THE MINISTRY OF ELISHA AS THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LIVING GOD IN ISRAEL - The

Prophet's Widow and her Miraculous Deliverance ­ The Shunammite and Elisha - The God-given Child - His Death

and Restoration to Life - Elisha at Gilgal with the "Sons of the Prophets" - "Death in the Pot" and Removal of the Harm

- The Man from Baal-Shalisha - God's Sufficient and Unfailing Provision for His own.

(2 Kings 4)

THERE is something grand and truly characteristic of "prophetic history" when the Biblical narrative abruptly turns

from the expedition against Moab, which, although so simply told, was of such deep and lasting political importance, to

tell what reads like a summary of the pro phetic activity of Elisha. It shows, on the one hand, how all events are

regarded from the Divine point of view, while on the other hand, it helps us to understand the real meaning and purpose

of the miraculous element in the ministry of Elisha, as designed to recall Israel to a realizing sense of the presence and

power of Jehovah, and by such religious revival to avert imminent national judgment. Accidentally we obtain in the

course of the narrative, interesting side-glimpses into private and public life in Israel, which generally confirm our

confidence in the historic truth of what is related.

At the outset we may say that the impression which this history as a whole makes on us, is that it seems transferred or

perhaps rather summarized, from some specia l narrative or work descriptive of the activity of Elisha. The incidents do

not seem arranged in their strict chronological succession, but grouped according to their internal connection, so that an

account of the more private activity of the prophet, as regards individuals, families, and communities, is followed by

that of his public activity, in its bearing on Israel and Syria. Again, it is reasonable to suppose that all which is here

recorded had not occurred exclusively during the reign of Joram, which lasted only twelve years (2 Kings 3:1). For as

Elisha died during the reign of Joash (2 Kings 13:14), his ministry must have extended over four reigns, and lasted

altogether about fifty-five or fifty-seven years. Hence there would be a blank of forty-five years in the narrative if all

that is recorded of Elisha had taken place in the time of Joram. But the deepest lesson which the life and ministry of

Elisha were intended to teach was to set forth, as against the dark background of coming judgment upon Isra el's

apostasy, the tender care, the sufficient provision, the ever-present help which the LORD would extend to His own

servants and people.

The first narrative162 in this biographical sketch - as for want of better name we may term it - has somewhat inaptly

been compared with the account of Elijah's miraculous provision for the widow of Sarepta (1 Kings 17:9-16).

On carefully comparing the two narratives, they will be seen to differ in every detail, except this, that in both instances

the recipient of the benefit was a widow. But besides, the great object and meaning of the miracle at Sarepta was to be a

prefigurement of the mercy and help to be extended to the Gentile world, with all of warning and teaching to Israel

which this implied. Its counterpart, in the history of Elisha, would be the healing of Naaman, rather than this narrative

of Divine help granted to the impoverished widow of one of the sons of the prophets.

Josephus and some of the Rabbis have suggested that this widow had been the wife of that Obadiah who had provided

shelter and food for the persecuted prophets in the reign of Ahab (1 Kings 18). But here also the only point of similarity

between the two narratives is that the widow of the prophet pleads, in the words of Obadiah (1 Kings 18:12), that her

husband "did fear Jehovah." The narrative bears that on the death of her husband, who had been one of the sons of the

prophets, and (what is even more important) apparently well known to Elisha as one that feared Jehovah, the creditor

had come to take her two sons as bondsmen. We know not through what adverse circumstances the family had been so

far reduced; but we can readily believe that in those days faithfulness to Jehovah might lead to outward reverses, not to

prosperity. And when he was removed who had been the support of his family by that daily labor, which evidently was

not regarded as incompatible with his vocation as one of the "sons of the prophets," then "the creditor" seized on the

sons of the widow. In so doing he availed himself of his legal right in the matter (Leviticus 25:39; comp. Matthew

18:25),  163 although his action was unjustifiably harsh and selfish.

If in these circumstances the prophet had not given heed to the appeal of the widow, it would have implied either that

he was not the living medium between God and His people, which he professed, or else that Jehovah was not the living