Stayin’ Alive: Sunday Sermonette: Miracle overkill

First, a quick report in regards to the creator. I used to be nonetheless too sick yesterday to do a second submit. As we speak I am on the mend, not coughing any extra however I'm fairly drained and weak. Additionally I am unable to style my meals, every part simply tastes bitter. We'll see the way it goes.

Chapter 4 has Elisha performing 5 completely different miracles, just about at random. Presumably the miracles of Jesus as reported within the gospels are impressed by these and Elijah's miracles — they're variations on a few of these themes. To be God's designee, it's important to do miracles of this nature. Curiously, it isn't the facility of God that does these miracles. Elishah would not should name on God, he is not channeling God's powers, the powers are inherent in him. Notice that that is completely different from earlier miracles, resembling these of Moses and Aaron, during which God will get direct credit score and the people are simply the channel. 

Notice additionally the arbitrary and native nature of those miracles. They do not clear up any larger issues — Elisha would not go to the type and say, “Debt peonage is a foul concept, you need to abolish it.” This specific widow is simply fortunate sufficient to fulfill Elisha who miraculously pays off her money owed so her sons aren't enslaved. Robust shit for everybody else in the identical state of affairs who would not occur to run into Elisha. I am going to have a number of extra feedback alongside the way in which.

4 Now
the spouse of one of many sons of the prophets cried to Eli′sha, “Your
servant my husband is lifeless; and you recognize that your servant feared the Lord, however the creditor has come to take my two youngsters to be his slaves.” ² And
Eli′sha mentioned to her, “What shall I do for you? Inform me; what have you ever
in the home?” And he or she mentioned, “Your maidservant has nothing in the home,
besides a jar of oil.” ³ Then he mentioned, “Go outdoors, borrow vessels of all of your neighbors, empty vessels and never too few. ⁴ Then
go in, and shut the door upon your self and your sons, and pour into all
these vessels; and when one is full, set it apart.” ⁵ So she went from him and shut the door upon herself and her sons; and as she poured they introduced the vessels to her. ⁶ When
the vessels have been full, she mentioned to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”
And he mentioned to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped
flowing. ⁷ She
got here and informed the person of God, and he mentioned, “Go, promote the oil and pay
your money owed, and also you and your sons can stay on the remainder.”

⁸ One
day Eli′sha went on to Shunem, the place a rich lady lived, who urged
him to eat some meals. So every time he handed that manner, he would flip in
there to eat meals. ⁹ And he or she mentioned to her husband, “Behold now, I understand that this can be a holy man of God, who's frequently passing our manner. ¹⁰ Let
us make a small roof chamber with partitions, and put there for him a mattress, a
desk, a chair, and a lamp, in order that every time he involves us, he can go
in there.”

¹¹ In the future he got here there, and he was the chamber and rested there. ¹² And he mentioned to Geha′zi his servant, “Call this Shu′nammite.” When he had known as her, she stood earlier than him. ¹³ And
he mentioned to him, “Say now to her, See, you've got taken all this hassle
for us; what's to be performed for you? Would you've got a phrase spoken in your
behalf to the king or to the commander of the military?” She answered, “I
dwell amongst my very own folks.” ¹⁴ And he mentioned, “What then is to be done for her?” Geha′zi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ He mentioned, “Call her.” And when he had known as her, she stood within the doorway. ¹⁶ And
he mentioned, “At this season, when the time comes spherical, you shall embrace a
son.” And he or she mentioned, “No, my lord, O man of God; don't misinform your
maidservant.” ¹⁷ However the lady conceived, and she or he bore a son about that point the next spring, as Eli′sha had mentioned to her.

It is a private favor Elisha does for the lady as a result of she gave him a crash pad. That is is.

¹⁸ When the kid had grown, he went out sooner or later to his father among the many reapers. ¹⁹ And he mentioned to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The daddy mentioned to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ And when he had lifted him, and introduced him to his mom, the kid sat on her lap until midday, after which he died. ²¹ And he or she went up and laid him on the mattress of the person of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. ²² Then
she known as to her husband, and mentioned, “Ship me one of many servants and
one of many asses, that I'll shortly go to the person of God, and are available again
once more.” ²³ And he mentioned, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.” She mentioned, “It will be well.” ²⁴ Then she saddled the ass, and she or he mentioned to her servant, “Urge the beast on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she set out, and got here to the person of God at Mount Carmel.

When the person of God noticed her coming, he mentioned to Geha′zi his servant, “Look, yonder is the Shu′nammite; ²⁶ run
directly to fulfill her, and say to her, Is it nicely with you? Is it nicely
together with your husband? Is it nicely with the kid?” And he or she answered, “It's
nicely.” ²⁷ And
when she got here to the mountain to the person of God, she caught maintain of his
ft. And Geha′zi got here to thrust her away. However the man of God mentioned,
“Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress; and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.” ²⁸ Then she mentioned, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?” ²⁹ He
mentioned to Geha′zi, “Gird up your loins, and take my employees in your hand,
and go. In the event you meet anybody, don't salute him; and if anybody salutes
you, don't reply; and lay my employees upon the face of the kid.” ³⁰ Then the mom of the kid mentioned, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he arose and adopted her. ³¹ Geha′zi
went on forward and laid the employees upon the face of the kid, however there
was no sound or signal of life. Due to this fact he returned to fulfill him, and
informed him, “The child has not awaked.”

³² When Eli′sha got here into the home, he noticed the kid mendacity lifeless on his mattress. ³³ So he went in and shut the door upon the 2 of them, and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then
he went up and lay upon the kid, placing his mouth upon his mouth,
his eyes upon his eyes, and his fingers upon his fingers; and as he
stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the kid turned heat. ³⁵ Then
he bought up once more, and walked as soon as backward and forward in the home, and went up,
and stretched himself upon him; the kid sneezed seven instances, and the
youngster opened his eyes. ³⁶ Then
he summoned Geha′zi and mentioned, “Call this Shu′nammite.” So he known as
her. And when she got here to him, he mentioned, “Take up your son.” ³⁷ She got here and fell at his ft, bowing to the bottom; then she took up her son and went out.

The journeys forwards and backwards would have taken about 4 days. The boy should have been fairly ripe by the tie Elisha lay down on him.

Elisha Purifies the Pot of Stew

³⁸ And
Eli′sha got here once more to Gilgal when there was a famine within the land. And
because the sons of the prophets have been sitting earlier than him, he mentioned to his
servant, “Set on the nice pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the
prophets.” ³⁹ One
of them went out into the sphere to collect herbs, and located a wild vine
and gathered from it his lap full of untamed gourds, and got here and reduce them
up into the pot of pottage, not figuring out what they have been. ⁴⁰ And
they poured out for the boys to eat. However whereas they have been consuming of the
pottage, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” And
they might not eat it. ⁴¹ He
mentioned, “Then bring meal.” And he threw it into the pot, and mentioned, “Pour
out for the boys, that they might eat.” And there was no hurt within the pot.

Elisha Feeds One Hundred Males

⁴² A
man got here from Ba′al-shal′ishah, bringing the person of God bread of the
first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and recent ears of grain in his
sack. And Eli′sha mentioned, “Give to the men, that they may eat.” ⁴³ However
his servant mentioned, “How am I to set this before a hundred men?”So he
repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” ⁴⁴ So he set it earlier than them. They usually ate, and had some left, in keeping with the phrase of the Lord.

This in fact is a miracle roughly precisely carried out by Jesus.