In 2 Kings, we see a transition from Elijah to Elisha as the primary prophet of God. As God was about to take away Elijah by His horses and chariots of fire, Elijah invites Elisha to ask what he can do for him before he is taken away.
“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” (2 Kings 2:9 ESV).
Elijah acknowledged that his servant asked a hard thing, but says that if Elisha is allowed to see him taken away, it meant that God would grant this hard request. If he didn’t see Elijah taken away, then it meant that he would not receive the double portion of the Spirit that rested on him.
Well, Elisha does see the awesome supernatural departure of his master and he takes up the mantle of Elijah. This was the beginning of Elisha’s ministry, and it began with him learning that hard things are light in the sight of the Lord.
This lesson is learned again in chapter 3 of 2 Kings. A new king, Jehoram, becomes King in Israel. Upon the death of his father, the people of Moab rebelled from serving the new king of Israel and the new king sought help from the King of Judah and the King of Edom to bring Moab back into subjection.
But things get very difficult for them as they march their army toward the rebellious king:
“So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them.
Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! The LORD has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” (2 Kings 3:9-10 ESV).
And so, the King of Judah, who feared God, insisted on seeking word from a prophet of the true living God, so they met with Elijah. These three kings were faced with two impossible tasks and so they needed divine intervention.
First, there was no water. Without water, their army, including their soldiers and horses would quickly die. The situation was dire. Second, in their weakened position, they would be an easy target for the enemy they pursued. The hunter would indeed become the hunted.
But Elijah teaches them a lesson that rings true today, but a lesson that we are sometimes afraid to remember. God could not only help them out of this impossible situation, but the lesson: It is an easy thing for the true and living God to do the impossible:
“And he said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’” (2 Kings 3:16 ESV).
And then the lesson that is true even for us today:
“This is a light thing in the sight of the LORD. He will also give the Moabites into your hand,” (2 Kings 3:18 ESV).
And the 3rd chapter of 2 Kings goes on to tell how the Lord easily accomplishes all that He said. He was easily able to deliver an entire army from certain death and deliver into their hands a great victory.
It is sad when I hear people who make excuses for why God will not deliver great victories for people today. We often find ourselves in impossible circumstances and rather than step out in faith and ask for deliverance, we make excuses for why the Lord will not deliver us.
I do understand and acknowledge that all we ask must be according to the will of God, but sometimes I think we use this as a crutch to hide a lack of faith. God was, and always is a God who can deliver us from any impossible situation. And even today, it is a light thing in His sight to do the impossible.
God is not a genie in the bottle waiting to serve at our beck and call. And in the end, we must have a humble heart that acknowledges God when He does not answer the way we want Him to deliver. And just like Elisha had to be ready not to see his request for a double portion of the Spirit to be upon Him, we need to stand ready to accept a “No” from the Lord.
But it is not faith when we refuse to acknowledge that anything we ask of God is a light thing to Him, and therefore, we refuse to ask something that the answer may be “no” to.
Let us ask when we need God and then wait on His answer. If we receive deliverance, then we see His power. If we do not, then we have the same spirit of the Lord in the Garden, when He was at peace with a “no” answer by being content with the will of God.
Let no one ever tell you that a hard thing is something you shouldn’t bring before the Lord. He is a God who makes His glory known by doing the hard things for us. Indeed, anything we ask of Him is a light thing in His sight.
As I continue reading in the book of 2 Kings, I see that indeed, doing the impossible is a light thing to the Lord. Let me tell you about the impossible situation we find in chapters 6 and 7. Ben-hadad, king of Syria, laid siege to Samaria and a great famine came upon the people of Israel:
“And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver.” (2 Kings 6:25 ESV).
As the king was passing by the wall, a woman cried out to him for help. In frustration, he snapped back, “If the LORD will not help you, how shall I help you?” (2 Kings 6:27). Then, taking a deep breath, he asked her what she wanted. What came out of her mouth sickened him just as it sickens us to read it:
“And the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.” (2 Kings 6:28-29 ESV).
What an impossible circumstance the people found themselves in. But Elisha stands up and tells the Captain of the king that God would do the impossible and everything would immediately get better in one day:
“But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD: thus says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” (2 Kings 7:1 ESV).
The problem with the King’s Captain is that he thought the way we often think. We see the impossible and have trouble understanding how God can do what cannot be done. Listen to his words:
“Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” (2 Kings 7:2 ESV).
Well, we know the story. If you don’t, then take time to read chapter 7. It shows again how doing the impossible is a light thing to the Lord. God caused the Syrian army to hear the sounds of chariots and horses coming after them and they were terrified. So terrified that they fled, leaving all their food, equipment, weapons and stores behind. They even shed their clothes as they fled. And what was left behind was a treasure trove of abundance for the suffering people of Israel.
It was a light thing for God to accomplish what was impossible in the eyes of man. Is that a lesson we will never understand? We serve a sovereign, powerful, and mighty God. Our faith is never misplaced when we ascribe to Him the ability to do what is impossible.
How did it end for the people of Israel? Well, they went from a famine so bad that women were boiling and eating their children to this:
“Now the king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. And the people trampled him in the gate, so that he died, as the man of God had said when the king came down to him.
For when the man of God had said to the king, “Two seahs of barley shall be sold for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria,”
the captain had answered the man of God, “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he had said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”
And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate and he died.” (2 Kings 7:17-20 ESV).
Let us always remember that anything is a light thing for our Creator to do.
Lord, lunatic or liar, right?
Jesus will fall into one of these categories. Listen to His claim:
“Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:58-59 ESV).
No way around it. Jesus claimed He was God. That’s a bold claim.
Think about it… how would you respond if your neighbor made this claim. Seriously.
Jesus was either a liar because He knew He wasn’t God, but made the claim anyway. That would put Him in the category of one of the most evil and corrupt men who ever lived.
Or
Jesus really believed He was God, but He was crazy. His family seemed to hold this view before His resurrection. Perhaps this is what you would think of your neighbor who claimed he was God.
Or
He is who He claimed to be. He is the Creator who came to earth and lived as a man. That makes Him Lord, Master, King, and worthy of our honor, obedience and devotion.
But He could not be simply a good man, fully mortal but not God. A good man is not a liar; nor is a good man a lunatic. It is impossible for Jesus to be a good man if He is not God.
So, if He indeed made the claim to be God, your only legitimate choices in how you receive Him is that He must be a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.
I confess Him as Lord. As God. Jesus is King over all.
Who do you say He is?
Reality:
Jesus: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
Fantasy:
Me: “If You want to be my Savior, then You will not complain about the choices I make and You will thank me for accepting You.”
By God's grace, we have another day to honor and worship Him before He calls us home to be with Him.
Let's not get distracted by everything that is distracting the world today. Let's be the light that helps them focus on what is important.