Elijah & Elisha

Now really how more confusing can you get! Here we have two Old Testament prophets, their names when pronounce sound almost identical. Elisha was Elijah's predecessor. Now I have to confess I've become quite intrigued by the duo because it seems like where Elijah left off Elisha picked right up. One of the last miracles that Elijah performed was to part the waters of the Jordan and walk across it on dry land. That was one of the very first miracles that Elisha performed after Elijah was taken to heaven. Elisha told Elijah that he wanted a double portion of his spirit when he left and Elijah told him that that was not his decision but the Lords. I really think that Elisha got what he asked for because like I said he just picked up where Elijah left off.

But what I find pretty amazing is both Elijah and Elisha met women along the way who helped provide for them. Elijahs was the widow at Zarephath, whom had little to nothing. A little flower and a little oil. Barely enough for her and her son to have one final meal and Elijah tells her to make him a small cake of bread. BEFORE she makes anything for herself and her child. Now most of us would have been like forget you I'm gonna eat my last biscut and you can fend for yourself pal. Oh but no she goes and does what he ask her to do and not only is Elijah provided for but so is the widow and her son. So later down the road the kid dies. The lady thinks she's being punished for her sins and what does Elijah do? Bring the kid back to life. Duh.

So Elisha meets this woman she's a Shunammite and she decides that she first needs to feed Elisha then she decides that she needs to give him a place to stay. So Elisha is so greatful he ask her basically what he can do to repay her. She wanted a son. So Elisha was like ok you can have a son and he tells the lady and she's all like don't play mind games with me, and then she became pregnant and had a son. The son gets sick of course and dies. What happens next? Elisha brings the kid back to life.

I think if it were not for the faith of their mothers that those children would have never been brought back to life. So I find them a little heroic. There were so many heroic women in the Bible. Deborah, Ruth, like the ladies that gave their food and homes to strangers. One thing that I pray for is that I have a little bit of these women in me. I hope that I'd be the woman that gave my last bit of food away to a hungry stranger or I'd take care of my husband's mother the way Ruth does hers. I guess that's why I'm so drawn to mission work. I want to be the one lending the helping hand and talking to you about Jesus. Most of all I want that blind faith that these ladies have.

I love it. I Kings and II Kings almost reads like a modern day soap opera. Seriously with the good Kings and the bad Kings and the folks coming back to life. Seriously though me being such a history buff I've really gotten into reading the Bible. It's the ultimate historical book. Lovin it!

"What's in Your House?"

So I had this crazy sense of deja vu this morning. Our sermon this morning was on II Kings 4:1-7

The Widow's Oil

¹ The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves."

² Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?"
"Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil."

³ Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side."

⁵ She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one."
But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing.

⁷ She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."

So the strange part about this all is I've already heard this sermon same title and everything this past week during the Bible study I attend. But this morning I could really feel God like taking me by my shoulders, shaking me and saying "HEY DUMMY! Incase you didn't get it the first time I'm talking to you!" The story of this widow is so touching and it's a huge testament to just relying on your faith to pull you through. Which is something that I need to really work on. I think that being able to just trust with a blind faith like the widow is a tremendous act of courage.