3rd February 2023 – 2 Kings 8:1-6
2 Kings 8:1-6
"8 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land. 4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”"
There are two simple lessons we can learn from this incident, without having to look very deeply beneath the surface. The first is to underline the truth that God is no man's debtor, and that He will never allow us to suffer, materially or in any other way, for having acted in obedience to His Word. Elisha had warned the widow of Shunem that famine would come and that she must leave her home to avoid it. She did so, and on returning she found her house and lands confiscated, either by the Crown or by some unscrupulous landlord. But God moved the heart of the king - no mean thing with such a king to grant her full restoration of her property, with every kind of compensation for all she had lost. God is faithful. Is this a word to someone today? 'Your heavenly Father knoweth....'
The second lesson concerns the influence and impact of Elisha's life and testimony, even when he was not directly involved in the transaction with the king. He was a force in the land and with the king, strong enough to condition official action. There is something very important here for us. There are two kinds of impact we may make upon men. By our testimony we may lead them to Christ and into obedience to the will of God. But there are many who will not turn to Him, who nevertheless will be considerably conditioned by the power of the Gospel and, indeed, have their lives and actions shaped by it. This is the principle underlying the words of Christ, 'Ye are the salt of the earth'. We may put it thus: the special influence of the Gospel is to turn men to the obedience of the faith while its general influence is to lay a restraint upon the evil of evil men and to promote deeds, and attitudes, of kindness and mercy. This is the Church's twofold task, and where she is earnest and faithful about the one, she will not fail in the other.
2nd February 2023 – 2 Kings 7:17-20
2 Kings 7:17-20 “17 Now the king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. And the people trampled him in the gate, so that he died, as the man of God had said…
1st February 2023 – 2 Kings 7:12-16
2 Kings 7:12-16 “12 And the king rose in the night and said to his servants, “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry. Therefore they have gone out of the camp…
31st January 2023 – 2 Kings 7:3-11
2 Kings 7:3-11 “3 Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the…
30th January 2023 – 2 Kings 6:32-7:2
2 Kings 6:32-7:2 “32 Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how…
29th January 2023 – 2 Kings 6:24-31
2 Kings 6:24-31 “24 Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of…
28th January 2023 – 2 Kings 6:18-23
2 Kings 6:18-23 “18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lordand said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. 19 And Elisha said to…
27th January 2023 – 2 Kings 6:13-17
2 Kings 6:13-17 “13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and…
26th January 2023 – 2 Kings 6:8-12
2 Kings 6:8-12 “8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king…
25th January 2023 – 2 Kings 6:1-7
2 Kings 6:1-7 “6 Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log,…