Lessons From Elisha, Part 25
Everything Happens Through Him!
There are many lessons to be learned from stories of Elisha. This is the
25th in a series focusing on the life of this great prophet of God.
“Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, ‘Go
away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the
LORD has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.’ The woman
proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and
stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years. At the end of the seven
years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to the king to
beg for her house and land. The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of
the man of God, and had said, ‘Tell me about all the great things Elisha has
done.’ Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead
to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to beg the
king for her house and land. Gehazi said, ‘This is the woman, my lord the
king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.’ The king asked the
woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case
and said to him, ‘Give back everything that belonged to her, including all
the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.’” (2
Kings 8:1-6)
If someone told you to leave behind your home and everything you have, move
to the Middle East where your enemies live, and stay there for seven years,
would you do it? If you had been told the reason why was to survive a famine
in your hometown, would it make it any easier? What if there weren’t any
signs of a famine when you were told to go? What if you knew that when you
came back, you would have lost everything? Would you STILL go?
But what if the one who told you to go was the same one who had raised your
son from the dead?
Well . . . Perhaps this WOULD give the advice a TINY bit more credibility!
And it seems that the woman of Shunem followed Elisha’s advice without
question. But sure enough, when she returned, everything was gone. How
disappointed she must have been to find herself homeless and without a
livelihood, all because of obedience!
The woman tries everything to recover her land—bankers, lawyers—everything!
But to no avail. In desperation, she goes to the king. Just imagine her
surprise to find Gahazi, Elisha’s servant, already there ahead of her,
telling the king at that VERY moment how Elisha raised HER son from the
dead! And imagine her astonishment when the king asks HER to tell the story!
Then, when she has finished, he orders that her land be returned, along with
all the money would have made on it, had she stayed in Israel!
Friend, God is in the midst of even the worst of your circumstances. If
you’ve been obedient to Him and it has resulted in something bad, He is
still in control. In the end, you, too, will walk away smiling as you see
the wisdom and power and timing of our eternal God and Father. You just have
to sit back and wait to see where God is at work!
“Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell Him
what to do? Anyone who has done Him such a huge favor that God has to ask
his advice? Everything comes from Him; Everything happens THROUGH Him;
Everything ends up in Him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.”
(Rom. 11:35-36, The Message)
Please see next Saturday’s edition of The Nugget for the final lesson from
Elisha.
Love in Christ,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets (www.sermonillustrator.org/minisermons/ ), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org ,