ELISHA SERIES: PROPHETIC INSIGHT OF LFE AND DEATH

This blog will share three events that transpired in the life of Elisha. In the first event, his shared prophetic insight allowed a family to survive during a famine. In the second and third events, Elisha’s shared prophetic insight, unfortunately, revealed death and destruction.

In 2 Kings 4, we learned the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman who extended continuous hospitality to him and whose son Elisha had restored to life. Now in 2 Kings 8, Elisha is once again helping the family by revealing a famine would occur in Samaria, and he instructed the woman to take her family to another country for the duration of the famine. For seven years, the family stayed in Philistia, and when the famine ended, they returned home to find their land confiscated. The Shunammite woman went to the king to plea for her land, and as fate would have it, she did it at a time Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, was speaking to the king about the miraculous acts of Elisha. Upon meeting the woman and hearing about her interaction with Elisha, the king restored her property and retroactively paid profits gained from it during the seven years of famine.

Elisha had traveled to Damascus, and the sick King Benhadad sent Hazael with gifts loaded on forty camels to ask the man of God if he would recover from his illness. Elisha said to Hazael, “Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.” Elisha continued looking at Hazael until he became uncomfortable, and Elisha started weeping. Hazael questioned Elisha’s action, to which Elisha responded, “Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.” Indignantly Hazael protested, but Elisha said, “The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.”

Upon returning to King Benhadad, Hazael told the king what Elisha said about his recovery but then, on the next day, he treacherously smothered the king by taking a thick wet cloth and spreading it on his face until he died. With the king’s death, Elisha’s words were actualized, for Hazael became the king.

Additionally, in 2 Kings 9, Elisha completes the assignment given to his mentor Elijah by sending a young prophet to Ramothgilead to privately meet with Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, a military commander and to anoint him with oil to be the next king of Israel. Furthermore, he gave Jehu instructions to destroy the house of King Ahab, and after completing this task, the prophet was not to tarry but flee the area.

Also shared in chapter eight are the historical reign of King Joram of Israel and Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah. I did not include details of their history in this blog because it did not pertain to Elisha.

I  conclude this blog with the following thoughts and nuggets:

• Hard times come to the just as well as the unjust.
• When you believe the prophet, you will follow his instructions.
• Some instructions cause you to move into unknown territory.
• As you fed others in the past, God will feed you in your time of need.
• Sometimes leaving your comfortable home is necessary for your survival.
• Knowing the right people can prove to be profitable.
• God will order your steps to be in the right place at the right time.
• When you trust God, He will give you favor wherever needed.
• High-ranking individuals also recognize they need the Word.
• When in trouble, people recognize those who function in the supernatural.
• Wealth and royalty do not hinder disease from attacking the body. Illnesses do not discriminate.
• When your words are trustworthy and respected, people will honor you.
• Compassion for your nation will cause you to weep when you know hard times are about to befall it.
• God knows the intent of man’s heart
• God reveals both evil and good.
• When you have not completed your assignment, God will use someone else to complete your unfinished task
• When instructed to move and not tarry, do so.