ELISHA'S MINISTRY - GOD’S ABUNDANCE IS MAN’S SUFFICIENCY 2 Kings 4:42-44
SERIES – MESSAGES ON ELISHA – HIS LIFE AND MINISTRY Number 13
[1]. GOD’S PROVISION FOR THE FEEDING OF THE 100
2Kings 4 v 42 [[Now a man came from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack and he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat,”
2Kings 4:43 and his attendant said, “What, shall I set this before a hundred men?” but he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left over,’”
2Kings 4:44 so he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.]]
This account begins with “Now a man”. It was just one of the miraculous events in the prophet’s ministry, but worthy enough to register in God’s word. This man came to Elisha with an offering, a gift from his land. What prompted the man to do this? I would suggest two reasons. The first is practical and the second is spiritual.
(A). THE FIRST REASON FOR THE GIFT: What was the first? We know from the previous story that there was a famine in the land, and even the group with Elisha resorted to picking gourds for a stew. Those of a compassionate heart will try to help those in need, especially if they are of the same mind set, for example, a Christian will probably give to a fellow Christian in need before a non-Christian in need. A famine decimated the land. What does a famine mean? It is a time of absence, a time of lack, especially in the necessities of life - food and water. In the days of Elisha there was no widespread farming and storage and processing. People tended to live from one year to the next, from one harvest to the next. A famine was devastating. Famine features quite a bit in Elisha’s ministry, in at least three stories I know of.
Famines in Israel were associated with evil as I will shortly mention, but there are other famines. As the word means “lack”, then we can say there is a great famine of morality in Australia. When we murder the unborn and promote homosexual marriage with more rights than a traditional marriage, then we have a great famine. There is a famine of decency seen in the modern education of students, in gender decisions, and in repressive and restrictive laws and regulations, especially in Queensland. We know these evil things are coming because they are prophesied in the New Testament and goodness and righteousness have now been abandoned. When I was young I remember a good, helpful, generous relatively honest and caring and happy society. Now we have a bad, unsupportive, selfish, dishonest, uncaring and sad society by comparison. Why? It is because we have a drought of righteousness in this country.
The days of Elisha were dark ones. Samaria, the northern kingdom, also Israel, was under the control of Jezebel and her wicked dynasty, the most evil in all of Israel and Judah's history. It is where Elisha ministered. God is sovereign and in a general sense, what Jesus said regarding drought applies to the world in general - Matthew 5 v 45 [[in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.]] However in regards to the nation of Israel, this is the promise that applied to them - Deuteronomy 11 v 16 [[Beware, lest your hearts be deceived and you turn away and serve other gods and worship them. Deut 11:17 The anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit, and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.”]] This is exactly what was happening in Israel in the reigns of the two most wicked people in all of Israel's history, Ahab and Jezebel, who had set up and promoted idolatry more than any other person including Jeroboam. The great famine was caused by the wickedness of the rulers and even by the wickedness of the society. Remember, in Elijah’s time, only 7000 were not worshippers of Baal.
It was because of the famine that this good, yet unnamed man, brought a gift to Elisha. There is a Christian ethic here as well for Christians, found in this passage - James 2 v 14 [[What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? James 2:15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, James 2:16 and one of you says to him/her, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? James 2:17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. The faith of that unnamed man resulted in works for the prophet of God.]] Christians have a responsibility to all other Christians. That is why we should be very mindful of persecuted Christians, and those among us who are sick. There are many more aspects to that responsibility as well.
(B). THE SECOND REASON: What was the second reason for this man coming to Elisha? Well, it all had to do with the Holy Spirit who is unmentioned, but His work was to prompt, or convict if you like, the man to bring an offering to Elisha. It is just marvellous when a man or woman is led of God in this supernatural way, led by the Holy Spirit. We belong to God, and His intentions to us, and through us as well, are always to magnify and glorify Jesus Christ. There are so many ways this works out. Paul said, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Jesus Christ” and then he also said, “be transformed by the renewing of your minds”. It is the renewed mind in Christ that the Holy Spirit uses to get you to perform good works to the glory of God. The man in our Elisha story was available for God to use. May we all be likewise available. God has led men and women through the ages to do things for others, unaware often, that that very thing that was done, was absolutely needed.
I think governments have made so many wrong and stupid decisions, and more and more evil ones, but God can guild through those by the Spirit He has given us. Here is an example of what happens when you don’t understand God’s leading:- It was not uncommon in the Middle Ages for animals to be tried in courts of law. These prosecutions were based on the Biblical law of Moses which stated that, [["If an ox gores a man or woman so that they die, then the ox shall be stoned and his flesh shall not be eaten".]] Horses, rats, pigs and even insects have been taken to court on various occasions. In 1445, at St. Julien, an action was taken against some beetles which had ravaged a vineyard. The insects declined to attend court, so the case fizzled out. In the 16th century, a clothes moth was put on trial in Spain, charged with destroying a valuable tapestry. Actually, it was innocent; it was the larvae who were the real culprits. But the moth was found guilty anyway and sentenced to have its throat cut. In France in 1314, a bull was hanged for goring a man and in 1457, a sow and her six young piglets were sentenced to death for eating a child. The sow was executed, but the piglets got off on account of their youth. Humans have passed all sorts of stupid laws - and still do. But there's never been a law against "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control".
[2]. THE SUBSTANCE OF THE GIFTS: This man brought 20 barley loaves and fresh ears of grain in a sack. It was not a large amount but meant to be sufficient for Elisha for a while for his needs. This man came from Baal-shalishah and the name of that place means “Lord of Shalisha”. The full meaning is “The god that presides over 3, the 3rd idol”. The town of Shalisha can’t be identified but it is considered to be further afield.
You notice that the man brought the first fruits of his farm. To surrender the first fruits was special and devoted to the worship of the Lord. Abel offered the firstlings of his flock. Exodus 23 v 19 states [[“You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God,”]] and it is repeated many times. This man brought his first fruits to Elisha. Is it correct to bring the first fruits of our time and abilities and abundance and love etc. to the Lord, or to offer to Him later on, the leftovers? Just today I heard David Jeremiah say we offer out time, talents and treasure to God. Bringing of our substance or first fruits to the Lord is what this man in the following parable did not do - Luke 12 v 16 [[He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man was very productive, Luke 12:17 and he began reasoning to himself saying, ‘What shall I do since I have no place to store my crops?’ Luke 12:18 and he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods, Luke 12:19 and I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come. Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry,”’ Luke 12:20 but God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you, and now who will own what you have prepared?’- Luke 12:21 so is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”]] That foolish man brought nothing to God, but in a coming day, he will be brought to God in the judgement.
Barley was the food of the poor, and as well, it was Christ who picked the ears of grain in His hunger. His tender care is for His own. Thus the prophetic remnant of Israel, and the Church, will gradually come to know, with self-judgment, all the resources they possess in Christ. These resources will be dispensed to them by the Lord, standing with them in spirit. He will feed His poor with bread, as He did during His sojourn on earth. The man from Baal-Shalisha brought barley, the basic food for the poor, because he was probably poor himself, but his generous heart was not poor. It reminds us a bit of this episode the Lord watched one day - Mark 12 v 41 [[He sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the multitude was putting money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums, Mark 12:42 and a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins which amount to a cent, Mark 12:43 and calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury, Mark 12:44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”]]
[3]. THE FEEDING OF THE PROPHETS: We see in this story a forerunner of the feeding of the 5 000 by Jesus. The food was brought to Elisha who asked for it to be distributed to the men (there may have been wives too. We don’t know). Elisha’s attendant was incredulous. He calculated about 100 men to be fed, far in excess of what the food was capable of. He exclaimed “What, shall I set this before a hundred men?” the natural statement a person would make, when things were taken at face value. There was no way this amount of food would feed 100 men! No way! 800 years later there was a crowd of 5 000 men beside women and children, and food was brought - five loaves and two fish. The disciples could say, “ONLY five loaves and two fish”. Why they would need thousands of each. The disciples saw only despair at the task ahead of them when Jesus asked them to feed the people. A similar incident presented itself later on when 4 000 were fed from 7 loaves and a few fish. All three incidents carry a similar message. It is the Lord who is the host, not man. Before Elisha got his attendant to distribute the food, he said this, [[“Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left over,’”]] He knew that the Lord was directing him and he knew the outcome and it was so, and verse 44 confirmed it all – “so he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.” This is yet another miracle in this chapter of miracles.
[4]. THE APPLICATION - THE ABUNDANCE: You observe that the food did not come on gold plates or accompanied by gifts of gold and silver and the latest phone, and other excesses of man. God provided what was needed. Out of His abundance, God provided the necessities. It is the necessities that are of God. It takes us back to Matthew, and although it is a familiar passage, it is necessary to keep reminding ourselves - Matthew 6 v 25 [[For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor for your body as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food and the body than clothing? Matt 6:26 Look at the birds of the air that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? Matt 6:27 Which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? Matt 6:28 and why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil nor do they spin, Matt 6:29 yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. Matt 6:30 If God so arrays the grass of the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Matt 6:31 Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ Matt 6:32 For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things, Matt 6:33 but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Matt 6:34 Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.]]
God’s saints, in the main, are only average people in this country, and very poor and rejected in many other countries. In most of our western world, we could not live like those who starve and are persecuted in many countries, because we have it so good. However I think they have more than us. We might have material abundance, but they have a different abundance. Their Saviour is real in their lives. They have a spiritual abundance they tap into when all the glitter and glamour and physical trappings of this life are cast off. God’s abundance exists as spiritual blessings. Which are we tapping into – the physical or the spiritual? Elisha tapped into the spiritual. So must we.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
