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Story 14
Historical setting:
Time: About 815 B.C.
Place: Shunem.
Persons: Elisha, and
Joash, king of Israel.
Scripture: II Kings 13:13 -
25
When Elijah came to the end
of his life, God had reserved a special out-going for him. He
did not die. He was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire.
But this was not God's chosen method of exit for his follower,
Elisha. God allowed him to suffer the disease of old
age with its aches and pains and frailty.
Elisha had been prophet in the land of Israel and Judah for
sixty years. His fame was known in many surrounding nations,
particularly in Syria, the nation who was constantly at war
with Israel. He was known for his miracles, even that of
restoring life to the dead. But now he, himself, was dying.
And it was not in his power to do anything but accept his
death. And why would he want to prolong his life? He had
completed his mission on earth. He was past eighty, and was
looking ahead now to his well-deserved rest. Elisha lay in his
bedroom in Shunem, the room that had been built especially for
him years before. The entire community joined in mourning the
great prophet's approaching end.
Lately Elisha had not
been active in public affairs. Jehu had ignored him, going his
own way and doing things in his own furious way. And Jehoahaz,
Jehu's son had also forgotten about Elisha and his plea to God
on his behalf. Now it was Jehu's grandson, Joash (also known
as Jeoash), who reigned in Israel. He was another evil king.
His memory of Elisha went away back to his childhood, and he
recalled the many miracles the great prophet had performed.
When he heard of Elisha's imminent death he came down to
Shunem, from Samaria, to mourn by his bedside. Many times
Elisha had rebuked this king, but his ways had not changed.
His heart was still wicked; yet as he saw Elisha lying on his
death-bed, looking wan, his eyes sunken in their sockets, the
tears spilled from his eyes, and he fell on his knees by
Elisha's bedside.
"Oh, my father, my father! The chariots of Israel and the
horseman thereof." he cried. These words, the same words as
Elisha had used when Elijah was taken up, seem to have been an
admiring phrase applied to one who was thought of as a
legendary guardian and deliverer of his country. And even
though Joash was wicked of heart and thought, he was showing
great esteem for this dying prophet, whom he knew would be
missed by the entire kingdom.
Weak in body though Elisha was, he had one last prophecy to
make. "Get out your bow and arrows," he said to King Joash.
And when the king was ready with the bow and arrows, Elisha
laid his own hands upon the king's hands. He said, "Open that
window on the east side." With his hands still resting on the
king's hand, Elisha said, "Shoot." And Joash shot the arrow.
"This is the Lord's arrow," said Elisha. "It represents
victory over Syria. Under God's power, you have the ability to
completely defeat Syria. Now pick up the other arrows and
strike them against the ground."
The king followed Elisha's instructions and shot three
arrows, then stopped. Elisha waited for him to continue, but
he did not. Crossly Elisha said, "Why did you stop? Your
quiver is not empty? Why did you not shoot all the arrows?
Because you didn't you will not have complete victory over
Syria as God had planned. You shall defeat them only three
times. Had you shot five or six times, like you could have,
you would have entirely subjugated them."
*"Hostilities
were usually proclaimed by a herald, sometimes by a king or
general making a public and formal discharge of an arrow into
the enemy's country. Elisha directed Joash to do this, as a
symbolical act, designed to intimate more fully and
significantly the victories promised to the king of Israel
over the Syrians. His laying his hands upon the king's hands
was to represent the power imparted to the bow shot as coming
from the Lord through the medium of the prophet. His shooting
the first arrow eastward--to that part of his kingdom that the
Syrians had taken and which was east of Samaria--was a
declaration of war against them for the invasion. His shooting
the other arrows into the ground was in token of the number of
victories he was taken to gain; but his stopping at the third
betrayed the weakness of his faith; for, as the discharged
arrow signified a victory over the Syrians, it is evident that
the more arrows he shot the more victories he would gain. As
he stopped so soon, his conquests would be incomplete."
Elisha was completely
spent after his anger with the king. It wasn't long after that
that he died. Thus ended the life of a great prophet. He had
enjoyed a happier life than Elijah. Elijah had had a forceful
manner, and he dealt with events with severity and abruptness.
Elisha possessed a milder character, and handled situations in
a softer, gentler manner.
*A Summary of Elisha's Ministry and
Miracles.
Jordan River: Elisha inherited a "double portion of Elijah's spirit" (2 Kings 2:9).
Jericho. Elisha appointed as Elijah's successor. (2 Kings
2:15)
Jericho: transformed poison water into a sweet drinking water. (2 Kings 2:19-22)
Bethel. Elisha had a bear maul a gang of youths who were insulting the Lord's prophet. (2 Kings 2:23-25)
The Desert of Edom.Elisha prophesied rain. (2 Kings 3:17) Shunem. Elisha restored a woman's son to life. (2 Kings 4:32-37)
Gilgal. Elisha purified a
poisonous stew. (2 Kings 4:38-41)
The Jordan River. Naaman healed of his leprosy. (2 Kings
5:13-14)
Jericho. Elisha made an iron axe head float. (2 Kings 6:5-7)
Dothan. Elisha led the Syrian army from Dothan to Samaria. (2 Kings
6:13-19)
Samaria. Elisha prophesied the end of
the Aramean siege. (2 Kings 7:1-2)
Damascus.
Elisha pronounced the end of Ben-Hadad. (2 Kings 8:7-15)
Ramoth Gilead. Elisha sent one of the prophets to anoint Jehu as king. (2 Kings
9:1)
Elisha's ministry
covered a period of about 60 years - through the reigns of
Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash, kings of Israel.
Note: The following spring, when a predatory band
from Moab were making a raid on Israel during a funeral, the
pall bearers, alarmed by the appearance of one of these bands,
dropped the body they were carrying in Elisha's sepulchre
while the band passed. As soon as the body touched Elisha's
bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet. So, even
after Elisha was dead, his influence was felt.
So ends the series of Elijah and
Elisha.
Helen Dowd
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