Tag: Elisha

Five Deaths and A Resurrection

2 Kings 12-13
2 Chronicles 24

A few months ago, our worship team was looking for new songs for Easter services. We began practicing a song called “Rattle” by Elevation Worship, but I realized the bridge had a peculiar phrase. Here is how the first part of the bridge goes:

“My God is able to save and deliver and heal

And restore anything that He wants to

Just ask the man who was thrown

On the bones of Elisha

If there’s anything that He can’t do…”

My mind was whirling trying to remember who was thrown onto those bones, why did it happen, and what was the outcome? To my surprise, only two verses are devoted to this miraculous event. 2 Kings 13:20-21 very casually mention that in haste, a dead man was put into Elisha’s grave and as soon as he touched Elisha’s bones he was “revived and stood up on his feet.” To be honest, I would love more information. How did the man die and who was he? Did he live a long time after he was brought back to life? Did he do anything amazing with the extra time he was given? Alas, scripture doesn’t give us more details.

However, it does tell us a bit about the lives of Joash and Jehoiada. Joash was only seven years old when he became king of Judah and had a long reign. During his reign, he commanded that repairs would be made to God’s house. King Joash was ready to roll with this project and even specified they needed to do the work quickly but the priests were like,“Meh, lets do repairs another day” and didn’t get to work like they had been commanded.

Enter Jehoiada. Jehoiada was the chief priest who had even played matchmaker for Joash. Joash asks Jehoiada what the hold up is and commands him to get this project moving. Jehoiada does as King Joash commands and the repairs are finally made. Sadly, Jehoiada passes away and Joash begins listening to ungodly advisors.

King Joash was so misled by these advisors that he even has Jehoiada’s son Zechariah stoned to death. Things went from bad to worse from there. King Joash became sick and was eventually murdered by his own servants. He wasn’t even buried in the tombs of the kings because he was so reviled for his evil acts.

So what does it matter? People lived, did good, did evil and all eventually died. So what? It matters as a reminder for us to examine how we live our lives. Elisha was so connected with God that even after he was dead and buried, his bones radiated God’s power. Jehoiada was respected because he followed God’s laws and he was even buried in the area where other kings were buried. On the other hand, King Joash, although he possessed power and wealth, allowed himself to be led astray from God and died in disgrace.

I hope that we can all be a little bit like each of the men from today’s passage. Let’s be ready to take action for good like King Joash was while he was young. Let’s grow in wisdom and share it like Jehoiada did. Let’s speak the truth with passion, no matter the cost, like Zechariah did. And when we feel spiritually weak or even dead, let’s rise up and become restored with the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ, like the man thrown into Elisha’s tomb did.

-Lacey Dunn

Reflection Questions:

• You might have noticed that I didn’t bring up Jehoahaz and Jehoash. What happened as a result of their disobedience to God?

• Do you have a Godly mentor like Jehoiada in your life? If so, who are they and how do they inspire you? If not, who is a Godly person you could take inspiration from?

• Imagine that you are the guy who died and suddenly came back to life after touching Elisha’s bones. What thoughts are going through your mind? Who do you go visit first? What change do you make in your life with this new chance?

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Healed How?

2 Kings 5-8

Second Kings chapter 5 includes another miracle performed by God through Elisha.  Yesterday we considered four miracles from chapter 4, today we will consider one from chapter 5, the healing of Naaman of leprosy.  Rather than focusing on the miracle, let’s focus on the heart of Naaman.

In Second Kings 5:10 we find the words of Elisha to Naaman of how he can be cured of leprosy, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”  These seem like simple, albeit specific, instructions.  In the next verse we read, “But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.”  Naaman seems to have some pretty simple, albeit specific, expectations of how God would show up in his life.  In his first statement, I wonder if Naaman feels a little ignored or slighted that Elisha did not come out himself to see him.  Naaman is a man of some importance within Aram but Elisha sends his messenger to Naaman rather than coming out himself.  This is a good lesson to us to not think too highly of ourselves as well (Romans 12:3). 

Naaman goes on to communicate what he assumes will happen before he has an encounter with God.  He assumed Elisha would stand, call on God’s name, and wave his hand.  This might seem unique to Naaman, but are we sometimes a lot like Naaman.  Take a moment to consider how you expect to meet with God in worship.  Are there things you anticipate will happen before you experience God during a worship service?  Do you assume there will be songs led by a guitar or piano?  Do you think the speaker must have a dynamic presence on a stage?  Do you think God will show up if the singers have perfect voices and the lighting is ideal?  Is there a simple, albeit specific, formula that you expect to occur in worship before you think God will show up?

I would challenge you today to consider breaking free from your expectations of how to experience God and to lean into the method that is consistent in Scripture and historically.  Naaman experienced God when he followed God’s direction.  This is when we will experience God as well.  When we follow God’s direction for our lives or for our church, we will experience God and the blessing He has in store for us.  By Second Kings 5:14 Naaman was talked into obeying God and it says, “So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”  It was obedience to God that brought about an encounter with Him.  It is our obedience to God, that brings about an encounter with Him today.

-Michael Cisler

Reflection Questions

What are your assumptions, or even preferences, of how you expect to encounter God?

What are the areas in which you need to continue to move toward obedience to God, rather than following your own path?

How can you begin to make that step of obedience today, or what is the first step you can make today?

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God of Restoration

Old Testament: 2 Kings 7-8

Poetry: Proverbs 26

New Testament: Luke 9


Our God is a God of restoration. There will ultimately be a full restoration, but full restoration can only happen when the world is once again the beautiful, perfect place God created it to be, when His Kingdom is established on earth. Partial restoration, however, has been happening ever since the beginning of time. We read about restoration countless times in the Bible, and if you look, you can see it in our lives today, too. God constantly restores what has been lost to His people, whether it be a physical ability, such as sight, or movement, or a spiritual restoration, such as that of faith, or even the restoration of life.


Today, we read in 2 Kings chapter 8 about a Shunammite woman who lost everything she had during a 7 year famine, but because of her faith in God and willingness to obey, it was restored to her. Now this woman was not new to witnessing God’s ability to restore what was lost. In chapter 4 of 2 Kings, we read about how Elisha rewarded the Shunammite woman’s kindness with fertility, and she bore a son. Sadly, the son later died, but she had faith in God’s power, so she sought out Elisha. Elisha came, and the son was brought back to life; he was restored.


It is clear that this woman had remarkable faith. Perhaps this is why Elisha warned her about the famine that would come on the land for 7 long years, and advised her to leave. So without question, she and her household left their home and stayed in the land of the Philistines for 7 years, until the famine was over. When they returned, she had to appeal to the king to get back her home and all her land. The crazy thing is, right as she was coming to appeal to the king,
Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, (who in chapter 5 was cursed with leprosy, and left Elisha… so perhaps these chapters are not necessarily in chronological order) was telling him the unbelievable story of the miracle Elisha performed in the resurrection of the son of the Shunammite woman. The woman, who just happened to show up during this particular story time, also gave an account of what happened, and the King was so impressed that he instantly granted her the land and all that she left 7 years ago.


This story speaks volumes of God’s perfect timing, and adds to the common theme we see throughout the Bible of God’s willingness to restore what has been lost to those who are faithful. Look closely at the different ways in which God restores things in your life, and let it remind you to live everyday for the ultimate restoration that’s coming.


-Isabella Osborn

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on June 8, 2021)

Reflection Questions

  1. In 2 Kings 8 what does God do for restoration to take place? What did the Shunammite woman do? What did others do?
  2. Where have you seen restoration? Did faith play a part in the restoration you witnessed? What did God do? What did the recipient of the restoration do? What did others do?
  3. How can you be a part of God’s great restoration project? What restoration can you be praying for? What restoration can you be working towards, with faith in God, that He will act in amazing, restorative ways?
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Names

Old Testament: 2 Kings 3 & 4

Poetry: Psalm 128

New Testament: Ephesians Intro – coming this afternoon because sometimes two posts are better than one

When we decided to name our children, I thought long and hard about the meaning behind each of their names. It was more than picking a cute name out of a book, or making sure they weren’t one of eight of the same-named kids in their class, or avoiding mispronunciations throughout the whole of their life.  My thoughts were more along the lines of a Bible name.  Well not directly from the Bible, like my names Aaron & Jonathan, but something with a deep, and sometimes, literal meaning.  For example: 

Adam – Son of the earth

Moses – Taken from the water 

Esau – Red & hairy

David – Beloved

Peter – Rock

Yeshua (Jesus) – Deliverer.  

What qualities would their name evoke or how might their name be prophetic?  We ended up landing on Oliver Ace – Peace & unity, Matilda Claire – Strength & clarity,  and Violet Lou – Wisdom & esteemed.  While each of their fulfillments is to be determined, I believe that God, indeed, has a plan for their name. 

Watching the actions of Elisha throughout the course of 2 Kings, we see time and time again the fulfillment of the name to which he was called, “God is Salvation.” In Chapter 4, as a vessel of God in faith, Elisha provides for a widow, saves prophets from being poisoned, feeds 100 with scraps, and brings a child back to life.  In each of these instances, God, through his agent Elisha, is salvation.  God will provide when you are in need.  God will save you from harm.  God will use your offering to multiply the blessing.  God will raise your very life from the grave.  Elisha is aptly named.

What is your name?  Yes, your name may have a rich meaning, or it could be you were named after your mom’s favorite band that had two hit songs and then was never heard from again.  It could be you were named Hannah, not because your parents wanted you to have favor or grace, but because your dad was obsessed with palindromes. It might be impossible to live out these names in such a way, and it could be that my own children’s names are simply names.  So instead, let us take time to focus on the names which God calls those who put their hope and trust in Jesus Christ:

A chosen generation & royal priesthood: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9

Children of God: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” – 1 John 3:1

Heirs: “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”. – Galatians 3:29

His workmanship: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

Mine: “I have called you by your name. You are mine.” – Isaiah 43:1

These names, as well as many, many more (redeemed, blessed, chosen, victorious, etc.) become our prophecy, our inheritance, and our fulfillment. May God bless us all to fully live out the calling of our names, much like Elisha.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. Does your name have a calling you are trying to live out? If you could choose any name for yourself – or your children – what would you choose and why?
  2. What do we learn from Elisha about himself and about his God? What do people learn about you and about your God from watching and knowing you?
  3. Which of the names God has chosen for those who chose Him and His Son mean the most to you? Why? What does it show you about God?
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Not What You Expected

2 Kings 5-6


As ignorant, stuck-up, entitled humans, we often think we know what we need. We have this nice little idea of what will make our lives better, and we go to God expecting Him to grant us our wishes. But the thing is, we don’t know what we need; we don’t know how God works or what He plans to accomplish through us, or how He even uses our situation for His glory.


In 2 Kings 5, we read about one particular ignorant human who went to Elisha hoping to be healed of his leprosy, despite being a gentile and enemy of Israel. Now this man, Naaman, wasn’t mistaken in thinking he would receive the help he needed, but what he thought he needed and what God knew he needed were two separate things. When Elisha told Naaman to wash 7 times in the river Jordan, he became angry and almost turned around to head home, because this wasn’t the grand solution he expected to hear. Fortunately, however, his servants reminded him what was at stake, and what he should be willing to try for the sake of healing his leprosy. So Naaman, I imagine quite reluctantly, went down to the river and followed Elisha’s instructions. And what do you know – he was healed!


After experiencing this miraculous restoration of health, Naaman knew who the one true God was (and is), and came back a changed man. Even in the few paragraphs we read about Naaman, we can see a drastic difference in his overall attitude and behavior. God changed his heart. If Naaman wasn’t lucky enough to have those servants around, he would’ve missed out on everything he gained in his short encounter with Elisha. Because of his own pride and desires, he
was prepared to walk away from the only chance he would ever get at healing his fatal disease, and finding a relationship with his Creator.


Naaman’s story can serve as a reminder to let go of our self-conceived ideas of what is best for us, and instead trust God to handle every situation His way. God’s way is always the best way, whether or not we are capable of understanding it. He has a plan for all His children, and this plan has already been set in motion. He answers our prayers in ways we could never imagine,
and sometimes in ways we can’t even see. We have to trust that our loving, heavenly Father knows what’s truly best for us, and that everything He does is part of the ultimate plan He has for us to live together with Him in His eternal Kingdom.


God knows what you need, all you have to do is trust Him.

–Isabella Osborn

Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – 2 Kings 5-6 and Proverbs 7

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Keep on Praying! (2 Kings 18-20)

Friday, November 11

2-kings-19-so-now-o-lord-our-god-save-us-please-from-his-hand

Watch out!  The Assyrians who just attacked and captured Israel are now on the doorstep of Judah, ready to do the same to the smaller neighbor to the south.  Judah is shaking in their boots – and wearing sackcloth – and PRAYING.  The Assyrian king sends a letter of doom to Hezekiah, King of Judah, in which he also questions the power of Judah’s God (big mistake).  Hezekiah goes directly to the temple and prays for his country:

“Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. 17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”      2 Kings 19:15-19

The prophet Isaiah sends a message to Hezekiah that God has heard his prayer.  And sure enough – THAT night a miraculous answer is given.  An angel of the Lord puts to death 85,000 Assyrian soldiers, and the rest run away in the morning.

All looks great – until Hezekiah becomes deathly ill.  And so, Hezekiah prays:

3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

and God hears and answers and Hezekiah is told he will be given 15 more years of life.   When bold Hezekiah asks for a sign to be sure this is true, the shadow cast by the sun moves backward 10 steps!  This healing was no mere coincidence or just really good medicine at work.

Talk about some power in prayer!  Wouldn’t you love to go to a class on prayer taught by Hezekiah.  Prayer is powerful because the God Hezekiah prayed to is so powerful!  There is no enemy or illness too strong for the Almighty God!

So, what about when we faithfully pray for our crisis to be fixed and the answer is no or not now?  The enemy wins or the illness brings death?  Is it because God isn’t powerful enough?  NO.  Or perhaps we weren’t good enough?  NO, not necessarily.  Just a few chapters ago we were reading of Elisha, the God-fearing, power-praying prophet who performed many miracles: parting the water, healing leprosy, feeding a hundred men with just 20 loaves of bread, changing the deadly stew to nourishing, making the ax-head float and the oil over-flowing AND raising a boy from the dead!   Elisha was no doubt a man of God and God answered his prayers in mighty ways time and time again.  However in 2 Kings 13:14 we read “Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died.”  Even on his deathbed he delivers another message from God to the king of Israel.  Then, he died.  And even in death his bones were powerful enough to raise the life of another (2 Kings 13:21).   Sometimes the miracle even comes after death – in the lives of others.

Not only is God all-powerful but He is also all-knowing and all-wise.  And, sometimes that means the good die or the enemy has a victorious day.  In 2 Kings 19 after Hezekiah prays for deliverance for his country, Isaiah delivers a message from God against the attacking Assyrians.  He says: “Have you not heard?  Long ago I ordained it.  In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone…but I know where you stay and when you come and go…and I will make you return by the way you came” (19:25,27,28)

God has got this.  Nothing He doesn’t see.  Nothing He doesn’t know. Nothing He doesn’t know how to handle.  He sees the big picture.  He IS the big picture.  Rest in that knowledge.  Pray big to the Almighty, just as Elisha and Hezekiah did.  You just might  witness a miracle!  Or it might be a day ordained for the enemy to win or the prophet of God to die.  Either way – God is God and He is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-wise.

Keep on Praying!

Marcia Railton

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The God of Angel Armies (2 Kings 6-8)

Monday, November 7

god-of-angel-armies

Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Scott Cash wrote a powerful song titled “Whom Shall I Fear” – with the alternate subtitle “God of Angel Armies”.  Perhaps 2 Kings chapters 6 & 7 offered some inspiration as they were writing this song.  The Arameans are attacking Israel and are extremely flustered because it is as if someone keeps telling the king of Israel the battle plans of the king of Aram, foiling his plan of attack time after time.  They are tipped off that Elisha, the prophet of God, just might be the informant and so a large force is sent during the night to surround Elisha’s town to capture him.  In the morning Elisha’s servant is dismayed to see such a large posse ready to pounce.  But this is what the  prophet Elisha says,

“Don’t be afraid.  Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.”   Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.                                                         2 Kings 6:16,17

Wow!  What a sight!  And, sure enough, there is NOTHING to fear when you are on the side of God’s Angel Armies!  The Aramean army is struck with blindness and Elisha leads them – right into the presence of the Israelite king.

In the very next chapter the LORD causes the attacking Arameans to be scared away by the sound of a great army – a great heavenly army with many horses and chariots.  (7:6,7) Wow!  What a thunderous sound!  And sure enough, there is NOTHING to fear when you are on the side of God’s Angel Armies!  The long siege on Samaria, which had brought starvation and hyperinflation, is suddenly and miraculously over as the Arameans high-tail it out without looking back.  As an added bonus the Israelites plunder everything the retreating army left behind.

Does it sound too good to be true?  Some thought maybe.  While the city was still surrounded and in the throes of despair Elisha predicts that by the very next day food would once again be abundant and affordable.  One of the king’s officers voices his doubt that this could ever happen – because it indeed did not seem humanly possible.  Elisha said, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.” (7:2)  And, sure enough, the doubting officer with a negative attitude was serving at the city gates the very next day when the Israelites celebrated the end of the siege and the joyous mob ran out of the city to get a share of the plunder.  He saw it – and was trampled in the gateway before he had a chance to eat of the bounty.  The doubter did not reap the rewards.

You likely will not find yourself facing an attacking foreign king or a city under siege today, but perhaps you will be up against depression, temptation, a negative spirit, a difficult relationship, or struggles at school, work or home.  There is a lot to fear when you get sucked into becoming the doubter who sees things in only human terms – and misses out on the rewards.  But there is nothing to fear when you are on the side of God – and His Angel Armies.

Maybe you have limited your line of sight to what is humanly possible or worldly acceptable.  Pray that your eyes will be opened, and your ears unstopped so that you may see and hear God at work and follow His leading.  He might choose to show you a whole army of angels – or maybe he will show you a wise Biblical counselor to help steer you through a crisis, or a verse to give you direction, or a neighbor for you to share hope with.  May our eyes be opened to see all of the ways God guides and provides!

Marcia Railton

(Another great “Angel Army” is heard in 2 Samuel chapter 5 – and will actually be retold in our readings next week in 1 Chronicles 14.  Don’t miss it – follow God’s Angel Armies!)

Even When it Hurts or Doesn’t “Make Sense” (2 Kings 4-5)

Sunday, November 6

naaman80

There are so many interesting stories and characters and lessons in today’s two short chapters, but here’s a few nuggets that strike me as extremely valuable.

First, there is the wisdom of the widow who faced debt collectors who were going to sell her two sons (her only assets) as slaves.  What a devastating predicament!  She did indeed feel like she had NOTHING.  But she went to a source of Godly wisdom and strength (Elisha), opened her eyes to what she did have (oil), and carefully followed Elisha’s directions – even when it was unclear how this was going to solve her problem.  As it turns out, the size of the miracle God blessed her with was in direct proportion to how much she prepared for a miracle. If she had left Elisha mumbling about how this didn’t seem like useful advice at all, such a waste of time, grumbling about feeling foolish going door-to-door asking for jars, and decided to ultimately just get 2 or 3 jars to give it a try – just enough to be a little obedient – her sons may well have been sold.  Skimping by, just doing the minimal and hoping for the best doesn’t lead to results that glorify God.  Even in a crisis situation – seek Godly wisdom, open your eyes to what you DO have, and throw yourself “all in”as you follow God’s direction – and be prepared to watch for God’s miracles.

The story of Naaman delivers more nuggets.  There was the foreign army commander who humbles himself, follows directions from a Godly prophet even when those directions didn’t appear to make sense.  He receives healing as well as the revelation that “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel” (2 Kings 5:15).  There was also the greedy scheming and lies that turned Elisha’s right-hand man, Gehazi, into a leprous outcast who brought this curse on all of his descendants.  His greed didn’t get him the spoils he was thinking it would.  AND, perhaps my personal favorite – the young Israelite slave girl who remembered God and continued to believe in God’s almighty power and work through His prophets – even though her life had personally seen many heartaches at a young age (stolen from her homeland and made a slave in a foreign land).  Rather than trashing God and becoming sullen and bitter towards God and her foreign master – she shows compassion for her master and courage in speaking up and becomes a witness that leads Naaman to a miracle of healing  and the worship of the One True God.  It appears her trials had put her right in the place God wanted to use her.  May we handle our adversities as well – remaining faithful to the faithful God.  Be a witness of His power and love which just might lead someone else to healing and a new-found belief in Yahweh.

By Marcia Railton