2 Kings 4 – 9

The two books of the kings of Judah and Israel are “supposed to be” about the good kings and the bad kings and just make us feel better knowing we aren’t as bad as the worst of them. Right? Yet, tucked in the narratives are stories that seem so out of place. Strange stories like kid-mauling bears and a floating axe head. What are we supposed to make of that?

As in all of the scripture, we must keep a clear understanding of God’s purpose in preserving this writing for all ages. The same is true in the history of Judah and Israel. Remember, God spoke and gave His Law and covenant through Moses. Later, he fought and gave the victory through Joshua. He highlighted a worthless king with the right height and appearances, and contrasted Him with one of humble origins who had the right heart. In Moses, Joshua and David, we not only get interesting reading, we get a glimpse of Messiah.

In the narratives of the kings, folks just couldn’t get it right. Even the good kings had rough times. Sometimes the king was good, but the people wouldn’t act right. These were dark days. These days were full of sin (kind of like today, but I’m getting ahead of myself). The narratives of the kings and other Old Testament characters shows the depth and hopelessness of sin. Mankind was (and is) incapable of solving the sin problem. They (and we) need redemption. We need a Redeemer. We need Messiah. We need a law-giver, warrior king.

So when ol’ Ahab and Jezebel are providing a fine example of the depths of sin and depravity, Yahweh sends Elijah and Elisha. Elijah is offered as a parallel to John the baptizer, and Jesus identifies him as such. Elisha, then, is offered as a type of Christ. The manner in which the Holy Spirit does this is through the seemingly strange stories we find amid the wicked and good kings. Elisha is a prophet (like Jesus), but he is a “redeemer”.

In the Shunammite family story, we are drawn into the despair of this family dealing with the sudden death of a son. Wisely, the mother seeks out the “Word of God” for a solution to a situation she was incapable of overcoming on her own. She did with faith. She shows us great confidence. She trusted the goodness of God to “redeem” her son from death. In order to accomplish this, Elisha had to “conform” to the body of the boy, eye-to-eye, mouth-to-mouth and limb-to-limb. It seems very strange until we consider that in order to redeem us from death, Jesus had to empty Himself and conform Himself to our likeness, becoming exactly as we are, and then bring new life to us.

In the deadly pot of stew, Elisha worked with the stew that contained the seed of death. He did not throw it out and start over. Instead, he added to it the one ingredient that could overcome death. They ate from the same stew and lived. Elisha “redeemed” the stew and was victorious over death. Again, seems strange until we recognize the redeeming work of Jesus who worked with sinful man and shed His innocent blood to add to the deadly mix so that we could be people and still live forever with God.

Naaman was a successful general because Yahweh gave him victory. Wait a minute, he was a Gentile! Even in the days of the kings of Judah and Israel, God was working with the Gentiles. Elisha heals him from the disease with no cure and then refuses payment. Grace costs nothing. Pointing to the redemptive work of Jesus, we see God’s plan to redeem all mankind – Jew and Gentile – from the incurable plague of sin.

Finally, a seeming insignificant miracle (if there is such a thing) about a common, every day item. Just go to Lowe’s, Walmart or the hardware store. You can find an axe very easily and at a reasonable price. So why is this story even in the Bible? But wait, Elisha didn’t have access to a hardware store and this was the “Iron Age”. An axe head was quite expensive and valuable to its owner. Since it was borrowed it is like calling you friend and saying, “I’m sorry but I just wrecked your Vette”. The young prophet could not hope to repay this debt he had incurred. Along comes Elisha, tosses in a stick and the iron axe head floats to the top. Where is Jesus? The “branch of David” was tossed into the sea of humanity, died, and miraculously rose from death to redeem us by paying a debt we could not pay.

Elisha came into a time of great darkness. The Holy Spirit uses his times to teach us about the redemptive work of God through Jesus the Messiah. In Christ Jesus, God accomplished His purpose, doing for us what we could never do for ourselves…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-5

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10

Consider His nature.  Consider His ways.  Strive to love Him more!