ELISHA PROVED THE KING’S ECONOMIC ADVISER WRONG
INTRODUCTION:
It did not start today when people started doubting both God and his servants on earth. But here this man after his doubt on the prophet, he received his judgment instantly from the same man he doubted as he argued to his death.
What do we mean by the word Professor, or Prof? According to Oxford English Dictionary, sixth edition, it means “a university lecturer of the highest rank”. 2. It may also mean “one who is a specialist in a given profession”. Also what do we mean by the word Prophet? It means “One who stands in the Gap between God and man at a particular time in the history and life of a people Ezk. 30.
Once upon a time in the history of Israel, there existed a prophet named Elisha, the servant of Elijah who succeeded him 2kgs 6-7. At a particular time there was famine which swept across the Country, and it reached a stage when two women made an agreement to eat their babies for food. This happened in the days of Elisha as a prophet in Samaria the capital of Israel at that time. And on a day the king of Israel was passing along the way, one of these two women saw the king passing, she cried out “Help O king help”. The king stopped and answered “what airlet thee”, if God could not help thee, neither could I help thee”. This is actually true.
The king supposing that the woman would ask of food because the famine was grievous that way. But the woman opened up by saying a different thing. She said “I and this woman agreed yesterday to kill our babies for food. My baby was killed yesterday and we ate it, and today we should eat her own baby, but she had hid her own baby when I said to her, let us eat your own baby”. King help!.
The king hearing this report was very shocked that the famine had reached this stage of eating babies in Israel? He hurriedly rushed home and sent his economic adviser on food items, a Professor to go and inform the living prophet that his end as a prophet in Israel had come. Because he supposed that the prophet should do something to remedy the situation. At least to pray to God for a solution, but he did nothing instead.
Now on reaching the house of the prophet, he met him and announced to the prophet what the king had sent him for. Then the prophet acknowledging that as the truth also gave his word from the Lord and said, “Thus saith the Lord, about this time tomorrow shall measure of fine flour be sold for a Shekel and two measures of Barley for a Shekel in the gate of Samaria”.
On hearing what the prophet said the economic minister not knowing the way of the Lord, stood there to doubt and to question the prophet saying “If God should make windows in the heaven, might this thing be”? Then the prophet said in return to him “thou shall see it with thy eyes but thou shall not eat of it”. The Professor went home that day. But he never knew that he had been condemned by the prophet. He thought it was just a saying that he would not eat the food no, a judgment of condemnation was handed down on him.
Most of the time people play with God’s servants and go free. They never knew that there are no nonsense servants of God. But did you realize what the Professor said? He did not only doubt the prophet, he insulted God at the same time. He said “If God could make windows in heaven, might these things be”?
That’s the word that insulted God before his servant and God upheld the word of his servant Elisha. This was one the powerful words of Elisha the prophet. When Elisha said to him to go and inform the king of Israel what the Lord said, he wanted to prove his office as an economic minister of the king. But how to say it or how to do it before the servant of God was what he didn’t know. Of course he did not know that God was there with even as he was not seeing him, but his servant knew that very well.
SECULAR KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT EQUATE THE WORD OF GOD:
Elisha as a prophet was speaking the word from his God, for he said “Thus saith the Lord”. Whenever you hear “thus saith the Lord” from his servant, it means that God was speaking through his servant at that time. It is not what a novice will challenge anyhow.
The professor may have thought in his head saying, “Does this man know that he is speaking before a Professor”? Does he think I’m like him without educational knowledge or qualification whatsoever? Does he think that my position as an economic minister of the king is so light? I mean what could prompt this so called prophet to be saying these words before me? Does he know how a crop is planted and how long it will be in the ground before the harvest?
How could he believe that God could throw down fine flour or measures of Barley from heaven? After these considerations he decided to challenge not only the prophet but included impossibility for God. Many times it is so. What a man could not do he believes also that God couldn’t do it. This was actually what the professor thought that made him to insult God. Do you know what I read?
Do you know what my Discipline is? How could you say that to me? I mean, that is very poor of the prophet, at least he should have spoken what is good to the ears and what is manageable. You see, I’m an expert in what you are saying. And there is no way what you are saying could be gotten or become true. At least before you say that, you should have asked me how possible it could be. How can I say that to the king? In fact that would end my job with him.
What we should know is that God does not take excuse from anybody before doing or saying a thing. The Bible says he does what pleases him Isa. 46:9-10. On the next day the Prof came out to see if what the prophet said yesterday would come true. If it was not true he knew how to blaspheme him even before the king. And at about the same time which the prophet said, came four Lepers and sent a message to the king about what they saw at Syria.
The king was somehow not sure, especially as the message came from Lepers. However he sent someone, a spy to go in secret out there, or to verify and report. It was confirmed to be true. The king then sent many people which went and spoiled the camp of Syria that day.
Meanwhile the king appointed the Professor to organize and be in charge or to order how the sharing would be. He forgot that he was condemned to the food and tried to arrange the whole exercise. There was a much gathering and when he tried to control the surging crowed, they pushed the gate with pressure and they pushed him down and did not even remember him.
They killed him there and the word of the prophet was fulfilled which said “Thou shall see it but thou shall not eat it”. It is dangerous to argue or doubt a prophet or a man of God and believe you can go scotch free. Many people have not escaped being dead for arguing with a prophet or especially as it concerns a real man of God. About two hundred and fifty people died in this type of standing against Moses in the wilderness with Korah Num. 16. Don’t withstand a prophet of God or a man of God. If you do you are risking your life.
If this was a thing to get by vote many people would have voted the Professor who may have studied all disciplines to be appointed as “Economic minister of the king of Israel”. But some sharp guys say, they would have begged the prophet at that moment so that he could have changed his word.
But one thing I know is that it is not easy for most people to say sorry, even when they are wrong. Yet the ego of the Professor could not allow him to say sorry to the Prophet of God. This is how it has been even to this present day. And even today people insult men of God and go away with it because of the grace of God. I remember when one of the Apostles asked Jesus if he wanted them to bring down fire from heaven and consume someone who seemed to insult them, Jesus said no saying, “You know not what manner of people you are”. This means we must be very careful with our lips or tongues because our words are powerful to the letter.
That was how the Professor or “the economic minister” of the king died for arguing the man of God Elisha. Therefore we advice that people should not argue or question men of God, especially when they say “Thus says the Lord”. The Professor was told to go and tell the king what God said about what would happen on the morrow or the next day. Instead the Professor would go and send the message to the king, he wanted to make the Prophet know that he was well read.
That he was a Professor of economics or agric minister of the highest Discipline. So that what the Prophet said could not be attained according to economic or Agric law. Again when people do not know God or his acts, they can say anything or even believe that he is a man like them. They also believe that what they could not do, even God could not do it. This at times could be viewed by God as “Contempt”. This economic adviser of the king made an over statement in his doubt. He said, even if God could make windows in heaven, might this thing be”?
This was not to be reasoned with the five senses of man, no, but to be believed as the man of God had said. It was God’s own thing to do. Man should not think that his word could challenge God and go free. The king sent him an errand to the prophet because the famine in the land reached a point that women started eating their babies for food. So the king was touched when he learned about what had happened.
His message to his economic minister was to inform the prophet that about this time tomorrow he would deal with him, since he was there as a prophet in the land and these things were happening.
GIVE HONOR TO WHO HONOR IS DUE:
He expected a good response from the prophet and the prophet also responded in the word of the lord, so what the prophet said was to assure the king about the solution since he recognized his authority as a standing prophet in the land of Israel at that time. Yes the king’s message demanded urgent attention as well as the prophet’s response. But instead of sending the prophet’s message back to the king, he stood to argue and to doubt the prophet.
When the king speaks or gives a command, the people quickly press on to do his word, because they know he could kill them for negligence of his word, but if a man of God says a thing, the people will start to argue it. From the time of Moses people have been standing against God’s servants anyhow. If I’m lying ask Korah and his men about this.
How many people know that it’s not good to stand against or to doubt a man of God? Though there are men of God who messes up themselves, they could be withstood, but not all men of God. When you see a proven man of God, you shouldn’t argue him. This man knew about Elisha very well, even before the period of his doubt.
Elisha had healed Namaan the Syrian General of his leprosy in 2kgs. 5 before here in Chapter 7 where his own took place. He should have known that Elisha was a no nonsense prophet. Therefore hear this now, No man should argue or doubt a true man of God, unless God is leading you to do so. Of course God is not the author of confusion to lead you against a man of God or his servant.
God bless.
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