Elijah and Elisha 24

We have a great treasure! [P] The Scriptures! The word of יהוה Himself! God revealing Himself to us in a fixed, unchanging, written form, that is true. Do you want to know God? This is where you find Him! But it is an unusual book, for a book about God! One thing it is not, is a book of theology. Many books of theology have been written; they are nothing like the Bible! The Bible contains doctrine, teaching about the nature of God, there are passages of theology but it is a very small portion of the book. There is poetry! Who would put that in a book about God?! Again, that is a small portion of the book. Then there is a much bigger portion of the book; that is prophecy: words from יהוה Himself, delivered through His servants, speaking what He tells them to. Not so much predicting the future, as calling men to account. But that is still not what makes up most of this incredible book. What makes up the majority of the Bible? Narrative, history, stories of people and God’s dealings with human beings, acting in the lives of men. Which is great! Stories are far more interesting than dry theological abstractions. Everyone loves a story! But there comes the problem: we are told stories, but we are not usually told what they mean. We draw lessons and meaning from the narrative, but although Scripture is narrative, it is not interpreted. I mean, I’ve been telling the stories of Elijah and Elisha, and I have brought out lessons and meaning from them. But I am well aware that other people see things quite differently. It is not wrong to draw lessons from Scripture: that is what it is intended to do: [P] [2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;] It is meant to teach us lessons. Now we have looked at the story of Elisha, I have spent a couple of sessions on the story of Naaman; and you have had Paul’s interpretation, for what it is worth. [P] But how do you know that it is right? What is the lesson of Naaman? We are not told what the lesson of Elisha is meant to be; …. except in the story of Naaman! Elisha gets no mention in the rest of the Bible except in Luke 4:27. [P] Jesus preached about Elisha! And what was the incident that He referred to? The story of Naaman! This time, we know for sure the true lesson of Naaman! Jesus gave the true interpretation! And it wasn’t a sermon that went down that well. Sometimes, someone will come up to me after I have preached and express appreciation. On occasion people have expressed their disagreement. Three times I have been stood down from preaching because people weren’t happy. Once, at a homegroup, someone was so outraged that he threw his Bible down on the floor and said, “I have had it with you Paul!” It left me wondering what on earth I’d said! But, never yet, has the whole congregation banded together after I have preached and tried to kill me. That is what happened when Jesus preached about Naaman! Not that I am seeking to emulate Jesus here! Nobody tried to kill me when I preached about Naaman – perhaps I didn’t get the point across properly! What got the people so riled that they wanted to kill the preacher?! This happened very early on in Jesus ministry. It happened in His own home town of Nazareth. The very first and the very last sermon He preached there! Let’s read the account in: [Luke 4:14–30 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, (the Messiah, anointed with the Spirit of יהוה, this was not operating in the flesh) and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He was teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. (until He went to his home town) And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, [P] He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him [P] (that was the portion for the day). And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, [P] (He knew where to look) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me (that makes Him the Messiah) to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favourable year of the Lord.” [P] And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; [P] and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. [P] (He had their attention) And He began to say to them, [P] “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, (so far, the reception was good) “Is this not Joseph’s son?” And He said to them, [P] “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” (they wanted signs, the spectacular, a magic show – not unknown today) And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. “But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. “And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet;(there is the mention of Elisha!) and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” [P] And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, [P] and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. [P] But passing through their midst, He went His way.] – it wasn’t His time to die. But that was their intention: when they heard these things, they were filled with rage, got up, mid sermon; drove Him out of town, intending to thrown Him over a cliff! Fortunately, you are more tolerant! [P] All was going well until Jesus preached about Elisha and Naaman; then they were filled with rage (heated, passionate, fiery, outburst of anger) and tried to murder Jesus. That is some degree of anger! Why such a reaction?! As I say, nobody reacted like that when I preached about Naaman. What was going on?! And here I have a hard job – because, to explain, I have to teach you something you already know. And if you already know it, you have to unlearn it before you can be taught it. Furthermore, to understand, you have to think like a Jew in provincial Galilee in the first Century. Then, to make it even harder, I also have to unlearn and think like a 1st Century Jew. It is impossible to recapture the feeling that overtook those listening to Jesus. The thing is: we are used to God being accessible; we can come to Him if we choose to! We almost give the impression that we are doing God a favour by coming. A salvation appeal can be presented almost as if God is desperate to have someone love Him, like He is lucky to have us on-board! WE HAVE FORGOTTEN WHAT WE ARE! [P] [Ephesians 2:11–12 Remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time [P] separate from Christ, [P] excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and [P] strangers to the covenants of promise, (God relates to man by means of covenant. The Mosaic covenant was made with the nation of Israel. No matter how much I admire it and keep it, I am not part of that covenant; because it was made with Israel. It is like me trying to become a U.S. citizen – I may keep every U.S. law there is; but I am still not a citizen) having [P] no hope and [P] without God in the world.] Spiritually out-to-it! Without a hope or possibility of being God’s people. [1 Peter 2:10 for you once were not a people, ] A few verses earlier, Paul had eloquently described what we were: [Ephesians 2:1–3 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Ephesians 2:5 we were dead in our transgressions.] the next verse says “we were helpless”. “Gentile” (“ἔθνος”) the “nations” was a pejorative term, an insult, in a Jewish mouth. They, the Jews, were the special, the chosen, the “people of God”. The rest were the “nations”, the “heathen”; those who did not know God, who did not belong to God, and God did not belong to them. They looked disdainfully on the “uncircumcised” those who were outside of the covenant with God. Gentiles had no part in the covenant, the promises, the blessings; they were excluded. The Israelites knew their history: יהוה called them out of Egypt, formed them into a nation, made a covenant with them and became their God. They were a special people, belonging to God, who had all these blessings that were not for other people. [Romans 3:1–2 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. We don’t get what comes after the “first of all” until: Romans 9:4–5 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ (the Messiah) according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.] They had it all! The Jews of Nazareth reacted against what Jesus was saying. It ran totally contrary to their way of thinking, their preconceived notions of how things are: they were the privileged people, and the rest were out-to-it. And we can have preconceived notions too. So, what was Jesus saying that the lesson of Naaman was? [P] First He drew a lesson from the life of Elijah [P] [Luke 4:25–26 “But I say to you in truth, [P] (Jesus was wanting them to take especial note) there were [P] many widows in [P] Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was [P] sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of [P] Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ] Then He went on to speak about Naaman: [P] [Luke 4:27 “And there were [P] many lepers in [P] Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and [P] none of them was cleansed, but [P] only [P] Naaman the Syrian.”] It is the same point from both stories: there were many in Israel, there was no lack of opportunity! God could have acted on behalf of His own people, cured many lepers, provided for many widows; BUT HE DIDN’T! Elijah was sent to “NONE”! Rather, he was sent to a foreigner, a woman, a widow, a nobody! Praise God, that He sends His help, to nobodies! “NONE” were cleansed but Naaman – a foreigner, a Syrian, the enemy and oppressor of the people of God! [P] And those hearing Jesus didn’t like it! Sometimes we don’t like, and rile against, the sovereignty of God. “Why did He do that? Why did He let my mother die?” We rile against His choice, those He has selected to be our brothers and sisters. If you were God, I doubt if you would have chosen me! The blessings should be for them; and here was God giving it to foreigners, their enemies! How would you react if you were heir of a vast estate, went to the reading of the will; only to find that, the will had been changed at the last moment; and all that you thought that was yours had been given instead to ISIS! To the Jews of Nazareth this was wrong, it was an outrage! They were familiar with the Scriptures, revered the תּוֹרָה; yet here it was saying something that they did not want to hear. They knew the story of Naaman; but they never thought that it meant that what was theirs, was to be given to the Gentiles. But that was the lesson that Jesus plainly drew from these incidents. Jesus was finding something in the Scriptures that they had never seen; and did not want to accept. Recently, in my own quiet-time, I have been looking at the parable of the tenants. You know, the story where a vineyard was rented out but those tending it treated the slaves sent to collect the rent with violence, ending up in killing the son. Jesus’ conclusion was that the tenants would be destroyed and the vineyard given to others. Exactly what Jesus is saying here – that which was Israel’s, would be taken and given to the Gentiles. The people of Nazareth reacted violently against it; and so did the religious leaders when He told that parable. There was provision, sustenance, life given to the widow; there was cleansing, healing, salvation (the blessing that should have been theirs) given to Naaman – both Gentiles. What happens when someone else gets what is yours? You become JEALOUS! This is the lesson that Jesus taught from the story of Naaman: [P] The blessing of God is for the Gentiles! Hallelujah! This is stupendous! We may be accustomed to it; but this was utterly revolutionary! And not a revolution that the people of Nazareth liked! Yet, they could not deny the TRUTH of what Jesus said! What He said was true – it was the record of Scripture. יהוה had ample opportunity to minister in Israel and He chose not to, but to rather minister to Gentiles. They could not get around the truth of it. So, what did they do? They could not argue against what He said, so they got mad! Got angry, tried to kill Him, remove the unacceptable truth by doing away with the messenger. This is what Jews have consistently and persistently done for centuries. As Stephen testified: [Acts 7:52 “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;]. They did not like the plain truth of what God said in His Word. The thing is that God’s ways are not our ways: [P] [Isaiah 55:8–9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares יהוה. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.] Look, if it is something that I can figure out, chances are it is not God’s way! His ways are way beyond what I could figure out! They are deep, mysterious to us. The only way that we can know what they are is by REVELATION! The mystery has to be revealed. When Paul was teaching on this very subject that Jesus was addressing here; at the end, he was so blown away by what God was doing, he said: [Romans 11:33–36 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counsellor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen!] This is a wondrous mystery, [P] but Paul said that it had been revealed to him: [P] [Ephesians 3:3–12 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, (the only way that you will understand what God is doing, is by revelation) as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, (the Jews of Nazareth didn’t get it; but now it has been revealed! Hallelujah!) as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, (so what is this mystery that Paul keeps going on about? He is keeping us on tender-hooks. Here it is!:) that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; (it was hidden, but now has been revealed!) so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church (it is through us that this Divine plan is made known, displayed, in the heavenly realm!) to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose (this was always God’s plan and purpose) which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.] There is the Divine plan! The wonderful mystery, that no one dared to conceive. That we who were totally spiritually-out-to-it have been included in God’s people, heirs along with the Jews, members of Christ’s body, fully partaking in the promises of God! [P] [Romans 9:25–26 As He says also in Hosea, “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’ And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God!”] This is through the Gospel and through faith; and by it, we have boldness and confident access to God Himself! Yes, we know this; but it is stupendous! We can come to God! The Eternal! The Almighty! The utterly pure, the totally holy, absolutely righteous. It is a truly astounding thing! Yes, we know it; but do we? If we did, would we treat is so lightly, be so blasé about it? It is an AWESOME thing to be in the presence of the LIVING GOD! [Hebrews 10:19–25 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean (just as Naaman was cleansed) from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.] When Paul wrote of a “mystery”; [P] it was not something “mysterious,” still less a whodunit. It is a truth or a doctrine which in some measure has been previously kept hidden, and now with the coming of the Gospel has been disclosed and made public. Sometimes the Gospel itself is treated as a mystery; more commonly, some element of the Gospel is labelled a mystery. Paul insists that he enjoys deep insight into “the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit” Then he tells us the content of this mystery: [P] “that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” How was this mystery was hidden? Certainly, the Old Testament Scriptures sometimes anticipate the extension of the grace of God to men and women of all races. The Abrahamic covenant foresaw that in Abraham’s seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed [P] [Genesis 12:3 And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”] And Isaiah had wonderful insights: [P] [Isaiah 49:6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”] Jesus knew His mission: He was to be a Light to the nations. The message is SALVATION to the end of the earth! To the Gentiles. [Isaiah 65:1 “I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I!’ To a nation which did not call on My name.] That is fairly plain, what is hidden about that? Yet the fact remains that the space devoted in the Bible to the Law of Moses, along with the way that Mosaic Law was interpreted, which controlled the reading of much of the Old Testament; ensured that this broader emphasis was often lost to view. So, on the one hand, this hiddenness can be viewed as a careful plan of God to hide the glory of “His eternal purpose” until the time was ripe for it to be unfolded; but, on the other, this hiddenness also owes something to human perversity, reading the Old Testament Scriptures in a way that domesticates and dwarfs the true dimensions of Old Testament promises. We need to be careful of doing that: reading what we want to see in the Bible and conveniently glossing over the bits that don’t suit. And that is where the Jews of Nazareth were at. Even the disciples had difficulty coming to terms with this mystery. Remember the vision Peter had to persuade him to speak to a Gentile. Then he was totally blown away when Cornelius and those with him were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were astounded that Gentiles could have it too! Jesus’ Great Commission stamped the mission of his disciples with an internationalism that shames all parochialism. Above all, Jesus’ understanding of the Old Testament established some new paradigms. Read properly, in its linear, historical sequence, the Old Testament storyline does not lay as much emphasis on the Law of Moses as some thought. Indeed, the Mosaic Covenant turns out to be a failure, in terms of how well it changed people. The Law’s purpose was to show that we failed, not to make us right! To show that we needed a Saviour. To prepare the way for the Messiah. Its brightest success is in providing the models that predict what the ultimate Saviour, the ultimate priest, the ultimate temple, the ultimate sacrifice, would look like. It points to JESUS! Jesus is the ultimate revelation of the mystery. And Paul is the apostle who not only preaches this mystery, but does so to the Gentiles, the people most affected by its content. Ironically though, things have turned full circle: it is accepted that the Gospel is for the Gentiles and the Jews have their own religion. The boot is on the other foot! We need to remember that: [P] [Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.] And Jesus Himself said, to a Gentile: [John 4:22 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.] In fact, our salvation, in the Divine purpose, is designed to bring salvation to the Jews: [Romans 11:11 I say then, they (that is Israel) did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Romans 11:13–14 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow, I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. Romans 11:25–26 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” Romans 11:29–36 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. (mercy is the only way!) [P] Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counsellor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? [P] For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.]

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