They rather seem to be wondrous events while the prophets were present or God-inspired proclamations. Jesus means 'Yahweh will save.'. Accepting this, people began to ask whether Jesus who seemed to continue the ministry that John the Baptist had started was Elisha, the even greater prophet who succeeded Elijah. Do Humans Have Free Will? 7 as He brought Israel out of Egypt. And as saints, we have the duty to show love and charity to one another, especially when hard times strike. 2 Kings 4:35. Note how he employs the community in his miracle to help the widow. Some of their miracles are not technically miracles. The Lord knows our real needs better than we do, so sometimes He does things for us that we did not expect or addresses needs that we did not know we had. As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. 5. You can get it as a KJV or an NKJV.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'yeshuahboyton_com-leader-1','ezslot_5',834,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yeshuahboyton_com-leader-1-0'); Im an affiliate for this product. info@fortloganchurchofchrist.com Some suggest that Satan only imitates miracles. When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. This is the devoted missionary who gets cancer; the excellent parent who loses their child in a tragic accident. Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army? She answered, I dwell among my own people. So he said, What thenisto be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old. So he said, Call her. When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. Their piety was pristine, but all they have known is difficulty. Explanation: Elisha protected the kings and armies of Israel. And the widow of course obeys. And he said, Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments. So Naaman said, Please, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handedthemto two of his servants; and they carriedthemon ahead of him. And theraidingbands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, Will you not show me which of usisfor the king of Israel?, And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet whoisin Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.. Then she and her husband made a room for Elisha to stay in complete with bed, table, chair and lampstand. B. God loaned us life, but we rebelled in depravity and idolatry. It is God who picks us up out of the water and saves us. They both raise a woman's adult son from the dead. 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. 1. Elisha was the faithful disciple of the prophet Elijah, and his successor. Islam's account of Jesus begins with a prologue narrated several times in the Quran which first describes the birth of his mother, Mary, and her service in the Jerusalem temple while under the care of the prophet Zechariah, who would become the father of Yahya (John the Baptist).The Quran's birth narrative of Jesus begins at Quran 19:16-34 and Q3:45-53. And Abrahams confidence to sacrifice Isaac (Heb. Sorry, but you are reaping what you sowed. A limit involving the quotient of two sums. He even raised a dead person postpartum. The sea was split; Jesus calmed the sea. But they left the stones ofKir Harasethintact. Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elishas house. He raises us to life at the time of our baptism (Col. 2:12). Jesus made himself and Peter to walk on water in John 6:19 and 20, and in Matthew 14:25-29. Now Elisha said to them, Thisisnot the way, noristhis the city. Like the widow, the Lord has told us that we are not immune to the losses and tragedies in life. In Baptism we are like the axe head. New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. But they still stand in direct correlation with Elijah or Elisha being the main prophet in charge. You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I mayavenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of theLord,at the hand of Jezebel. 1. link to Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Prayer? The oil sold. I have often wondered if God deliberately intended for the miracles of Elisha to be a preview of the miracles our Savior would perform, as a way of verification of Jesus Deity. First, Elisha miraculously multiplied anointing oil to provide for a widow of a deceased prophet. God provided Israel with a land flowing with milk and honey (Deut. What is the purpose of this D-shaped ring at the base of the tongue on my hiking boots? Tell me, what do you have in the house? And she said, Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighborsempty vessels;do not gather just a few. Elisha, watched. They never bowed the knee to Baal or visited one of those golden calves. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. The God of life and death is the one who gives such life. E. Thankfulness is the appropriate response. Throughout 2 Kings, we find Elisha performing many miracles, like multiplying oil vessels to save a widow from debt, rescuing friends from a poisonous soup, multiplying food that feeds hundreds, and even healing a gentile! It caused numbness in the hands, fingers, feet, and toes. 1. This crying out meant that she was in trouble. The rights of the creditor are fully upheld and granted. Now theking of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, My campwill bein such and such a place. And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.Then the king of Israel sentsomeoneto the place of which the man of God had told him. Why Did Jesus Compare Gods Kingdom to a Mustard Seed and Leaven? Elisha turned poison stew into good stew to feed a hungry group in 2 Kings 4:38-41, and fed a hundred men with twenty barley loaves and a few ears of corn in 2 Kings 4:42 and 43. The widow lost her money, had her hubby taken, and now will she lose her kids too? Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:1-11). We know the widow had faith because she cried to Elisha. Jesus feeds five thousand men. 2. So they departed from him and returned totheir ownland. Miracles performed by Elisha can be found in these passages: 2 Kings 2:14, . Such a miracle could not be wasted on earthly dollars and cents. 2. Elijah made a miraculous appearance on Mount Transfiguration with Moses and Jesus while Elisha commanded an axe head to float on the Jordan River. (2 Kings 2:11) Jesus. One man carried it in his sack; one bag of groceries. Elisha said, Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and live on the rest.. She reminds Elisha of his duty and then pulls at his heart strings. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. In both cases, the miracle is not merely the provision of sufficient food; it is the provision of more food than necessary. Rather, he saved this miracle for the last. E. His promise is that He will raise you. Following the same line of thought we can say Elisha was a type of Christ. Help me reach the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. The widow, however, bypasses the king and goes directly to the prophet. Sothe bands of Syrianraiderscame no more into the land of Israel. Go up, you baldhead! So he turned around and looked at them, andpronounced a curse on them in the name of theLord. Both raise the dead (2 Kgs 4: . Don. Thus, Luke's juxtaposition of the two miracles, under the heading of prophetic visitation, serves a larger narrative purpose. But the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soulisin deep distress, and theLordhas hiddenitfrom me, and has not told me. So she said, Did I ask a son of my lord? Then he returned, and walked in the house once back and forth, then went up and stretched himself out on him. It was the power of God at the time of his immersion in demonstration of his dependence upon God. The neighbors charity to lend out their containers is essential to how she will find relief. What miracles were reported during the transferral of St. Monica's relics to Rome? And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hidthem;then they came back and entered another tent, and carriedsomefrom therealso,and went and hidit.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'yeshuahboyton_com-portrait-1','ezslot_19',679,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yeshuahboyton_com-portrait-1-0'); Then Elisha spoke to the womanwhose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for theLordhas called for afamine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years. My master has sent me, saying, Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. The usual mediator in those times was the king. It says that a creditor cannot enter your house to seize the pledge; instead, you have to bring the pledge outside to the creditor. Still Answer. And Elisha provides oil to satisfy the law and to give them a daily income. All Rights Reserved. . 2. . 4. 2. In one short paragraph, written a couple thousand years before Jesus walked on the earth, is a story that vividly points to his resurrection. Then a man came fromBaal Shalisha,and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. They feared the Lord; they kept his commandments. Should We Cancel Karl Barth, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards? Verse Concepts. Elisha, whose name means "God is salvation," was the successor of Elijah in the office of the prophet in Israel ( 1 Kings 19:16, 19-21; 2 Kings 5:8 ). With the door shut, this buys her time to save them. And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; andhe stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. He does not have divine power, but he does have supernatural power. A. Naaman was the captain of the army of Aram. In both instances, the helpers question the plan. This could have taken days. Compare this to Matthew 9:23-25, to see that there is very little in common between the two miracles (and only the miracle by Elisha was preceded by prayer): When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, "Go away! His justice had to be satisfied; the terms of the law must be met. 3. The flask of oil, which represented the widows utter poverty, has become the very source of becoming debt-free and living daily life. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. There is no water for the army or the cattle (food supply). He purified lepers and a bleeding woman. 5. Jesus brought the daughter of a certain ruler back to life in Matthew 9:24 and 25, and also Lazarus in John 11:43. This is not your usual miracle, but it is one that surely shows the Lords compassion on his peoplein this case, a nameless and poor widow. The three Gospel accounts that tell us about the healing of a leper are: Matthew 8:2-4, Mark 1:40-45 and Luke 5:12-16. In Jesus Christ, we get no more bills in the mail from justice. B. Twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain were brought to Elisha. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. In this article, I detail all 29 miracles in the book of acts. 25Now he went in and stood before his master. Moreover, once we see this miracle reach its fulfillment in Christs death for us, we can also detect the privileges we have in Jesus. Then she came and told the man of God. Her kids were the widows life insurance policy; if she loses them, she has nothing left. Elisha means 'God is salvation.'. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. And after a report to Elisha, he completes his charity to the woman: She came and told theman of God, and he said, Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest. (2 Kings 4:7). Thats why I recommend you add this Bible (KJV, paid link) to your study arsenal to deepen your Bible reading insights. Yet another count is that Elijah did 14 miracles, and Elisha did 28, as listed here. B. Naaman went to the king of Israel for a cure. Her husband had no eyes for idols, but his heart was wholly devoted in reverence to the Lord alone. Yet, these cries went through an agent, an intermediary. 3) The Curse of the she bear that mauled forty -two of the youths for their mockery (2 . Elisha, also spelled Elisaios, or Eliseus, in the Old Testament, Israelite prophet, the pupil of Elijah, and also his successor (c. 851 bc). 3:11 ); but while Elijah was a child of the desert, Elisha lived in cities. 14:13ff; 15:32ff). At the beginning of Israel's exile. -Purifies the waters of Jericho by pouring salt in the spring (2 Kings 2:21). When did Jesus do this? 4 Jesus presents himself to the woman of Samaria as providing the water of eternal life. So also, for us, by faith in Christ, we have the privilege of Christs intercession for us. And he said, Open the east window; and he openedit. This site also participates in other affiliate programs like Christionbook.com and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, andonesaid to him, Isall well? Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? Man of God,do not lie to your maidservant! But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her. Feeding the 5000 in John 6:5-14. The widows faith and devotion to the Lord didnt shield her from suffering and hardship, but it did grant her the privilege of prophetic intercession. It was poisonous, but Elisha put meal into the pot and there was then no harm in it. For the Lord had caused the army of the Syriansto hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horsesthe noise of a great army; so they said to one another, Look, the king of Israel has hired against usthe kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!Therefore theyarose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intacttheir tents, their horses, and their donkeysand they fled for their lives. If you stumbled into desperate need, you petitioned the king; the king was the Lords servant to give you relief. Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell. So he answered, Go. Then one said,Please consent to go with your servants. And he answered, I will go.So he went with them. Elisha said to him, Wheredid you go,Gehazi? And he said, Your servant did not go anywhere. Then he said to him, Did not my heart gowith youwhen the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Elisha. However, I could be an affiliate for many different products but I specifically chose this one because it is the product I actually like, use, and recommend. Miracles Of Elisha Scripture; 1: Ceased The Rain And Brought A Drought: 1 Kings 17:1,7: Elisha Divides The Water In The River: 2 Kings 2:13-15: 2: . And they said, This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!, A certain woman of the wives ofthe sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared theLord. She fills it, and then it is pulled to the side and replaced with an empty one. However the slingers surrounded and attacked it. Who Are the Real Schismatics? 21 (6) and 22 (1, 17), in the new heaven and the new earth God provides the water of life without cost. He gives her privileged access: And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? They know that wearehungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp tohide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city. And one of his servants answered and said, Please, let severalmentake five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. 14:2233); reverse death by raising dead sons and restoring them to their mothers (2 Kings 4: 17; Luke 7:1117); help widows in desperate circumstances; are kinsman redeemers to save from slavery (2 Kings 4:17; Luke 4:19); feed the hungry (2 Kings 4:17; Mark 8:112); minister to the Gentiles (2 Kings 5:116); prepare (2 Kings 6:2023) and sit at table with sinners (Luke 5:29); lead captives (2 Kings 6:1820; Eph. Both receive the Spirit on the other side of the Jordan (2 Kings 2:715; John 1:28); are surrounded by more disciples than their predecessors; cleanse lepers (2 Kings 5; Mark 1:4045); heal the sick (2 Kings 4:3435; Mark 8:2225); defy gravity (2 Kings 6:6; Matt. If the creditor didnt get paid, he might end up in the poor house. But now you will strike Syriaonlythree times.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,100],'yeshuahboyton_com-sky-3','ezslot_22',681,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yeshuahboyton_com-sky-3-0'); Then Elishadied, and they buried him. The following are miracles that God worked through Elisha that vindicates him in the eyes of others. He is dead; your servant, my husband is dead. Jesus heals lepers by a word, not a river. Justin Taylor is executive vice president for book publishing and publisher for books at Crossway. Their ministries both start at the River Jordan, They both raise a womans adult son from the dead, They both feed large numbers with a small quantity of food, They both turn a small quantity of liquid into an abundance, They both make things that should sink, float. She prayed for bread, but all she got was a rock. We just need to reach out, ask and truly trust that G-d can help us and He surely will. The Jewish tradition seems to be that Elijah did 8 miracles, whereas Elisha did sixteen, as enumerated on (Christian) web pages here and here (see point 15). 2) Healing of the waters when Elisha cast salt in it so that there was no more death (2 Kings 2:21). Yet, this miracle sticks out for another reason. Changing water into wine at Cana in John 2:1-11 - "the first of the signs" Healing the royal official's son in Capernaum in John 4:46-54. 3. The similarities are so minor and questionable that I believe the only reasonable conclusion is that the events described for Elisha are neither coincidences nor intended to foreshadow the life of Jesus. Now in the Old Testament this crying out was ultimately directed to the Lord; it was an urgent prayer for heavenly aid. There was the one time when he told Peter to grab a shekel out of the mouth of a fish to pay a toll-tax. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. When Elisha came into the house, behold the lad was dead and laid on his bed. The widow can live off the surplus oil until her children find jobs and start getting a paycheck. Elisha was the successor of Elijah, the greatest of all the prophets. Nevertheless, with the last container up to the brim, the oil stops flowing. Well, it is true that Jesus did not fulfill this miracle in his life. Does a barbarian benefit from the fast movement ability while wearing medium armor? This is a story we are surprised to read in the Old Testament. To view the full ESV Copyright information, click here. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, justas the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. God provided a miracle that allowed her to fill every empty jar by pouring from her one jar of olive oil. The miracles of Elisha and Jesus miracles. Therefore the leprosy of Naamanshall cling to you and your descendants forever. And he went out from his presenceleprous,as whiteas snow. Let us begin with the first aspect, namely Jesus's deity. (2 Kings 4:2). He also shows that Elisha is a type of Christs disciples: forsakes everything to be a disciple to his Master; does greater works than these (2 Kings 4:3135; John 14:12); brings life to those who stay close to their Master in a culture of death; and. These articles go into more detail and emphasize different aspects pertaining to all the miracles. Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. His mother was confident in Gods power and so sought out Elisha. We are not told her tribe, her hometown or that of her husband, yet we are informed that she was married to one of the sons or disciples of the prophetsthey were loyal to Elisha and faithful to the Lord. At that time, Elisha began his . The stories of Elijah and Elisha are legendary, popular accounts, probably having arisen among the common people. The armies of the three kings had witnessed the miracles Elisha had worked to prepare their way to victory, but in the end they lacked the faith and trust to complete the victory. Because it gets iffy with Elijahs prophecies. Matthew and Mark merely state that the man was a leper, but Luke, who by profession was a medical doctor, gave more details. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. They filled all the vessels until there was none left. We can just picture the widow and her kids, exhausted and oily, sitting in a house crammed with vessels of oil with spills all over the place: So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. Elisha the prophet continued the efforts of Elijah in restoring proper worship. So Naaman said, Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to theLord. No, Elisha does none of this. 2 Kings 6:20-22 says: 20 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. Evidently this was for him and his household only. Elisha asked to receive a double portion of Elijah's spiritseemingly double portion of miraclesand Elijah promised it would be so if Elisha remained with him and saw him as he was taken (2 Kings 2:10) . 14:13ff; 15:32ff). At the beginning of the prophetic era with Elijah and Elisha. Yes, by his death Jesus paid off the debt that stood against us, the wages of all our sin. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to thearmy of the Syrians. 2. Elisha really did help out this poor widow and her children. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek. But he led them to Samaria. I wonder why so many likes. The miracles that happened involved men who were extraordinary messengers from God - Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Jesus and the apostles. Herbs from the field were put into the pot. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him,Thus says theLordGod of Israel: I have anointed you king over the people of theLord, over Israel. Remember, the creditor is on his way, and the pledge of this loan is the widows children. Elijah had multiplied flour and oil to save a widow and her son from starvation. 3:21). He unexpectedly died, and the loan fell to his wife and she defaulted. The obvious things to me when comparing the events the OP listed and the events in the life of our Savior are at least two: 1) they involved miracles performed in the power of the same God (except that Jesus' miracles were performed by God the Son in person and not through an intermediary); and 2) they involved a prophetic element, in that both the prophets and Jesus "proved" the genuineness of their prophetic gifting by God by doing humanly impossible things, such as performing miracles and predicting the future. Elijah Hebrew name means: My god is Jehovah. Always remember, every day you live to bear much fruit! Details about Elijah appearing on Mount Transfiguration can be found in Matthew 17:1-13 while 2 Kings 6:1-7 tells of Elisha commanding an axe head to float on the Jordan . . 1. Another theme that reflects this relationship is the way John the Baptist as Jesus' forerunner is characterized as . Before we look at all the miracles in order, lets talk about the types of Elishas miracles and compare them to Elijahs.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'yeshuahboyton_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_14',844,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-yeshuahboyton_com-medrectangle-4-0'); The fire prophet vs. the baldie. People differ on the exact amount. Does the Catholic Church attempt to explain scientifically any miracles associated with Jesus' time on earth?