God still works . . .

 

READ 2 Kings 1–4

Second Kings continues the saga of disobedience. And tells how Elijah’s prophetic ministry ends and Elisha’s ministry begins. This reading tells how God is faithful even when His people are unfaithful.

First, it tells of Ahaziah falling and sending messengers to the god of Ekron to find out if he would recover. However, the angel of the Lord told Elijah to intercept those messengers and ask: “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub . . .? He told them to tell the king: “Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.” (2 Kings 1:2–4)

Ahaziah decided to attack Elijah, as if that would change this prophecy. He sent three groups of fifty but fire from heaven destroyed the first two groups. The captain of a third fifty pleaded for their lives and the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he went and told the king to his face that he would die. And he did. He had no son, but Jehoram took his place. (1:17)

After this, Elisha realized it was time for Elijah to be taken to heaven, so he asked for a double portion of his spirit, which he received. When the sons of the prophets saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. (2:15)

Elisha performed several miracles. He healed water that had been poisoning those who drank it (2:21) and called on God to deal with those who mocked him (2:24). He also directed Israel’s king to defeat the attacking Moabites and called on God to provide water when his armies faced defeat because the streams were dried up. (3:10–24).

After that, he helped a woman who had no way to pay her debts and was about to lose her sons to be her creditor’s slaves. He told her to borrow many jars and took her one jar of oil to fill them all until there were no more jars. But she had enough to respond when Elijah told her, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.” (4:7)

Another woman who took care of him had no sons. Elisha repaid her kindness with this: “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” She thought he was lying, but the son was born. Later, that child unexpectedly died, but Elisha restored him.

When Elisha came to Gilgal, there was a famine in that land. Some of the sons of the prophets made a stew from gleanings in the fields and discovered it to be a deadly mixture. Elisha had them bring flour, which he threw into the pot and then “there was no harm in the pot.” (4:41)

This prophet also told another who offered twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain to feed to a hundred men, but the man knew it wasn’t enough. However, he did it and when he set it before them, they “ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.” (4:42–44)

God was at work, not in the kings but through His people. In these days of strife, ruthless leadership, and all sorts of bad news, God is also working — it simply is not broadcast in the media. We might get some good-news or a few  human interest stories now and then, but God’s name is seldom mentioned and the name of Jesus is said only as blasphemy. With the advent of fake news, even good news is held suspect by those who ignore or reject the reality of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection. While the church shares reports of growth of Christian conversions and activity in places like the middle east and Asia, the media never tells this, just as it says little about mass persecution happening to those who believe in Jesus.

In my life, God answers prayer almost daily. I see changes in people, in events, and answers to requests for everything from a parking place to wisdom in difficult situations. Since there are millions, even billions of Christians in the world, many of them praying daily, it is definite that God is at work even in a world where He is ignored by the so-called powers that be. The genuine church experiences miracles, the greatest good news that Jesus is alive, and hears our prayers. Because that is true, I can be joyful and keep praying, regardless of what the kings of this world act like, and regardless of what the media fails to tell the world.