Elisha Performs Miracles
The ministry of Elisha is based on a series of miracles. These miracles show the compassion of the LORD God toward His people. Elisha did not take the credit or glory for himself. Elisha gave the credit and glory to the LORD. This is what we also should do in our lives. Whenever we do something that we know what assisted by the LORD we need to give Him the glory and credit for helping us. Elisha also gives us a warning to the entire nations, their rulers or presidents that the LORD God must be treated with utmost respect or pay the ultimate price.
2 Kings 2:19-25
And the men of the city of Jericho said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee; the location of this city is pleasant, as my lord see: but the water is bad, and the ground is barren. Nothing would grow where these waters flowed.
Elisha told them to bring him a new cruse (which is a jar or a bowl), and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. Elisha went to the spring of waters, and cast the salt in there, and then said “thus said the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.” So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
Elisha left Jericho and set out toward Bethel, a group of youths came from the city and mocked him. They repeatedly cried out, “Go up, you baldhead!” Elisha turned and cursed them in the name of the Lord. A few minutes later two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
Elisha from there went up unto Bethel. He was going up by the way and there came little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto Elisha “Go up, you bald head; go up, you bald head.”
Elisha turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tore forty two children of them. And Elisha went from there to mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
What Can This Story Teach Us?
The ministry of Elisha is based on a series of miracles. These miracles show the compassion of the LORD God toward His people. These miracles proved to the people of Israel that the LORD God was real and all loving, compassionate and powerful.
The men of Jericho appealed to Elisha to do something about the water in a nearby spring. They described the water as “bad,” meaning it was contaminated or poisoned. Nothing would grow where these waters flowed. The solution of Elisha was to put new salt in the spring. This is also poisonous to man, animals, and vegetation or plants.
Elisha called on the LORD God to heal the waters. Elisha did not take the credit or glory for himself. Elisha gave the credit and glory to the LORD. This is what we also should do in our lives. Whenever we do something that we know what assisted by the LORD we need to give Him the glory and credit for helping us.
Elisha left Jericho and set out toward Bethel, a group of youths came from the city and mocked him. They repeatedly cried out, “Go up, you baldhead!” Elisha turned and cursed them in the name of the Lord. A few minutes later two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
Some may think that this part of the story is cruel. But we need to understand that these children were not insulting Elisha’s bald head but they were insulting the LORD. They were ridiculing what Elisha had told everyone about Elijah getting caught up into heaven.
When the children were crying “go up!” they were sending a challenge to Elisha to prove his claims that the LORD God had taken Elijah up into heaven before death. They taunted so he would repeat the act.
When the two female bears emerged from the woods and mauled the forty-two youths it shows the consequences of being disrespectful to the LORD God. This should be as a warning to us not to be disrespectful when it comes to the LORD God or being disrespectful to His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
The fate of these children should be a warning to the entire nations, their rulers or presidents that the LORD God must be treated with utmost respect or pay the ultimate price. Philippians 2:10 illustrates this when it says: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.”
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Elisha Performs Miracles:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Feb 2015.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2246,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, February) “Elisha Performs Miracles:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2246,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “Elisha Performs Miracles:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (February), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2246, (accessed).
