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Elisha - A Double Portion
by Pastor Ronald Boelte
Elisha's name means "my God is salvation". He became the
successor to Elijah. His ministry would be from the last days of King's
Ahab's rule and he would serve faithfully as God's prophet through the
rule of Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu, Jahoahaz, and Jehoash of Israel.
He witnessed the taking of Elijah by God in the fiery chariot and received
a double portion of Elijah's spirit from God. Taking up the mantle that
had been dropped by Elijah, he would part the Jordan River, proving to the
prophetic order that Elijah's spirit was in him.
His reputation soon made a sacred aura around him and harassment by some
young men merited severe punishment by God as seen in 2 Kings 2:23-24.
Many of the stories that the Bible reveals about Elisha's ministry are
about his miracles. Elisha made bad water wholesome, he provided enough
oil for a widow to save her and her children from slavery, he made a
poisonous pottage edible, fed a hundred men by multiplying limited
resources, provided water for a thirsty army, and made a iron ax head
float. However, his best known miracles are the story of Naaman the leper,
the raising of the Shunammite woman's son from the dead, and the blinding
of the Syrian solders and the divine intervention that foiled their attack
on Israel.
His miracles did not end after his death for when a dead man was thrown
into Elisha's grave and touched his bones the dead man was revived and
stood on his feet.
Elisha was powerful enough to perform miracles, and yet sensitive enough
to cry over the fate of Israel. Elisha was the disciple and then the
successor to Elijah, and he was to prove to the people of Israel to be a
prophet and statesmen who was chosen by God to help direct the historical
drama of Israel for almost fifty years.
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