Rev. Don Campbell
2 Kings 1-4
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, July 2, 2019
“ELISHA, THE LORD’S RELIEF PITCHER”
Elijah has been translated to heaven, and Elisha takes up his mantle. His first act was to purify the waters upon which the city (probably Jericho) depended not only for drinking, but irrigation (2 Kings 2:19-22). He made it clear that it was God, not he who had healed the waters. This was immediately followed by an episode in which God sent two bears to maul a group of rowdies who were jeering God’s anointed. Because of the unfortunate 1611 translation, a translation many others have followed, some struggle with this episode and others outright condemn God. The word translated “children” refers to those old enough to serve in battle (Genesis 14:24; 1 Sam 21:2; 30:13, 17). The Hebrew word is used in 1 Kings 12:8, 10, 14, where it refers to Rehoboam’s advisors. This gang of forty who mocked God by mocking God’s servant were not little children but a band of thugs, much like gangs that roam our streets today.
Although Elisha had to take strong action at times, the bulk of his ministry could be summed up much like that of Jesus: “He went about doing good.” He rescued a widow from her creditors (4:1-7) and restored a couple’s only child to life (4:8-36) in today’s readings.
In Ira Stamphill’s song “Follow Me,” we pour out our hearts to God, somewhat reminiscent of Elijah’s lament, “I, only I am left.” In the third verse, we declare our willingness to die on a foreign field, but then hear Jesus say, “If just a cup of water I place within your hand, then just a cup of water is all that I demand.”
We might all be privileged to be taken up into heaven without dying (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), as was Elijah or we may die an ordinary death like Elisha. However, most of us are going to have a very, very routine ministry, giving cups of cold water, empty bedpans, and performing other non-glamorous tasks in the name of Jesus. These ministries often open the door to the preaching of the gospel, but we should perform these for no other reason than those are what God has set before us. What opportunity for service has God set before you? Are you neglecting it because it seems so ordinary?
CONNECTIONS
1. Major league baseball teams carry several pitchers on their roster. Some are starters, some are short-relievers, and some are long-relievers. Some will have done their job when they pitch to one batter. When God took Elijah out of the game, he handed Elisha the ball, but he did not expect him to be a carbon copy of Elijah. Sometimes congregations make the mistake of expecting their next preacher to be like their last one. What often are the unexpected results?
2. Sometimes a preacher has great respect for and has benefited greatly from another preacher, as was the case with Elisha and Elijah. The hero might have been a firebrand who fought digression in debates with all comers. He might well have been God’s-man-for-the-moment. Should his admirers try to model their ministry after his? Why or why not?
