#67. Elisha Is Here!
But Jehoshaphat said, “ Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?” So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
II Kings 3:11-12 NKJV
A lot has happened since the last time I was in my Atlanta office 105 days ago. The stock market dropped 30% and climbed 40%, only to drop another 8%. More than 20,000,000 Americans lost their jobs. Riots have taken place in cities across America. The political landscape has changed dramatically. More than 120,000 Americans have died from a mysterious disease for which there is no vaccine. The world is bowing down to the idols of critical race theory, bodily autonomy, and ethnic gnosticism.* Honestly, it is sometimes tempting to sell the house, liquidate the retirement account, pack everything into a truck, and escape with my family to the remote mountains of Montana where I could hike, climb, and mountain bike to my heart’s content or at least my last run in with a grizzly. So rapid are the changes around us it can be tempting to try to escape it all.
Do you ever wonder what men like Elisha, Paul, Jeremiah, James, Knox, or Calvin would say if they could see our time? I wonder if they would look around and say, “Nothing new after all this time, men are up to the same wickedness and are still in desperate need of a Savior. What are you and the church doing to proclaim the gospel of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ?”
In this section of II Kings, the questionable alliance of nations had been on the march from Israel for seven days. In the hot wilderness of Edom, with no food or water, the conquerors were in danger of being conquered without even a battle. Surely the Lord’s prophets would enjoy the peace and solitude in Samaria for a change now that the king and his army were departed on such a venture. But Elisha was not enjoying the peace in Samaria. Elisha went with the soldiers of Israel and Judah.
Did this allied army seek God before its departure? Not that we are told in Scripture. Did they ask Elisha to come with them? Not that we know of. And yet, following the army or perhaps with the army, was the minister of the Lord of Sabaoth!**
What joy must have been in the hearts of Jehoshaphat and the fellow believers from the north and the south when they learned the Lord had not abandoned them in the wilderness but had sent His prophet Elisha? In their hour of need, God’s minister was with the army. He had endured the hardships of the recent days. He was now ready to serve.
God’s servant was where he was needed, which was with the starving armies of Edom, Israel, and Judah. Where are you and I during these distressing times? Are we hiding from the seeming madness around us or will we be ready to give the good tidings of great joy to a lost and dying world? Today, many people want those good tidings to be, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. They want to hear, “Health is coming, do not fear,” when death and misery are on the doorstep. They want to hear of other people searching themselves for and confessing worldly faults publicly, but they do not want to hear the Lord’s law and perfect way of righteousness.
What the world needs is the truth. How will the world hear this truth if Christian men and women are hiding from the world? How will the world hear the truth if ministers of the word are not proclaiming the whole counsel of God? The world needs Christians to shine the bright light of Christ in the midst of all the darkness around and from whatever place the Lord has called them. The world needs ministers preaching not about social justice*** but of the just and holy God who will not let the guilty go free but offers salvation from sin today through Jesus Christ His Son. Perhaps as we live for Christ in the present hour of need, a lost soul will look for a Christian and will say, “You are here!”
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**Much more to come on this title for the Lord in devotional #70. For now let us understand that this title speaks to the Lord being the leader of all the armies in Heaven and Earth. A blessing to the people of the Lord, a pending disaster to the enemies of the Lord.
***If you need an adjective in front of “justice” there is a high probability that its not the justice spoken of in the Bible. Social justice is the justice society desires at present. In Ancient Rome that meant feeding Christians and other undesirables to the lions. Today that social justice calls you to blaspheme God by cursing or at least lamenting his providence in your birth. Tomorrow it will mean something else.
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