Morning Light – August 20th, 2015: Elisha – Miracles, Provision, and Resurrection

Morning Light – August 20th, 2015
Today: [2 Kings Chapter Four]: Elisha – Miracles, Provision and Resurrection. Elisha is a type of the prophetic that God is raising up today. Elisha performed twice as many miracles as Elijah. He purchased by his obedience and perseverance the double portion of his mentor. He brought breakthrough and miracles to the impoverished and to the wealthy. He was not a product of the flawed schools of the prophets but he did interact with them and produced miracles in their midst as well. God wants you to follow in Elisha’s example to be a blessing and a resource of the miraculous not only for yourself but for others as well.
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[2Ki 4:1-44 KJV] 1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, [even] empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. 5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought [the vessels] to her; and she poured out. 6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, [There is] not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
Elisha asked for a double portion of the anointing on Elijah. The recorded miracles of Elisha are exactly twice the number attributed to Elijah. In this passage just as Elijah ask the starving widow to make a cake for him first of all and was miraculously provided for – even so Elisha asks something of this indebted widow. The widow in this chapter is in danger of being sold into slavery to pay her deceased husband’s debt. There are many teachers of the bible who suggest that God will not save you from the problem that you create for yourself. My response to that is there any other kind of problem? Sin itself is a problem created by our own fallen nature. To suggest God will only save us from problems we do not create suggest that sin itself is His responsibility and not our. The family here obviously made bad decisions regarding their personal economy and now are facing horrendous consequences.
We think today that this kind of slavery does not exist at least not for us. We need to rethink our relationship to our debt. Just because we do not serve with manacles on our wrists does not mean we are not in financial servitude. In Pharaoh’s day the Israelites were commanded to make bricks without straw because they wanted to be free. They were forced to do this because Pharoah thought they were idle and non-industrious. Today the financial Pharoah’s of our modern economy do not require bricks without straw but if a nation as a whole begins to trend in it’s decisions toward financial freedom they say “make payments without jobs…” When consumption in the market place diminishes the economists say “consumer confidence is low” and unemployment increases. When people begin to put more money in savings than in purchasing non-perishable goods economist advise big business to lay off more jobs – again requiring the people to make payments without jobs. Lay offs happen and people go into their savings and put that money back into the economy and Pharoah prospers. Indentured economic servitude is alive and well. Just because we don’t see the bars doesn’t mean slavery does not exist. Every debtor is a slave to his creditor. If you don’t believe that just quit making your payments and see what happens to your quality of life. The church itself has become a part of establishment thinking in this regard suggesting if you aren’t paying your debts (being a good financial slave) then you aren’t a good Christian. God looks down on the corrupt economic systems of our day and says “let My people go!”
Does God care about your personal economy? He cared enough about this woman’s situation to send her a prophet. What is the answer to the economic woes of our day and ourselves personally? Believe the Prophets and so shall you prosper. The prophets are the answer nationally, personally and globally to the economy ills of our day. If you don’t believe this then you need to rip 2 Chronicles chapter 20 out of your bible. The prophets are always being sent to the poor because they are the key to prosperity. The widow is told to bring what she has to the prophet and the end result financial deliverance.
8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where [was] a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And [so] it was, [that] as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. 9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this [is] an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. 10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
Here is another family who makes room for the prophetic in their life. They actually added on a guest house specifically for the prophet Elisha when he would pass by. They knew by experience when Elisha “turned in hither” they end result would be blessing. What was the result? She was a great woman – in other words they were blessed and prospered because Elisha was the prophet in her and her husband’s life.
11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what [is] to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. 14 And he said, What then [is] to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. 15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. 16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, [thou] man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. 17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.
Elisha visits this woman and stays in the quarters she prepared for him. He inquires after what her highest heart’s desire was. Notice he didn’t get it by word of knowledge. Many people in engaging the prophets would say “no I don’t want you to prophesy according to knowledge I want you to tell me by the Spirit so I know it is God…” This is unbelief. If the woman would have done this she would never have been blessed with a son. When Elisha promises her a son she doesn’t want to believe it. She has a picture of the prophetic that is about judgment and negativity. She isn’t prepared to understand that the prophetic is all about highest heart’s desire. The church teaches that crucifying the flesh is about giving up on the things you desire but God gives us the desires of our heart. The ache in her heart was the prophecy over her life and Elisha was sent to speak into that desire and see it become a reality.
18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. 20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and [then] died. 21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut [the door] upon him, and went out. 22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. 23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? [it is] neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, [It shall be] well. 24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not [thy] riding for me, except I bid thee. 25 So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, [yonder is] that Shunammite: 26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, [Is it] well with thee? [is it] well with thy husband? [is it] well with the child? And she answered, [It is] well. 27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul [is] vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid [it] from me, and hath not told me. 28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me? 29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. 30 And the mother of the child said, [As] the LORD liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
In due course the child grows and on a certain day dies of an apparent aneurism. The mother makes a great effort to say “all is well” but the old negativity comes back into the mother’s thinking. She accuses the prophet and God Himself of tormenting her by only giving her a son for a short while. She should have continued and held fast to her “all is well” profession. Elisha sees the situation and acts doing the only thing he can do – which is looking to God for a miracle. Many times the people will put pressure on the prophets that they cannot receive. You are just the prophet and spokesperson for God. You as Elisha must take the pressure and demand of those in need and take it to God believing for a miracle.
31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but [there was] neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked. 32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, [and] laid upon his bed. 33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. 34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. 35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. 37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
The woman who received this miracle was a Shunammite the same as the protagonist in the Song of Solomon. She is a type of the bride of Christ. We need to learn to pray like a bride and not like a widow. Abishag – David’s nurse was also a Shunamite. She served king David in his needs just as this widow served Elisha in his needs. This woman’s relationship to Elisha mirrors the relations God desires for His people to have with the prophets of God sent into their midst. There is so much criticism of the prophetic even by other prophets today. Caustic remarks, criticism, negativity – there is no room for this in the economy of God. If these widows in this chapter adopted the attitude we see in the church toward the prophetic they would have starved, die and been barren and bereaved. Let us learn from their example and even under pressure lean on the gifts of God in our midst.
38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and [there was] a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets [were] sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. 39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred [them] into the pot of pottage: for they knew [them] not. 40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O [thou] man of God, [there is] death in the pot. And they could not eat [thereof]. 41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast [it] into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot. 42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave [thereof]. 44 So he set [it] before them, and they did eat, and left [thereof], according to the word of the LORD.
Elisha visits the school of the prophets and they are having a serious problem. Food supplies were not always abundant and they have inadvertently contaminated their supplies with deadly poison. This speaks to me of the poison of unbelief in many schools of the prophetic. I have talked with dozens of students who have attended schools of the prophetic all over the country. Much of the teaching that is given out is more about what they cannot do than what they can. One particular young man I met spent five years taking every prophetic school under the most reputable teachers. He certainly had an anointing but there was poison in the pot. This young man was spiritually crippled, insecure, unsure of himself and not only unable to prophesy and move in his call – he couldn’t even hold down a job to support his wife or even look you in the eye. Elisha was not a product of the schools of the prophet that allowed the poison of bad teaching and training in their midst. He came out of the marketplace, off the family farm. He didn’t take short cuts. He followed his Elijah till his promotion time came and his anointing and ministry were launched.