Tears for Treachery

Posted on January 11, 2015 by wamplerp

tumblr_mi9zmnbP7W1s01owao7_500Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, “The man of God has come all the way up here,” he said to Hazael, “Take a gift with you and go to meet the man of God. Consult the Lord through him; ask him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”   Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a gift forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”   Elisha answered, “Go and say to him, ‘You will certainly recover.’ Nevertheless, the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.” He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael was embarrassed. Then the man of God began to weep.   “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites,” he answered. “You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women.”   Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?” “The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram,” answered Elisha.   Then Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master. When Ben-Hadad asked, “What did Elisha say to you?” Hazael replied, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” But the next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died. Then Hazael succeeded him as king. – 2 Kings 8:7-15

This is an interesting passage. Elisha has travelled all the way to Damascus to prophesy for the king of Aram.  I thought the Israelites were the enemies of the Arameans.  Perhaps the Arameans are beginning to wonder about this God of the Israelites that can open the floodgates of heaven. Elisha also shows great faith in even going to see the king.  Most of the kings at this time are killing prophets, including the king of Israel.

The water in this passage comes in the form of tears…samples of our souls. Elisha sheds tears because God has revealed the treachery and murder that will be committed by Hazael; and the bloody reign this will initiate.   It seems like the request made by the king of Aram represents an openness to listening to God. Maybe part of Elisha’s soul sickness and weeping is for the loss of this opportunity for the kingdom of Aram and it’s people to follow God.

Hazael seems to get the idea that he could be king from Elisha’s prophecy. This reminds me of a scene from the movie “the Matrix”.  Neo goes to see “the Oracle” to find out if he is “the one”.  The oracle turns out to be a grandmotherly figure with an apron baking cookies in a kitchen. Here is their conversation:

Oracle: ” I’d ask you to sit down, but, you’re not going to anyway. And don’t worry about the vase.”
Neo: “What vase?”[Neo turns to look for a vase, and as he does, he knocks over a vase of flowers, which shatters on the floor]
Oracle: “That vase.”
Neo: “I’m sorry…”
Oracle: ” I said don’t worry about it. I’ll get one of my kids to fix it.”
Neo: “How did you know?”
Oracle: “Ohh, what’s really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn’t said anything?”

Would Hazael have murdered the king and started his evil reign as king if he had not heard the prophecy from Elisha?  I don’t know, but I admit this does “bake my noodle” a bit.  Ultimately, Hazeal probably acted on what was in his heart and Elisha (and God) were just informing him of this. This treads close to the tricky waters of the philosophical argument between predestination and free will.  I will not attempt to navigate these waters as I do not find them productive for my journey of seeking after God.

The method Hazael used to carry out the murder of the king also involves water. He took a thick cloth, soaked it in water, then proceeded to use it to smother the king in a way that would have been difficult for even JB Fletcher to detect.  I suspect Hazael did not want anyone to suspect he was involved in the king’s death so that he had a smooth and unchallenged path to the throne.

Is there a lesson here?  I think Hazael had a real choice and he chose poorly to lead himself and his people away from God rather than toward God.  Hazael’ choice will affect him and the people of the kingdom of Aram for years to come.  We all face choices as we go through life.  We have to choose a line.  I think the best way to choose wisely is to seek out God’s wisdom before we choose.

Prayer: God help us to seek your wisdom before we make choices, especially when our choices affect others.

Posted in 2 Kings, Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Conflict, Death and Dying, Discernment, Faith, Following God, God's Love for Us, Sin, The Spiritual Realm, Trusting God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Open up the Floodgates

Posted on January 10, 2015 by wamplerp

IMGP1411One of his officers answered, “Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here—yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened.”   So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, “Go and find out what has happened.” They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said.   Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”   The officer had said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” The man of God had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!” And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died. – 2 Kings 7:13-20

This passage comes after several passages describing a siege on Samaria by the king of Aram, Ben-Hadad.  The King of Israel is in the besieged city and getting impatient with Elisha and God for allowing the siege to go on so long.  There are some horrific details about what this siege was like, including a very disturbing description of a mother resorting to cannibalism of her own baby (2 Kings 6:26-31).  Reading through this was one of the most turbulent and disorienting parts of my walk through the bible so far.

The king of Israel was also shocked by the mother’s admission of cannibalism and blamed Elisha for allowing the siege to go on so long.  The king goes to Elisha and he assures them that God will take care of the Arameans and shower the Israelites by opening the floodgates of the heavens.  God made the Arameans flee by “causing the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army” (2 kings 7:6).  The ones who discover this are four lepers who had lost all hope and decided that they would enter the enemy camp and either kill or be killed rather than stay in the besieged city and starve to death.

The four lepers find the Aramean camp deserted and eventually return to the city to tell the king.  The kings initial reaction is that it is a trick to get the Israelites to leave the city walls so the Arameans can kill them.  The king did not have much faith in the prophesy of Elisha that God would “open the floodgates”.  The king picks five soldiers to send out of the city fully expecting them to be killed.  The soldiers find an abandoned camp and a trail of equipment and supplies strewn all the way to the Jordan.  The Arameans left in a hurry, leaving everything behind.  The Israelites stream out of the city so fast they trample the soldier who Elisha prophesied would die before he saw the “floodgates of heaven opened”.

God not only shows up in response to Elisha’s petition, and He does it in an extravagant way, similar to what God did at Elim when he provided the thirsty Israelites 12 springs when one would have been enough (Exodus 15:27).  The king’s God was just not big enough.The way God arranged for the siege to end was truly miraculous and not something anyone would have predicted ahead of time, except Elisha who was confident God would “open the floodgates of the heavens”.  There is a contemporary worship song we sing at our church by Meredith Andrews called “Open up the Heavens” that contains similar language as this passage.  It is one of my favorite songs that we sing when we gather together, and it will always make me thing of this passage and the way God chose to “lift the siege”.

Prayer: God thanks for showing up for us in extravagant and unpredictable ways when we faithfully follow You.

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These are not the Droids you are looking for…

Posted on January 9, 2015 by wamplerp

As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord , “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.   Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.   After they entered the city, Elisha said, “ Lord , open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.   When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?”   “Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.” So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory. – 2 Kings 6:18-23

Ah Star Wars….the first Star Wars came out when I was in High School and I thought it was the coolest movie ever.  I saw it 15 times in the theater and dreamed of travelling in space while I slept out on our deck looking up at the stars.  Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of my favorite characters.  He was cool under pressure and of course he had “the force” — that nebulous power of the universe which could make things happen.  The “force” was convenient in that it did not really require anything of the person wielding it.  Luke just turned off his targeting computer and boom the death star was destroyed, Darth Vader was spiraling into a sequel, and Chewy was getting a salon treatment for the award ceremony.

God does not work like the impersonal force of Star Wars.  He works through people and the relationships He has with them.  Elisha has a close relationship with God and when the army of Aram came down to conquer Israel and kill him He asked for help and God showed up.  Elisha said something similar to what Obi-Wan Kenobi said when the storm troopers were searching for R2D2…”these are not the droids you are looking for…” “This is not the road and this is not the city.  Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.”  Elisha leads the soldiers right into the heart of Samaria and then has God open their eyes.  I suspect they were somewhat surprised to find themselves in the middle of their enemy’s city.

This is where the passage gets a little strange.  The King of Israel, who has up to this point not been the most faithful follower of God, calls Elisha “father” and then asks him if he should kill the soldiers.  Why would the King of Israel, whose father and mother tried to have Elisha killed, call Elisha father?  Perhaps the king of Israel has finally figured out who the real king of Israel is and who represents Him.  Elisha tells the king to give the soldiers food and water, a feast in fact, then sends them home to bear witness to the powerful foe they are up against (God not the king) if they attack Israel again. This works and the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel.

I am struggling to pull a deeper meaning out of this.  Perhaps the most important lesson is the faith that Elisha showed in asking God to show up when faced with soldiers marching down on him.  That sort of faith is difficult and requires much practice during times when the stakes are not so high.  Elisha also provides a good example of grace by sending the men back unharmed.  It was an elegant solution to a prickly problem which in the past would have probably been solved with a sword.  The king also seems to be “grabbing a clue” where God is concerned. He actually asks Elisha, and God, for advice rather than blundering off into the desert on his own.

Prayer: God help us to build our faith strong through practice so that when we are called upon to have great faith we are prepared.

 

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Eddying Out – Rapids!

Posted on January 8, 2015 by wamplerp

Patrick_salmon 175This week marks the beginning of classes where I teach and I am taking on some extra teaching duties for a colleague.  The last couple of days have felt very much like a class IV rapids and I am hanging onto the sides of the boat to keep from going for a cold swim.

I am taking today to recover, catch my breath, and choose a line for the coming week..  I will continue my walk with water tomorrow — after I have navigated this most turbulent stretch.

Prayer: God give me the wisdom, patience, and energy to navigate this challenging week.

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Floating Axe Heads

Posted on January 7, 2015 by wamplerp

 

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The company of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to meet.” And he said, “Go.”   Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with your servants?” “I will,” Elisha replied. And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!”   The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it. – 2 Kings 6:1-7

This is one of those passages that I read and think what in the world am I going to do with this one….a floating axe head….really. Elisha seems to have acquired quite a following of prophets, kind of like prophet “roadies” I guess. There are so many they have to move to the Jordan River where apparently there is room to build a larger meeting place. The description of each prophet getting a pole is somewhat puzzling. Was this merely a division of labor or was it perhaps symbolic of each prophet helping to build and invest in this new meeting place. They invite Elisha to participate in their building project, which is a good thing as they will soon need his help.

Now I don’t want stretch this passage further than is called for but what if this entire story is alluding to the important role Elisha and the prophets play in building and maintaining God’s presence here on earth, and the building they are doing is more than the cutting of trees and erecting of poles. At this time in Israel’s history the countryside, and the Israelite’s hearts, are full of idols and altars that are replacing God. Elisha and these prophets have been given the spiritual task of felling these “trees” so they can build in their place a temple and place for God. The loss of the axe head was a setback in the process of transforming the trees into a place for Godly men to gather. Elisha, and God, stepped in to float the axe head and allow them to continue their important work.

When I first read this passage I thought — there is no way that there are any insights or hidden wells here. I have been surprised once again. I think there is an important message here about discouragement as we go about the work God has set before us. We all encounter times when it seems our “axehead” has flown into the muck. We look to heaven in frustration and wonder how we can go on doing what God has called us to do. If we are willing to seek God’s help, or in the case of these prophets, seek the help of God’s representative, then God will “float our axehead” and help us to continue our work.

Prayer: God thank You for dwelling with us when we are discouraged and providing what we need to complete the work You have set before us.

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The One River

Posted on January 6, 2015 by wamplerp
A Mighty River

A Mighty River

The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”   As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”   When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”   But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.   Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.   Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” – 2 Kings 5:6-15

Ahab’s son, Ahaziah, is the current king of of the southern kingdom of Israel in Samaria.  He is an interesting character.  We saw in a passage a few days ago that he is quick to go to war with his neighbors and slow to invite God along.  He seems to have a “God Complex” and is quick to anger.  Naaman, a commander of the army of the king of Aram, was sent with a note asking if the King of Israel could cure him of Leprosy.  When Ahaziah reads the letter he flips out.  His immediate reaction was to tear his robe.  His thoughts were something like: 1) this man expects me to be God; 2) he has come to me personally to be healed; 3) I can’t heal him; 4)  The king of Aram is picking a fight with me.  Ahaziah is a master of self-focus!

When Elisha hears about this exchange he sends a message to Ahaziah and says “Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”.  In essence he was saying you can’t heal him but God can.  He was echoing something that Joseph said to Pharaoh back in Genesis 41: 1-31 – I cannot do it, but God will.  Ahaziah had the first part right (I cannot do it) but really missed the second part (but God will).

Elisha instructs Naaman, through a messenger, to wash seven times in the Jordan River and he will be healed.  It is interesting that Elisha does not go out to meet Naaman as Jesus will later do when he reaches out and heals a leper.  It seems that Naaman was expecting Elisha to come out and meet him personally as he becomes angry when he simply gets a note with instructions from Elisha rather than an immediate “wave of the hand” healing.  Naaman is so angry in fact that he rejects the remedy Elisha has told him will make him clean.  He thinks his own “rivers” (read gods) are just as good for making him clean and he is ready to return home to his rivers and gods.

His servants catch up to him and convince him, by essentially making the argument that he has nothing to loose, to try what Elisha has proposed.  Naaman reluctantly goes down to the river and dipped himself in the Jordan River seven times.  His flesh was immediately restored — “and became clean like that of a young boy”.  I wonder if his spirit was also transformed into that of a child.  It seems that he was at least convinced enough to return to Elisha and say “now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel”.  He had found the one river, the great cistern, that was capable of making him clean — on the outside and the inside.

Prayer: God thank You for cleansing our souls and the souls of all who are willing to dip themselves in the “River”.

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Water Shining Like Blood

Posted on January 5, 2015 by wamplerp

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.   Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border. When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red—like blood. “That’s blood!” they said. “Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!”   But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it. – 2 Kings 3:20-25

My mom used to tell us a saying about the weather…” red in the morning sailors take warning”.  This saying would seem to apply to the Moabites.  God showed up during the night and surprised both the Israelites and the Moabites.

When the Moabites saw the rising sun reflected in the pools of water filling the valley it apparently shone like blood.  I have seen sunrises and sunsets that looked like this…beautiful, but the Moabites did not see a beautiful sunrise reflected on the water…they saw blood.  They  jumped to the conclusion that it was Israelite blood and that the armies of the three kings had “fought and slaughtered each other”.

The fact that the Moabites jumped to this somewhat bizarre conclusion and interpretation of the sunrise tells us something about the Moabites, and the reputation of the Israelites among the Moabites.   The Moabites were a cobbled together army of “every man young and old who could bear arms”.  They were probably not so excited to be fighting against three armies of seasoned warriors.  Perhaps they saw the blood in the water because they wanted to believe that the Israelites had imploded into internecine slaughter so they would not have to fight them.

The reaction of the Moabites also suggests that, at least among the Moabites, the Israelites have a reputation of infighting and conflict.  This is born out by the division of the kingdom of Israel into northern and southern kingdoms.  This makes me wonder about the reputation of the modern Christian church.  Would someone seeing the equivalent of “blood on the water” come to a similar conclusion about many of our Christian churches?  Are we known for our love or our conflict?

The incorrect interpretation of the rising sun cost the Moabites dearly.  They invaded the Israelite camp and found it still occupied.  The Moabites were slaughtered, the springs were stopped up, towns were destroyed, and the farm fields were “spiked” with rocks.  Interestingly, in the future an incorrect interpretation of another “rising son”, Jesus, will trip up both Jewish and non-jewish leaders.

Prayer: God help us to love one another so that we are known for our love, rather than our conflict with one another,

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A Valley Filled with Water

Posted on January 4, 2015 by wamplerp
A valley filled with water

A valley filled with water

Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” “No,” the king of Israel answered, “because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.”   Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you. But now bring me a harpist.” While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord ; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones. – 2 Kings 3:13-19

This passage begins a series of passages where God uses water and rich water imagery to reveal some important aspects of His nature and the grace He freely offers all of us flawed followers. In yesterday’s post the three kings found themselves “up a creek without a paddle”…or in this case in a desert without water. They had failed to invite God along and now they are trying to remedy this by talking with Elisha, God’s prophet. Elisha’s initial response is to tell the king of Israel to…” Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.”. Those were the gods that the kings had invited along on their journey through the desert.

The faith and previous faithful following of Jehosephat is what saves them from themselves. God honors Jehoshaphat’s previous attempts to seek and honor God; despite the fact that His seeking and honoring in this case comes a little late in the game. Not only does God acquiesce to there request, but He will do it in a dramatic way which leaves no doubt about where these kings should look for “water” in the future. “I will fill this valley with pools of water” God says…no gentle rain or even an outward rainstorm, just a gentle whisper and the pools of water, and God, shows up.

For whatever reason God chooses to deal with the Moabites rather harshly through these three kings. We are not told much about the “rebellion” that the king of Israel was trying to quell through his misguided move into the desert. That is ultimately part of their story with God. The consequences for the Moabites seem rather harsh…cities trashed…springs ruined…and fields spiked with stones. Just like when the Israelites entered the Promised Land God wants the Israelites to know these consequences are to repay the Moabites rather than reward the Israelites for their failure to invite God along.

There may be a hidden spring in this passage. What the three kings are experiencing in desert is a spiritual valley taking place in a physical valley. God fills the physical valley with pools of water and so doing fills this spiritual low point (spiritual valley) with His grace. This is reassuring for all of us who have felt like we are in a “spiritual valley”. It is tempting to become discouraged and give up. What this passage says to me is that we are called to seek God out and He will fill our valley with pools of living water from which we can be refreshed. The important thing is to keep asking and seeking.

Prayer: Thank You God for the grace You show us even when we forget to invite You along on our journey.

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Three Kings – No Water

Posted on January 3, 2015 by wamplerp

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABut after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” “I will go with you,” he replied. “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”   “By what route shall we attack?” he asked. “Through the Desert of Edom,” he answered.   So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.   “What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?”   But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord ?” An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah. – 2 Kings 3:5-11

“Jumping Jehosephat” is jumping again.  Ahab’s son has enlisted the help of the King of Judah, Jehosephat, and the king of Samaria, Joram to take on the king of Moab because he rebelled against Israel.  These three kings are headed into battle without consulting a higher authority, God.  They are trusting their own power and intelligence to make them successful.

These three kings decide to take a path through the Desert of Edom and they seem to be lost….perhaps in more ways than one.  They are on a “roundabout march of seven days” and discover that they don’t have enough water for themselves or their animals.  It is at this point that they call upon God and blame Him for getting them into this mess.  That is a bit like a a child caught red-handed, with their hand in the cookie jar, claiming it is the jar’s fault.

It seems to me that these kings went into the desert without consulting God and now that they have gotten themselves into trouble they are ready to seek God’s help –sort of a “fox hole ” conversion.  It is interesting that Jehosephat was the one to bring up the idea of seeking a prophet of God so they could “inquire of the Lord”.  He seems to be the one who was most interested in turning back from the distraction and contamination from false God’s and idols that began in earnest under King Solomon.

The last detail of the passage is a bit odd.  An officer of the King of Israel says that Elisha used to “pour water on the hands of Elijah”.  Why was this an important detail to share?  Was this just an indication of the close relationship between Elisha and Elijah?  Elijah was a well respected man of God so perhaps the fact that Elisha poured water on his hands was proof that this man could communicate with God for them.

This passage is a cautionary tale for us as we go though life making plans and “waging battles”.  We need to seek God’s wisdom and counsel before we “head off into the desert”.  Otherwise we may wander for days and run out of water (living water).

Prayer: God thank You that are ready and willing to provide us with wisdom and counsel, help us to ask for it before we need it.

 

Posted in 2 Kings, Conflict, Death and Dying, Discernment, Following God, Obedience, Trusting God | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Location, Location, Contamination

Posted on January 2, 2015 by wamplerp

IMGP5824The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”   “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.   Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’ ” And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken. – 2 Kings 2:19-22

Here in the beginning of 2 Kings Elisha has taken the baton from Elijah as God’s representative to the Israelites.  Elisha gets right to work in this passage treating bad water to make it good.  The scene is a “town” with a great location but bad water and unproductive land.  This sounds like a place with salty water to me.  Salt in water makes it both undrinkable and useless for irrigating crops that require water that is salt free.

Elisha asks for a new bowl into which he places salt to treat the water and then gives God the credit for “healing the water”.  In Genesis 30:37-43 Jacob used branches of wood in watering troughs for selective breeding, then in Exodus Moses was instructed by God to use a piece of wood to make bitter water sweet.   I cannot remember water being described as being “healed”.  Perhaps God is trying to make it clear that the healing of the water, and the Israelites, comes from God and God alone.

Interestingly Elisha adds salt the spring to “heal” the water.  This does not make much sense if the original problem was water that was too salty to drink or raise crops.  Now if there was another problem with the water, for example bacterial contamination or perhaps metals in the water that were making it toxic to plants and crops adding certain chemicals could actually make it drinkable.  Perhaps this was simply a relational miracle between God, Elisha, and the people.

This passage holds personal interest for me as I have invested the last several years of my life researching and learning about water treatment for my work in Haiti.  It is interesting that the second thing that Elisha did as the new prophet of God was to treat bad water.  In doing so he made an otherwise “well situated” town a livable place by giving it good water.  I guess in a way that is what he is trying to do for the Israelites.  He is trying to make the Promised Land livable by making sure the Israelites have the living water, God, rather than the poisonous substitute idols that have contaminated the countryside and the Israelite’s souls.

Prayer: God You are the great healer.  Heal our souls from the contamination caused by the idols in our lives.

 

 

 

Posted in 2 Kings, Christianity, Faith, Following God, Haiti, Miracles, Obedience, reconciliation, Sin, The Nature of God, Trusting God | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment