WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES!

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

I love and admire Elisha. As the years have rolled by, I have developed an affinity for the godly people of the Bible I have read about.  We have a tendency to place Elisha in the shadow of the great Elijah. He was definitely subservient to Elijah while the mighty man of God walked upon this earth in rolling thunder, but do not think less of him. You will find twice the number of miracles in his life recorded when compared to Elijah. This was not because he requested for twice as many. In II Kings 2:9 the scripture reads, “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” Some have mistakenly considered his request as an ego driven desire to out-perform his mentor, however, it was a sincere request to be like a son who receives the double portion of the oldest child’s inheritance. According to the custom, two thirds (double portion) of a man’s inheritance went to the oldest son while the one third remaining goes to the younger siblings. So he was only requesting a portion of the spiritual power of the great man of God whom he was following.  Elisha’s humility is further illustrated by this phrase, “…Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah” (II Kings 3:11b).  It was said of John the Baptist, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias (Elijah), to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). John the Baptist’s ministry was a ministry of judgment to prepare the people for the healing ministry of Jesus. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).  

F. W. Krummacher compared the days of Elisha to the healing ministry of Jesus. He said, “A similar period, transcendently peaceful and benign, smiled upon Israel when Elisha appeared.” He further called it “…that happy, enlightened period….” In II Kings 2:11-22 we witness the beginning of Elisha’s ministry. He began by using the fallen mantle (the covering robe of the mighty prophet) to part the waters, but then we see him go to the poisoned waters of Jericho, surrounded by the barren land as a result of the curse from Elijah’s ministry. Elisha ordered salt to be thrown into the waters and we read, “So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake” (II Kings 2:22). We never read again of Elisha borrowing his predecessor’s mantle. He wears his own robe of healing power for the rest of his days. Even after his death we read, “And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet” (II Kings 13:21). There was more healing life in the bones of the deceased Elisha than in many of the living today!

Much could be said about the dynamic ministry of Elisha, but today I want to focus our attention on three identical phrases found in II Kings 4: 8, 11 and 18: “…it fell on a day….” What a difference a day makes!  Only three times is this phrase mentioned in all of Scripture and all three times is within the circumference of eleven verses in II Kings 4! Let’s investigate these three places and see what God may be saying to us.

I. A Difference When the Day Brings a Rendezvous with Destiny

We see in II Kings 4:8-10:

A. A Personal Need

The woman of Shunem was called a “great” woman (II Kings 4:8). This word means noble or wealthy. Yet we shall see later in our story this was a woman who also had a great need. Do you have a need that you don’t have  liberty to discuss with just anybody and everybody?  God knows your desires and wants to be more than the God referred to in Robert Browning’s poem, “God’s in His heaven—All’s right with the world!”  He wants to be known as He is known in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

B. A Prophet’s Necessity

It appears from our text that Elisha went by this house often in his travels, but has nowhere to stay (II Kings 4:9). The woman brings the prophet’s need to the attention of her husband.  Jesus aid, “He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward” (Matthew 10:41). When we recognize our own personal needs, it is most advantageous to attend to the needs of another. “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10).  The Lord takes care of those who take care of others.

C. A Place Provided

                When this lady and her husband determined to build the original prophet’s chamber equipped with a bed, a table, a stool and a candlestick, they did not know how greatly rewarded they were going to be (II Kings 4:10).  Such an ordinary room with ordinary fixtures was soon to become the perfect place for phenomenon. It is the birthplace of destiny!

                Next week we will examine two other examples of, “What a difference a day makes!”