with meditations
by my mother, Poetess Gertrude Sanborn
April 27
I
I
Kings 12:10–II Kings 15:19
TEARS WEPT OVER HIS FACE
II Kings
13:14
"Now Elisha was
fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died . . ."
These are very sad words indeed. The
beloved prophet of Israel would die. He must have had a
long sickness. It is interesting that he who could heal
others was not healed himself. This reminds me of the
APOSTLE PAUL who helped so many sick people; yet he
himself was not healed. Some people say that a Christian
should never be sick. They infer that if the Christian
is sick, the believer is not walking with the Lord–and
some may infer that he is not "saved." So it is
of interest that ELISHA had a sickness that ended in
death for him.
Joash, the King of Israel, loved
Elisha. He grieved that his prophet was sick unto
death. The Bible says he"wept over his face."
I think this means that tears ran down Joash’s face like
streams of water. Uncontrollable tears! I remember this
has happened to me a few times. When overwhelming
sadness has touched my soul, tears have wept over my
face. Have you ever had tears weep over your face?
Joash cried out very interesting
words. He wept, "O my father, my father, the chariot
of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." Was he
describing the man?–as the "chariot of Israel"!
If you recall, prior to ELIJAH being swooped up to
Heaven in a whirlwind, there was a "chariot of fire"
sighted. But in this passage, there is no mention of
"fire."Why did the king call his beloved prophet a
"chariot"–or did he?
A chariot is a horse-drawn,
two-wheeled cart used in ancient times for war, racing,
parades, etc. In what way was Elisha, the son of Shaphat
a "chariot"? Could it be because he "carried"
the word of the LORD like a mighty man of war? Could it
be that he was decisive in his message. Could it be that
he came into an area or room with great assurance like a
chariot drives up to its destination? I don’t know.
Besides calling him a "chariot," the king
mentioned that the "chariot" was accompanied by
"horsemen." Horsemen are skilled in managing and
driving horses. If a man was not a horseman himself, he
would have one or two with him in his chariot, as he sat
on the seat being transported to and fro. This was
Elisha! He had a message from God. He went to and fro
with that message. Often others transported him, or that
message for him, to various destinations. With his
death, the chariot and horsemen would be silenced. The
message would no longer come from the mouth of the
Prophet Elisha. There would be stillness–a mammoth miss
in the country with his death. That absence was felt by
Joash! Tears flowed down his cheeks for such a loss
There is no mention of "fire"
in this passage, as there was with Elijah. And there is
no mention of the horses here with ELISHA either–only
the horsemen. But it could be that as Christians are
comforted by the presence of "Guardian Angels"
that such "angels" accompany the dying believer
to Heaven. For a want of better words, these "Angels"
are like a "Chariot" and "horsemen."
Whatever–it is comforting to know that those who have
trusted in Jesus Christ as personal Saviour are not
alone in death. It may appear to be so for us who look
at their dead body; but for the one who died, perhaps,
he was swooped off to Glory accompanied by a
"chariot" and "horsemen"
Elisha died. He was buried. Today
there seems to be a rash of people, who claim the name
of Jesus Christ, who have decided not to be buried. Even
though Jesus Christ gave us the example of being buried
and not burned up and his ashes poured into a vase.
Christians are doing this. They
are desecrating what was the
"temple of the Holy Spirit" by heathen cremation. Is
it not emotionally "cheaper" to burn up the body
of a loved-one like the heathen do? What kind of
testimony is that? Several years ago, I interviewed a
few morticians about cremation. After they gave me their
sales pitch on the subject, I asked everyone of them,
"Will you be cremated?" And to a man, their answer
was "NO!" What would you have thought of Elisha’s
loved-ones if they had burned his body like the heathen
who denied the true God? (ysw)
DWELLING AMONG THE PLANTS AND HEDGES
(I Chronicles
4:23)
There were
potters, and those that dwell among the plants and
hedges.
There they dwell
with the king for his work.
Potters work
with clay and in hard places.
PERHAPS THIS IS
LIKE ME.
I dwell with the
King among my plants (dear sick ones) and hedges.
(GGS)
And
Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he
said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly
return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo,
Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)
