Elisha

by J. Miller | Category: Voices From The Past - Extracted From Jottings | Mar 1982

The first miracle of Elisha may be taken as indicating the character of the ministry of this great prophet of the Lord to the ten tribes, just as the first miracle of the Lord shows that He had come as the Christ, the enriching One. Human resources were at an end, but when that time came the Lord was present. He stepped in and gave His best, when men, had they had aught to give, would have given their worst. He gave them wine for water, the life-blood of the grape, but He did not end at that; in due time He gave His own precious blood because it was in His heart to give.

The first miracle of Elisha was done not for one individual but for a city, for people who lived in community life, having responsibility to each other as well as to God. The city was one which is well-known to readers of the Bible, namely, Jericho, the city of palm trees. It was excellently situated, a fact which could be seen by all, but alas, the land miscarried; it brought no fruit to perfection. Even the most promising year ended in failure. There was always plenty of blossom, but no ripe fruit, for when the fruit was formed then disaster came, for it fell before it was ripe. What was wrong? The water supply was the cause of the trouble - "the water is naught" the men of the city said.

Many lives which once showed promise of fruitfulness have ended their earthly season of fruitfulness and service for God and man disastrously, and assemblies too (for Jericho would typify not so much the individual as that which is collective in character) may be unfruitful. Why? because the ministry so vital to an assembly's well-being, seen in the water, is not of that spiritual, life-giving sort; such a ministry is lacking. There needs to be more corrective applied if there is to be neither death nor miscarrying. We need a new cruse and salt therein.

Where is the man with Elijah's mantle and the new cruse with the salt that will dare to cast the salt into the water to heal them? Verily we as God's children and people need a corrective ministry. It will not turn the world upside down, but it will heal and bless those who want healing and blessing. It will be an Elisha's ministry, who in his time went about doing good, like the Greater than he.

J. Miller | Mar 1982
Voices From The Past - Extracted From Jottings