Peter Misselbrook's Blog
Jun 28 2019 - 2 Kings 4:1-37 – Widow's oil and a son raised

During the drought in the time of Elijah, the prophet had lodged with a widow and her son in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. In response to Elijah's promise and prayers, her nearly exhausted jar of flour and jug of oil continued to supply the needs of her household until the drought was over. Later, Elijah had raised her son from the dead (see 1 Kings 17). Elisha had been given the same spirit that was at work through Elijah. In today's chapter we see him being the source of similar miraculous aid.

First there is the story of a widow of one of the prophets who is being pursued by creditors who are threatening to take her two sons into slavery. The woman turns to Elisha for help – or perhaps we should say that she turns to God for help through his prophet Elisha. She reminds Elisha of the godly character of her late husband. She has only a small jar of olive oil but, at Elisha's command borrows many empty jars from her neighbours. In faith she fills every jar from her meagre supply. She is then able to sell the oil, pay off her debts and have money left to live on. God had supplied all her needs in answer to her faith and through the power of his Spirit at work through Elisha.

Perhaps we feel that we have neither the power of Elisha nor the faith of this widow. We may feel that we are empty vessels, but we trust in the same God who is unchanging in faithfulness and mercy. He is as able to fill us with his Spirit as he was able to fill those empty pots. He is able to supply all our needs and equip us to serve him.

Then we read of a woman in Shunem who having met and got to know Elisha tells her husband, "I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God" (v.9). What had she heard in Elisha's conversation and seen in his behaviour that caused her to speak so definitely about him? What do those who hear our conversation and see how we live and behave make of us? What do they say to others about us?

The Shunemite woman provided Elisha with a room to stay in whenever he was passing her way. She and her husband had not been able to have children, but at Elisha's word she became pregnant and, in due time, gave birth to a son. A few years later the child was with his father in the fields with the reapers. The child became ill and died but Elisha, through prayer, was able to raise the boy to life again.

Few of us have ever witnessed miracles like these. Many of us have suffered the loss of people whom we have dearly loved – sometimes an untimely loss. We may have longed that they could be restored to us but no amount of our prayer can bring them back.

But the raising of this child to life again by the power of God points us forward to a better known resurrection. The Lord Jesus Christ was a child who owed his birth to a far greater miracle than that experienced by the Shunemite woman. His life was cruelly, and it would seem prematurely, taken from him. But God raised him from the dead. Moreover, his resurrection was not like that of the child in today's reading. That child may have lived to a grand old age but it was only to face death in the end. The Lord Jesus has conquered death and all its terrors.

And we who trust in the Lord Jesus know that even though we may face death – as each of us must if Jesus does not come again in our lifetime – yet we also shall share in his bodily resurrection. We shall share in the glory of his kingdom and be reconciled with those whom we love who have also died trusting in Christ. Death does not have the last word: death also shall die.

Father God, give us the faith that trusts you even when we face disappointment and loss. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the hope we have in him. Fill us with your Spirit that our words, and the character of our lives, may bear testimony to the fact that we know and serve the living God. May we also be used to bring blessing to the lives of those around us.

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Jun 28 2020 - Acts 24:1-27 – Righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come

Paul had been taken to Caesarea to be tried before Felix, the Roman Governor of Judea. At his trial, his Jewish opponents accused him of being a troublemaker who had been stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. Paul’s response is to appeal to the evidence; where is the evidence that he has done any of the things of which he is accused? The Jews from Asia who identified Paul in the Temple and stirred up the crowds against him have not even turned up to present their accusations.

In similar fashion, Paul also appeals to evidence when he speaks of Jesus and of the Christian hope. His belief in the resurrection of the dead is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus, and there are plenty who can bear witness to that event (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-7).

Felix did not know what to do with Paul. He adjourned the first hearing, saying that it would be resumed when Lysius the commander arrived from Jerusalem – but there is no evidence that this ever took place. For two years Paul was kept captive by Felix. He listened to Paul on several occasions. Paul spoke to him of Jesus Christ and of “righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come” (Acts 24:25).

At the risk of reading between the lines, it’s fascinating to think of what Paul might have said to Felix under the heading of “righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come.” I suspect that he spoke to him of the need to live a life pleasing to God, a life marked by righteousness and self-control rather than self-indulgence. He would have urged him to realise that the day will come when he will not be sitting in judgment on others but will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, the one whom God has appointed to judge the world in righteousness. And Paul would have preached Christ as his hope as well as his judge by virtue of his death and resurrection.

Something of what Paul said seems to have got through to Felix for it made him afraid, though, sadly, it did not bring him to repentance and faith. Felix continued to have conversations with Paul, hoping that Paul and his friends might offer him a bribe if he would set Paul free. Clearly he did not believe that Paul had done anything deserving imprisonment by the Roman authorities. But at the end of these two years, when Felix was replaced by Festus, he left Paul in prison hoping to win favour with the Jews.

What a contrast we see between these two men. Paul is appealing to evidence, both concerning his own case and in what he has to say about Jesus. Paul’s appeal is to truth and justice – as with Jesus before Pilate. Yet Paul is also ready to suffer injustice for righteousness sake in the confidence that there is a judgment to come – God in Christ will have the last word. Felix, on the other hand, is concerned only for political expediency and to serve his own immediate interests; he has pacified the Jews by keeping Paul in prison and is hopeful of obtaining a bribe.

Paul's conduct reminds us that Christ is our righteousness not only as our substitute and Saviour but also as our example and Lord. He calls us to follow him in the path of righteousness even where this entails suffering.

Heavenly Father, I want to follow the Lord Jesus Christ; to live to please him, reflecting the beauty of his righteous character. May your Spirit so shape my life that it may be characterised by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Help me to live each day in anticipation of that last day, when I shall stand with Christ in glory.

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Peter Misselbrook