Faith in an Age of Unbelief: Elijah and Elisha PART V
Rev. John Lin
2 August 2015
2Kings 4:1-7; Luke 4:14-30
The Widow's Olive Oil
4:1The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves."
2Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?"
"Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a small jar of olive oil."
3Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few.
4Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side."
5She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one."
But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing.
7She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, You and your sons can live on what is left."
4:14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.
23Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself!' And you will tell me, 'Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'"
24"Truly I tell you," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shy for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian."
28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
REALITY OF POVERTY
--Patriarchal structure
--People were economically and socially vulnerable.
--Not just a lack of money, but people were often socially isolated.
GOD'S PROMISE TO THE POOR
--Miracles show what God promised to do.
--Widow sees how God provides (not a grand miracle)
--Miracle was regular and methodical.
--V.3 allowed her a way to connect with her community.
--Both the widow and Naaman were spiritually impoverished even though one was rich and the other poor.
--Mary and Joseph were very poor--no future for their son.
--Hebrews--Jesus pays the debt to set us all free.
RESTORATION OF THE POOR
--Invitation to a life of generosity
--Give so that we live like we're poor.
--Lord's table are for those that hunger and thirst--removing our alienation.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
The Call of Elisha
Faith in an Age of Unbelief: Elijah and Elisha PART IV
Rev. Ed Sirya
26 July 2015
1Kings 19:15-21; 2Kings 2:9-15
19:15The Lord said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him."
The Call of Elisha
19So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20Elsiha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye," he said, "and then I will come to you."
"Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?"
21So Elisha left him and went back. He took is yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
2:9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
10"You have asked a difficult think," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours--otherwise, it will not."
11As they were walking and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
13Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. "Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
15The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting of Elisha." And they went to meet ham and bowed to the ground before him.
NEED FOR CALLING
--So many choices in our world.
--So much to live with, so what do we live for?
--Amount of success never leads to significance.
REALITY OF CALLING
--Elisha was from a rich family.
--Elijah gives him his cloak.
--Find something so valuable in God that we risk everything.
--Our primary calling is to be new people in Jesus Christ--sacrifice and centered on God.
Rev. Ed Sirya
26 July 2015
1Kings 19:15-21; 2Kings 2:9-15
19:15The Lord said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him."
The Call of Elisha
19So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20Elsiha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye," he said, "and then I will come to you."
"Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?"
21So Elisha left him and went back. He took is yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
2:9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
10"You have asked a difficult think," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours--otherwise, it will not."
11As they were walking and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
13Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. "Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
15The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting of Elisha." And they went to meet ham and bowed to the ground before him.
NEED FOR CALLING
--So many choices in our world.
--So much to live with, so what do we live for?
--Amount of success never leads to significance.
REALITY OF CALLING
--Elisha was from a rich family.
--Elijah gives him his cloak.
--Find something so valuable in God that we risk everything.
--Our primary calling is to be new people in Jesus Christ--sacrifice and centered on God.
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