2 Kings 4: The Miracles of Elisha

In 1 Kings 4, we get a small glimpse of the great miracles of Elisha. For those of you who are unaware of who Elisha is, he was a great and mighty prophet of the Lord who proceeded Elijah, his mentor. Although Elijah had done many marvelous things, Elisha arguably did even more. This morning we take a short look at a small handful of these things, and consider what they have to do with us today.

In 1 Kings 4, we find not one, not two, not three, but five mysterious miracles that Elisha performed. Relying on the power and might of his God, Elisha provided oil for a widow, a son for a widow, a resurrection for a dead son, purified stew when it was originally poisoned, and food when it was needed. We don't have time to look into all of these great miracles in-depth, but I encourage you to go and read them for yourself in 2 Kings 4. Each of them has phenomenal stories attached to them, all which point to the glory and majesty of our God.

Yet amidst all of these stories (which you have just gone and read, right?), interestingly enough, Elisha is rarely referred to as Elijah, but as the "man of God." Quite an interesting yet marvelous title, is it not? Yet this title is certainly tied to his marvelous miracles. Though the answer may be obvious, let us ask ourselves for a moment: why did any of the other prophets in that day not do any miracles? Ultimately because there were not true men of God. They may have claimed to be prophets, but they were false prophets. Yet amidst all of the chaos, there was a man who triumphed over the false wisdom of this world, and he was called a man of God.

This "man of God" idea is central to finding our application of these miracles this morning. Read what one commentator says in summarizing the application of this chapter: "Be a man [or woman] of God and God will give you His work to do. He who has power from God to satisfy the deepest needs of man will never [have a shortage of] applicants." Read that statement again. It is certainly true, is it not? And Elisha gave us a great example of it. From raising widows' sons to providing bread in a barren land, Elisha did great and wonderful things for the plan of God all because he was a man of God who was focused on his Lord.

In application today, let us ask ourselves: How is God using me? If you were to take some time to look back upon the last seven days of your life, what practical ways can you see that God has used you? Have you shared the Gospel with a coworker? Invited an elderly lady in your church over for dinner? Offered to go above and beyond at work to help out your boss? Have you involved yourself in Bible studies at church, or offered to volunteer? Now, let me be clear: none of these things are things that get you to heaven, but these are fruits of salvation. For Elisha, working for the Lord looked like performing miracles, all of which pointed people to the Lord. Although our work for God may not look like raising the dead or creating oil out of thin air, the Lord does have work for us to do. The question is whether we will be diligent men and women of God, or whether we will neglect our God-given responsibility to bear fruit for his name.