
Person; I want to trust somebody who said, “I am with you always, even until the
ends of the earth.” When I’m passing through the valley of the shadow of death,
I want to hear a voice of someone saying, “Fear not, for I am with you.” It’s a
Person, and not a doctrine. I’m safe not because of a doctrine, but because I’m
being kept by the resurrection power of the Lord. I have a Keeper; you have a
Keeper.

Some people say, “Do you believe in the perseverance of the saints?” No; I
believe in the preservation of the saints. You might end up in the same place
but we’re being kept; we’re being preserved. Listen to Jude 1:24-25, “Now to
Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the
presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before
all time and now and forever. Amen.” That was the Shunammite woman’s faith;
that was her reasoning. God used that faulty reasoning to say to us, “You are
saved by grace; you are kept by the mighty power of God.” That story presents
this great New Covenant.

Let me close with this wonderful passage from Psalm 121:5-8, “The Lord is your
keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by
day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from evil; He will keep
your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time
forth and forever.” That going out and coming includes the last going out and
the first coming into heaven. The Lord is your Keeper. So, the revelation of
Christ; He is a covenant Keeper, and it’s all pictured in this marvelous story.

Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful record, not what we think it
means. Work in our heart everything You inspired it to mean. We do thank You,
Lord, for the suggestion that we’ve been by saved by grace, for the knowledge
that we’re being kept for Christ, by Christ, by the might power of God unto a
salvation, and that we’re going to live forever with You, and it’s because of You.
Thank You for her reasoning and Your application of that to our Lord Jesus
Christ. Work these things in our heart. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Elijah and Elisha Message #20

Poison in the Pot

Ed Miller

Let me begin by sharing Psalm 143, just a portion of it in verse 8, “Teach me the
way in which I should walk, for to Thee do I lift up my soul.” We need the Lord
to continually teach us how to walk, because we’re blind and helpless and we
need the Holy Spirit. Let’s trust the Lord now and the indwelling Spirit; let’s
pray…

Heavenly Father, thank You that we can gather here and meditate on Your word
and trust the Holy Spirit to show us the Lord Jesus in a fresh way. We thank
You for gathering us and for watching over Your children and protecting us and
bringing us here. Now we ask You to enable us to be completely detached from
all the cares, even the legitimate cares of life, that we might focus on You. We
know You’re going to work this for us because we claim it in the precious name
of Jesus. Amen.

Once again, welcome, and we meet to behold our Lord Jesus in a new and
fresh way. That’s the goal of every gathering that we have together. It’s the
knowledge of the Lord; we want to know Him. We’ve been meditating in 2 Kings
4, and in that chapter the Holy Spirit has recorded five miracles that He worked
through His servant, Elisha. We’ve looked at three of the five—the multiplied oil,
the Shunammite woman where God gave her a son and then restored that child
to life. So, we’ve got two more miracles to look at, the death in the pot, and then
the multiplication of the loaves. We won’t finish that today but we’ll begin that.

When we left off, I was sharing the meditation on the Shunammite woman and
her family who had received a child from the Lord, and then received that child
back. Her reasoning on the level of earth was faulty, but the Lord used it as a
marvelous picture. The story shows how wonderfully her faith was tested. I’m
not going to review that, I am, but I’m going to weave the review into several
other observations I want to make. We finished the story and we looked at the
heart of the story, and we saw the revelation of the Lord in the story, but that
story suggests other truths. So, I want to mention four other truths, not so
closely connected to the story, but suggested by the story, truths that are
Christian-like truths, and are very practical. I’d like to illustrate that, and then
we’ll move to our next story.

My first observation has to do with what do I call this marvelous miracle? 2

Kings 4:32, “When Elisha came to the house, behold, the lad was dead and laid
on his bed.” Her son died. 2 Kings 4:35, “He returned and walked into the
house once back and forth, and went up and stretched himself on him, and the
lad sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes.” The boy was dead, and
we know that child was restored to life.

Let me tell you my problem, and then I’ll show you a principle connected with it.
I knew that the child really died. I could read that. I knew the child was restored
back to life, but I didn’t know what to call that, except a miracle; it was a
marvelous miracle. I was trying carefully to avoid the word “resurrection”. I
didn’t want to say that God resurrected that child because of the doctrine of
resurrection in the whole Bible. Usually, we think of verses like Philippians 3:21,
“We eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body
of our humble state into conformity of the body of His glory by the exertion of the
power that He has, even to subject all things to Himself.” And more pointedly, 1
Corinthians 15:42, “So, also, is the resurrection of the dead; it has sown a
perishable body, and it is raised an imperishable body.”

I know the word “resurrection” refers to being raised an imperishable body. That
was my problem, because the Shunammite’s son was restored to life, but not
with an imperishable body. In other words, I’m sure sometime he died again; he
was raised to life, but then he died. I didn’t want to call it resurrection. Even
those who were raised in the New Testament died again. Jairus’ daughter was
raised to life, and she died again. So did Lazarus. Lazarus was raised and he
died again. And so did Tabitha or Dorcas, raised to life and then died again. So
did Eutychus who fell out of the window and died; he was raised again to life,
but then he died again.

I know this from the Bible; everyone who was raised from the dead and restored
to life, were believers before they died; they were already Christians before they
died. How do I know that? It’s because there is no such thing as a second
chance after death. Dying time is fixing time, and when a person dies, there’s
no other chance to get saved. If they die as unbelievers, and then were raised
up, they would have another chance to get saved, and that goes against the
word of God.

To get back to my point, what do I call this? I know it’s a miracle, and I didn’t
want to call it resurrection because they died again. Some of my commentators
call it “resuscitation”, and I had a problem with that because it might imply that
they weren’t really dead, that they were just resuscitated. When I was a child, I
don’t remember this, I remember part of it, I almost drowned. My uncle did
artificial respiration on me, and I was resuscitated, but I hadn’t actually died.
This child actually died and was raised again. He wasn’t just in a coma or some
kind of a stupor or a faint, or just unconscious; he died. So, I thought I’d call it
“quickening”, except when I read Psalm 119, ten times the Psalmist asks God to
quicken him, and he didn’t die, but he needs to be quickened. So, we’re
quickened all the time.

The reason I brought this up is because it contains a principle. God solved my

problem. Now I know what to call it. Hebrews 11:35, “Women received back
their dead by resurrection.” I’m going to call it “resurrection”. Do you know
why? It’s because God does. God uses that word, and I was actually trying to
be more Biblical than the Bible is Biblical. I was trying to force everything into
my own theology and make sure everything fit. The principle is this, that words
are used in different ways. We need to understand that when we study the
Bible. Sometimes when you study the Bible, you’re going to see the figure of
speech “a lion” or a “serpent”, and it will apply to Satan. Satan is like a lion, like
a serpent. But, then, our Lor Jesus is the Lion of Judah, and He’s the serpent
that was lifted up on the pole. Words are used in different ways. When you
read Isaiah, the new heaven and the new earth, it’s talking about the millennium,
because they live a long time and then they die. When you are in Revelation
talking about the new heaven and the new earth, you are talking about eternity,
because there is no death there. Same words—new heaven and new earth, but
words are used in different ways. So here sometimes resurrection means
imperishable and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes leaven in the Bible is bad,
most of the time. Sometimes it’s good; the kingdom of heaven is like leaven.
Sometimes brother means brother Christian; sometimes brother means brother
man. If you’re reading 1 John, brother is brother man. We need to know how
words are used and pay attention to the context. There is a repentance that’s
good, and there’s a repentance that needs to be repented of. Words are used in
different ways.

The second observation is calling attention to the fact that this Shunammite
woman received her son twice. She received her son by a supernatural birth,
and then she received her son by resurrection. 2 Kings 4:17, “The woman
conceived and bore a son at that season, the next year, as Elisha said to her.”
In verse 36, “He called Gahazi and said, ‘Call the Shunammite.’ So, he called
her and when she came to him, he said, ‘Take up your son.’” So, she received
her son twice; once in resurrection.

We had the same thing in Abraham. In Genesis 21:2, “Sarah conceived and
bore a son to Abraham in his old age at the appointed time which God had
spoken.” They got Isaac by a mighty miracle of God, but then Hebrews 11:19,
“He considered God is able to raise people, even from the dead, from which he,
also, received him back again as a type.” He got Isaac twice. In between God
gave him and he raised him, there was a dedication. The Shunammite
dedicated her son, and Abraham dedicated Isaac.

I want to mention that truth because in both cases there needs to be a

dedication. Whatever you have, I hope you have it twice. Whatever I have, I
hope I hope I have it twice. The principle is that we don’t really have what we
have until we dedicate it to the Lord, and then He gives it back to us. I call
Lillian, “My Lillian.” I know better; she’s not mine. She belongs to the Lord, but I
dedicated her to the Lord, and He gave her back to me in resurrection. My
children are not mine. They belong to the Lord. I’ve dedicated them to the Lord.
It’s the same with my grandchildren and my great grandchildren. The Lord gave
them to me, and I had them, and I thought that I was the owner. Then I gave
them to Him, and He gave them back, and I’m no longer the owner; I’m now the
steward. I didn’t have my Lillian until I dedicated her to the Lord, and now I’m a
steward. So, He’s called us to be responsible stewards.

What’s true about our family and what’s true about our loved ones and our
friends is true about everything that the Lord gives us. We don’t own our
automobile; that belongs to the Lord. We’re a steward of our automobile. We
don’t own our home; that belongs to the Lord. The Lord owns the home, and
we’re stewards of that. We don’t own our bank account; we don’t have that.
That belongs to the Lord. Everything we have belongs to the Lord. It makes a
huge difference if we know we’re privileged stewards and we’re not owners. If
we hold things as it we were owners, we’re going to have a lot of trouble. One
way to know if you’re a steward or an owner, if what the Lord owns, what
belongs to Him, if He recalls it, what is your response? That’s how you know the
difference.

Elijah and Elisha Message #21

Shunammite’s Inheritance

Ed Miller

Before we look in the word of the Lord, I want to remind our hearts about the
indispensable principle, and I want to share two verses from Ezekiel 2, and
they’re the first two verses, “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your
feet, that I may speak with you.’ And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me
and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking with me.” The principle is
pretty clear. In the first verse He commands Ezekiel to stand up and hear the
word of God, but he can’t do it. So, the next verse says, “The Spirit, as He
spoke to me, entered me, and set me on my feet.” Everything God commands,
God provides. He’ll tell us to do something, and then He’ll enable us to do it.
Now, in this verse it’s about hearing the word of God. So, I’ll say, “I want
everybody to stand and hear the word of God,” and then the Spirit of God says,
“I’ll make them stand in their heart, and they’ll hear the word of God because I
will instruct them.” With that in mind, let’s pray together…

Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing us to gather in this wonderful place. We
just ask that the indwelling Holy Spirit would once again turn our eyes to the
Lord Jesus. We do desire to see Him. We know it’s not as great as Your desire
to manifest Yourself to us, but we just pray that we would behold the Lord. We
thank You in advance that You are going to meet with us because Jesus
deserves it, and we come claiming it in His matchless name. Amen.

The Lord has given us another opportunity to draw near to Him in the Person of
our Lord Jesus. We’re at the end of our meditation of the Lord in 2 Kings 4. I
remind you that there are five miracles in 2 Kings 4—the miracle of the
multiplied oil, the two miracles connected to the Shunammite woman, the
supernatural birth of her son, and then the restoration to life after he died, and
last week we focused on 2 Kings 4:38-41, the poison in the stew. So, there’s
one final miracle that we’ll look at this morning in the end of the chapter, 42-44,
the multiplying of the loaves to feed one hundred.

When we left off last week, we were meditating on the Lord Jesus pictured by
the meal offering, the flour offering. That was put in the stew to make the
poisoned stew healthy again. 2 Kings 4:1, “He said, ‘Now, bring meal,’ and he
threw it into the pot and said, ‘Pour it out for the people, that they may eat.’
Then there was no harm in the pot.”
I shared with you last session that the meal, that flour, that meal offering was
God’s inspired picture of the perfect humanity of our Lord Jesus. There were
five offerings in the Jewish economy. Four of them pictured Jesus on the cross,
pictured His death. The meal offering was the only bloodless offering, and it
didn’t picture His death. It pictured His life, His perfect life. That was God’s
provision to heal the poisoned stew.

I’m not going to go through it again. I showed you last time how that was so,
that His perfect life healed the poisoned stew, but for a short review I want to
refocus on that revelation of our Lord Jesus in verse 39, “One went out to the
field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine and gathered from it, and his lap
was full of wild gourds. He came and sliced them into the pot of stew. They did
not know what they were.” That son of the prophet, that man of God, that child
of God who found that wild gourd and cut it up and threw it into the stew, thought
it was edible; he did not know that it was poisoned. He would not have tried to
poison his classmates. It was not on purpose. It was an error, a mistake, an
honest mistake, but still it affected others.

Verse 40, “So, they poured it out for the men to eat, and as they were eating of
the stew, they cried out and said, ‘Oh, man of God, there’s death in the pot,’ and
they were unable to eat.” Even though it was a mistake, it did damage. Some
people ate it, and some people were poisoned. They had food poisoning.
That’s the wonder of picturing our Lord Jesus by the meal, because the meal not
only heals our sin, His righteousness, but our mistakes. Usually, as I said last
time, we connect it with sin. For example, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him
who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.” His righteousness is for my sin. Theologians call
that “imputed righteousness”. Imputation is when you attribute something to
somebody else. He took my sin, and I took His righteousness. When God sees
me now, or when God sees you…. If you look in the mirror, you see yourself. If
you look into your heart, you see what a terrible thing it is. But when God looks
at you, if you’re a Christian, He doesn’t see you as a sinner. He sees you as
perfect as Christ. We say “justification”, “just as if I never sinned,” “justified”.
But it’s also true that it’s just as if I’d always been Jesus. That’s how perfect I
am when God sees me.

I love Isaiah 61:10, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord; my soul will exalt in my
God; He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has wrapped me
with a roble of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, as
a bride adorns herself with jewels.” But His righteousness does more than
cover my sin; it also covers my mistakes. That’s what this story is all about.
The man in the story, as I said, didn’t sin, and he wasn’t rebellious, and he’s not
a backslider; he’s just somebody that’s made a terrible mistake, and it affected
others.

Is there a cure for mistakes, as well as for my sin? I’m happy to tell you and
proclaim to you that there is, and it’s the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That’s God’s provision. Jesus was so righteous, He never sinned. He was also
so righteous that He never made a mistake. That righteousness can be applied
to our mistakes. The reason I’m calling attention to this, last week and now as I
review, is because many people are free, and they’re not under condemnation
because Jesus is the righteousness for my sin. And even though they’re not
under condemnation, because He’s the righteousness for their sin, they’re under
a great burden because of their mistakes. They’ve never applied the
righteousness of Christ to their mistakes.

As a teacher of the word of God, I say it with sort of a blush, a shame, but as a
teacher of the word of God, more than once I have unintentionally poisoned the
stew. I’ve put in things that perhaps I shouldn’t have said, and then other people
hear that, and they ingest it and take it in. For many years I’ve regretted some
of the poison that I put in the stew. I went through a season when I almost quit
teaching because I looked back and saw some of the things I taught, and I said,
“I just know that what I’m going to learn tomorrow is going to show that this was
a poison gourd.” I was about to give up teaching altogether, because I didn’t
want to poison anybody. I didn’t want to hurt anybody. I think you’ve often
heard me when I pray, I ask God to protect you. That’s in terms of the stew,
because I don’t want to say anything that’s going to hurt you or that’s going to
poison you. The last thing I want to do is chop up some false teaching and hurt
the people of God.

In the story the pot was filled with nourishing vegetables, and a little bit of
poison, but the little leaven leavened the whole lump. Everything that was good,
now was spoiled because of that gourd. So, if by mistake I throw some error in
the pot, I think I’ve contaminated everything. I’m so glad for the righteousness
of Christ, because it set me free, so I didn’t have to be under condemnation.

I’m going to state up front the great truth that I’m going to emphasize as I close
the review, and it’s from Deuteronomy 23:5, the last portion, “The Lord your God
turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.”
Isn’t that a great verse! The Lord turns the curse into a blessing because He
loves you. So, no matter, anyone looks at that verse, it’s a blessing, that God
rules the good, and then He overrules the evil. In our discussion, the poison in
the stew, God overrules the poison and makes even the poison gourd edible,
and He turns even that into something that is nourishing.

I don’t want to spend a lot of time here, but I don’t want you to get just a general
idea, so I’m going to give a testimony, as I said, that I’m ashamed of, on how I’ve
poisoned the stew in the past. That’s going to show you how free I’ve become,
but it’s also going to warn you about a certain kind of poison that might harm
you. So, I want to give a couple of illustrations.

There are two pots in this story. 2 Kings 4:41, “’Now bring meal,’ and he threw it
into the pot, and he said, ‘Pour it out for the people, that they may eat,’ and there
was no harm in the pot.” I know that the meal that pictures our Lord Jesus
healed the large pot that contained all the stew, but notice in verse 40, “As they
were eating the stew, they cried out and said, ‘Oh, man of God, there’s death in
the pot.’” There’s another pot. We call it a pot belly. So, there’s a pot on the
fire, but then they ate it, and then it was in their pot. My question is that I know
the meal was thrown into the pot on the fire, and that healed that, but did that
also take care of what they had already eaten? It’s not distinctly stated, but it’s
seems to be implied. I don’t see any funeral services taking place in this story.
So, I want to illustrate how I poisoned the stew, because at that time in my
ministry I had not yet understood Galatians 3:2&3, “The only thing I want to find
out from you, did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing
with faith? Are you so foolish, having begun by the Spirit, are you now being
perfected by the flesh?” The poison I threw into the pot was that I mixed the
pure grace of God with a teaching that was a salvation by works. Actually, that
poisoned the pot twice because there’s two ways to give you poison by works.
One is external, and one is internal, and I did both.

Don’t misunderstand me; when I say that I taught salvation by works, I’m not
suggesting that I believed or taught that a person could earn salvation by works.
He had shown me that, and I didn’t teach that. I never taught that if you’re a
good person, you can go to heaven. I never taught that. That’s not what I mean
by salvation from works. Ephesians 2:8&9, “By grace you’ve been saved
through faith, and that, not of yourselves; it’s the gift of God, not a result of
works, so that no one may boast.” I never taught that.

The salvation by works that I threw in the pot wasn’t, “How do you become a
Christian,” but I was teaching, “How can you be a good Christian.” It wasn’t how
to become a Christian; it was how to grow, how to mature, and I was feeding
them poison. By external works, I didn’t understand the difference between the
works of man and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes they look alike, a lot
alike on the outside, but the source becomes so important. It sounded so good.
So, I was teaching, “If you want to be a good Christian,” and I actually judged
people, if they didn’t live this way, I had bad thoughts about them, and they got
on my prayer list. “If you’re a good Christian, you’re going to have a family altar;
every day you’re going to meet with your family and you’re going to pray. You
should be getting up early in the morning and having a quiet time.” I would
teach that and encourage that, and almost make a rule out of that.

Then I would encourage everybody, “Every time the doors of the church are
open, you ought to be there.” If I heard some father went to a Little League
game instead of prayer meeting, oh my, I got pretty tough on him because he
should be at prayer meeting. I taught that. I taught that you should get
involved, and you should be busy, and everyone should have some kind of a
ministry. “You should be supporting missions. You should be involved in these
things, and evangelism.” Then I had a whole section on tithing, and on giving
and stewardship, and you’ve got to make sure you’re giving your money, first to
the church, and then if there’s extra you give to somebody else. And you ought
to know all about the devil and about spiritual warfare, and you ought to
understand cults, and you ought to know what other people believe, so you can
witness to them. Don’t you dare go to bed without confessing your sin. 1 John
1:9, and on and on I went.
Then I did the separation from. A good Christian doesn’t go here, and doesn’t
eat that, and doesn’t do that, and doesn’t associate with those people. What
kind of music are you listening to? What does your hair look like? Where is the
hemline on your skirt and your shirt, and all of that kind of stuff? I was into that,
and we call that “legalism”. I was killing people with that. At the very least, I
was making them quite anemic. Do you know what I thought was the cure? Eat
more stew; you didn’t eat enough. So, I kept pushing the poison on these
people. Again, I’m not saying that family and fellowship and ministry and
stewardship and prayer and spiritual warfare and Bible study is wrong, but it’s
got to be a by-product of a union with Jesus. It’s got to be an out-working. It’s
got to be a fruit. I didn’t teach that, and by not teaching that, I was poisoning the
people of God. If it’s not a product of union with Christ, don’t eat it.

Let me show you the other form salvation by works takes. By external works,
legalism, once God opened my eyes to how poison that was, I thought victory in
Christ was absence of legalism. I didn’t know it was Christ. So, I quit
everything, and now I’m encouraging people to stop everything, and you don’t
have to do this, and you don’t have to do that, because I thought victory was
absence of legalism. But what was I going to teach? In my life I turned from
legalism to mysticism. When I turned to mysticism, I didn’t know, because it’s
internal, it’s not external and you can’t see it. It’s not what you’re doing out
there; it’s in here. So, I began to teach internal works. I taught them, “What you
need to do is have more meditation, and you ought to do inward prayer and
focused prayer and visualization and picture what your life could be like, and
have positive thinking, and move by intuition. Because it was internal, I thought
it was spiritual, but it wasn’t. It was a more subtle form of works. Instead of
doing this, now do this, and it was still works; it was internal work. I was
teaching Christians to be passive, “Don’t be legalists; be passive, and put your
brain in neutral, and get into a room and have it quiet and wait until God speaks
to you, and sends a special inner life.” I called that “rest”; I thought that was
rest. That was before God opened my eyes to what rest really was.

I thought, “It’s not legalism; it’s motives; it has to do with the heart—motives. If
you love Jesus, stop sinning.” Is that going to make you stop sinning? You are
as helpless loving Jesus against sin as you were when you tried to do it by
works. If you really serve the Lord from your heart, you will count it all joy when
you fall into diverse temptations and affliction. If you’re obeying from the heart,
you’ll love your enemies, and you’ll turn the other cheek. What you need is to
be thankful. If you are thankful, be perfect as He is perfect. Did you ever try it?
Internal works are just as bad as external works. Christian life is Christ; it’s
relationship with a Person. It’s not having the right motives and loving Jesus
more and worshipping Him, and, “I’m going to do it for His glory.” Those are just
internal works.

All of that to say that I was feeding people that. Romans 8:1 is very precious to
me now, “There is now, therefore, no condemnation to those in Christ.” I’m not
condemned because of my sin because of Jesus, and I’m not condemned
because of the poison I put in the stew. I didn’t do it on purpose, and His
righteousness has covered my sin, and He’s cleansed both pots; the pot on the
fire, and everything they ate, and I know that God has turned that curse to a
blessing. That much for review, but I wanted you to be clear on how wonderful
Christ the meal offering is.

Let’s look at the last miracle together, 2 Kings 4:42-44, “Now a man came from
Baal-shallishah and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty
loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, ‘Give them to
the people that they may eat.’ His attendant said, ‘What, will I set this before a
hundred men?’ But he said, ‘Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus
says the Lord, “They shall eat and have some left over.”’ So, he set it before
them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.”
Of course, we look at every story and ask the same question, “How does this
reveal the Lord Jesus?” That’s why we’re here, and that’s what we’ve come to
see.

I told you last week that these stories are not in chronological order. The famine
helps put it in chronological order. In 2 Kings 8:1 we read about an
announcement of a seven-year famine. The miracle of the death in the pot that
we looked at last time was somewhere in the middle of that famine, somewhere
deep into the famine. So, the famine is announced in chapter 8, but in chapter 4
we’re already in the famine. This last miracle appears to be at the end of the
famine, because this man now is bringing the first fruits of the harvest, so the
famine is over now, and the harvest, but they’re not in chronological order.

This unnamed man from Baal-shallishah—by the way, no one knows his name,
and no one knows where that place is. There are some guesses, but no one
knows for certain. He’s bringing the first fruits of the harvest, and it’s actually a
rather meager offering. 2 Kings 4:42 says that he brought twenty loaves of
barley. That sounds like a lot, if you grow up here in the west, but a loaf is not a
loaf. He’s not talking about a loaf you can slice pieces of bread off of. These
are biscuits; these are little biscuits. In the feeding of the five thousand in John
6:9, “There’s a lad here who has five barley loaves and a few fish, but what are
these among so many?” Five barley loaves; that’s a little boy’s lunch, five little
biscuits that were in his lunch. So, twenty loaves would satisfy four little boys.

2 Kings 4:43, “His attenant said,’What, will I set this before a hundred men?’ But
he said, ‘Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the Lord,
“They shall eat and have some left over.”’” And, like the miracle in the New
Testament, in may have been men plus women and children. It’s not clear.
Anyway, it was not a lot of food. One illustration of that is meal for a hundred
people was carried by one man, so one man is not going to carry enough to
feed one hundred people. So, this miracle, like the feeding of the five thousand,
has many parallels, and there are some differences. There were no fish in
Elisha’s miracle. There were a couple of heads of roasted grain. We know that
by the law of Moses, Leviticus 2:14 tells us that’s what he brought.

I want to get closer to the revelation of Christ. How does this story reveal our
Lord Jesus? This man, this tither, this guy who brought the first fruits, I want to
focus on him for a moment, because what this man did, if you were a good Jew,
you would look at what this man did and say, “You did wrong; you disobeyed the
Law of Moses.” Over and over again in the Law of Moses the first fruits, the
offering of the harvest was to be brought to the priests, and there’s no exception.
If you go through the Old Testament, you will not find an exception; it is always
brought to the priest, and not to the prophet, the man of God.

Elisha is called a man of God; he’s a prophet, and he’s not a priest. Of course,
in his heart he’s a priest. We know that. Verse 42, “A man came from Baal-
shallishah and brought this man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of
barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, ‘Give to the people.’”
This man had no right to bring, on the level of earth, anything to the prophet, no
legal right. He broke the rule. He’s illustrating a great truth. This man is
bringing to the Lord, by grace. He’s not interested in the letter of the Law. He’s
interested in the spirit of the Law.

When we introduced Elisha’s ministry, I told you how the ten tribes had turned
apostate; they turned away from the Lord. Ahab and Jezebel kicked Jehovah
right out of the nation, and they began to worship Baal and Asherah, and their
wicked sons followed suit. Jehoram, the son of Ahab and Jezebel, was probably
king at this time. Most people believe he was the king. 2 Kings 3:2-3, “He did
evil in the sight of the Lord…Nevertheless, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam, the
son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin; he did not depart from it.” What was
that sin? 1 Kings 12:28, “The king consulted, and made two golden calves, and
he said to them, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods,
O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” He became a calf
worshipper; they made a golden calf, worshipping a cow.

Then in 1 Kings 12:31, “And he made houses on high places, and made priests
from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.” This wicked king
kicked out all the Godly priests, and he set up ungodly priests. The command
is, according to the Law of Moses, to bring it to the priest. Well, he’s not going
to give it to these ungodly, cow worshipping priests. He can’t do that. He wants
to worship the Lord. So, he’s going to break the Law of Moses in the letter, but
he’s going to keep it in the spirit, because he didn’t identify with these ungodly
priests. So, this unnamed owner illustrates the great truth of grace; he’s doing it
by grace; he didn’t follow the letter of the Law; he obeyed from the heart.

In our day he would be called a backslider. If you don’t keep the rules, you’re a
backslider, outside the camp, parachurch. Heart obedience often looks like
disobedience. If you follow the Lord in your heart, you will probably be accused
of disobeying the Lord. If you set your heart to follow the Lord against the
natural heart, you’re going to look like a backslider. Let a man, for example,
start to live by grace, he’s going to be called a backslider because let’s say he
decides, “My life is just too busy, and I can’t enjoy the Lord,” and he drops out of
some programs. Somebody is going to look at him and say, “Uh-oh, he dropped
out of some programs.” Or, like I suggested earlier, if somebody dares to go to
an athletic event, a Little League game, and miss prayer meeting, you’re going
to get on somebody’s prayer list, because you’re a backslider. If you really
follow the Lord in your heart, and God leads you to give to somebody down the
street, and you’re not able to give to the church, they’re going to say, “We’ve got
to pray for him. He’s fallen away from the Lord, and I’ve heard that he’s actually
fellowshipping with somebody from a different church. Can you imagine? We
need to pray for them.” You are going to be quickly put on some prayer list.
Heart obedience resembles disobedience. So, when you really serve the Lord
in the spirit and you depart from the letter, you better believe you’re going to be
under the gun.

Understand this, that this man who is living by grace, is a step toward showing
the revelation of Christ. Hold that for a moment. I want to show you another
picture. Verse 42, the last part, Elisha gives a command, “Give the people that
they may eat.” The attendant’s response to that command is also going to show
you how to take a forward step to see Jesus. Verse 43, “His attendant said,
‘What, will I set this before a hundred men?’ But he said, ‘Give them to the
people that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, “They shall eat and have some
left over.”’”

This attendant, it could have been Gahazi (we’re not sure), was looking and
living by sight and not by faith. Elisha was living by faith and not by sight. That
becomes an important thing. Elisha’s attendant was applying worldly wisdom,
“Look at what we have! We only have a couple of loaves, a couple of biscuits,
and a few ears of corn. It’s not going to work. There’s a hundred people. Count
them, take out your calculator. That’s not going to work.” Everything was
reason, everything was mind, everything was logic. They would say, “We’re
being practical; you’re not being practical.” God hasn’t called you to try to figure
it out. He’s called us to obey, “Give to the people that they may eat. Thus says
the Lord. They’re going to be fed and they’re going to be some left over. The
command is repeated twice to this unbelieving attendant. This time it was
added, “Thus says the Lord.” You’ve got to believe it because it’s from the Lord.

Alright, hold that a moment, those two things. Now, what’s the revelation of the
Lord? The ministry by grace from the stranger, live by grace and not by law, live
by faith and not by sight. Those two things are illustrated in this story. Now, I’ll
bring up one other point; you’ve got a hundred hungry men. Here’s the
revelation of the Lord. The Lord desires to feed the hungry, and He’s looking for
someone who will live by grace and not by law, who will live by faith and not by
sight. When God finds somebody that lives by grace and not by law, lives by
faith and not by sight, God can take that gift that’s dedicated to Him, as meager
as it is and seems to be, and multiply it and feed the people. We all want to feed
the hungry, and I think we all feel inadequate; we all feel like we don’t have what
it takes; we’re disqualified. But if God sees you living by grace and not by law,
and He sees you living by faith and not by works, don’t ever underestimate what
the Lord can do with that which is dedicated to Him. You give it to the Lord. This
guy didn’t give it to the people; he gave it to the Lord, through Elisha. Elisha is
representing the Lord. He gives it to the Lord. The Lord gave it to the people;
the guy didn’t give it to the people. We give it to the Lord, and He assumes the
responsibility to feed the hungry.

As we close this lesson, hopefully to resume after Labor Day, if it’s in the will of
the Lord, there’s one final unveiling of Jesus that I want us to see, and we’ll
close with this. It wraps up the famine stories, not only the famine story with the
poison in the stew, not only the one where God feeds the hungry, but now we
come to the end of the famine, 2 Kings 8:1, “Elisha spoke to the woman whose
son he had restored to life, saying, ‘Arise, and go with your household, and
sojourn wherever you can sojourn; the Lord has called for a famine, and it will
come on the land for seven years.’” There’s an announcement of a famine for
seven years, just like there was the famine at Gilgal, and so on. We return to
this last mention of the Shunammite woman. We read about her in chapter 4,
and God doesn’t mention her again until chapter 8. Why does he mention her
again, and what is the revelation that we need to see?

Let me describe the occasion of the story and make a couple of observations
that will give us yet another look at our Lord Jesus. Elisha received a word from
the Lord in verse 8:1 that there is going to be a famine for seven years. The
Bible says he shared this with the Shunammite woman. I personally, there’s no
record, don’t think he shared it because he was a prophet. I think he shared it
because they were friends. He was close friends with this Shunammite woman
and the family, and he went to her and said, “Hey, God revealed to me there’s
going to be a famine. I think you ought to think about leaving. The father is not
mentioned. The first record we have, he was old, and now we’ve got at least
another seven years, and probably more than that, so this kid that was raised
from the dead is probably in his upper teens now, and since the husband is not
mentioned, we assume that he died, and he went to be with the Lord.

This woman knows and has come to believe what Elisha says is true. So, when
he tells her to arise and leave, he doesn’t tell her where to go. He leaves that
up to her; go anywhere, use your head. “There’s famine in the land, it’s under
chastening.” Famine was a chastening from the Lord. There’s no specific
guidance. The Lord is going to guide her, no matter where she goes. I want to
jump over much that we could discuss. In fact, in the review in the Fall I’ll pick
up some of this, but the turning point of the story is chapter 8:5, “As he was
relating to the king,” and that’s Gahazi, “how he had restored to life the one who
is dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the
king for her house and her field. Gahazi said, ‘My lord, oh king, this is the
woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.’”

After the seven-year famine, this woman returns to her home, to her inheritance,
to her land, to her property, and when she arrived, she found it was occupied by
others. By whom? Probably not her servants, because of chapter 8:1 when he
said, “Arise and take your household,” we know she had servants and maybe
she took them with her. It was probably not her neighbors, because remember
that earlier she said, “I live at peace with my neighbors.” They aren’t going to
take over her property. And it probably wasn’t an enemy because at this time
there was relative peace in the kingdom. It’s not going to last very long; we’re
going to have a war very soon. From chapter 8:6 we assume that her property
was confiscated by the king. 2 Kings 8:6, “When the king asked the woman,
she related it to him. So, the king appointed for her a certain offricer, saying,
‘Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she
left the land even until now.’”

When he said to restore the property, the property was probably annexed to the
royal domain. When it was abandoned, the government took over. This is the
first observation, and I’ll give it to you as a principle. If you obey the Lord like
she did, you lose nothing. In fact, you gain. The safest place you could ever be
is in the will of God. If you obey the Lord, you aren’t going to be a loser; you are
going to be gainer, and you are not going to lose one thing. 2 Kings 8:6,
“Restore all that was hers, and all the produce of the field, from the day she left
the land until now.” She got everything that she had left, and she got the
produce of that seven-year famine, and it’s a royal produce, and I’m sure there
was a lot more. Actually, it was a blessing that someone took over her property,
because when she got back, she didn’t have to mow the lawn, and she didn’t
have to pull weeds, because they were taking care of it for her. That’s how the
Lord was watching over her.

The second observation that sheds light on the revelation of Christ is from verse
4, “Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God…”
Now, here’s an amazing scene. In the same room you have this king, and most
reliable commentators say it’s Jehoram, the king of Ahab. If that’s true, and it
looks like it is, it’s a wicked cat-worshipping king, and he’s in the same room as
Gahazi. We have not yet studied the story that reveals the heart of Gahazi, but
Gahazi was not a great guy. The same king that confiscated her land, 2 Kings
3:14, this is the last record we have of Elisha talking to him, “Elisha said, ‘As the
Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence
of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you.’” The
last time Elisha saw him, he looked him in the eye and said, “You cat-
worshipping heathen, I wouldn’t even look at you, I wouldn’t even talk to you.”
Now, he’s in the oval office saying, “Tell me some of the things that Elisha did.”
That’s an amazing change. What has happened in his heart? What would
prompt him to want to know?

Then, it’s Gahazi who is telling him these wonderful things. May I remind you,
and this is what this story is about, the Lord loves that cat-worshipper, and the
Lord wants to win Jehoram to Himself. The Lord loves Gahazi, that materialistic
person, and the Lord wants to win him back to Himself. All that happened
through Elisha and to and through this woman is to bring us to the place where
God is trying to reach out to these two wicked men. It’s redemptive. All she
went through was redemptive. God guided her. It’s redemptive, because God
loves Jehoram, and God loves Gahazi.
Gahazi, like Judas, was blessed. Judas was with the servants of the Lord, and
he witnessed many things. It’s God giving him an opportunity. Gahazi is now
rehearsing all of the wonderful things that he had seen. Again, we haven’t yet
met the real Gahazi; we’ll do that in the Fall, but I want you to see two wicked
men in the same room discussing the works of God. What an amazing thing
that is! Without explaining why or how they came together, understand that
what’s going on is redemptive. It’s not about Elisha and it’s not about the
woman. It’s about the Lord reaching out for these two men. Those two
observations, let me repeat them, because it’s going to shed light on who Jesus
is; #1 those who obey the Lord are not losers; they’re gainers. #2 The Lord not
only guides them, but it’s redemptive guidance. It’s not for them; it’s for others.
By looking at those two observations, how the Lord watches over His obedient
children, and how He works redemptively, gives us a picture of our Lord. So, let
me now share with you how this story reveals Christ. I want to sort of home in
on it, and I’m going to start way back here, and then move down, and down and
down until we see it.

The grand revelation, you can’t read this story and not think about the
sovereignty of God. Psalm 103:19, “The Lord has established His throne is the
heavens, and His sovereignty rules overall. You can’t read this and not see that
God is in control. We sing, “Our God reigns,” well, He certainly does! But now I
ask this question; I’m going to home in. It’s His sovereignty, God on the throne,
but what aspect of His sovereignty? His providence, that’s an aspect of His
sovereignty. What is providence? Providence is the invisible hand of the Lord
behind the scene. It’s Got working and causing all things to work together for
good to those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose to
conform them to the image of Christ. It’s not God doing miracles, overruling the
natural, so that fire doesn’t burn, so that a man can walk on water, so that the
dead are raised. It’s not God contradicting the natural; it’s God using the
natural, controlling the natural. They make their own decisions—no, they don’t;
God is controlling without violating the volition of man, the will of man.
Providence is God’s ruling and overruling circumstances, and orchestrating
things. Sovereignty, providence, but even that is too general. I want to go down
again.

What aspect of His providence? I want to give a Bible verse, and I hope at the
end you’ll see how it ties in. Psalm 31:15, just this phrase, “My times are in Your
hands.” Apart from the teaching, do you believe that? “My times are in Your
hands.” The special aspect in this story is not only that “My times are in His
hands,” but my timings are in His hands. Everything in this story depends on
perfect timing.

I tried to follow that story “Mission Impossible”, and I couldn’t even get it on the
TV. I was trying to get “Mission Impossible” and I ended up with the “Life Story
of Queen Elizabeth”. I wanted to see if I could follow the logic of “Mission
Impossible” and I couldn’t even get it on the TV. I went in a read a book, and
Lillian watched it.

Everything about this story is perfect timing. God reveals to Elisha a seven-year
famine; that’s timing. When did it begin, and when did it end? Then he decides,
“I think I’ll share this with her,” so she shares it with her. So, she gets up to
leave. It was necessary, or you wouldn’t have a story, that the king took her
property, and took care of it. Now, she was allowed to go anywhere, but the
Lord was guiding her, because if she were in this place, the timing would be off,
so she went down to the land of the Philistines, based on her own choice. How
long did it take her to get there, and how long did she stay there? She begins to
calculate that the famine must be over. He said seven years. Was that to the
day? Was that to the moment? She decides to return. When? Was it January,
was it March, was it August? Did she go on Monday, or Tuesday, or Friday?
When did she go? That all takes time. God is behind the scene. It doesn’t
matter. When she arrived at home, did she try to get her land back? Did she try
to kick the usurpers off her land? If so, how long did that take? And you don’t
just walk into the Oval Office and say, “Here I am.” There is some protocol, and
she had to go through channels. How long did that take?

When she finally walked in, what are they talking about? 2 Kings 8:5, “As he
was relating to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead,
behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for
her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, ‘My lord, O king, this is the
woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.’” What timing, what
amazing, impeccable timing that at that moment he would be talking to the king
about her and about the son, and in that moment, she walks in, and in that
moment, he said, “Look, that’s them; that’s the one I was just telling you about!”
And now you’ve got a teenager who had been risen from the dead, you talk
about the Lord reaching out to dead people and trying to help, and now you’ve
got a resurrection miracle standing right in front of this calf-worshipping king, this
wicked man and Gahazi. The testimony is tremendous, what God is doing,
because God had a heart for them.

When we obey the Lord, we lose nothing; we’re gainers. He will use everything
redemptively to reach those who are needy. Every detail of these last seven
years fell together perfectly because God was behind the scenes engineering
and orchestrating the timing. The revelation of Christ; He’s the God of
providence, and your times, as well as hers, are in His hands. Pull out all the
stops, brothers and sisters in Christ, and believe that with all of your heart.
From the time you came out of the womb until this moment, every day and every
hour and every second of every hour, the Lord has been there orchestrating,
timing and this very moment, what brought you here. He thinks of you more
than the grains of the sands that are on the earth. He has every hair on your
head numbered. He loves you, and He never takes His eyes off of you. I see a
couple of bald guys looking at each other.

Seven years before Elisha shared a revelation, “The Lord has called for a
famine…” Seven years and Elisha is out of the picture. Seven years later his
name comes up. He’s not there. Maybe he never even knew it. His name
comes up. Our sister gave her testimony the other day. Two days ago I was
with two of her cousins, and I shared her testimony. She doesn’t even know it.
Now she does! How God is in control! Daniel walked into Nebuchadnezzar’s
life, and spent five minutes, and seven years later God took what he said and
brought Nebuchadnezzar to repentance. Brothers and sisters in Christ, lay hold
of this wonderful providence of the Lord.

My Lillian and I had a wonderful time of worship as I was sharing this, and we
were going back and forth. She said, “Let’s just reflect back, just the timing,
when you met me, when I met you, when we went to school, when we got a
deaf child, when we left, how this door opened, and how that door…,” and we
had a wonderful time of worship. Lillian said to me, “Please don’t teach this
lesson unless you encourage them to reflect back in their lives and think about
the times of providence, of what God has done.” So, I want to do that.

I want to close with a clincher, and that is Psalm 136. I handed out that Psalm.
You’ll notice that there’s twenty-six verses in that Psalm, and every verse
contains the same expression, “His mercy endures forever,” twenty-six verses,
twenty-six times. If you have the NAS, “His loving kindness endures forever.”
It’s the same thing. If you read this Psalm and you omit those words, “His mercy
endures forever,” what’s left? If you take that out, what’s left? The answer is
history. You read this story and it’s the history of Israel. Look at verses 10-15,
they’re delivered from Egypt. Look at verse 16, that’s the wilderness. Look at
verse 17 and on, that’s their life in Canaan. It’s history. The Holy Spirit has
given a graphic picture of history with mercy written between the lines. You
have a history, and there’s mercy written between the lines. Every step you
take, in between the lines, the providence of the Lord, the mercy of the Lord, the
hand of the Lord! That’s Israel’s history, and that’s yours, and it’s my history.

When the Lord first dawned this truth on my heart, it so thrilled my heart. When
I get really blessed, I vent in poetry. I’m going to ask you to turn that page over
and we’re going to just read what was brought to my heart from this Psalm.

BETWEEN THE LINES

(Psalm 136)

His mercy endures forever

The fearful of heart resigns.

Your life is a book

And wherever you look

There’s mercy between the lines

Give thanks to the God of Heaven

For all that the Lord has done;

His mercy endures forever;

Your life and His heart are one!

He’s working all things together;

Consider His wise designs;

He’s written into your history,

His mercy between the lines!

His mercy endures forever!

Your life like the ancient psalm,

Is laced with His loving kindness,

And soothed by His Spirit’s balm.

Don’t misinterpret the furnace;

The hottest of flames refines!

The real record is written,

In mercy, between the lines!

The writing of books is endless,

Devotion to books is vain.

But there is a book in progress,

It’s theme is eternal gain.

The Author is God Almighty,

The Writing is all divine.

He pens, in your living history,

His mercy between each line.

Let’s pray together. Father, thank You for Your word, for the revelation of Your
providence, how wonderfully You would guide us if we would obey You. We’re
not losers; we’re gainers, and You will use us redemptively, so that Your heart
can reach those who are lost. Thank You for this marvelous story. We know
You heal the stew, we know You feed the hungry, and we know that You want to
use our lives redemptively. Lord, we want to also thank You for the privilege we
have now to fellowship together and to feed together. We want to thank You for
Your provision of food and nourishment, and guide our fellowship, and help us
edify one another. Thank You for Pat and Janet for opening their home. We
give the rest of this afternoon to You, and thank You that You are overseeing it
and orchestrating our lives. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Elijah & Elisha Message #23

Resurrection Power and the Floating Ax Head

Ed Miller

As we come to look in God’s word, there’s a principle of study I always try to

repeat, and I always need to hear it, and that is total reliance on God’s Holy
Spirit. The Bible was given to us by God the Holy Spirit and only the Lord can
unveil the Lord. So, we want to have Him teach us His word, so He will breathe
on us.

I want to share this verse before we go to prayer. Psalm 18:16, “He sent from
on high, ‘He took me, He drew me out of many waters.” I want you for now
underscore or at least know the pronoun and you’ll understand why when we
come to the end, because He drew me out of many waters, we’ll be talking
about the ax head that came up from many waters. But it’s, “He sent from on
high, He took me, and He drew me.” I am inadequate, you are inadequate in
every direction. No matter where we turn, He must be our adequacy, spiritually,
physically, morally, socially, mentally, and whatever you think, we are a needy
people, and we need the Lord. I just see all of those areas as the many waters
that He draws us out of, so that we can depend on Him. If He didn’t reach down
from heaven and lay hold of you, lay hold of men, and draw us out of many
waters, we would have no hope. We can praise God for His long arm; it’s not
shortened, that it can’t save.

With that in mind, let’s commit our time to the Lord. Our Father, we thank You
for the indwelling Holy Spirit; He lives in our heart and He lives to unveil the Lord
Jesus to us. We give this session unto You and pray that we might behold the
Lord. Thank You for Your desire, Your great desire to show us Christ. We ask
now that You give us receptive hearts. Thank You, and protect Your people;
whatever You haven’t planted, then pluck up and we thank You in the matchless
name of Jesus. Amen.

We’re in 2 Kings 5 and last time we were together we did a big bulk of the story
of Naaman. We’re not quite finished with that story, but that’s what we’re
looking at. By way of review, the great principle, and there are a couple, but the
big one was that salvation is not a plan; salvation is a Person, and His name is
the Lord Jesus. All through the Naaman story God illustrates the fact that it’s a
Person and it’s His plan. We don’t throw out “plan”. His story illustrates
characteristics of a person coming to know the Lord for the very first time. For
example, and I’ll rush over these, Naaman was a leper. Leper is a picture of sin;
it didn’t need to be healed; it needed to be cleansed. That’s one illustration.

Naaman was a proud gentile, and a proud anybody needs to Lord in order to be
saved. He was depending upon human wisdom to begin. He needed to be
delivered from that. He was proud, very proud, and he had to learn to come in
simplicity and obedience and faith. It’s all illustrating how a person comes to the
Lord the first time. There’s evidence when you read the record that he was
transformed when he came, and the proud man became humble, and the
unthankful man became thankful, and he had a sensitive conscience, and he
knew when he would be sinning against the Lord. His cleansing was a free gift;
Elijah wouldn’t take any money. Salvation is free.

So, we do see that it does picture a plan, but the main point is that it’s a Person;
salvation is a Person. We looked at the same story but we looked a little
deeper; we looked behind the scene, and how wonderful it was to peek beyond
the veil where God not only saved Naaman but He prepared him to be saved;
He worked in advance behind the scene. 2 Kings 5:1, “Now, Naaman, captain
of the army of the king of Aram was a great man with his master, highly
respected because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. God gave the
enemy victory over His people. That’s preparation; He was getting ready to
save Naaman. He was controlling that war.

2 Kings 5:2, “Now, the Aramians had gone out in bands and had taken captive a
little girl from the land of Israel, and she waited on Naaman’s wife.” Once,
again, it’s preparation; God controlled the war; God controlled who lived; God
controlled who died; God controlled who was taken prisoner of war. That little
girl was taken as a prisoner of war, and God controlled where she ended up,
and she ended up in Naaman’s house. God controlled her sigh, and she said,
“Oh, I wish my master could go to Israel, and there’s a prophet there and he
could be healed.” Then the mistress told Naaman and Naaman told the king
and the king wrote to king Jehoram, and it’s all in control. God is behind the
scenes getting somebody ready for redemption. We ended up by just
suggesting that God is always doing one of two things; He’s either getting you
ready to see Jesus, or He’s showing you Jesus. That’s your whole life, that’s my
whole life, and that’s what God is always doing. Everything is redemptive and
God is planning to redeem, and that’s what it’s all about.

I was in the process of showing you how God uses all things, everything, in
preparation to show His redemption. I illustrated it with Psalm 119:91, “All things
are Thy servants,” all things. Next to my verse in my Bible margin I wrote,
“medical technology”. All thing are Thy servant. If it weren’t for medical
technology, I would say that more than ninety percent of my family would be in
heaven. Praise God that all things are Thy servants! Since God rules
everything, He rules the good and He overrules the evil. Even unworthy
instruments are used by Him redemptively.

As we closed, I mentioned how God used ungodly Gahazi to minister to king

Jehoram and also to provide for the woman of Shuman, all her provision. I
won’t go into that again, but I want to say a couple of more things about the
Naaman story, and I want to revolve around two men. Gahazi was an unwilling
instrument used by God. Elisha was a willing instrument used by God, and I
want to show you a little bit about the unwilling instrument, no problem to the
Lord, and the willing instrument, because by looking at the willing instrument, we
might be able to glean a few principles. I’m willing, and I want Him to use me;
what can I expect? So, we’ll look at those two things. Psalm 76:10, “The wrath
of man shall praise you.” In other words, no matter how wicked anybody is, no
matter how they resist, and try to thwart the ways of the Lord, they will not
succeed. The wrath of man ends up praising the Lord.

Let me begin a few words about Elisha’s servant, Gahazi. The entire record of
his life is only in three places in the Bible. It’s in 2 Kings 4 in connection with the
woman of Shuman. It’s in 2 Kings 5 in connection with Naaman, the prophet.
He’s mentioned in 2 Kings 8, as well, before king Jehoram as he related the
miracles of Elisha. That’s the whole record, and there’s nothing else; nothing is
mentioned in the New Testament, and nothing is mentioned in any other book. 1
Timothy 2:19 says, “The firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The
Lord know those who are His.’” I love that verse, that God knows who are His.
You don’t! God knows who are His; I don’t! We need to be careful before we
start reading hearts.

Last week I mentioned Gahazi’s name along with Akin, Annanias, Balaam,
Demas and Judas. That sounds like I could read his heart, and you’ve heard
me call him “ungodly”, but I can’t see his heart. I don’t think there’s enough in
the Bible record to say whether or not we will meet Gahazi in heaven. I don’t
know that. God has not given me permission to peek into the Lamb’s Book of
Life, and He hasn’t given you that permission, either. All we have is the Bible
record, and I don’t think that it’s quite clear enough in the case of Gahazi, but
the Lord know those that are His.

We know he was covetous. Verse 16, he said, “As the Lord lives before whom I
stand, I will take nothing,” that’s Elisha. Then in verse 20, “But Gahazi, the
servant of Elisha, the man of God, thought, ‘Behold, my master spared this
Naaman, the Aramian, by not receiving from his hand what he brought. As the
Lord lives, I’ll run after him and take something from him.’” So, we know he was
covetous. We also know that he lied. 2 Kings 5:22, he said to the Syrians, “All
is well; my master sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons
of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please, give
them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.” That was a bold faced lie.
We know he was covetous, and we know he was a liar, and then he even lied to
his master, Elisha, verse 25, “He went in and stood before his master. Elisha
said to him, ‘Where have you been, Gahazi?’ He said, ‘Your servant went
nowhere.’” I like King James, “I went no whither.” Anyway, we know that he was
a sinner. In fact, if leprosy pictures sin, because of verse 27, “’The leprosy of
Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.’ He went out from his
presence a leper as white as snow.” If leprosy pictures sin, he died in his sin.
We know that’s a fact, but it’s not enough, because there’s a sin unto death that
applies to some Christians. So, we can’t judge his heart; we can’t with
assurance say what his eternal destiny is.

So then, what’s his contribution to the history of redemption? I believe that

Gahazi’s contribution is that he’s a great warning against hypocrisy in the Old
Testament. There’s a warning in the New Testament, too. This is seed form.
There were a couple of hints of his character before he actually showed his
cards. 2 Kings 4:27, “When she came near,” this is the woman of Shunam after
her son died, “when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of
his feet, and Gahazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, ‘Let
her alone; her soul is troubled within her, and the Lord has hidden it from me
and has not told me.’” You could see his heart there; she just falls down at the
feet of Elisha, and she’s desperate; she just lost her child, and he just grabs her
and pushes her away, and says, “Don’t do that.” You can begin to see his heart.
Then in the same story, he was sent to do a miracle; what a privilege that would
have been, but in verse 31, “Gahazi passed on before them, laid the staff on the
lad’s face, and there was no sound or response, so he returned to meet him and
told him, ‘The lad has not awaken.’” He tried to do a miracle, and it didn’t work.
You get a little hint into his heart, but that’s not enough to judge him, but he’s a
great warning.

Gahazi will forever be a picture against hypocrisy; he was a pretender. Think of

his privilege; he was close to Elisha. Later on, he’s recalling all of the miracle he
did; he was a witness of all of that. How close somebody can come. You can
be close to those who are real and genuine, and still be a hypocrite. You can
join a church and still be a hypocrite. You can witness many miracles and still
be a hypocrite. Because he was was associated with Elisha, he wanted people
to think that he was a pretty good guy. There’s a Bible expression used two
times in connection with Gahazi, and it’s that little expression, “All is well.”
That’s what he said, “All is well.” The first time it was said to him. 2 Kings 4:26,
“Run out to meet here, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your
husband? Is it well with the child?’ And she answered, ‘It is well.’” But the
second time is from his own lips. 2 Kings 5:21, “Gahazi pursued Naaman, and
when Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from the chariot to
meet him, and he said, ‘Is all well?’ and he said, ‘All is well,’” and then he told
the bold-faced lie. “All is well.” No, it isn’t! He’s a hypocrite; he’s a liar.

Both Elijah and Elisha and Gahazi made this same comment. First Elijah, 1
Kings 17:1, “Elijah, the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab,
‘As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand…’” Elijah claimed to
live in the presence of the Living God, ready to do His bidding, and that was
true; he did live in the presence of the Living God. Elisha said the same thing in
2 Kings 5:16, “He said, ‘As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will take
nothing,’” and Elisha, also, claimed to live before the one, true and Living God,
and to do His bidding. So, that was fact for Elijah, and it was fact for Elisha, but
it’s shocking to hear that expression come from the lips of Gahazi. 2 Kings 5:20,
“As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” At least he
left out “before whom I stand”, because he didn’t stand before Him. But when
he said, “All is well,” all was not well.

I think most of us are familiar with the wonderful hymn, Horatio Stafford’s hymn,
“It is Well With My Soul”. There’s quite a hymn story; I’m not going to tell that
story, but there’s quite a story connected with that wonderful hymn. I wonder if
sometimes we take the Lord’s name in vain when we sing hymns, or take the
Lord’s name in vain when we pray. I think one of the main ways Christians take
his name in vain. It’s easy to sing, “My Jesus I love you.” Do you? Do I? It’s
easy to sing, “I surrender all,” but are we really surrendering all when we sing
that? “He is Lord, He is Lord.” Is He allowed to be Lord in your life? Even that
child’s little song, “I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.” Do you? And
when you sing, “It is well, it is well,” make sure that it is well. Gahazi is a great
illustration of the hypocrite, and he’ll stand forever as a warning, the same way
Lot’s wife is a monument against worldliness. God, at least, gives them the
privilege to minister as a warning.

The great illustration in the New Testament is in Matthew 21:18&19, where

Jesus came up to a fig tree and it had leaves on it, and because it had no figs,
He caused it to wither; He cursed the tree. We’re surprised to read Mark 11:13,
“Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He could find
anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves.” And then
Mark adds, “It was not the season for figs.” Some might say, “Why in the world
would Jesus curse a fig tree that didn’t bear figs if it’s not the season for figs.
That’s not the fault of the tree.” But you remember there were other fig trees
around and He didn’t curse those. Why did He curse just that one fig tree? The
answer is because even though it didn’t have figs, it boasted that it had figs; the
leaves were the boast. It wasn’t the time for figs, and it wasn’t the time for
leaves, but this fig tree was flashing its leaves saying, “Come to me; I have figs.”
You big hypocrite tree, and the Lord Jesus cursed that tree because it was a
hypocrite; it pretended. Of course, He was dealing with the Pharisees who were
hypocrites, and they caught exactly the meaning of that illustration.

Once again, with Gahazi, we can’t see his heart, and God sees his heart, and
God knows those that are His, but He will always curse unreality. Ask the Lord
to make you real; don’t have unreality in your life; don’t fake it; don’t just be
religious. Ask God to give you reality. For perpetual hypocrites, they’re going to
be separated from the Lord forever. For Christian hypocrites they are going to
be chastened, and that’s for certain.

The saddest part in the Gahazi story is the fruit of a hypocrite. You notice in
chapter 5 verse 27, “The leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your
descendants.” When you’re a hypocrite, that goes down to the family; that
affects your kids; that affects your relatives. That’s a terrible thing. Ask God to
put in your heart a hate for all unreality. I love Psalm 119:29 in this connection,
“Remove the false way from me; graciously grant me your law.” That’s a
wonderful prayer; remove the false way. And then it’s even stronger in verse
128, “I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything; I hate every false
way.”

Ask God to make you hate all the unreality. We can be real with the Lord; you
can be honest with the Lord. He knows your heart, anyway; you can’t fake it.
He sees inside; His eyes are sharp and divide the soul and the spirit. As far as I
know, there is no Bible record of anyone who came to the Lord honestly and
was cursed or rebuked by the Lord. Abraham questioned the Lord, Moses
complained to the Lord, Elijah argued with the Lord, Jeremiah accused the Lord;
he said, “You duped me.” Habakuk tried to correct the Lord, “You’re making a
mistake here,” he said. Jonah resisted the Lord. John the Baptist had his
doubts about the Lord. In no case did the Lord ever curse them. Be honest with
the Lord. He know your heart; if you’re feeling guilty, tell Him. If you’re feeling
sad, tell Him. If you’re confused, tell Him. If you’re angry, tell Him. If you need
help, tell Him. He won’t get angry with you. He deals with us as we are and
where we are, in order to bring us to the place that He wants us.

I want to wrap up the Naaman story with a few words about Elisha. This is the
man that wanted to be used. God used Gahazi in spite of Gahazi, and now God
is going to use Elisha. The main principle that we’re discussing is that God
works behind the scenes to reveal Himself as a Redeemer, whether it’s a war,
He’s in charge, or a prisoner of war, if it’s a wicked man like Gahazi, God is in
control. Psalm 135:6, “Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven, in earth,
in the seas and in all deeps.” If you ever get light on “in all deeps” let me know.
I don’t know what that means because He covered it seemed like everything—
the heavens, the earth, the seas and in all deeps. Maybe caves. If there is a
cave in your life, He’s in charge of that, too. God uses the willful instruments
and Naaman illustrates that.

I want to give four simple characteristics of a willing instrument, illustrated by

Elisha in this story. The first is that the Lord chooses to use those who have the
answers that no one else can provide. 2 Kings 5:7, “When the king of Israel
read the letter, he tore his clothes. He said, ‘Am I God, to kill, to make alive, that
this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now
and see how he’s seeking a quarrel against me. It happened that when Elisha,
the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent
word to the king saying, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Now, let him come to
me, and he’ll know there’s a prophet in Israel.’”

Naaman’s need, he had leprosy, and he needed a mighty miracle of God, and it
was out of man’s hands. The king said, “I’m not God; I can’t do this; nobody can
do this; this is out of man’s hands,” but Elisha said, “Hey, wait a minute, don’t
say nobody can do it; send him to me. I can do it because I am in union with the
Living God.” Elisha knew that he had the answer; he knew he had the solution;
he knew a mighty miracle could take place through him. It’s not pride to admit
that you have the truth. You know it and you have it! Don’t say, “Oh, I don’t
know what can be done.” You do, too! You have the Lord; you know the
answer.

It's amazing to me how the world always tries the answer that doesn’t work. A
great illustration is Daniel. Daniel 1:20, “As for every matter of wisdom and
understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times
better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in his realm.” The
examined Daniel and those three men, Shadrak, Meshak and Abendego, and
found them ten times wiser than all the magicians in the whole realm of Babylon.
When it came time there was a problem and they had to choose.
Nebuchadnezzar needed help. Daniel 2:2, “The king gave orders to call in the
magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his
dream. They came and stood before the king.” Nebuchadnezzar knew there
were guys that were ten times smarter, but he didn’t call them up. He didn’t
knock at their door. He went through everybody else who didn’t have the
answer. Finally, Daniel 2:16, Daniel went in and requested of the king that he’d
give him time in order that he might declare the interpretation.
Let me just ask this. I think most of you are pretty wise. If you had some kind of
illness, and you knew of a doctor ten times smarter than any other doctor, would
you call the others first, or would you go right to the doctor? My goodness, it
just seems like wisdom. If you needed a plumber or an electrician or a
mechanic, and you knew one that was ten times better and more skilled than
everybody else, who are you going to call? And yet the world, they always try
the wrong answer. They’ll go to this psychologist, and this psychiatrist and this
counselor and that counselor, and they’re going to try everything. Finally, they’re
going to find a man of God, a woman of God that has the answer, and they’re
going to point them to the Lord Jesus Christ.

That was the first thing. Brother and sisters in Christ, don’t hem and haw and be
silent and self-depreciating and think that you don’t have the answer; you have
Christ and you know the answer. They need it, and don’t be shy. You just tell
them that you have it. You don’t need a degree or some kind of an ordination
certificate and you don’t need to have a church membership or baptismal
certificate; you have Him; you have the Lord. They need Him. Who is God
going to use? Elisha illustrates that it’s the one who know he has the answer;
that’s who He’s going to use.

There’s a second characteristic of a willing instrument. Elisha did not seek his
own personal glory. Remember in verse ten, Elisha sent a messenger to him.
He didn’t go out himself. You know you have the answer, but you’re not looking
for glory or for someone to pat you on the back. We know what he expected.
Verse 11, “Behold, I thought he’d 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.” They’re looking for something dramatic and something spectacular. A
humble servant of God is not looking for personal glory. I like what Jesus said in
John 7:18, “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory.” That’s why I love
that indispensable principle. I want to know what God says. If I’m just trying to
speak out of my own mind and tell you what I think, I’m looking for my own glory.
Elisha wasn’t like that.

The third characteristic of a willing instrument is that it’s an instrument of pure

grace. Once again, verse 16, “As the Lord lives before whom I stand, I will take
nothing.” He urged him to take it and he refused. I’ll tell you, God’s people
today have a black eye because so many people have their hand in your wallet
and in your pocketbook and in your bank account, and they’re always looking for
something. Not the man God uses; not the woman that God uses. “As the Lord
lives, I will take nothing.” It’s free, and it’s a marvelous thing. Verse 26:5, when
he’s rebuking Gahazi, he said, “Did not my heart go with you when a man turned
from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money, to receive clothes,
olive gardens, vineyards, sheep, oxen, males and female servant?” Brothers
and sisters, this is the willing servant of the Lord, the one who knows that they
have the only answer, the one who doesn’t seek his own glory, the minister of
pure grace. He’s out to feed the sheep and not fleece the sheep.

There’s a final characteristic illustrated here in verse 18 that I want to

emphasize. “In this matter,” the newly cleansed leper is speaking, “may the
Lord pardon your servant. When my master goes to the house of Rimmon to
worship there and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of
Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” Naaman was a new
Christian. Elisha didn’t give him a bunch of rules. Some may have given him a
lecture, “You’re going to go down and bow down to Rimmon, that false god?
You’re a Christian now, and you need to take a bold and rugged stand, even if
you’re persecuted and even if you’re killed. Take a stand. You can’t bow down
in the name of Rimmon. Be a testimony, no matter what the cost.” But what did
Elisha say when he said, “The Lord forgive me when I bow down?” Notice
verse19, “He said to him, ‘Go in peace.’” Isn’t that an amazing statement? “Go
in peace.” Was Elisha compromising? Was Elisha giving bad advice? Did
Elisha condone the worship of Rimmon when he said that?

I believe Elisha did not give a stamp of approval on the behavior. Clearly,
Naaman already had a guilty conscience. He knew it because he said, “May
your Lord forgive me when I do this.” He wouldn’t ask for forgiveness if he didn’t
know it was wrong. He already knew it was wrong, but Elisha, as an instrument
of God, was waiting for the Lord to deliver him from that, not some rule that you
give. Elisha knew that as Naaman grew in the Lord, certain things would fall
away. It’s automatic; you look to Christ, and you’re going to walk in the path that
He wants you to work. The willing instrument of the Lord depends on the Lord
to complete the work that the Lord began.

There’s an interesting verse in Ezekiel where Ezekiel condemns some women,

and here’s the condemnation. Ezekiel 13:22, “Because you disheartened the
righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief.” Don’t’ give anybody
grief until the Lord gives him grief. That’s a wonderful thing. There’s an
illustration in David’s life. Again, I’ll just refer to the verse and you can read it.
It’s in 2 Samuel 5:24. Two times the Philistines attacked David. The first time he
prayed, “Lord, should I go and attack them?” And God said, “Go, and you’ll
have victory.” The same people and enemy attacked a second time. Wouldn’t
you think the first time he said, “Boy, I’ve got God’s will.” No, he prayed again.
He said, “Lord, they’re attacking again. Should I go?” God said, “No, not this
time. You just go down as far as the bushes and you wait, and you are going to
hear the sound of My angels in the top of the trees. When they go, and you
hear that, then you go, because I don’t want you to go before I go. I want to go
first.” I think it’s a wonderful illustration of “go in peace”. A willing servant waits
for the Lord.
I remember when I first got saved way back in 1958. I don’t have it on paper but
I remember. “Alright, you’ve accepted the Lord, now. No more dancing. You’ve
accepted the Lord, and you’ve got to quit smoking.” I never smoked, anyway,
but I carried in my shirt, you know. I had a pack of cigarettes because I wanted
to be one of the guys. “No more lottery tickets, and no more going to movies,
and no more drinking.” One guy told me I couldn’t wear any more jewelry. One
guy said, “No more contact sports. You can’t play football.” You get that big list.
Nobody told me to go in peace. I should have just gone in peace and looked to
Jesus, and some of those things that He didn’t want would fall off. Brothers and
sisters in Christ, if you want to be used of the Lord, don’t give people a bunch of
rules and regulations, “Don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t listen to this music,
don’t go here, don’t go there.” It’s separation unto, and not from; it’s unto the
Lord, and the Lord will deal with it. It’s not in the Bible, but I think Elisha had a
big smile on his face, “I’m going to go and I’m going to bow down and I don’t
have a choice; oh, the Lord forgive me..” “Go in peace.” He just smiled and
said to go in peace. Don’t put unnecessary burdens on believers. 2
Thessalonians 3:4, “We have confidence in the Lord concerning you.” I have no
confidence in you, and I hope you have no confidence in me, but we can have
confidence in the Lord concerning each other, and we can trust God to do it.

I just wanted to mention those four characteristics of an instrument willing to be

used. He know he has the answer; he’s not trying to be proud and seek
personal glory; he’s not mercenary and he’s not out to gain any advantage for
himself, and he lets the Lord do the follow-up.

As we come to the end, I want to look at this miracle of the floating ax head in
chapter 6:1-7. Sure enough, I’m going to read the text. “Now, the sons of the
prophets said to Elisha, ‘Behold, now, the place before you where you were
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
servant.’ And he answered, ‘I shall go.’ And, so, he went with them and when
they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees, but when one was felling a beam,
the ax head fell into the water. He cried out and said, ‘Alas, my master, for it
was borrowed.’ Then the man of God said, ‘Where did it fall?’ 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 he took it.”

Once again, we’re here to see the Lord Jesus. So, how does this wonderful
story reveal the Lord Jesus? Let me isolate three what I believe are prevailing
emphasis, and then we’ll put them together and that will show us our Lord
Jesus.

The first emphasis is ministry, Christian service. There were schools of the
prophets, like Bible schools, like seminaries. There was one in Bethel, one in
Jericho, one in Gilgal and several other places. It’s not mentioned which one
this was, but we’re pretty sure it was Gilgal because that was closest to the
Jordan River, and wherever they’re building is close to the Jordan River.
Evidently the facility was too small, so they were going to enlarge the dormitory,
so these students could attend these schools of the prophets. So, it’s ministry;
that was their mission. They’re going to build a larger place, a bigger facility.

The next emphasis is in verse 5, “Alas, master, it was borrowed.” This story not
only emphasizes ministry, it emphasizes stewardship; it was borrowed and didn’t
belong to him. In order to be the servant, they had to be good stewards; they
had to deal with something belonging to somebody else. We’re not going to see
the distinctive revelation of Christ without that detail, “Alas, Master, it was
borrowed.” That’s essential to the revelation of our Lord.
The third emphasis is in verse 6, “He cut off a stick and threw it in there and
made the iron float.” The King James says, “The iron did swim.” Well, you get
the idea. Clearly, it’s a mighty miracle. Iron can’t float and iron can’t swim,
especially from the depths of the Jordan River. Some Christians call the Jordan
River the “River of Deaths”. They have songs about that. “When you die you
cross the Jordan.” Do you remember, “On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand and
cast a wistful eye, to Canaan’s fair and happy land, where my possessions lie.”
The idea is that I’ve got to cross Jordan when I die, and go into the Promised
Land. There’s a gospel song, “I have to cross Jordan alone. When I get ready
to die, He’ll be with them.” “Michael rowed the boat ashore,” that’s Jordan, “the
river Jordan is chilly and cold, it chills the body and not the soul.” It’s a picture of
death. The word doesn’t mean “death”. Some people say that Jordan means
death; it doesn’t. It means “descending,” and probably because the Jordan
descends down to the Dead Sea. That’s where they get that idea.

Because that ax head actually rose from the bottom of the Jordan, river of
death, to the top, at first I thought that the great principle in this story is
resurrection life, because it’s down there and it comes by a miracle to the top, so
that’s resurrection rising up, resurrection life. I saw resurrection in 1 Kings 17:18
when Elijah raised the son of the widow of Zarephath. I saw resurrection in 2
Kings 4 when Elisha raised the son of the woman of Shuman, but this ax head I
don’t see resurrection life because the ax head is iron; it’s heavy and there was
no life in the ax before the miracle and there’s no life in the ax after the miracle.
Then what’s the principle, if it’s not resurrection life?

I’m going to suggest this; I want you to entertain “resurrection power”, and not
resurrection life. Resurrection was the illustration of the power necessary to
raise that ax head. If you want to see power in the Old Testament, God’s
illustration is creation. That’s His picture of power all through the Old Testament.
The New Testament illustrates that, Hebrews 11:3, “By faith we understand the
worlds were prepared by the word of God. So, what was seen was not made
out of things which are visible.” Romans 1:20, “Since the creation of the world,
His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly
seen, being understood through what has been made.” Psalm 148:5, “Let them
praise the name of the Lord. He commanded; they were created.” If you want
to see power, just look out there. Even though Habakkuk this great creation with
all of it’s galaxies, “the hiding of His power,” and yet, that’s His power out there.
But in the New Testament you’ve got a different illustration of power. Philippians
3:10, “That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection.” Resurrection
is the picture of power in the New Testament.

When this ax head floated to the top of the Jordan River, that wasn’t an act of
nature. There’s was no earthquake there, and there was no storm, and there
was no volcano causing that thing to rise to the top. This is not nature working
with nature or against nature; this isn’t evaporation overcoming gravity; this is
not the law of aerodynamics overpowering the law of gravity. This is completely
against nature; there’s nothing natural about this. God is overruling things
natural. Since the ax head was raised from the depths of the muddy Jordan, it
illustrates to me the mighty power of God; iron can’t float; Peter can’t walk of
water. That takes a miracle of God.

I want to take those three facts and bring them together. It’s a story about
ministry, it’s a story about stewardship, it’s a story about resurrection power.
You can’t read that and not see those three things. Bringing them together,
you’ll see the spiritual message of the story and, hopefully, the great revelation
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is why we gather.
The story proclaims, God is now going to put the principles together, God’s
wonderful provision to be the steward I aught to be, to be the servant I ought to
be. It takes resurrection power to be the steward God calls you to be. It takes
resurrection power to be the servant that God calls you to be. We know it was
borrowed. Stewards, you’re not your own; you are borrowed. 1 Corinthians
6:19, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
you whom you have from God; you are not your own; you’ve been bought with a
price. Glorify God in your body.” You have to be a steward of what’s not yours,
and you are not yours. 1 Corinthians 4:1, “Let a man regard us in this manner,
servants of Christ, stewards of the mysteries of God.” We have to be stewards
of His mystery. 1 Peter 4:10, “Good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Do you honestly believe that you need resurrection power to be a good steward
of your body, a good steward of the mysteries of God, a good steward of the
manifold grace of God? I’m not my own, and nothing I have is my own, and I’m
living on borrowed time. Everything we have is borrowed; we have nothing
that’s not borrowed, like that ax head. But I don’t want you leaving this Bible
study crying out for something called “power”, or something called “resurrection
power”.

There’s another detail in this story. 2 Kings 6:3, “Then one said,” now he’s
talking to Elisha, “’Please be willing to go with your servant,’ and he answered, ‘I
will go.’” They asked Elisha, the one who looked like Jesus, who represents
Jesus, “Will you come with us. We’re going to serve, we’re going minister, we’re
going to build, but please come with us.” Do you know if he didn’t go, there
would have been no miracle. It’s the presence of the one who looks like Jesus;
it’s the presence of the Lord. It’s not just power or resurrection power, it’s a
Person who is giving that wonderful power. Many Christians still have to learn
Philippians 3:10, “That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection.”
Power doesn’t come first; He comes first. To know Him is to know His power.

I think you know some of my testimony. I tried for seven long years, and I
wanted to be a good steward, and I wanted to be a good servant. I had no clue
that the ax head fell off, and I was trying to serve the Lord with an ax handle. I
just tried to swing that all over the place. I didn’t even know that it was gone,
and what a failure I was! Imagine chopping with an ax handle for seven years,
and that’s what I did.

If you notice how he performed the mighty miracle in verse 6, “He showed them
a place, and he cut off a stick and threw it in there.” He cut off a stick. This is
Old Testament and this pictured; that stick represents the cross. Nothing else is
going to make you rise from the dead. That stick is just a picture. 100%
everything depends upon the atonement, everything depends upon the blood.
That stick, that piece of wood, represented the cross, the finished work. Nothing
but the finished work can raise that ax head from its watery grave. I began this
lesson with Psalm 18:16, “He sent from high, He took me, He drew me out of
many waters.” The cross is the reason He can do it, but the power is always in
the Person; it’s always in Him.

Are you familiar with the very last promise that the Lord Jesus gave before He
ascended to His holy Father God? The last promise is in Acts 1:8, “You will
receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” It’s exactly right,
connecting the power with the Person; it’s in the Life of God.

I want to call attention to how the story ends, and then we’ll wrap it up. 2 Kings
6:6, “The man of God said, ‘Where did it fall?’ and he showed him the place. He
cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float.” He showed him the
place. Brothers and sisters in the Lord, if like me you’ve been chopping with an
ax handle, remember the place where you first had confidence in the flesh;
identify it. When did you lose it? To say it another way, when did you fly off the
handle? To say it another way, when did you end up over your head? To say it
another way, when did you say, “I’m sunk.” It’s all pictured in this marvelous,
marvelous story. Mark that place and confess it to the Lord.

Look at the last verse in the story, verse 7, “He said, ‘Take it up for yourself.’ He
put out his hand and took it. The power of the Lord is placed within our reach.
That’s the illustration He gives here. He does a mighty miracle and puts it within
your reach. Notice that it’s the resurrected ax head that he tells him to take. It’s
not the one that’s down in the dumps. I know I’m borrowed, and I know all I
have is borrowed and I know the time I’m living is borrowed, and the message I
proclaim is borrowed; I need to be a faithful steward. I need to be a faithful
witness.

We’re often taught that if I’m going to be a faithful steward, if I’m going to be a
faithful witness, then since I’m borrowed, I need to surrender what was
borrowed, give it to the Lord, commit it to Him in total surrender, dedicate
yourself, mores surrender, more dedication, die to yourself, consecrate yourself,
give yourself… We keep trying to surrender the borrowed ax head, and we
keep giving the Lord.. Here’s how it works in my life, here’s how it worked, past
tense, in my life. “Dear Lord, here I am again. I’m a broken mess. I screwed up
again. I failed again. I’m nothing but a failure. I’m a fool. I messed up. My life
is rotten to the core. Please, take these broken pieces. Here I come, Lord.
Take me, take me; I’m no good. I’m worthless. I come to You again. I
rededicate myself.” And I hear God saying, “Will you stop doing that! Why in
the world are you giving Me that junk. I took that two thousand years ago. I
took it to the cross. It’s done, it’s over. Stop giving Me that mess.
Rather, Romans 6:13, “Do not go on presenting the members of your bodies to
sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Present yourself to God as those alive
from the dead, your members as instruments of righteousness.” Reach out; it’s
in your reach. Take that resurrected ax head that was raised by the power of
God, and then surrender that to the Lord. Give yourselves as those alive from
the dead. Your prayer will go something like this, “Lord, thank You for letting me
die with You. I have been risen with You and I’m seated with You in heavenly
places. My life is hid with Christ in God. I’m filled with the Holy Spirit. I know
that You are my Lord and You are my Master.” I surrender that to the Lord.
Give yourselves as those alive from the dead. It’s within your reach. It’s within
my reach. He has given us supernaturally every provision to be the steward that
He’s called us to be. He’s given us every provision to be the servant that we
aught to be. He’s not going to force you or me. He raises it from the depths and
says, “Take it; it’s in your reach.” By the simple step of faith just reach out and
take that resurrection power, that I might know Him and the power of His
resurrection.

Father, thank You for Your precious word, again everything You’ve inspired it to
mean. Work that in our hearts. We thank You, Lord, for these wonderful stories
that illustrate such wonderful truths, but Lord we want to see Jesus. Thank You
that You’re the One that gives the resurrection power, and so we live by Your
Life. Work this in us we pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.