Seven Miracles of Elisha (2 Kings 3-5)

Wayne Galloway
10/27/14 - N/A

Series: Studies in Second Kings

Introduction:

1.  A miracle in Scripture by definition involves God setting aside the usual laws of nature. 2.   We may hear folks referring to “the miracle of nature,” or “the miracle of childbirth,” and these are truly remarkable, but the Bible limits the use of the term “miracle” to events that are even more remarkable, in that they actually supersede the laws of natural occurrence. 3.  In 2 Kings chapters 3-5 there is a series of miracles performed by Elisha, the new leader of the “sons of the prophets” in Israel. 4.  Each miracle that Elisha performs confirms that he is indeed a prophet of God and that his word is to be regarded as the Word of God. 5.  In this lesson we will consider 7 miracles that Elisha performed and observe what each implies about the power of God.

Discussion:

I.  God provided water miraculously in Moab (2 Kings 3:13ff).

A.  Background.

1.  The kings of Israel, Judah and Edom have gone up against the king of Moab because he has refused to pay his taxes as a vassal to Israel.

2.  The three kings have journeyed through the wilderness of Edom to make their attack.

3.  There is no water for the army or the cattle (food supply).

4.   Jehoram, king of Israel, concludes that the Lord has given them into the hands of Moab.

5.  Jehoshaphat of Judah wants to hear from Elisha, the prophet of God.

6.  He reveals that God will supply water from Edom, without wind or rain, the natural means.

7.  It is mysteriously supplied and beyond that it looks like blood to the Moabites and they think the 3 kings have turned on one another and now they will take the spoils.  Instead Moab is slaughtered.

B.  The incident reminds us of other incidents where God has acted miraculously with water.

1.  Turned the water to blood in Ex. 7 as He brought Israel out of Egypt.

2.  He had given them water in the wilderness in Ex. 17.

C.  God sustains His people with the water of life and uses water to triumph over their enemies.

1.  In Jn. 4 Jesus presents himself to the woman of Samaria as providing the water of eternal life.

2.  In Rev. 21 (6) and 22 (1, 17), in the new heaven and the new earth God provides the water of life without cost.

II.  God miraculously provided oil for the poor widow (2 Kings 4:1ff).

A.  Her husband was dead.

B.  The creditor had come to take her children as slaves.

C.  All she had left was a jar of oil.

1.  Elisha said, "Borrow vessels."

2.  They filled all the vessels until there was none left.

3.  Elisha said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and live on the rest.”

D.  In this miracle God transformed a small amount into an abundance and provided for the widow and her sons.

1.  God provided Israel with a land flowing with milk and honey (Deut. 9:6).

2.  God gives the ability to make money (Deut. 8:18).  (Deut. 8:11ff reminds Israel that God provided them water and manna and the power to make wealth.)

3.  He blesses with rain and fruitful seasons (Acts 14:17).

E.  Thankfulness is the appropriate response.

III.  God miraculously provided a son for the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:8ff).

A.  She had been kind to Elisha providing food for him.  Then she and her husband made a room for Elisha to stay in complete with bed, table, chair and lampstand.

B.  Her husband is described as “old.”  Meaning that he was too old to have children.

C.  When Elisha announced the coming birth she could hardly believe it.

D.  But God is in the business of giving life to the dead.

1.  You might recall Abraham and Sarah.

2.  And Abraham’s confidence to sacrifice Isaac (Heb. 11:19).

IV.  God miraculously raised the son to life after he had died (2 Kings 4:32ff).

A.  The child was grown by this time.

B.  His mother was confident in God’s power and so sought out Elisha.

C.  Elisha came to her house lay on the body of her dead son and raised him from the dead.

D.  God raised Lazarus.  He raised Jesus.  And others.

E.  His promise is that He will raise you.

1.  To spiritual life (Col. 2:12).

2.  And Paul says he will ultimately “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:21).

3.  Do you believe the words of the prophet?

V.  God miraculously made poisonous stem good (4:38ff) and miraculously multiplied food (4:42ff).  (Considered together because both involve provision of food.)

A.  Famine had resulted in short food supplies.

1.  The sons of the prophets cooked a stew.

2.  Herbs from the field were put into the pot.

3.  It was poisonous, but Elisha put meal into the pot and there was then no harm in it.

B.  Twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain were brought to Elisha.

1.  Evidently this was for him and his household only.  One man carried it in his sack; one bag of groceries.

2.  But it was given to a hundred.

3.  Food was left over.

C.  We are reminded in this miracle that God provides food even for the birds of the air (Matt. 6:26).

1.  You may recall Jesus feeding the 5,000 or the 4,000 (Matt. 14:13ff; 15:32ff).

2.  God transforms death to life and supplies life with abundance.

VI.  God miraculously healed Naaman’s leprosy (5:1ff).

A.  Naaman was the captain of the army of Aram.

1.  He was a great man, highly respected, valiant warrior, but he was a leper.

2.  Leprosy in the ancient world as today is a dreaded disease.  Today it is treatable.  In the ancient world there were two forms, one that healed naturally, the other only by divine intervention.  It caused numbness in the hands, fingers, feet, and toes.  It deformed the face.  It isolated its victims because others were afraid of catching the disease.  Ultimately it ended in death after a long period of life with the disease.

B.  Naaman went to the king of Israel for a cure.

1.  The king asked, “Am I God, to kill and make alive?”

2.  Naaman’s request called on a power greater than the king of Israel.

C.  Only by the power of the God who gives life could Naaman be healed.

1.  By trusting in the power of God.

2.  He dipped himself in the Jordan River seven times and came up cleansed, but not just cleansed his flesh was like that of a little child.

D.  You may recall that the message of Scripture is a message of life.

1.  Not just physical life, but spiritual life.

2.  The God of life and death is the one who gives such life.

3.  He raises us to life at the time of our baptism (Col. 2:12).  No, it is not water that gives the life any more than it was the water of the Jordan that gave Naaman life.  It was the power of God at the time of his immersion in demonstration of his dependence upon God.

Conclusion:

1.  Every one of these miracles establishes God’s power over life and death.  Every one establishes the word of the man of God (5:14). 2.  The appropriate response is dependence upon that word (faith) for life.  Like Naaman we have no other alternative. 3.  In the words of Naaman’s servants, “Why not wash and be clean?”