Called to the prophetic office while Ahab was still
reigning, Elisha had lived to see many changes take
place in the kingdom of Israel. Judgment upon judgment
had befallen the Israelites during the reign of Hazael the
Syrian, who had been anointed to be the scourge of the
apostate nation. The stern measures of reform instituted by
Jehu had resulted in the slaying of all the house of Ahab.
In continued wars with the Syrians, Jehoahaz, Jehu's
successor, had lost some of the cities lying east of the Jordan.
For a time it had seemed as if the Syrians might gain control
of the entire kingdom. But the reformation begun by Elijah
and carried forward by Elisha had led many to inquire
after God. The altars of Baal were being forsaken, and
slowly yet surely God's purpose was being fulfilled in the
lives of those who chose to serve Him with all the heart.
It was because of His love for erring Israel that God
permitted the Syrians to scourge them. It was because of
His compassion for those whose moral power was weak that
He raised up Jehu to slay wicked Jezebel and all the house
of Ahab. Once more, through a merciful providence, the
priests of Baal and of Ashtoreth were set aside and their
heathen altars thrown down. God in His wisdom foresaw
that if temptation were removed, some would forsake
heathenism and turn their faces heavenward, and this is why
He permitted calamity after calamity to befall them. His
judgments were tempered with mercy; and when His purpose
was accomplished, He turned the tide in favor of those
who had learned to inquire after Him.
While influences for good and for evil were striving for
the ascendancy, and Satan was doing all in his power to
complete the ruin he had wrought during the reign of Ahab
and Jezebel, Elisha continued to bear his testimony. He
met with opposition, yet none could gainsay his words.
Throughout the kingdom he was honored and venerated.
Many came to him for counsel. While Jezebel was still
living, Joram, the king of Israel, sought his advice; and once,
when in Damascus, he was visited by messengers from
Benhadad, king of Syria, who desired to learn whether a sickness
then upon him would result in death. To all the prophet
bore faithful witness in a time when, on every hand, truth
was being perverted and the great majority of the people
were in open rebellion against Heaven.
And God never forsook His chosen messenger. On one
occasion, during a Syrian invasion, the king of Syria sought
to destroy Elisha because of his activity in apprising the
king of Israel of the plans of the enemy. The Syrian king
had taken counsel with his servants, saying, "In such and
such a place shall be my camp." This plan was revealed
by the Lord to Elisha, who "sent unto the king of Israel,
saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither
the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to
the place which the man of God told him and warned him
of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
"Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore
troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto
them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of
Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king:
but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of
Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber."
Determined to make away with the prophet, the Syrian
king commanded, "Go and spy where he is, that I may
send and fetch him." The prophet was in Dothan; and,
learning this, the king sent thither "horses, and chariots, and
a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the
city about. And when the servant of the man of God was
risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the
city both with horses and chariots."
In terror Elisha's servant sought him with the tidings.
"Alas, my master!" he said, "how shall we do?"
"Fear not," was the answer of the prophet; "for they
that be with us are more than they that be with them."
And then, that the servant might know this for himself,
"Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes,
that he may see." "The Lord opened the eyes of the young
man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of
horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." Between
the servant of God and the hosts of armed foemen was
an encircling band of heavenly angels. They had come
down in mighty power, not to destroy, not to exact homage,
but to encamp round about and minister to the Lord's
weak and helpless ones.
When the people of God are brought into strait places,
and apparently there is no escape for them, the Lord alone
must be their dependence.
As the company of Syrian soldiers boldly advanced, ignorant
of the unseen hosts of heaven, "Elisha prayed unto the
Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray Thee, with blindness.
And He smote them with blindness according to the
word of Elisha. And Elisha said unto them, This is not
the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring
you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
"And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria,
that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that
they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they
saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. And
the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My
father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? And he
answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite
those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and
with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they
may eat and drink, and go to their master. And he prepared
great provision for them: and when they had eaten
and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their
master." See 2 Kings 6.
For a time after this, Israel was free from the attacks of
the Syrians. But later, under the energetic direction of a
determined king, Hazael, the Syrian hosts surrounded
Samaria and besieged it. Never had Israel been brought
into so great a strait as during this siege. The sins of the
fathers were indeed being visited upon the children and
the children's children. The horrors of prolonged famine
were driving the king of Israel to desperate measures, when
Elisha predicted deliverance the following day.
As the next morning was about to dawn, the Lord "made
the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a
noise of horses, even the noise of a great host;" and they,
seized with fear, "arose and fled in the twilight," leaving
"their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the
camp as it was," with rich stores of food. They "fled for
their life," not tarrying until after the Jordan had been
crossed.
During the night of the flight, four leprous men at the
gate of the city, made desperate by hunger, had proposed
to visit the Syrian camp and throw themselves upon the
mercy of the besiegers, hoping thereby to arouse sympathy
and obtain food. What was their astonishment when, entering
the camp, they found "no man there." With none to
molest or forbid, "they went into one tent, and did eat and
drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment,
and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into
another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.
Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is
a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace." Quickly
they returned to the city with the glad news.
Great was the spoil; so abundant were the supplies that
on that day "a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel,
and two measures of barley for a shekel," as had been foretold
by Elisha the day before. Once more the name of God
was exalted before the heathen "according to the word of
the Lord" through His prophet in Israel. See 2 Kings 7:5-16.
Thus the man of God continued to labor from year to
year, drawing close to the people in faithful ministry, and
in times of crisis standing by the side of kings as a wise
counselor. The long years of idolatrous backsliding on the
part of rulers and people had wrought their baleful work;
the dark shadow of apostasy was still everywhere apparent,
yet here and there were those who had steadfastly refused
to bow the knee to Baal. As Elisha continued his work of
reform, many were reclaimed from heathenism, and these
learned to rejoice in the service of the true God. The prophet
was cheered by these miracles of divine grace, and he was
inspired with a great longing to reach all who were honest
in heart. Wherever he was he endeavored to be a teacher
of righteousness.
From a human point of view the outlook for the spiritual
regeneration of the nation was as hopeless as is the outlook
today before God's servants who are laboring in the dark
places of the earth. But the church of Christ is God's agency
for the proclamation of truth; she is empowered by Him
to do a special work; and if she is loyal to God, obedient
to His commandments, there will dwell within her the
excellency of divine power. If she will be true to her
allegiance, there is no power that can stand against her. The
forces of the enemy will be no more able to overwhelm
her than is the chaff to resist the whirlwind.
There is before the church the dawn of a bright, glorious
day, if she will put on the robe of Christ's righteousness,
withdrawing from all allegiance to the world.
God calls upon His faithful ones, who believe in Him,
to talk courage to those who are unbelieving and hopeless.
Turn to the Lord, ye prisoners of hope. Seek strength from
God, the living God. Show an unwavering, humble faith
in His power and His willingness to save. When in faith
we take hold of His strength, He will change, wonderfully
change, the most hopeless, discouraging outlook. He will
do this for the glory of His name.
So long as Elisha was able to journey from place to place
throughout the kingdom of Israel, he continued to take
an active interest in the upbuilding of the schools of the
prophets. Wherever he was, God was with him, giving
him words to speak and power to work miracles. On one
occasion "the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold
now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for
us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence
every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where
we may dwell." 2 Kings 6:1, 2. Elisha went with them to
Jordan, encouraging them by his presence, giving them
instruction, and even performing a miracle to aid them in
their work. "As one was felling a beam, the axhead fell
into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for
it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it?
And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick,
and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said
he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took
it." Verses 5-7.
So effectual had been his ministry and so widespread
his influence that, as he lay upon his deathbed, even the
youthful King Joash, an idolater with but little respect for
God, recognized in the prophet a father in Israel, and
acknowledged that his presence among them was of more
value in time of trouble than the possession of an army of
horses and chariots. The record reads: "Now Elisha was
fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the
king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face,
and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and
the horsemen thereof." 2 Kings 13:14.
To many a troubled soul in need of help the prophet
had acted the part of a wise, sympathetic father. And in
this instance he turned not from the godless youth before
him, so unworthy of the position of trust he was occupying,
and yet so greatly in need of counsel. God in His providence
was bringing to the king an opportunity to redeem the
failures of the past and to place his kingdom on vantage
ground. The Syrian foe, now occupying the territory east
of the Jordan, was to be repulsed. Once more the power of
God was to be manifested in behalf of erring Israel.
The dying prophet bade the king, "Take bow and
arrows." Joash obeyed. Then the prophet said, "Put thine
hand upon the bow." Joash "put his hand upon it: and
Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said,
Open the window eastward"--toward the cities beyond the
Jordan in possession of the Syrians. The king having opened
the latticed window, Elisha bade him shoot. As the arrow
sped on its way, the prophet was inspired to say, "The
arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance
from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek,
till thou have consumed them."
And now the prophet tested the faith of the king. Bidding
Joash take up the arrows, he said, "Smite upon the ground."
Thrice the king smote the ground, and then he stayed his
hand. "Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times,"
Elisha exclaimed in dismay; "then hadst thou smitten Syria
till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite
Syria but thrice." 2 Kings 13:15-19.
The lesson is for all in positions of trust. When God
opens the way for the accomplishment of a certain work
and gives assurance of success, the chosen instrumentality
must do all in his power to bring about the promised result.
In proportion to the enthusiasm and perseverance with
which the work is carried forward will be the success given.
God can work miracles for His people only as they act their
part with untiring energy. He calls for men of devotion
to His work, men of moral courage, with ardent love for
souls, and with a zeal that never flags. Such workers will
find no task too arduous, no prospect too hopeless; they
will labor on, undaunted, until apparent defeat is turned
into glorious victory. Not even prison walls nor the
martyr's stake beyond, will cause them to swerve from their
purpose of laboring together with God for the upbuilding
of His kingdom.
With the counsel and encouragement given Joash, the
work of Elisha closed. He upon whom had fallen in full
measure the spirit resting upon Elijah, had proved faithful
to the end. Never had he wavered. Never had he lost his
trust in the power of Omnipotence. Always, when the way
before him seemed utterly closed, he had still advanced by
faith, and God had honored his confidence and opened the
way before him.
It was not given Elisha to follow his master in a fiery
chariot. Upon him the Lord permitted to come a lingering
illness. During the long hours of human weakness and
suffering his faith laid fast hold on the promises of God,
and he beheld ever about him heavenly messengers of
comfort and peace. As on the heights of Dothan he had
seen the encircling hosts of heaven, the fiery chariots of
Israel and the horsemen thereof, so now he was conscious
of the presence of sympathizing angels, and he was sustained.
Throughout his life he had exercised strong faith, and as
he had advanced in a knowledge of God's providences and
of His merciful kindness, faith had ripened into an abiding
trust in his God, and when death called him he was ready
to rest from his labors.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His
saints." Psalm 116:15. "The righteous hath hope in his
death." Proverbs 14:32. With the psalmist, Elisha could
say in all confidence, "God will redeem my soul from the
power of the grave: for He shall receive me." Psalm 49-15.
And with rejoicing he could testify, "I know that my
Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day
upon the earth." Job 19:25. "As for me, I will behold Thy
face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake,
with Thy likeness." Psalm 17:15.