Prophets and Kings
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 21: Elisha's Closing Ministry
Called to the prophetic office while Ahab was still
reigning, Elisha had lived to see many changes take place in the kingdom of
Israel. Judgment upon judgment had befallen the Israelites during the reign of
Hazael the Syrian, who had been anointed to be the scourge of the apostate
nation. The stern measures of reform instituted by Jehu had resulted in the
slaying of all the house of Ahab. In continued wars with the Syrians, Jehoahaz,
Jehu's successor, had lost some of the cities lying east of the Jordan. For a
time it had seemed as if the Syrians might gain control of the entire kingdom.
But the reformation begun by Elijah and carried forward by Elisha had led many
to inquire after God. The altars of Baal were being forsaken, and slowly yet
surely God's purpose was being fulfilled in the lives of those who chose to
serve Him with all the heart. {PK 254.1}
It was because of His love for erring Israel that God
permitted the Syrians to scourge them. It was because of [255] His
compassion for those whose moral power was weak that He raised up Jehu to slay
wicked Jezebel and all the house of Ahab. Once more, through a merciful
providence, the priests of Baal and of Ashtoreth were set aside and their
heathen altars thrown down. God in His wisdom foresaw that if temptation were
removed, some would forsake heathenism and turn their faces heavenward, and
this is why He permitted calamity after calamity to befall them. His judgments
were tempered with mercy; and when His purpose was accomplished, He turned the
tide in favor of those who had learned to inquire after Him. {PK 254.2}
While influences for good and for evil were striving for the
ascendancy, and Satan was doing all in his power to complete the ruin he had
wrought during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel, Elisha continued to bear his
testimony. He met with opposition, yet none could gainsay his words. Throughout
the kingdom he was honored and venerated. Many came to him for counsel. While
Jezebel was still living, Joram, the king of Israel, sought his advice; and
once, when in Damascus, he was visited by messengers from Benhadad, king of
Syria, who desired to learn whether a sickness then upon him would result in
death. To all the prophet bore faithful witness in a time when, on every hand,
truth was being perverted and the great majority of the people were in open
rebellion against Heaven. {PK
255.1}
And God never forsook His chosen messenger. On one occasion,
during a Syrian invasion, the king of Syria sought to destroy Elisha because of
his activity in apprising the king of Israel of the plans of the enemy. The
Syrian king [256] had taken counsel with his
servants, saying, "In such and such a place shall be my camp." This
plan was revealed by the Lord to Elisha, who "sent unto the king of
Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians
are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God
told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. {PK 255.2}
"Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore
troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will
ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants
said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth
the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber." {PK 256.1}
Determined to make away with the prophet, the Syrian king
commanded, "Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him."
The prophet was in Dothan; and, learning this, the king sent thither
"horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and
compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen
early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and
chariots." {PK 256.2}
In terror Elisha's servant sought him with the tidings.
"Alas, my master!" he said, "how shall we do?" {PK 256.3}
"Fear not," was the answer of the prophet;
"for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." And
then, that the servant might know this for himself, "Elisha prayed, and
said, Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see." "The Lord
opened the eyes of the young [257] man; and he saw: and, behold,
the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."
Between the servant of God and the hosts of armed foemen was an encircling band
of heavenly angels. They had come down in mighty power, not to destroy, not to
exact homage, but to encamp round about and minister to the Lord's weak and
helpless ones. {PK 256.4}
When the people of God are brought into strait places, and
apparently there is no escape for them, the Lord alone must be their
dependence. {PK 257.1}
As the company of Syrian soldiers boldly advanced, ignorant
of the unseen hosts of heaven, "Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said,
Smite this people, I pray Thee, with blindness. And He smote them with
blindness according to the word of Elisha. And Elisha said unto them, This is
not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the
man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. {PK 257.2}
"And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria,
that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the
Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I
smite them? shall I smite them? And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them:
wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with
thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go
to their master. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had
eaten [258]
and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master." See 2 Kings
6. {PK 257.3}
For a time after this, Israel was free from the attacks of
the Syrians. But later, under the energetic direction of a determined king,
Hazael, the Syrian hosts surrounded Samaria and besieged it. Never had Israel
been brought into so great a strait as during this siege. The sins of the
fathers were indeed being visited upon the children and the children's
children. The horrors of prolonged famine were driving the king of Israel to
desperate measures, when Elisha predicted deliverance the following day. {PK 258.1}
As the next morning was about to dawn, the Lord "made
the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses,
even the noise of a great host;" and they, seized with fear, "arose
and fled in the twilight," leaving "their tents, and their horses,
and their asses, even the camp as it was," with rich stores of food. They
"fled for their life," not tarrying until after the Jordan had been
crossed. {PK 258.2}
During the night of the flight, four leprous men at the gate
of the city, made desperate by hunger, had proposed to visit the Syrian camp
and throw themselves upon the mercy of the besiegers, hoping thereby to arouse
sympathy and obtain food. What was their astonishment when, entering the camp,
they found "no man there." With none to molest or forbid, "they
went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold,
and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another
tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. Then they said one to
another, We do not well: this day is [259] a day
of good tidings, and we hold our peace." Quickly they returned to the city
with the glad news. {PK
258.3}
Great was the spoil; so abundant were the supplies that on
that day "a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures
of barley for a shekel," as had been foretold by Elisha the day before.
Once more the name of God was exalted before the heathen "according to the
word of the Lord" through His prophet in Israel. See 2 Kings 7:5-16. {PK 259.1}
Thus the man of God continued to labor from year to year,
drawing close to the people in faithful ministry, and in times of crisis
standing by the side of kings as a wise counselor. The long years of idolatrous
backsliding on the part of rulers and people had wrought their baleful work;
the dark shadow of apostasy was still everywhere apparent, yet here and there
were those who had steadfastly refused to bow the knee to Baal. As Elisha
continued his work of reform, many were reclaimed from heathenism, and these
learned to rejoice in the service of the true God. The prophet was cheered by
these miracles of divine grace, and he was inspired with a great longing to
reach all who were honest in heart. Wherever he was he endeavored to be a
teacher of righteousness. {PK
259.2}
From a human point of view the outlook for the spiritual
regeneration of the nation was as hopeless as is the outlook today before God's
servants who are laboring in the dark places of the earth. But the church of
Christ is God's agency for the proclamation of truth; she is empowered by Him
to do a special work; and if she is loyal to God, obedient to His commandments,
there will dwell within her the excellency of divine power. If she will be true
to her [260]
allegiance, there is no power that can stand against her. The forces of the
enemy will be no more able to overwhelm her than is the chaff to resist the
whirlwind. {PK 259.3}
There is before the church the dawn of a bright, glorious
day, if she will put on the robe of Christ's righteousness, withdrawing from
all allegiance to the world. {PK
260.1}
God calls upon His faithful ones, who believe in Him, to
talk courage to those who are unbelieving and hopeless. Turn to the Lord, ye
prisoners of hope. Seek strength from God, the living God. Show an unwavering,
humble faith in His power and His willingness to save. When in faith we take
hold of His strength, He will change, wonderfully change, the most hopeless,
discouraging outlook. He will do this for the glory of His name. {PK 260.2}
So long as Elisha was able to journey from place to place
throughout the kingdom of Israel, he continued to take an active interest in
the upbuilding of the schools of the prophets. Wherever he was, God was with
him, giving him words to speak and power to work miracles. On one occasion
"the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we
dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and
take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may
dwell." 2 Kings 6:1, 2. Elisha went with them to Jordan, encouraging them
by his presence, giving them instruction, and even performing a miracle to aid
them in their work. "As one was felling a beam, the axhead fell into the
water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man
of God said, Where fell it? [261] And he showed him the place. And
he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore
said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it." Verses
5-7. {PK 260.3}
So effectual had been his ministry and so widespread his
influence that, as he lay upon his deathbed, even the youthful King Joash, an
idolater with but little respect for God, recognized in the prophet a father in
Israel, and acknowledged that his presence among them was of more value in time
of trouble than the possession of an army of horses and chariots. The record
reads: "Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And
Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said,
O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."
2 Kings 13:14. {PK 261.1}
To many a troubled soul in need of help the prophet had
acted the part of a wise, sympathetic father. And in this instance he turned
not from the godless youth before him, so unworthy of the position of trust he
was occupying, and yet so greatly in need of counsel. God in His providence was
bringing to the king an opportunity to redeem the failures of the past and to
place his kingdom on vantage ground. The Syrian foe, now occupying the
territory east of the Jordan, was to be repulsed. Once more the power of God
was to be manifested in behalf of erring Israel. {PK 261.2}
The dying prophet bade the king, "Take bow and
arrows." Joash obeyed. Then the prophet said, "Put thine hand upon
the bow." Joash "put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon
the king's hands. And he said, [262] Open the window eastward"—toward
the cities beyond the Jordan in possession of the Syrians. The king having
opened the latticed window, Elisha bade him shoot. As the arrow sped on its
way, the prophet was inspired to say, "The arrow of the Lord's
deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the
Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them." {PK 261.3}
And now the prophet tested the faith of the king. Bidding
Joash take up the arrows, he said, "Smite upon the ground." Thrice
the king smote the ground, and then he stayed his hand. "Thou shouldest
have smitten five or six times," Elisha exclaimed in dismay; "then
hadst thou smitten Syria [263] till thou hadst consumed it:
whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." 2 Kings 13:15-19. {PK 262.1}
The lesson is for all in positions of trust. When God opens
the way for the accomplishment of a certain work and gives assurance of
success, the chosen instrumentality must do all in his power to bring about the
promised result. In proportion to the enthusiasm and perseverance with which
the work is carried forward will be the success given. God can work miracles
for His people only as they act their part with untiring energy. He calls for
men of devotion to His work, men of moral courage, with ardent love for souls,
and with a zeal that never flags. Such workers will find no task too arduous,
no prospect too hopeless; they will labor on, undaunted, until apparent defeat
is turned into glorious victory. Not even prison walls nor the martyr's stake
beyond, will cause them to swerve from their purpose of laboring together with
God for the upbuilding of His kingdom. {PK 263.1}
With the counsel and encouragement given Joash, the work of
Elisha closed. He upon whom had fallen in full measure the spirit resting upon
Elijah, had proved faithful to the end. Never had he wavered. Never had he lost
his trust in the power of Omnipotence. Always, when the way before him seemed
utterly closed, he had still advanced by faith, and God had honored his
confidence and opened the way before him. {PK 263.2}
It was not given Elisha to follow his master in a fiery
chariot. Upon him the Lord permitted to come a lingering illness. During the
long hours of human weakness and [264] suffering his faith laid fast
hold on the promises of God, and he beheld ever about him heavenly messengers
of comfort and peace. As on the heights of Dothan he had seen the encircling
hosts of heaven, the fiery chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof, so now
he was conscious of the presence of sympathizing angels, and he was sustained.
Throughout his life he had exercised strong faith, and as he had advanced in a
knowledge of God's providences and of His merciful kindness, faith had ripened
into an abiding trust in his God, and when death called him he was ready to
rest from his labors. {PK
263.3}
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His
saints." Psalm 116:15. "The righteous hath hope in his death."
Proverbs 14:32. With the psalmist, Elisha could say in all confidence,
"God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for He shall receive
me." Psalm 49:15. And with rejoicing he could testify, "I know that
my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the
earth." Job 19:25. "As for me, I will behold Thy face in
righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness."
Psalm 17:15. {PK 264.1}
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"Nineveh, That Great City"
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