#174: Elisha, God’s Servant, is Dead
Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year.
II Kings 13:20 NKJV
During a recent sermon on Isaiah 38 and the sickness of Hezekiah, our church was reminded of the reality of death for the enemies of God as well as for the friends of God. “Death spread to all men, because all sinned.” With only two exceptions among mortal men, Enoch and Elijah, all who ever lived eventually died. Where are Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joshua, Rehab, David, Jeremiah, Esther, Daniel, Peter, Mary, John, Paul, and the whole host of Bible era saints? They are not with us for they have gone to sleep in the Lord. They have died. Likewise, Elisha, faithful servant of God for more than sixty years, eyewitness to the great miracles of God in Israel, preacher of the Word of God, defeater of the Syrian armies, counsellor to kings, watchman over the church of the Lord is not with us for Elisha died, and they buried him.
The death of a faithful example in the faith should cause us to analyze our own lives. The Lord has appointed for men once to die and afterward the judgment. The Day of the Lord is hastening on. “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought [we] to be in holy conduct and godliness” (II Peter 3:11)? We see many themes in Elisha’s life that should be guides for our own lives, but let us draw on just three:
First, Elisha answered the call of the Lord without reservation. From his initial call by the mouth of the prophet Elijah to his call to speak the Word from Dothan to Samaria and Damascus, Elisha went where he was sent. Though few listened, he kept proclaiming the Word of the Lord. Though the enemies were great, he kept pointing to the Savior. Though tragedy struck, he kept with the people of Israel whom he was called to serve. Where the Lord calls us we must go.
Second, Elisha served the rich and the poor, famous and unknown, together. We remember Elisha for going boldly to the king of Israel, speaking with General Naaman, and making a mockery of Ben-Hadad; but Elisha also spent much time with the sons of the prophets (4:1,38; 6:1) and went from town to town with the Word of God. The man of God never saw himself above the lowest in Israel but ministered to kings and peasants alike.
Third, Elisha feared God more than man and as a result saw the salvation of his God. Let us not forget the death in the pot, the siege at Dothan, the starvation in Samaria, or the death of the widow’s son. In each case, Elisha trusted God without fear of man and saw the Lord work wonderfully in his own life and in the lives of those around him.
Dear friends, let us answer the call of the Lord, serve our neighbors with love, and fear, trust, and love the Lord above all else. Then, we shall take up the mantle of Elisha, answer the call of the Lord, carry out the work of the Lord, and hear at the end of our days, just as certainly Elisha heard, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
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