Elijah and Elisha – the prophetic.
Elijah was called to warn the king regarding worship of idols and ignoring Gods commandment. God was always merciful, if they confessed their sins and they always got another chance.
His mouthpiece was the prophet who warned the people and shoved the way. The book of kings confirm over and over again Gods dilemma with his chosen people, because they continually failed and sinned.
Elijah and Elisha proved with great supernatural wonders that God was and always will be the most powerful and mighty God in all eternity.
Luke chapter 17 verse 3: If your brother sin against you rebuke him and if he regret forgive him, even if he sin against you 7 times a day.
1 King chapter 13: King Joroboam stood by the altar in Bethel and was about to burn incense, when a man of God from Judah cried out against he altar: Thus says the Lord: Behold a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David (a reference to Jesus Christ) and on you, he shall sacrifice the priest of the high places who burn incense on you, men’s bone shall be burned on you.
Verse 3: The man of God gave a sign saying: Surely the altar shall split apart and the ashes on it shall be poured out.
The king stretched his hand out and commanded to arrest him, but his hand withered and he could not pull it back. The altar also split apart and the ashes was poured out on the ground according to the signs of the man of God.
Verse 6 and forward. He had to humble himself and ask the man of God to entreat for him by the Lord to restore his hand. The man of God did so and the hand to the king was restored.
The king thereafter invited the man of God to his home, but the man of God answered truthfully, that he was not to drink and eat anything and to take a different road back.
The rumor of this incident came to the attention of an old prophet who lived in Bethel. The sad thing is, that he went out to test the man of God and got him convinced to change his mind, by saying, that an angel of God had appeared to him with the message to invite him for a meal, and so the man of God did follow the old prophet.
A lion killed the man of God on his way back home. God did not protect him because of his disobedience.
The old prophet buried the man of God and morns over him.
Why was the man of God tested in this way? He had already completed his task for the lord. It must have been difficult even incomprehensible for the old prophet to lead the man of God astray.
The incident in the scripture is to teach us something.
Does God change his mind? It depends. The man of God should have been suspicious of the intention of the prophet.
There are cases in the scripture, where God change his mind. When the people confessed their sin, then God forgave them and change his mind about their life and future.
Acts chapter 5: Ananias and Sapphire sold their property and gave the amount of money to the apostle, but they secretly
kept something for themselves. They lied to the apostle, by saying, that they had given them all the money. Their lies cost them their life. Both felt dead to the ground, when the apostle Peter, who knew through the Holy Spirit, confronted them.
Verse 3. The apostle Peter said: Why have satan deceived you? Did it not belong to you all the time? You could have kept something for yourself, but you lied to but the Holy Spirit.
The church became deeply moved, when they heard this, and great fear came upon the church.
Matthau’s chapter 12 verse 32: Jesus Christ came into the world for the forgiveness of sin. Therefor all sins are forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ, but sin against the Holy Spirit God Almighty is not forgiven. That explains why, in the Old Testament, people often where punished for their sins, Christ had not jet died for the sin of the world.
John chapter 5: Christ is the judge of the world. God the Father has given all judgment over to the son. He will, by his second coming, rule the world with an iron hand according to the book of Revelation.
King David did sin by taking Bathsheba to his wife and have her husband killed by putting him to the front, as he served in the war. God forgave him, because David repented, but he first punished him.
When we confess our sin, in the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
I like to add, it is also necessary to commit our life to Jesus Christ and ask forgiveness for sin past, because Jesus Christ is the door to eternity. All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God, therefor all men have to accept Christ to be forgiven.
1 king chapter17: Elijah, the prophet of Gilead, prophesied to king Ahab: As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain, except at my word.
God is trusting Elijah not to misuse his command or change his words.
May be Elijah also heard about the man of God, therefor he knew what could happen, if he did not followed Gods advice. The man of God was called to give king Jeroboam a message, but in the end he sadly failed. If one man fail, God will call an other one.
According to the Lords counsel, Elijah thereafter flees to the creek due to the wrath of Jezebel, the wife to Ahab, who wanted to kill him.
God provided for Elisha by sending a raven twice a day with bread and meat, water he drank from the rock. Eventually the river dried up, because God withholded the rain, Elijah was then told to go to a village named Zarepta, there a widow would provide for him. The inhabitants of Zarepta where follower of baal worshipper. The widow may also have been a baal worshipper, but Elijah is about to change her life.
The widow was so poor, that she was preparing the last meal for her and her son. Verse 13: Elijah said to her: Do not fear, do as you have said, make a small cake first for me and thereafter for you and your son.
Verse 14: For the lord has said: The bin of flower shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth. So it happen according to the word of the Lord to Elijah.
In verse 17: The widow’s son dies. Elijah cries out to the Lord and life returns to the son. The widow said to Elijah: Now I am sure, that you are a prophet and that your word comes from the Lord.
1 King chapter 18: After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah: Go and present yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the earth. Ahab and Jezebel had been looking for Elijah everywhere without finding him and now Elijah is to confront Ahab with a message from God, also here Elijah is faithful.
Verse 20: King Ahab sends for the children of Israel and gathered them and the prophets together on mount Carmel. Elijah came to the people and said: How long will you falter between two opinions. If the lord is God follow him, but if it is baal follow him.
Elijah thereafter urges the prophets to baal to make a test between the living God and baal, as to show who is the most powerful God on earth.
A bull where to be offered on a altar with firewood, but the fire were not to be lit, because baal, as the first one, had to prove himself by lighting the fire. 450 prophets called on baal from morning to
evening, thy even cut themselves with knife and cried out loudly, but there was no answer.
Elisha thereafter prepares an altar with 12 stones, one for each tribe of the people. Then he digs a meter deep grave around the altar.
Then hearrange the meat from a second bull on the firewood. He then poor water on the altar twice and fills up the grave around the altar with water.
Elijah prays: Lord prove to them this day, that you are the God of Israel and I am your servant. Shove them that the challenge I have given them comes from you. Fire falls from the sky and burns up the sacrificial meat and even licks up the water around the altar.
When the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said: The Lord is God, the Lord is God.
Elijah said to the people: Seize the prophets to baal, do not let on escape. So they did so and brought them to the Broke Kishon were they were executed.
The difference between the Old and the New Testament is, that people in the Old Testament should believe in God, by what they heard and saw. The Holy Spirit was only given after the resurrection of Christ. The Old Testament came into effect, because God wanted to convince us of our sins.
The ultimate plan of God is to save us through the blood of Christ by the forgiveness of sin.
Se Romans chapter 8: There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
By the birth of Christ the first Testament was made of no effect for those who believe. Those who reject Christ will be judged after The Old Testament.
1 King chapter 18 verse 41: Elijah births the rain. He went to Mount Carmel, bowed to the ground and put his face between his knees. Seven times his servant was to go to look for rain, before a cloud appeared over the sea.
Here we see faith in action. Elijah could also just have rested and waited, knowing that he had done his job.
We can do nothing without God and God depend on us. It is a relationship between God eternal and mankind.
Revelation chapter 14 verse 16: Those who entirely depend on them self and there will be many in the end of time, Christ will spy out of his mouth, because they are lukewarm. I do not like that scripture either, but that is what it says. We do need to choose in this life for eternity. If we do not choose, then we have chosen already.
Chapter 19: After Jezebel had come to know, what had happen to the prophets, she sends a message to Elijah saying: Your life will be as one of them tomorrow at the same time, meaning those prophets Elijah killed.
Elijah loses heart and sees himself as a dead man. The scripture does not tell us, if God had a word for him in this situation.
He travels into the wilderness and sitting under a bush he says: Enough Lord let me die. He went to sleep but woke up, because someone touched him and said: Arise and eat because you have a long way to go. He looked around and there by his head was a cake and a jar of water.Elijah eats and drinks and falls to sleep again. A second time the angel of the lord touched him and said: Arise and eat for you have a long way to go.
Elijah travels 40 days to Mount Horeb. Here he experienced a violent storm and an earth quake, but the voice of God was not in it.
After all, what Elijah had done for the Lord God of Israel, the long journey must have been a challenge for him. Elijah was fleeing for his life supported by an angel, because God was with him also in his depressive state of mind.
My personal experience in a lifetime is to wait for God in difficult situations. Don’t move before God has spoken, because their will always be an answer somehow. I have wondered way? But there are times in life were angels are preparing ahead, before we get an answer.
After everything was over, Elijah heard God as a still small voice asking him: What are you doing here Elijah?
Indicating, that it was not the will of God for Elijah to run for 40 days.
Verse 14: Elijah answers: I have been very zealous for the lord God of host, because the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn dawn your altars and killed the prophets. I alone am left and they seek to take my life.
This explanation from Elijah is not quit true, fact is, he was very afraid for his life. God does not reprove him at all, but he decided to take him home, he therefor is instructed to prepare ahead before he depart.
Elijah was not the only one left, Obadiah hid 100 prophets in a cave and 7000 other men in Israel had not bowed their knee to baal. The people did not seek his life, for he had turned their heart back to God.
Elijah was fleeing from Jezebel.
Verse 15: Then the lord said to him: Return to the wilderness of Damascus, were you came from and when you arrive anoint king Hazel as king over Syria.
You shall also anoint Jehu as king over Israel and Elisha you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
To give a calling from God over to somebody else is a great privilege. It can be any kind of activity we have done here on this earth.
Experiencing the continuation of blessings, we were at first called to do, is very rewording.
2 King chapter 1: King Ahaziah in Israel is lying on his bed seriously sick. He got injured after a fall from the balcony. He sends people to prophets of baal asking, if he will survive. On the way they meet the prophet Elijah who says: Is there no prophet in Israel, since the king has chosen this path. He will not survive but die.
King Ahaziah is the son to Ahab who had died. He was greatly influenced by his mother Jezebel to be a worshipper of baal.
Even so he had heard of the miracles of Elijah, he was not a convert to the God of Israel.
King Ahaziah receives the message and gives order to arrest Elijah at once. Elijah hastily flees to the hill.
Something very dramatic is about to happen again.
50 soldiers are sent to arrest Elijah. The captain spoke to him and said: Man of God come down. Elijah answered by saying: If I am a man of God, let fire come down and consume you and your 50 soldiers. Fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain and the 50 soldiers. The situation repeats itself a second time. Then a third captain and 50 soldiers were sent to arrest Elijah. The captain went op the mountain, felt on his knees before Elijah and begs him to come with him to the king. The angel of the lord said to Elijah: Fear not but follow him. Then Elijah went before the king, repeated his prophesy, and the king died.
This is a testimony of working of angels. Elijah was very aware of being guided by angels, they accompanied the work he did for the lord.
Today angels also have assignment on the earth. In the end of this present time, before Christ returns, there will be a war between the angels of the lord and the fallen angels with Lucifer.
2 King chapter 2: It came to pass, as God was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, that Elisha went with Elijah from Gilgal to Bethel then to Jericho and finally to Jordan.
As they went on Elijah continually urged Elisha to stay behind, but every time Elisha answered: As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.
Before Elijah was taken up, he asked Elisha, what he could do for him. Elisha said: Please let me have a double portion of your spirit.
Elijah answered: You have asked a hard thing, nevertheless if you see me be taken up, it shall be so. The Lords chariot with horses and fire appeared in the sky and Elijah went up in a whirlwind.
Names in the Hebrew language have a meaning.
Bethel means fellowship with God.
Jericho means power over evil deeds.
Jordan shore means the working of spiritual gifts.
Elisha had already been anointed by Elijah, but he had not jet received the power of Elijah. May be Elijah was testing Elisha, as to se if he really was eager to receive that gift as well.
The different spiritual gift is also available today. By fasting and prayer will God anoint us according to his good will.
See 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
To be taken up will happen again before Christ second return. Apostle Paulus discerned it.
See 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 51.
Chapter 2 verse 14: The first thing Elisha did was to test, if the power Elijah had carried also worked for him. He took the mantel from Elijah, that had fallen from him, and struck the water and said: Where is the lord of Elijah. By that, the water was divided and Elisha went over.
The 50 prophets that had followed Elijah continued to follow Elisha.
Elijah experienced 16 miracles and Elisha 32 because he received a double portion.
1 Samuel chapter 10 verse 5: A group of prophets is coming down with stringed instrument prophesying. Music and prophecy seems to go hand in hand. A school of prophets did exist then, may be the school was founded by Samuel.
The sons of prophets were trained by the prophet in the scripture and devotion. They were a group of people who studied the law and history of Gods people. There were several schools of prophets from the days of Samuel up to the time of the New Testament.
The scripture in the Old Testament is revealing happenings in the world even today. What happen in ancient time repeat itself today all over the world. Most people are not aware of it. On the day of Sabbath the Jewish people repeat sudden scriptures faithfully all over the world. It means the Jews chant the same scriptures worldwide every Sabbath.
Orthodox believers totally devoted to studying of the scripture and to pray still exist in Jerusalem today. They do noting else and are supported by the government.
God uses those scripture from the Jewish believers to interfere and arrange worlds event in history even today.
Jonathan Cahn a Jewish messianic pastor, has done much research on this topic and also written several books. His books explains the mystery of God interfering in worlds event through his word for the past ages the present and the future.