The Spirit of Elijah 3

  

E vents 1 - 21 are in The Spirit of Elijah 2 

 

22. Heals an Army of Blindness

2 Kings 6:20-23   And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

23. Foreknows the King's Act

2 Kings 6:32,33   But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him? And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer? 

24. Food and Death to the Unbelievers

2 Kings 7-1   Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 

25. Miraculous Utterance

2 Kings 7:2   Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might these things be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof

26. Confusion and Flight of the Syrians

2 Kings 7:6-8   For the Lord made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hiftites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. 

27. Heaven Shut for Seven Years

2 Kings 8:1,2   Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wherever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall come upon the land seven years. And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 

28. Miraculous Utterance  

2 Kings 8:7-11   And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-had the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even every good thing of Damascus, forty camel's burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath showed me that he shall surely die. And he settled his countenance steadfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. 

29. Miraculous Utterance

2 Kings 8:12   And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? and he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strongholds 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. 

30. Miraculous Utterance

2 Kings 8:13-15   And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath showed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; and said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover. And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead. 

31. Jehu is Anointed King

2 Kings 9:1-10  And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead: And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehosophat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, 0 captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all of us? And he said, To thee, 0 captain. And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled. 

32. Joash Visits in His Sickness

2 Kings 13:14-19   Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, 0 my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou hast consumed them. And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. 

P ost Death Miracle: Resurrection

2 Kings 13:20,21   And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulcher of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. 

T he Price of Possessing the Double Portion

Someone wisely said, "If it doesn't cost you something, you don't own it." David said, "I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing." All the things of God have a price tag attached. If you are not willing to pay the price, you will never be in possession of that which you seek. 

So it is with the double portion. 

Elisha paid a price to wear the mantle: he paid a price to possess the double portion. 

His master (authority) instructed him to remain where he was. Stay where you are. Proceed no further. 

There are only two types of people in the world: those who can not do what they are told, and those who can do nothing else. 

God's men must to be tested, tried and proven. 

So many today find themselves in the category, "Sit here." "Don't go any further." "What you have done and are doing is acceptable to the Lord. This is all He requires." 

The very calling, the resolve, the determination, the perseverance of every minister must be challenged. The will of God must emerge supreme. The desire for God rooted in the innermost depths of the soul must win through. The minister must go on. 

Numbers 14:24   But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed him fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. 

Hosea 6.-3   Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. 

Hebrews 6:1   Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Let us go on unto perfection. Let us go on. Let us go. Don't stay, go! Go on. Go on, and on, and on, and on. 

The first test for Elisha was to stay at Gilgal. Gilgal means a wheel, a circle, or rolling. 

Man has been designed by his Creator with his reach beyond his grasp. When he no longer functions in the purpose of the God and ceases to go beyond or reach out, he stagnates, he sits down, he goes round and round in circle: just like a wheel. 

Get off the hurly-burly, merrygoround lifestyle of Gilgal and go on with your Master. 

Understand that your destiny can never be realised unless you go on. Sit down and you will perish. 

Proverbs 4:18   But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 

Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. It does not sit still. Get up and go! The second test required for Elisha to possess the double portion was not to settle down at Bethel. Bethel means the house of God. 

How easy it is to build one's life around the house of God. Social life, education, worship and a host of activities cry out to be satisfied. 

If you would be a candidate for the double portion, let your emphasis be on the God of the house. Only then will your ambition be realised. 

The third test centered around dropping out at Jericho. 

Jericho means fragrance and symbolises that which is pleasing to the senses. 

Do not allow that which cries for recognition to rob you in your pursuit of the double portion. 

1 John 2:15-17   Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

The fourth test was to give up at Jordan. Jordan means descender, flowing down, and portrays death. 

How easy it is to lie down when everything around you is impregnated with death. How easy it is to stop here. Don't do it. Don't quit. Don't give up now: the fifth and final test is here. 

How important it is to understand that the offer of the Master never came until both men had crossed the Jordan river. 

The requirement? If you see me when I am taken from you. 

Twelve long years of waiting and four heart searching tests had brought the man of God to this very point. Surely he would not let this moment pass, let this opportunity go, let this situation fail. 

His eyes on supernatural signs could have robbed him of the very reason why he was created: to receive a double portion!