#57. Where Should We Search?
Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him. Then they said to him, “Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send anyone.” But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send them! ” Therefore they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him. And when they came back to him, for he had stayed in Jericho, he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
II Kings 2:15-18
What is truth? Since the fall of Adam when Satan twisted the truth of God into a lie, mankind has been missing the truth and believing lies. In our current times, rather than outrightly denying truth, people refer to “my truth” and “your truth” (two different ideas), as if that which is true can change from person to person. In contrast, Christianity teaches that truth is an objective reality rather than subjective opinion. It is a person Jesus Christ: “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6). It is the Word of God, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the Bible: “Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). It is unchanging: “…The word of our God shall stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). And yet sometimes it is difficult for Christians to submit to the truth, so they look elsewhere.
This was the case for the sons of the prophets in Jericho. They had directly received the word of God (2:5) that Elijah would be taken away. But after Elisha returned alone and these men recognized him as the spiritual successor of Elijah, they wanted to go look for their friend and leader in the mountains and valleys. As a hiker who regularly hears the mountains calling, I am sympathetic to the fifty men desiring to engage in this trek. However, Elisha the prophet said, “You shall not go” (2:16). They had the prophecy of the Lord and the word of the prophet, but they still wanted to search for Elijah and eventually Elisha relented.
For three days, fifty men searched the mountains and valleys for Elijah in case the Lord dropped him out of the chariot: they, of course, did not find him for the Lord had brought him to Heaven as He had told the prophets and as Elisha witnessed. When the fifty returned, Elisha gently reprimanded them, “Did I not say to you, do not go?” Often a gentle rebuke will have great reward in the godly who receive it as did these sons of the prophets (Proverbs 3:11-12).
It can be tempting for us not to accept the Word of God. Even though we read the Word and hear it preached by faithful ministers, perhaps we still want to search elsewhere for the truth. Many in the church seem to be always searching for the truth but never coming to the knowledge of it. They search in the mountains and valleys of the world’s wisdom. Rather than relenting after three days, they are given over to new ideas and teachings, to the instability of their families and the grief of the church.
As Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah and began the new chapter of service to the Lord, he began by reminding the prophets of the confidence they must have in the truth of God’s Word. It took patience and a few days of waiting, but the prophets learned to trust the Lord and rely on Him for truth. Without reliance on the Word of God, there is no gospel, there is no salvation, there is no hope. With the infallible and inerrant Word as our guide, life, hope, and salvation are found for us in Christ Jesus.
Let us take two foundational lessons with us today: 1) Have confidence in the God of truth and rest in Him and His Word of truth. In so doing you have the foundation from where you may grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and will not be ashamed when you see Him appear. 2) Do not be a witness to your truth or my truth, but to the Truth. This confused and rebellious age is always searching for the truth and ends up delighting in lies. If you stand for the truth, you will be mocked and hated by many, but you may also be the means of delivering the light to some who are in darkness.
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