Miracles on Miracles

Miracles and Magic

Prepare to be amazed!!!

Are you prepared to read some amazing miracles?

Are you prepared to be amazed… and maybe even envious of the amazing miraculous powers of the prophet Elisha?

You’ll have to “bear” with me today. (That will be funny later)

Elisha - Miracle Man

From the coolness of Elijah parting the waters of the river Jordan, then getting sucked up in a tornado… now here comes Elisha on the scene.

And it’s like the author sets out to establish Elisha miracles at least as cool as Elijah’s

Literally: It records 8 miracles for Elijah. Now it will record 16 miracles for Elijah.

Some of them are subtle: first after parting the river Jordan he purifies Jericho’s water source. Super helpful, especially as the “lake” near Jericho is the “Dead Sea.” Not exactly drinkable water. It’s a bit salty ;).

Da Bears

Then, here’s one of my favorites. It’s a bit gruesome:

2 Kings 2:23–25 ESV

He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles.

A bit savage. A bit severe.

Hair was seen as a sign of virulence and power and even a sign of God’s favor. Think of Samson and the Nazarite vow. Elisha is bald, he must not be favored by God, he is to be mocked. Nope. God protects the dignity and honor of his prophet. Brutally.

Refilling Oil Jars

Another favorite:

2 Kings 4:1–7 ESV

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

I’ve heard this preached as a great metaphor. Pouring out, without ceasing, so you can pour out your life and God will keep you ever flowing… and you can live on the rest.

This isn’t a pattern that repeats, though, this isn’t a model of how God works. This is a one-time miracle, God providing for his prophet on the go and rewarding someone who serves him sacrificially.

Raising the Dead

Another woman who serves him is barren, and the Word of God speaks through Elisha that she will bear a child and she does… and the child grows, and then has like a brain aneurysm and dies. And, reminiscent of the boy Elijah healed… well, let’s read it:

2 Kings 4:29–31 ESV

He said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not reply. And lay my staff on the face of the child.” Then the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.”

I love this. Miracle attempt number 1… doesn’t work. That’s not something you usually see, at least in the final story of miracles. Oh, remote staff healing doesn’t work? Take 2:

2 Kings 4:32–35 ESV

When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

After that, Elisha “purifies the deadly stew.” Not exactly a “miracle for the ages...” but it counts!

Nahaam healed of leprosy.

An axe head retrieved from the water. Random. Practical. Really super-incidental.

Chariots of Fire

The King of Syria finds out that Elisha is supporting the king of Israel.

2 Kings 6:13–14 ESV

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.” So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

2 Kings 6:15–18 ESV

When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.

WOW. The mighty host of heaven, chariots of fire… an enemy army struck blind.

And if that wasn’t enough, just before that in chapter 6:

2 Kings 6:5–7 ESV

But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

DIY: floating axe head craft project.

Small miracles, large miracles. HUGE miracles.

The Bible doesn’t really like have a good power-level curve here for Elisha. He doesn’t start with the small miracles and build up to the big, more impressive ones.

If this was a novel, it needs some organization. You got to build up to the parting of the Jordan river, maybe start with “floating axes.”

But this comes up again and again when we thing about the Bible at all, especially when we think about “prophets”… we start thinking about the prophet’s powers.

Where are the miracles???

And if I’m going to be a prophet, am I going to get the prophet powers? And do we get to choose, because I don’t want the floating axe head one, or the child-mauling bear one.

Where are miracles today?

Gift of Miracles and Gift of Prophecy

First, it is worth noting that the spiritual gift of miracles is separate and distinct from the spiritual gift of prophecy.

1 Corinthians 12:10 ESV

to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

Two separate things. One person can have one or many gifts, sometimes for a moment, sometimes for a season, sometimes for a lifetime. The Bible doesn’t tell us to pursue the “gift of miracles” but instead:

1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

Prophecy is hearing God speak and saying what He tells you to say. Speaking God’s Words after Him.

The Miracle Highlight Reel

Second: miracles are somewhat rare.

We often forget when we are reading the Bible, we are reading the Facebook page, we are reading the highlight reel. These are, presumably, probably, the 16 greatest miracle moments in Elisha’s life, across decades of ministry.

And yes, some of them are more incredible than anything I’ve ever seen. Some of them? The bear attack? The not-poison soup? The “miracle of finding the axe.”

I’ll tell you right now, I’ve got some better stories than that!

I once saw a bunny disappear from my house like a ghost spirit.

On a more serious note: I saw a demon manifest in and cast out of my little brother.

I had the Holy Spirit take over my tongue and start speaking for me things that I didn’t want to say, but was powerless to stop.

I have been lost in the days before cell phones, praying for God to show the way, and God showed the way.

Praying for baby Aleyah?

Praying for Vicky?

Ron shared his testimony of miraculous healing from cancer this past summer.

But these things are “special” and maybe even "rare”, we get excited about miracles because they are a departure from the way things “usually” work.

And if I start asking folks to come up and share the greatest miracles they have seen God do over their lifetime, you are going to hear some stories!

Miracles on the Frontier

But that isn’t the heart of it. It isn’t that miracles are “necessarily rare...” although you can make a great case for that. C.S. Lewis does in Mere Christianity, ask me about that later.

It isn’t that miracles are rare, to be treasured up over decades.

I think about when we read about miracles in the Bible.

I think about when I have witnessed miracles in my own life.

Tell me if this is true of miracles you have seen, large and small.

These are what Jesus called “signs and wonders.” The splashy stuff, the “see, that’s God” stuff.

God uses signs and wonders to authenticate His Message and His Messengers.

“Behold, I speak in the name of the Lord!”

Wow, he just turned that staff into a snake, I guess He really does!

Wow, fire from the sky consumed the sacrifice, I guess Elijah’s God, YHWH, is the real God!

And when I have seen God work most powerfully, it has most often been when I am serving Him or speaking His Word most boldly.

Most boldly in the “I am nervous or terrified or afraid this isn’t going to work” kind of way. I tried the staff thing to raise the dead and that didn’t work, let me try something else, please God do something here!

That’s not a ritual, it isn’t a method to manipulate God. God can and does do miracles when and wherever He pleases. He acts in response to our prayers, sincere and insincere, with or without the right words, often before we know to pray. God acts miraculously to bring us to repentance.

God is God, we don’t manipulate His miracles, that is shamanism.

But again and again, God shows up on the frontlines of the Kingdom… because that is His heart, it is His mission to seek and save the lost, where else would the Conquering King be seen most?

The primary use of miracles is to validate God’s Word.

Speak more of God’s Word… maybe see more of His miracles.

Seek, Speak and See

What would this look like if we all did it?

We want to see God to use us, we want to “go out like Elijah”, to see miracles like Elisha, like Jesus, the apostles and the first century church.

We want to see the dead raised and fire in the sky. We want to see the sick healed and the enemy defeated. We want to God manifest. Real and present and true.

We have to go where he sends us… and start with what He has already commanded us to do. Love God, love Others.

We have to speak as He directs us… and start with what He has already commanded us to speak. His story, His witness, bold witnesses of what Jesus has and is doing in our lives.

And there, on the front lines of loving others and speaking boldly, that is the place of miracles.

That’s where they are needed. That’s what they are for.

Seek His Word

Speak it boldly, to seek and save the lost.

and See Him work, in ways large and small, in Spirit and power, to show Himself to His people.

Let us be bold in word and in action, on mission, to encourage and equip one another to take the next bold step in being and making disciples of Jesus.

That’s going to take a miracle in us. And we’ll see miracles on miracles as He works through us.