January 30, 2010 (2 Kings 1-11)

Our friend, David Hames, has still not been found in the rubble of the Hotel Montana in Haiti. It is in reading passages like these that give me hope that he could still be pulled out alive. God can do ANYTHING! Anything at all. Here is a recap of some of the things done by God through His prophets Elijah and Elisha:

2 Kings 1 -

Elijah called down fire from heaven to kill a captain and his 50 men.

“If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.

Elijah did that a second time.

¹¹ So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once.”¹² Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.

Chapter 2 -

Elijah folds up his cloak, strikes the Jordan River and it parts:

⁸ Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground!

Followed by two more miracles:

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹² Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.¹³ Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. ¹⁴ He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across.

Another:

¹⁹ One day the leaders of the town of Jericho visited Elisha. “We have a problem, my lord,” they told him. “This town is located in pleasant surroundings, as you can see. But the water is bad, and the land is unproductive.”²⁰ Elisha said, “Bring me a new bowl with salt in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ Then he went out to the spring that supplied the town with water and threw the salt into it. And he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or infertility.” ²² And the water has remained pure ever since, just as Elisha said.

Now, one of my favorites, in a sick sort of way:

²³ Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!” ²⁴ Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.

From Chapter 3:

They were pursuing the King of Moab and went through the wilderness. They were 7 days in, and discovered there was not water for them or their animals. They sent for Elisha.

“This is what the Lord says: This dry valley will be filled with pools of water! ¹⁷ You will see neither wind nor rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water. You will have plenty for yourselves and your cattle and other animals. ¹⁸ But this is only a simple thing for the Lord, for he will make you victorious over the army of Moab!

²⁰ The next day at about the time when the morning sacrifice was offered, water suddenly appeared! It was flowing from the direction of Edom, and soon there was water everywhere.

Chapter 4:

A widow had nothing but a little olive oil, and creditors were going to come take her sons as payment. She came to Elisha for help and this is what he told her to do:

³ And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. ⁴⁵ So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. ⁶ Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.⁷ When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.” Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”

There was a wealthy woman who lived in Shunem and every time Elisha would come through, she and her husband would take them in. Elisha wanted to repay her, and knowing she didn't have any children here was his prediction:

Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”¹⁵ “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, ¹⁶ “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!” “No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.” ¹⁷ But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.

Next, the boy ends up dying, and they laid him on Elisha's bed and went to find Elisha. She finally found him and brought him back. (It doesn't say how long this took her.)

³² When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet’s bed. ³³ He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes, and his hands on the child’s hands. And as he stretched out on him, the child’s body began to grow warm again! ³⁵ Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room once, and then stretched himself out again on the child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!³⁶ Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. “Call the child’s mother!” he said. And when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!” ³⁷ She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs.

Next, some prophets made some stew, but put some poisonous gourds in it. When they realized what had happened, Elisha sprinkled in some flour, and it was edible.

Chapter 5 -

Naaman was cured of leprosy.

Elisha's servant, Gehazi, lied to Elisha and so he and his family was cursed with leprosy. And as soon as Gehazi left the room, his skin was as white as snow with leprosy.

Chapter 6 -

They were chopping wood at the Jordan River and someone's ax head fell into the river.

⁶ “Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. ⁷ “Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.

The King of Aram wanted to capture Elisha. Here is the account:

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. 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.

Chapter 7

This next account is quite long, but here is the summary. There was a great famine in the land and the Aramean army had surrounded the city and was about to attack. But this is what God did to save the city:

But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! ⁶ For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried to one another. ⁷ So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives.

So, those are the highlights, but these chapters are filled with predictions from God that came true, and other accounts where you can see God's hand at work. God brought back to life the boy that died, and in the New Testament, He brought Lazarus back to life. So, I know He is ABLE to allow David Hames to be found alive, even today. He CAN, but here's the tension - we don't know if He WILL. So we continue to pray and wait.