Sermon Tone Analysis

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?