Elisha 3

The Elisha Effect

One of the amazing things about being a Jesus-follower is that we get to reclaim our purpose of partnering with God to do HIS work in this world.

Sometimes, God places us front and center - being the main character in the story. Other times, we are more of a supporting role, where we are indirectly involved. And yet other times, we have no clue that we are even doing anything, but God is still using things that we did beforehand to make an difference.

This morning, as we wrap up our study on Elisha we are going to look at 3 stories that demonstrate what I am referring to as “the Elisha effect” - things that demonstrate the effect that the life and ministry of Elisha had on others.

The Anointing of Jehu.

Elijah was given a task that he was not able to complete. When he met with God on the mountain, God gave him some things to do, and he was not able to complete all of them.

1 Kings 19:13–18 NLT

13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 15 Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

When God spoke to Elijah on the mountain, he told ELIJAH to appoint Jehu as king over Israel.

Elijah was taken up to God before that could happen. So that task was actually taken on by Elisha, kinda. Elisha passed it on to one of the “sons of the prophets”.

Who are the sons of the prophets?

They are referred to 1 time in 1 Kings and 9 times in 2 Kings, and then nowhere else in the Old Testament!

Some think they are a school of prophets and Elisha is their headmaster (so to speak). While that is a possible scenario, there is not much to substantiate it. What we do know is that there were many groups of “sons of the prophets” and there appeared to be groups in each town. This is a LOT different than Elijah’s claim to the the last one.

Whatever they were, they were actually prophets. For it was the prophets that God used to anoint kings, which was the task at hand. This particular, unnamed son of the prophets spoke words to Jehu from Yahweh that we did NOT hear Elisha pass on to him.

2 Kings 9:1–15 NLT

1 Meanwhile, Elisha the prophet had summoned a member of the group of prophets. “Get ready to travel,” he told him, “and take this flask of olive oil with you. Go to Ramoth-gilead, 2 and find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Call him into a private room away from his friends, 3 and pour the oil over his head. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you to be the king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run for your life!” 4 So the young prophet did as he was told and went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 When he arrived there, he found Jehu sitting around with the other army officers. “I have a message for you, Commander,” he said. “For which one of us?” Jehu asked. “For you, Commander,” he replied. 6 So Jehu left the others and went into the house. Then the young prophet poured the oil over Jehu’s head and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel. 7 You are to destroy the family of Ahab, your master. In this way, I will avenge the murder of my prophets and all the Lord’s servants who were killed by Jezebel. 8 The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out. I will destroy every one of his male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel. 9 I will destroy the family of Ahab as I destroyed the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 Dogs will eat Ahab’s wife Jezebel at the plot of land in Jezreel, and no one will bury her.” Then the young prophet opened the door and ran. 11 Jehu went back to his fellow officers, and one of them asked him, “What did that madman want? Is everything all right?” “You know how a man like that babbles on,” Jehu replied. 12 “You’re hiding something,” they said. “Tell us.” So Jehu told them, “He said to me, ‘This is what the Lord says: I have anointed you to be king over Israel.’ ” 13 Then they quickly spread out their cloaks on the bare steps and blew the ram’s horn, shouting, “Jehu is king!” 14 So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, led a conspiracy against King Joram. (Now Joram had been with the army at Ramoth-gilead, defending Israel against the forces of King Hazael of Aram. 15 But King Joram was wounded in the fighting and returned to Jezreel to recover from his wounds.) So Jehu told the men with him, “If you want me to be king, don’t let anyone leave town and go to Jezreel to report what we have done.”

Jehu killed Joram.

Jehu killed Jezebel.

Jehu killed the house of Ahab (70 sons!)

Jehu killed the Baal worshippers:

2 Kings 10:25–27 NLT

25 As soon as Jehu had finished sacrificing the burnt offering, he commanded his guards and officers, “Go in and kill all of them. Don’t let a single one escape!” So they killed them all with their swords, and the guards and officers dragged their bodies outside. Then Jehu’s men went into the innermost fortress of the temple of Baal. 26 They dragged out the sacred pillar used in the worship of Baal and burned it. 27 They smashed the sacred pillar and wrecked the temple of Baal, converting it into a public toilet, as it remains to this day.

I love that they made the temple into a bathroom! There are so many puns that I am going to avoid right now.

2 Kings 10:28–30 NLT

28 In this way, Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship from Israel. 29 He did not, however, destroy the gold calves at Bethel and Dan, with which Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to sin. 30 Nonetheless the Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well in following my instructions to destroy the family of Ahab. Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation.”

One thing I love about this passage is that Elisha was a supporting character. It is a reminder that there were many other capable prophets living at that time, and though there are some that are famous, ALL were capable of being used by God.

Another thing I love about this story is that even though Jehu was not perfect and he did NOT follow God all the time, God was still willing to bless him for his obedience in one particular matter.

Isn’t it great to know that God KNOWS our failures and our inability to honor him 100% and yet he still chooses to bless us for following his heart?

Jehu finished what Elijah started in removing Baal worship, and this happened because Elisha completed the task of anointing Jehu as king by sending one of the sons of the prophets to him.

The Shunemite Woman.

Sometimes, our lives can have an impact even without us knowing it! This was the case with Elisha and the woman from Shunem.

We were first introduced to this woman from Shunem and her husband in 2 Kings 4:

2 Kings 4:8–10 NLT

8 One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat. 9 She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God. 10 Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”

She showed kindness to Elisha and his servant Gehazi, so:

Elisha blesses her by allowing her to have son

That son died and Elisha raised him from the dead

NOTE how Elisha typifies the Messiah - only God can open the womb and only God can raise people from the dead. Elisha was one of the few humans who demonstrated this.

We do not hear much about this woman, her husband or her son until chapter 8.

2 Kings 8:1–6 NLT

1 Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Take your family and move to some other place, for the Lord has called for a famine on Israel that will last for seven years.” 2 So the woman did as the man of God instructed. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3 After the famine ended she returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to see the king about getting back her house and land. 4 As she came in, the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had just said, “Tell me some stories about the great things Elisha has done.” 5 And Gehazi was telling the king about the time Elisha had brought a boy back to life. At that very moment, the mother of the boy walked in to make her appeal to the king about her house and land. “Look, my lord the king!” Gehazi exclaimed. “Here is the woman now, and this is her son—the very one Elisha brought back to life!” 6 “Is this true?” the king asked her. And she told him the story. So he directed one of his officials to see that everything she had lost was restored to her, including the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence.

What an interesting story this one is!

This is the non-Jewish woman that God already blessed with a son and the same son was brought back to life.

WHY would Elisha tell THIS woman to leave because of a 7 year famine and NOT tell the people of Samaria?

I guess we could pause to reflect on the fact that the woman simply obeyed! Elisha told her to leave because of famine and she just did it!

She went to the land of the Philistines - which, incidentally, is the same place Isaac went to weather a famine (Genesis 26:1-2)

When the famine was over she came back to her land, and apparently someone else had taken over and was NOT planning on giving it back.

When she went to the king, the work done for her BY Elisha, and the reputation of Elisha, seem to be the reason the king restores everything back to her.

NOT ONLY did the king restore her land, but he made the squatter give her all of the profits he made on the land in her absence. It was probably not much because of the famine, but still - it is much more than you could expect.

All of this happened, not because Elisha was there, but because of the things Elisha did before that time.

NOTE: I LOVE the “coincidence” of timing in this passage! It is VERY similar to the story of Esther in that regard.

God showed grace to a woman who showed kindness to the man of God. Not only did God give her a son, God spared her from the famine and restored her land and wealth to her.

God still offers his grace to those who honor him and he takes care of those who trust him.

Blind Armies.

OK, this last story has some direct action from Elisha, but I think it is a great story to think about as we get ready to launch into the Gospels.

2 Kings 6:8–17 NLT

8 When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.” 9 But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, “Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there.” 10 So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there. 11 The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?” 12 “It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!” 13 “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.” And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” 14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. 16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

So the king of Aram had his plans thwarted many times because Elisha warned the king of Israel and the king listened to Elisha.

IF Elisha knew what the King of Aram was plotting against Israel, I have a feeling he knew what was about to happen to him!

And he did NOT run and hide in a cave or complain to God like Elijah did. He slept. [see how many gospel stories that reminds you of!]

Gehazi, however, panics! Elisha prayed and the servants eyes were opened so he could see the armies of heaven. So - you can assume we are going to have an epic battle here!

2 Kings 6:18–20 NLT

18 As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. 19 Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria. 20 As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, now open their eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria.

Why have all those flaming chariots if you aren’t going to use them, right?

Instead, Elisha prayed that they would become blind. We are not sure if this was total blindness or just the inability to see reality.

In Luke 24:15-16 Jesus appeared on the road, talking to 2 disciples AFTER his resurrection, and it says they were “prevented from recognizing him”

Yet when Saul met Jesus in the road in Acts 9:8 he could see nothing and had to be led by the hand.

The Hebrew word here means “dazzling or deception or light”. It is only used in one other place in the OT (Gen 19:11).

There is a totally different Hebrew word for physical “blindness” and it occurs MANY times in the OT, but not in this passage.

I would imaging an entire army of totally blind people would be difficult to lead to the middle of Samaria. However, if they were prevented from seeing reality, it would be easier.

Imagine their surprise when they are able to see their reality, and they are right in the middle of the city of Samaria - the capital city of their enemy!

2 Kings 6:21–23 NLT

21 When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?” 22 “Of course not!” Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.” 23 So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their master. After that, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel.

Coming from a guy who cursed a group of kids and had them mauled by bears, and a guy who just revealed an army of flaming chariots, this comes as a surprise!

When faced with the chance to wipe out the army f their enemy, instead they are commanded to show kindness.

Could this be what Paul was referring to in Romans?

Romans 12:20 NLT

20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”

Or, perhaps the words of the Messiah were pointing back to this passage?

Luke 6:27–28 NLT

27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

or in his famous sermon:

Matthew 5:44–45 NLT

44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Be merciful as God is merciful. This is a beautiful picture of the way God has treated Israel! But their enemies?

It was an unexpected twist nonetheless. And it demonstrated the compassion and mercy of God - to the enemies of his people!

While there was every opportunity to kill, slaughter and annihilate the armies of Aram, God instead chose to show them kindness.

God still demonstrates his grace to his enemies, and did so by offering his Son to die in our place.

Romans 5:8 NLT

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

While we were the enemies of God, he sent Jesus to die for our sins. What amazing grace!

Elisha’s death.

Elisha is a great picture of the Messiah and a pointer to the Messiah. But Elisha was NOT the Messiah. He was a great prophet that did a lot of amazing things for God and in a way that pointed people TO GOD.

Unlike Elijah, Elisha died and was buried. The record of his last days seem as peculiar as the rest of the stories we read about him:

2 Kings 13:14–21 CSB

14 When Elisha became sick with the illness from which he died, King Jehoash of Israel went down and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” 15 Elisha responded, “Get a bow and arrows.” So he got a bow and arrows. 16 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Grasp the bow.” So the king grasped it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 Elisha said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. Then Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. You are to strike down the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them.” 18 Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.” 20 Then Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to come into the land in the spring of the year. 21 Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a raiding party, so they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. When he touched Elisha’s bones, the man revived and stood up!

And THAT is how it ends! Even after he died, he still had power to raise people from the dead.

What a bizarre ending, and what a great thought to keep tucked into our minds as we get ready to meet the Messiah - who will also have the power to raise people back to life through his death.

Thank you, Father, for being faithful. We know that you have a plan and that your plans always work - even if we do not see it all in our lifetime.

Thank you, Father, for being generous. We know that all we have is from you and we are truly blessed and provided for even it it does not always appear that way.

Thank you, Father, for being gracious. We know that we all have sinned and deserve death and that you have the power to do so, but instead you chose to give Jesus to us, to die in our place.

Thank you, Father, for Jesus, who taught us about you during his life and made a way for us to have new life with you through his death.