The prophet Elisha “took up the mantle” from the prophet Elijah after the latter had been taken up by God into heaven, with the former becoming the new spokesperson and representative for God,
13 He (Elisha) also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 2 Kings 2:13 (NKJV)
Elisha followed after the ways of Elijah, “in his spirit”, and duplicated many of Elijah’s miracles – parting the Jordan River as God had done when Israel entered the Promised Land, multiplying a widow’s oil for her to sell when she was in serious financial distress, and raising a woman’s beloved son from the dead.
Elisha also did miracles that Elijah did not do, including feeding a hungry crowd of one hundred from twenty small loaves of barley bread, with leftovers, and healing Naaman the Syrian from his leprosy. Both of these miracles point towards the types of those to be done later, on a much larger scale, by the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Leprosy had been a severe hardship for many of the people of Israel since Moses’ time. He had even left special instructions, given to Him by God, for anyone healed of leprosy to go and show themselves immediately to a priest for examination and purification (Leviticus 13 – 15). The problem was, as far as we know, no one before Naaman had ever been cured of leprosy, so these instructions had gone unused.
Jesus spoke to a crowd in His hometown to Nazareth using the examples of both Naaman and Elisha, and Elijah and the widow, to confront their unbelief. When He did so, rather than be convicted of a lack of faith in their hearts, they tried to kill Him by throwing Him over a rocky cliff. But Jesus walked away, right through their midst. (These cliffs can still be seen today.) As Jesus told them, reading from the gospel of Luke:
25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath… Luke 4:25-28 (NKJV)
Jesus was not shy about telling people a divine truth, especially about their unbelief. He knew that His time to suffer and die had not yet come, and would only happen in the Father’s will. Jesus would then voluntarily lay down His life as a substitutionary sin sacrifice for all believers. With His death and resurrection, believers are able to share in His sacrifice to receive God’s divine gift of a new and eternal life in Christ.
Elisha was a great miracle-working prophet in his own time. And his reputation had spread beyond the borders of Israel. The account of Naaman is testimony to that.
1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 Kings 5:1 (NKJV)
Syria was an enemy of the apostate and idol-worshipping Northern Kingdom of Israel, but the Lord had mercy on their army commander. A young servant girl, who had been captured from Israel, and now serving Naaman’s wife was a woman of great faith. In her kindness and compassion, she spoke up to encourage Naaman to seek out Israel’s prophet, Elisha, for healing. Naaman agreed, and at first, offered great wealth to the king of Israel to obtain this cure. Not being a man of faith, the king of Israel panicked, and thinking that Naaman was scheming to start another war. But Elisha intervened, and sent a messenger to go tell Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River to receive his healing.
Naaman was outraged at what he considered to be an insulting reply. He was not expecting this simple, long distance miracle – he expected the prophet Elisha to come to him and to do an elaborate healing ritual. But again, Naaman’s servants saved the day by encouraging him to just go ahead and do exactly as the prophet had instructed. Naaman finally agreed, and in doing so, experienced a complete deliverance from his leprosy, with his skin now restored to like that of a small child.
The account of Elisha’s healing of Naaman’s leprosy would later become a testimony for people of faith everywhere, preparing them to recognize Jesus Christ as the true Messiah. Jesus would heal many lepers in His ministry, some, like Naaman, at a distance, and others by Him reaching out to touch their diseased skin. God the Father used the miracles of Elisha and Elijah as a demonstration to encourage faith, helping people to overcome unbelief in both the prophets’ time, and later, to testify to the divine authority of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus is still doing miracles today, often done quietly and in the background. Sometimes only the recipients and their families realize that it was God’s hand that delivered them through a health crisis or from other trials and calamities. Many public miracles have also been reported, often by those on the mission field. Friends of mine who were on a short-term mission trip in the remote mountains of South America saw a blind boy receive his sight through the power of prayer. These miracles are given as a testimony of God’s power and love, and to certify Jesus Christ as the True Messiah.
Reflection
Have you or a close friend ever experienced or witnessed a miracle of God in their lives? I have.
Thank You, Father God, that you love and watch over us in Your care today. Open our eyes so that we may see You at work around us, doing miracles, both small and great, to help us and to show us your deep love. Thank You for the many times you have delivered, protected, and healed us from illness or trials. Seal us with Your Holy Spirit that we may safely live out our days in Your joyful service. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 