Farewell Elisha with One Last Miracle!

2 Kings 13:20-25

²⁰ So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year.

²¹ And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

²² Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

²³ But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.

²⁴ When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place.

²⁵ Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

Imagine the scene. A man who has died is being buried when a band of marauding Moabites descends upon the funeral party. In their haste to escape the band, they throw the body carelessly into Elisha’s open grave. (It was the practice to bury several bodies in the same grave back then.) When the dead man’s body touches the bones of Elisha, he is instantly resurrected! What the text doesn’t mention, but my imagination provides is that the newly restored man had better run, because the marauders are at hand!

Commentators have estimated that Elisha served Israel as prophet for at least 50 years! His life of service was long, full, and contained quite a bit of excitement. Even after his death, we see by today’s reading that even his bones were able to raise a man from the dead! That is some incredible service to God! Another one of the remarkable things about the ministry of Elisha is that there appears to be no dark spots along the way as he lived out his life for the Lord. We find no children who have gone astray. We don’t see any foreign women who drag him into idolatry. No incidents of rampant sin appear in the text such as they do for David, Eli, Samson and others. He doesn’t even fall into despair like his mentor Elijah. Instead, we see a life lived faithfully before the Lord. It is admirable. And that means it is possible! Elisha certainly wasn’t sinless. He was human and subject to all of the temptations known to all of us. But he doesn’t let his sin take away his love for the Lord and his desire to serve Him well. When we feel like it’s just too hard to walk with God in faithful love and devotion, let us remember Elisha who did just that.