Wednesday, July 09, 2014
Reading for today: 2 Kings 1—4

In our reading today, we see the mantle of leadership passing from one great prophet to another. Elijah has been taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, a pretty dramatic parting, and then Elisha is given the responsibility of being the messenger of God to a group of people who don’t want to listen. But in the midst of opposition, we see Elisha work great miracles in the ordinary. 

The false god, Baal, worshiped by many Israelites, was the god of rain, fire and farm crops, who also demanded child sacrifices. It is interesting to see how Elisha’s miracles countermand the powers of Baal. By parting the Jordan River, and purifying the spring at Jericho, we see the power of the true God overshadowing this false god. When Elisha multiplies the widow’s oil, when he purifies the stew from poison by using flour, and when he multiples the bread and grain, we see God’s power over farm crops. Likewise, instead of demanding child sacrifices, the one true God, raises a dead child and brings him back to life, demonstrating the value God places on the life of a child. (Do you also recognize any similarities to the miracles performed by Jesus?)

I find it very reassuring also, that each of these miracles took place in the ordinary, everyday lives of God’s people. Why did God choose to provide for this starving widow by multiplying her oil? Why did God purify the stew for a few people? Why did He raise this boy back to life? God works in the everyday, ordinary lives of His people. And what’s even more exciting to me, is the understanding that this same God will work in our lives too.


Blessings
Pastor Kathy