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TOPIC: Pink, Arthur - Gleanings From Elisha (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 11-Seventh Miracle - His Mother's Faith
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SEVENTH MIRACLE-HIS MOTHER'S FAITH
Chapter 11
In the last chapter we dwelt, first, upon the occasion of this miracle,
namely, the death of the "great woman's" son. Second, we considered the
mystery of it. To all appearances, the child had been quite well and full
of life in the morning, yet by noon he was a corpse. In this case such a
disaster was doubly inexplicable, for the son had been given to her by
the divine bounty because of the kindness she had shown to one of God's
servants; and now, to carnal reason, it looked as though He was dealing
most unkindly with her. Furthermore, the wonder-working power of God had
been engaged in bestowing a son upon her, and now this miracle was
neutralized by his suddenly being snatched away. Third, we expanded upon
its expectation. It is inexpressibly blessed to behold how this stricken
mother reacted to the seeming catastrophe; throughout the whole narrative
it is made evident that she regarded this affliction as a trial of her
faith, and grandly did her confidence in God triumph over it.
Fourth, the Means of the Miracle
"Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine
hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any
salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the
child" (2Ki_4:29). Some think the prophet believed that the child was
only in a swoon. Yet we can hardly conceive of the mother leaving the boy
under such circumstances; rather she would have sent a message by one of
her servants. Nor is it likely that Elisha's instructions to the servant
would be so peremptorily expressed if such had been the case. Matthew
Henry says "I know not what to make of this." Another of the Puritans
suggests that, "It was done out of pure conceit, and not by Divine
instinct, and therefore it failed of the effect." Thomas Scott
acknowledged, "It is difficult to determine what the prophet meant by
thus sending Gehazi." He had divided Jordan by using Elijah's mantle, and
perhaps he thought that the prophet's design was to teach Gehazi a much
needed lesson. However, this much seems clear from the incident: no
servant of God should delegate to another that which it is his own duty
to do.
"And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul
liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her" (2 Kings
4:30). It is clear from her words that, whatever was or was not the
prophet's design in ordering his servant to hurry to where the child lay,
she regarded his action as another testing of her faith. She evidently
had no confidence in Gehazi, or in Elisha's staff as such. She was not to
be put off in this way. Her language was both impressive and emphatic,
signifying, "I swear that I will not return home unless you come with me.
The situation is desperate; my expectation is in you, Elisha, as the
Lord's ambassador, and I refuse to take any no." Here we behold the
boldness and perseverance of her faith. Whether there was any
unwillingness on Elisha's part to set out on this journey, or whether he
was only putting her to the test, we cannot be sure; but such earnestness
and importunity won the day and now stirred the prophet to action.
"And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of
the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went
again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked" (2
Kings 4:31). Young's concordance gives "denier" as the meaning of the
name Gehazi. If the various references made to him are carefully compared
it will be seen that his character and conduct were all alike and in
keeping with his name.
Why Elisha should have had such a man for his personal attendant we know
not; yet in view of there being a Judas in the disciples, we need not be
unduly surprised. First, we see him seeking to officiously thrust away
the poor mother when she cast herself at his master's feet (2 Kings
4:27). Here we note the absence of prayer unto the Lord, and the
nonsuccess of his efforts. Later, we find him giving expression to
selfish unbelief, a complete lack of confidence in the power of Elisha (2
Kings 4:43). Finally, his avarice masters him and he lies to Naaman, and
is stricken with leprosy for his deception (2Ki_5:20-27). Thus in the
verse before us, we have a picture of the unavailing efforts of an
unregenerate minister, and his failure made manifest to others.
"And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead,
laid upon his bed" (2Ki_4:32). In previous paragraphs we have dwelt
much upon the remarkable faith of the child's mother. Yet we must not
allow it to so occupy our attention as to obscure the faith of the
prophet, for his was equally great. It was no ordinary demand which was
now made upon him, and only one who was intimately acquainted with God
would have met it as he did. The death of this child was not only quite
unexpected by him, but must have seemed bewilderingly strange. Yet though
he was in the dark as to the reason of this calamity, he refused to
accept it as final. The mother had taken her stand upon the divine bounty
and kindness, expecting an outcome in keeping with God's grace toward
her, and no doubt the prophet now reasoned in the same way. Though he had
never before been faced with such a desperate situation, he knew that
with God all things are possible. The very fact that the dead child had
been placed upon his bed was a direct challenge to his faith, and nobly
did he meet it.
"He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto
the LORD" (2Ki_4:33). We are not quite clear whether "them twain"
refers to himself and the child or to the mother, and Gehazi, who had
most probably accompanied him; but whichever it was, his action in
closing the door denoted his desire for privacy. The prophet practiced
what he preached to others. In the miracle recorded at the beginning of
chapter four, Elisha had bidden the widow "shut the door upon" herself
and her sons (2Ki_4:4) so as to avoid ostentation, and here Elisha
follows the same course. Moreover, he was about to engage the Lord in
most urgent and special prayer, and that is certainly something which
calls for aloneness with God. The minister of the gospel needs to be much
on his guard on this point, precluding everything which savors of
advertising his piety like the Pharisees did (see Mat_6:5-6). Here,
then, was the means of this miracle: the unfaltering faith of the mother
and now the faith of the prophet, expressed in prayer unto his
Master-acknowledging his own helplessness, humbly but trustfully
presenting the need to Him, counting upon His almighty power and goodness.
Fifth, the Procedure of the Miracle
"And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his
mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes,... and the flesh of the child waxed
warm" (2Ki_4:34). The means used by the prophet and the policy he
followed are so closely linked together that they merge into one another
without any break, the faith of Elisha finding expression in prayer.
Considering the extraordinary situation here, how that act of the
prophet's serves to demonstrate that he was accustomed to count upon God
in times of emergency, to look for wondrous blessings from Him in
response to his supplications. He was fully persuaded nothing was too
hard for Jehovah and therefore no petition too large to present unto him.
The more faith looks to the infinite power and all-sufficiency of the One
with whom it has to do, the more is He honored. Next, the prophet
stretched himself on the body of the little one, which was expressive of
his deep affection for him and his intense longing for the lad's
restoration, as though he would communicate his own life and thereby
revive him.
Those who are familiar with the life and miracles of Elijah will at once
be struck with the likeness between Elisha's actions here and the conduct
of his predecessor on a similar occasion. In fact so close is the
resemblance between them, it is evident the one was patterned after that
of the other-showing how closely the man of God must keep to the
scripture model if he would be successful in the divine service. First,
Elijah had taken the lifeless child of the Zarephath widow, carried him
upstairs, and laid him on his own bed, thereby preventing any human eyes
from observing what transpired. Next, he "cried unto the Lord" and then
"he stretched himself upon the child" (1Ki_17:19-21). In addition to
what had been pointed out in the previous paragraph, we believe this
stretching of the prophet on the one for whom he prayed signified an act
of identification, and it was a proof that he was putting his whole soul
into the work of supplication. If we are to prevail in interceding for
another, we must make his or her case ours, taking his need or burden
upon our own spirit, and then spreading it before God.
"Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro" (2Ki_4:35).
Let it be noted that even the prayer of an Elisha did not meet with an
immediate and full answer. Why then should we be so soon disheartened
when heaven appears to be tardy in responding to our crying! God is
sovereign in this, as in everything else; by this we mean that He does
not deal uniformly with us. Sometimes our request is answered
immediately, at the first time of asking, but often He calls for
perseverance and persistence, requiring us to wait patiently for Him. We
have seen how many rebuffs the faith of the mother met with, and now the
faith of the prophet is tested too. It is true that he had been granted
an encouragement by the waxing warm of the child's body-as the Lord is
pleased to often give us "a token for good" (Psa_86:17) before the full
answer is received; but as yet there was no sign of returning
consciousness, and the form of the little one still lay silent and inert
before him. And that also has been recorded for our instruction.
"Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and
stretched himself upon him" (2Ki_4:35). This pacing up and down seems
to denote a measure of mental perturbation, for the prophets were
"subject to like passions as we are" (Jam_5:17) and compassed with the
same infirmities. But even if Elisha was now at his wit's end, he did not
give way to despair and regard the situation as hopeless. No, he
continued clinging to Him who is the giver of every good and perfect
gift, and again stretched himself upon the child. Let us take this
important lesson to heart and put it into practice, for it is at this
point so many fail. It is the perseverance of faith which wins the day
(see Mat_7:7).
Scott has pointed out,
It is instructive to compare the manner in which Elijah and Elisha
wrought their miracles, especially in raising the dead, with that of
Jesus Christ. Every part of their conduct expressed a consciousness of
inability and an entire dependence upon Another, and earnest supplication
for His intervention; but Jesus wrought by His own power: He spake, and
it was done: "Young man, I say unto thee arise; Talitha cumi; Lazarus
come forth."
In all things He has the preeminence.
Sixth, the Marvel of the Miracle
The marvel of this was nothing less than the quickening of the child, the
restoring of "a dead body to life" (2Ki_8:5). After the prophet had
again stretched himself upon the child, we are told that "the child
sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes" (2Ki_4:35). See
how ready God is to respond to the exercise of real faith in Himself! In
this case neither the mother nor the prophet had any definite or even
indefinite promise they could plead, for the Lord had not said the child
should be preserved in health or recovered if he fell ill. But though
they had no promise, they laid hold of the known character of God. Since
He had given the child unasked, Elisha did not believe He would now
withdraw His gift and leave his benefactress worse off than she was
before. Elisha knew that with the Lord there is "no variableness, neither
shadow of turning" (Jam_1:17), and he clung to that. True, it makes
prayer easier when there is some specific promise we can claim, yet it is
a higher order of faith that lays hold of God Himself.
There was no promise that God would pardon a penitent murderer, and no
sacrifice was appointed for such a sin, yet David appealed not in vain to
the multitude of His tender mercies (Psa_51:1).
"And the child opened his eyes" (2Ki_4:35). See what a
prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God is ours! Hopeless as our case may be
so far as all human aid is concerned, it is not too hard for the Lord.
But we must "ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like
a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed," and therefore is it
added, "Let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the
Lord" (Jam_1:6-7). No, rather it is the one who declares with Jacob, "I
will not let thee go, except thou bless me" (Gen_32:26) who obtains his
request. What must have been Elisha's delight when he saw the child
revive and obtained this further experience of God's grace in answer to
his petition, delivering him from his grief! How great must have been his
joy as he called for Gehazi and bade him summon the mother, and when he
said to her, "Take up thy son!" Blessed is it to behold her silent
gratitude-too full for words-as she "fell at his feet," and in worship to
God, "bowed herself to the ground." Then, she "took up her son, and went
out" (2Ki_4:37), to get alone with God and pour out her heart in
thanksgiving to Him.
Seventh, the Meaning of the Miracle
Some help is obtained here by noting that this passage opens with the
connective conjunction (2Ki_4:18). That "And" not only intimates the
continuity of the narrative and notes a striking contrast between the two
principal divisions of it, but it also indicates there is an intimate
relation between them. As we have pointed out on previous occasions, the
word "and" is used in Scripture sometimes with the purpose of linking two
things together, but at other times with the object of placing two
objects or incidents in juxtaposition in order to display the contrasts
between them. In the present instance it appears to be used for both
reasons. As we hope to show, light is thrown on the typical significance
of this miracle by carefully noting how it is immediately linked to the
one preceding it. When we look at the respective incidents described, we
are at once struck with the antitheses presented. In the former we behold
Elisha journeying to Shunem; in the latter it is the woman who goes to
him herself. First, it was the woman befriending the prophet; here he is
seen befriending her. Previously a son is miraculously given to her; in
this he is taken away.
The typical meaning of that does not appear on the surface, and therefore
it will not be a simple matter for us to make it clear to the reader.
Only the regenerate will be able to follow us intelligently, for they
alone have experienced spiritually that which is here set forth
figuratively. That which is outstanding in this incident is the
mysteriousness of it: that a child should be miraculously given to this
woman, and then that the hand of death should be laid upon him! That was
not only a sore trial to the poor mother, but a most perplexing
providence. To carnal reason it seemed as though God was mocking her. But
is there not also something equally tragic, equally baffling, in the
experience of the Christian? In the previous miracle we were shown a
picture of the fruit of redemption, and here death appears to be written
on that fruit. Ah, my reader, let it be clearly understood that we are as
dependent upon God for the maintenance of that fruit as we were for the
actual gift of it.
And what is the "fruit of redemption" as it applies to the individual?
From the side which looks Godward: reconciliation, justification,
sanctification, preservation. But from the selfward side, what a list
might be drawn up. Peace, joy, assurance, fellowship with God and His
people, delight in His Word, liberty in prayer, separation from the
world, affections set upon things above. Oh the inexpressible sweetness
of our "espousals" (Jer_2:2) and of our "first love" (Rev_2:4). But, in
many cases, how soon is that joy dampened and that love is left! How
wretched then is the soul; like Rachel mourning for her children, we
refused to be comforted. How sore the perplexity! How Satan seeks to take
advantage and persuade such an one that God has ceased to be gracious.
How strange that such a blight should have fallen upon the fruit of the
spirit! How deeply mysterious the deadness which now rests upon the
garden of God's planting, causing the soul to say with the poet,
Where is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord;
Where is the soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus and His Word?
What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still,
But now I feel an aching void
The world can never fill.
Yes, it does indeed seem inexplicable that the child of God's own
workmanship should pine away, and in a sense, lie cold and lifeless. Ah,
but we must not stop there. We must not sit down in despair and conclude
that all is lost. The incident before us does not end at that point; the
death of the child was not the final thing! There is "good hope" for us
here, important instruction to heed. That "great woman" did not give away
to dejection and assume that all hope was gone. Very far from it. And if
the Christian who is aware of spiritual decays, of languishing graces, of
his dire need of being renewed in the inner man, would experience a
gracious reviving, then he should emulate this mother and do as she did.
And again we would point out that she did not faint in the day of trouble
and indulge in self-pity; she did not bemoan her helplessness and say,
What can I do in the presence of death? And if she did not, why should
you!
Mark attentively what this stricken woman did. (1) She regarded this
inexplicable and painful event as a testing of her faith, and she acted
accordingly. (2) She moved promptly. Without delay she carried the child
upstairs and laid him on the prophet's bed, in anticipation of the Lord's
showing Himself strong on her behalf. (3) She vigorously bestirred
herself, going to some trouble in order to obtain relief, starting out on
an arduous journey. (4) She refused to be deterred when her own husband
half-discouraged her. (5) She sought the One who had promised the son in
the first instance. The soul must turn to God and cry "quicken thou me
according to thy word" (Psa_119:25). (6) She clung to the original
promise and refused to believe that God had ceased to be gracious (2
Kings 4:28). (7) She declined to be put off by the unavailing
intervention of an unregenerate minister (2Ki_4:29-30). (8) She
persisted in counting upon the power of Elisha, who was to her the
representative of God. And gloriously was her faith rewarded.
Regarding the illustrative value of this miracle in connection with
Elisha himself, it teaches us the following points. (1) The servant of
God must not be surprised if those in whose conversion he has been
instrumental should later experience a spiritual decay, especially when
he is absent from them. (2) If he would be used to their restoration, no
half measures will avail, nor may he entrust the work to a delegate. (3)
Believing, expectant, fervent prayer, must be his first recourse. (4) In
seeking to revive a languishing soul, he must descend to the level of the
one to whom he ministers (2Ki_4:34) and not stand as on some
pedestal, as though he were a superior being. (5) He must not be
discouraged because there is not an immediate and complete response to
his efforts, but should persevere. (6) No cold and formal measures will
suffice; he must throw himself into this work heart and soul. (7) The
order of recovery was: renewed circulation (2Ki_4:34), sneezing, eyes
opened. We can draw a three-fold application here for the steps of
spiritual renewal: the affections warmed, the head cleared (understanding
restored), vision.
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