Bible Reading 4 Kings 2:6-11 and commentary

Many in the faith have a vague recollection of the "Bible story" of the Prophet Elias, remembering him because he is the one who was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. But there are some details to this miraculous historical event that also help in strengthening faith and understanding. Here they are.



And Elias said to him: Stay here, because the Lord hath sent me as far as the Jordan. And he said: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on together, and fifty men of the sons of the prophets followed them, and stood in sight at a distance; but they two stood by the Jordan.



Elias (Elijah), one of the greatest of prophets, knew that it was his time to be called to God. This was not an illness or old age, but Elijah knew that God was going to summon him directly to heaven. And so he is walking in that expectation with his companion Eliseus, whom he had consecrated as a priest and prophet (3 Kings 19). So Elijah is telling Eliseus that it is time for Elijah to depart, telling him that he they should split at the Jordan while Elijah continues on, but Eliseus refuses to leave him. And by the way, there fifty "sons of the prophets" (also holy men) following. Everyone knew something important was going to happen, and no one wanted to leave, and they certainly did not want Elijah to depart.



In addition to understanding the mighty devotion among all the prophets who serve God, there is another insight that can be gleaned. Once again, you see evidence that the Bible is very literal in its events. There are fifty witnesses to Elijah trying to leave them, having been summoned by God. People who just write mythologies and stories don't add details of fifty witness and THEN have the witnesses not see the actual departure! So a large group followed and stayed in visual sight of the two prophets as they talked and to the Jordan walked.



And Elias took his mantle and folded it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, and they both passed over on dry ground.



Elijah therefore performs a miracle to get the two men away from the following crowd. He takes his mantle (a cloth worn as a cape) and "folded it together," meaning he took the cloth, folded it repeatedly until it was narrow and long like a staff. He uses the staff to strike the waters and the waters pulled back to allow a clear and dry path for the two men to cross the river. Thus the group of fifty men could not follow, and add their voices of concern to get Elijah to stay with them.



And when they were gone over, Elias said to Eliseus: Ask what thou wilt have me to do for thee, before I be taken from thee.



Elijah is now making it clear that he will be taken from Eliseus at that spot. So Elijah asks what he can do for Eliseus, who is to be his successor as prophet.



And Eliseus said: I beseech thee that in me may be thy double spirit.



Bible commentary usually interpret this to mean that Eliseus was asking for "double the power" that Elijah himself had. But this is not exactly accurate. Eliseus is not looking to be "better" or "more" than Elijah. He was asking that Elijah's abilities be added to his own God given abilities, and so that "in me" may be thy "double spirit," thus Elijah's prophetic ability added to Eliseus's forthcoming own prophetic ability. It's not a power thing, but rather, each prophet has a unique calling and gift/relationship with God. Eliseus in his caution wanted to ensure that he retained within him all the prophetic gifts of Elijah, lest his own gifts to be not cover all the eventualities that Elijah's would have. See, this is an important insight about how prophets are different. They are not looking for "double power." They fear not being able to do something that the Lord someday might require of them. To put it in Christian terms, Eliseus wanted to make sure he could perform all of Elijah's charisms if need be, in addition to the charisms he would be granted.



And he answered: Thou hast asked a hard thing. Nevertheless if thou see me when I am taken from thee, thou shalt have what thou hast asked; but if thou see me not, thou shalt not have it.



Ah ha! Elijah immediately kicked that request "upstairs to God," since only God can grant the ability and the extent (the charisms) of prophecy. This should never be misread as a discussion of "magic." It is absolutely not. Elijah immediately understood the caution behind Eliseus' request, but nothing like that had ever been done before in the relationship of prophets to God. They certainly cannot "pass their power from one to the other," to use a "magic" concept. Basically Eliseus was asking Elijah to ask God to give him Elijah's span and capability of prophecy. And so Elijah immediately knew that Eliseus had asked for a "hard" (as in monumental responsibility, not as in difficulty for God to grant), thing, since Elijah had no way of knowing if this is what God would want, and only God could do this. So in the way of a prophet's unspoken communion with God, Elijah knew that if God granted this request, he would allow Eliseus to see the departure of Elijah as a sign that his wish for Elijah's span of prophetic capability was granted.



And as they went on, walking and talking together, behold a fiery chariot and fiery horses parted them both asunder: and Elias went up by a whirlwind into heaven.



And so Elijah is taken up to heaven and because Eliseus sees it, he knows that God has acknowledged his request and given him the span of prophetic ability of Elijah's.



Now here is the most important lesson, besides the lesson that the prophets all carried a burden of caring for each other, but more importantly that they have all that they need in order to serve God (and thus Eliseus asked for selfless reasons for the double prophet spirit with Elijah's share). Many people read the Bible and just assume that God was going to send the horses and chariot all along. In other words, people ascribe significance to God sending a horses and a chariot for Elijah. But suppose that Eliseus had not been there, or had not made the request? God very well might have simply levitated Elijah to heaven. In other words, there is NO significance to the chariot and horses other than the fact they are visible, and they convey great status and respect for the occupant to the viewer. The chariot and horses were not so much for Elijah, who would have been in bliss with a simple levitation, or his body becoming instantly glorified so it can reside in heaven. The chariot and horses were for Eliseus, the successor to Elijah, to see as his sign that his request is answered.



See, a lot of humans apply kind of symbolism and pagan assumptions when they read scripture, and then jump to conclusions and miss really reading every word of what happens in sequence. And so modern people tend to apply symbolism to the chariot and horses, missing the whole point that there is symbolism alright: but it is the symbolism that God let Elijah know that if his leaving was "visible" that Eliseus' request was granted. So God sent a chariot and horses in the whirlwind to be the visible sign for Eliseus' answer from God. Since God was making a visible unmistakable reply to Eliseus, he sent a image (chariot and horses) that unmistakably represented honor and power, in this case, prophetic power.



I hope this helps in your seeing another example of how to not miss or misunderstand any of the subtle and important goodness and sweetness that is in the scriptures.

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 11: 4-10

When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the Lord, his God, as the heart of his father David had been.

By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites, Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.

Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab, and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites, on the hill opposite Jerusalem.

He did the same for all his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

The Lord, therefore, became angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice

(for though the Lord had forbidden him this very act of following strange gods, Solomon had not obeyed him).

***
God had appeared to Solomon twice, had him consecrated King of Israelites, gave him long life and much wealth and knowledge. God even foresaw that Solomon's weakness would be to worship idols nonetheless and TOLD him of this risk from his many wives and women. Solomon still sinned and sinned big time, as you can see above.

This shows how even the great and wise King Solomon can actually have God himself appear to him twice, give him everything he could ever wish for, and yet he still worships imaginary and false gods, even though he saw God with his own eyes.

This also shows there never was another like King David, nor will there ever be again.

Bible reading and commentary re: prophets

2 Kings 13: 1-32

And behold there came a man of God out of Juda, by the word of the Lord to Bethel, when Jeroboam was standing upon the altar, and burning incense. And he cried out against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said: O Altar, Altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold a child shall be born to the house of David, Josias by name, and he shall immolate upon thee the priests of the high places, who now burn incense upon thee, and he shall burn men’s bones upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying: This shall be the sign, that the Lord hath spoken: Behold the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

[What is happening here is that the King of Israel Jeroboam had turned to idolatry, forging golden calves to be worshipped. God raised an unnamed prophet from Juda to come and warn Jeroboam of his wickedness, disobedience and the dire consequences of his idolatry. Here he also prophesies the name of a future King of Israel, Josias. When you read the lineage of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:1 you will find the name of Josias there, shortly before the captivity in Babylon].

And when the king had heard the word of the man of God, which he had cried out against the altar in Bethel, he stretched forth his hand from the altar, saying: Lay hold on him. And his hand which he stretched forth against him withered: and he was not able to draw it back to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given before in the word of the Lord. And the king said to the man of God: Entreat the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me. And the man of God besought the face of the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before. And the king said to the man of God: come home with me to dine, and I will make thee presents. And the man of God answered the king: If thou wouldst give me half thy house I will not go with thee, nor eat bread, nor drink water in this place; for so it was enjoined me by the word of the Lord commanding me: Thou shalt not eat bread nor drink water, nor return by the same way that thou camest. So he departed by another way, and returned not by the way that he came into Bethel.

[Here is what happened. When the prophet gave his dire message from God to Jeroboam, Jeroboam reached out his hand to indicate that the guards should seize and harm the prophet. At this point God strikes the hand of Jeroboam, destroys the altar and pours the ashes to the floor. (The pouring of the ashes to the floor is a sign of rejection by God of that sacrifice. That is mentioned in the Book of Revelation too). Notice that the sign by God is triggered by the hostile reaction by Jeroboam. If Jeroboam had repented on the spot then the sign would not have happened in theory. But God knows all and knew what Jeroboam’s reaction would be to the prophet of God, hence the prophet of God accurately prophesied the rending of the altar and the ashes being poured out and it happened, due to Jeroboam’s reaction, on the spot. The downfall of the burning of men’s bones remains a prophesy for the future fall of Jeroboam and Israel. Jeroboam is horrified at his withered and seized hand and begs the prophet of God to intercede with God for him, and the prophet of God does pray to God on his behalf regarding the hand of Jeroboam. God grants the prayers of the prophet of God and restores the hand of Jeroboam.

Here Jeroboam now invites the prophet of God to dine with him and receive presents, but the prophet of God refuses, revealing more of what God had previously instructed him. God had told him not to tarry and not to take the same paths when he travels. This is not a magical charm, a superstition, or obsessive compulsive disorder. The reason God gives such instructions is that he does not want the prophet to “engage in dialogue.” The prophet is to deliver his message and LEAVE. He is not to honor anyone he encounters with his company or give them an “opportunity” to “argue” their position with the prophet of God. The prophet of God is not to sit at dinner with this idolater and apostate and “listen” to his “explanations” about why he made the golden calves and ordered their worship. So this is why the Lord told the prophet of God to not stay anywhere but his own home and also to never take the same paths (so he will not encounter the same people a second time, thus given them a “chance” to “argue” or “comment” on what they have been told to do on behalf of God by the prophet of God)].

Now a certain old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came to him and told him all the works that the man of god had done that day in Bethel; and they told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. And their father said to them: What way went he? His sons showed him the way by which the man of God went, who came out of Juda. And he said to his sons: Saddle me the ass. And when they had saddled him, he got up, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under a turpentine tree; and he said to him: Art thou the man of God that camest from Juda? He answered: I am. And he said to him: Come home with me, to eat bread. But he said: I cannot return, nor go with thee, neither will I eat bread, nor drink water in this place, because the Lord spoke to me in the word of the Lord, saying: Thou shalt not eat bread, and thou shalt not drink water there, nor return by the way thou wentest. He said to him: I also am a prophet like unto thee, and an angel spoke to me in the word of the Lord, saying: Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread, and drink water. He deceived him, and brought him back with him; so he ate bread and drank water in his house.

[Here is what happened. It turns out that another legitimate prophet of God, also unnamed here in the scripture, lived in the town of Bethel. This Bethel prophet’s sons either witnessed or heard about the prophet of God’s encounter with Jeroboam and reported what they had heard to their father. This father gave in to temptation and decided to pursue the prophet of God in order to pump him for information and find out more. He probably meant no harm, especially if he had been forced to witness the abominations of Jeroboam; the Bethel prophet may even have wanted to hear words of support from the prophet of God. But when he hears that the prophet of God cannot return to Bethel to eat or drink, or even by the same path, the Bethel prophet sins and lies that an angel told him that it’s basically “all right now to eat bread, drink water, and return by the same path to Bethel.” The prophet of God foolishly believes the Bethel prophet. I say foolishly because just as he had prayed to restore the hand of Jeroboam, and God answered, the prophet of God could have paused and asked God in prayer for a sign if the Bethel prophet was telling the truth. But instead he believes the Bethel prophet and hence disobeys God].

And so they sat at table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet that brought him back; and he creid out to the man of god who came out of Juda, saying: Thus saith the Lord: Because thou hast not been obedient to the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, and hast returned and eaten bread, and drunk water in the place wherein he commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat bread, nor drink water, thy dead body shall not be brought into the sepulcher of thy fathers.

[And so the tragedy of two legitimate prophets who each sin and disobey comes to terrible fruition. The Bethel prophet who lies to the prophet of God in order to pump him for more information now receives validation directly from God the very instructions that the prophet of God had explained to the Bethel prophet. So the Bethel prophet lied to the prophet of God to bring him back to Bethel only to now hear directly from God that the prophet of God will now be punished for disobeying God. Again, it’s not the disobedience per se; it is the second guessing God’s will. God did not want the prophet of God to return and rehash conversations with the sinners in Bethel after delivering his message. But instead of pausing and asking God for clarity, the prophet of God believes the lie of the Bethel prophet. Two legitimate prophets of God now have brought about their downfall and diluted the opportunity for the fullness of the message and works of God in this situation].

And when he had eaten and drunk, he saddled his ass for the prophet, whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion found him in the way, and killed him, and his body was cast in the way. And the ass stood by him, and the lion stood by the dead body. And behold, men passing by saw the dead body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city, wherein that old prophet dwelt. And when that prophet, who had brought him back out of the way, heard of it and said: It is the man of God, that was disobedient to the mouth of the Lord, and the Lord that delivered him to the lion, and he hath torn him, and killed him according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to him. And he said to his sons: Saddle me an ass. And when they had saddled it, and he was gone, he found the dead body cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass: the lion had not eaten of the dead body, nor hurt the ass.

[So immediately upon leaving the meal he should not have had at having disobeyed God by returning to Bethel by the same path, the prophet of God is attacked and slain by a lion. The lion remains by the body of the prophet of God, and does not eat the body nor harm the ass, so that the people will know this is a sign from God and not an accidental death. The travelers realize this and go back to the town to spread word of what they saw, which reaches the ears of the Bethel prophet. He immediately realizes that the validation of the prophecy that he received has come true and that the body that has been cast in the road must be the punished prophet of God. So he goes, as he knows it is his duty, having caused the original temptation to the prophet of God, in order to retrieve the body from the lion’s watch].

And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and going back brought it into the city of the old prophet, to mourn for him. And he laid his dead body in his own sepulcher. And they mourned over him, saying: Alas! Alas! My brother! And when they had mourned over him, he said to his sons: When I am dead, bury me in the sepulcher wherein the man of God is buried, lay my bones beside his bones. For assuredly the word shall come to pass which he hath foretold in the word of the Lord against the altar that is in Bethel, and against all the temples of the high places, that are in the cities of Samaria.

[By the way, reading the rest of this chapter you will learn that far from the prophet of God having an impact on Jeroboam, he actually sinned even more grievously, thus bringing about his own and his house’s demise, as per “he shall burn men’s bones upon thee.” The Bethel prophet honors the prophet of God, mourning him and burying him with his own family, realizing that he had through his temptation of the prophet of God cut short the life of this prophet who was now proven to have given great prophecy. The Bethel prophet now knows that all will come to ruin as the prophet of God had warned].

***

I do not know of a stronger episode in the Bible warning against interference in the prophecy of God than this story of the historical occurrence of the events of two legitimate prophets of God who mutually sin through temptation and disobedience. (This is not a parable, for those of you used to only reading the New Testament and paying the most attention to the parables of Jesus. The Old Testament is the record of actual events, just as the Gospel records actual events in the life of Jesus and the Apostles and disciples). Imagine even more so the grave consequences of false prophets who claim to “hear God” and to “know God’s will.” The prophet of God who gave mighty prophecy and restores through his prayer the hand of Jeroboam is fallen the same day because he disobeys God. What is a person thinking who has conducted mighty words and works on God’s behest, and then immediately believes the word of a stranger prophet to now disobey the very God who had channeled through him his prophecy only hours earlier? This is the broken and inflated ego of humans. You can give them everything and they will still sin and disobey. And the prophet of Bethel, all he wanted was to hear good news, but he wanted to hear more than was given to him to receive, and he took it in his own hands to obtain more prophecy and worse, to claim that an angel had appeared to him when one had not. And this is a legitimate prophet who had previously directly received God’s word! How foolish and greedy for their own power are humans. Let this be the strongest cautionary reminder that even those who are legitimately given gifts by God will be punished most severely if they tempt others, sin, or disobey, especially when thinking they can nudge along or manipulate deeds and plans that God is already putting into motion. The consequences for the individuals and for the people whom God is trying to reach and convert are dire, and far from helping they harm their own ability to work with God by serving him without self aggrandizing.

Bible Reading: 3 Kings: 11-13

And he said to him: Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord; and behold the Lord passeth,

and a great and strong wind before the Lord overthrowing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces; the Lord is not in the wind,

and after the wind an earthquake; the Lord is not in the earthquake.

And after the earthquake a fire; the Lord is not in the fire,

and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air. And when Elias heard it, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood at the entering in of the cave, and behold a voice unto him saying: What dost thou here, Elias?

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 23:1, 5-6

Now these are David's last words...

...Neither is my house so great with God, that he should make with me an eternal covenant, firm in all things and assured.

For he is all my salvation, and all my will; neither is there aught thereof that springeth not up.

But transgressors shall all of them be plucked up as thorns which are not taken away with hands.

And if a man will touch them, he must be armed with iron and with the staff of a lance; but they shall be set on fire and burnt to nothing.

***
In this small excerpt from King David's last words as he lay dying he is affirming that there are no guarantees by God for grace to his house and family. David knows that the covenant with Israel does not exist for biological family reasons or for merit of David and his family but because of God's grace alone. So King David takes this opportunity to warn his people that while there is a covenant, it is not a guarantee that is based on biological, rank, relationship or other human merit but completely due to the grace of God to the faithful. This is the second part of what King David warns that the covenant does not protect those who are unfaithful. Transgressors even "within" the covenant by virtue of their having transgressed will be plucked out of the salvation and graces of the covenant and burned until there is nothing left of them (not even ash).

Bible Reading: 4 Kings 3:27

Then he took his oldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation in Israel, and presently they departed from him, and returned to their own country.

[This poignant passage relates how a wicked king, being defeated in battle by the Israelites and their ally, killed his own son, one that should have been king instead of him, in order to sacrifice him to obtain "luck" in the lost battle. This so disgusted the Israelites that they quit the battle, after having defeated the forces of the wicked king and returned home.]

Bible Readings regarding fall of Solomon

3 Kings 10: 23. And king Solomon exceeded all the kings on the earth in riches and wisdom. 24. And all the earth desired to see Solomon's face, to hear his wisdom, which God had given in his heart.



3 Kings 11:1. And king Solomon loved many strange women...2. of nations concerning which the Lord said to the children of Israel: You shall not go in unto them, neither shall any of them come in to yours, for they will most certainly turn away your heart to follow their gods. And to these was Solomon joined with a most ardent love. 3. And he had seven hundred wives as queens, and three hundred concubines: and the women turned his heart. 4. And when he was now old, his heart was turned away by women to follow strange gods; and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5. But Solomon worshipped Astarthe ... Moloch...6. And Solomon did that which was not pleasing before the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as David his father. 7. Then Solomon built a temple for Chamos the idol of Moab, on the hill that is over against Jerusalem, and for Moloch... 8. And he did in this manner for all his wives that were strangers, who burnt incense, and offered sacrifice to their gods.



9. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his mind was turned away from the Lord the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10. and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not follow strange gods; but he kept not the things which the Lord had commanded him. 11. The Lord therefore said to Solomon: Because thou hast done this, and hast not kept my covenant, and my precepts, which I have commanded thee, I will divide and rend they kingdom, and will give it to thy servant. 12. Nevertheless in thy days I will not do it, for David thy father's sake; but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 13. Neither will I take away the whole kingdom, but I will give one tribe to thy son for the sake of David my servant, and Jerusalem which I have chosen. 14. And the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon.

Earthquake strikes Rwanda and DRC

Two hours ago. Early reports say a church collapsed as Mass was being said, killing or injuring at least 10. Hundreds are said to be injured in the area.

1 Kings 19:11-12 Then the Lord said, "Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by." A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord-but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake-but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire-but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.

13 when he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, "Elijah, why are you here?"

Bible Reading: Kings, the Lord controls time

2 Kings 20:8-11

And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?

And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.

And Isaiah the prophet cried upon the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the [sun]dial of Ahaz.

Bible Reading: Kings (Samuel) Saul becomes King

Read this exquisite passage. It describes what happened when Samuel, one of the great Old Testament prophets, called by God as a child, grows to be the prophet who God sends to find a King for Israel. Saul is the son of Cis, who with his servants, were seeking asses of Cis that had strayed. After an unsuccessful search, Saul then seeks a seer help him to find the asses, and is directed by maids drawing water to the city where Samuel may be found. Samuel, walking, sees Saul and then hears the Lord's voice telling him that Saul is the one he seeks who will be the King of Israel. Samuel takes Saul to where he was staying and prepares a dinner for him and thirty guests. He then tells Saul that God has chosen him to be King of Israel and anoints him with the consecrated oil and instructs him where to go and which people to meet. This is what happened to Saul then:

1 Kings 10:9-13

So when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave unto him another heart, and all these things came to pass that day. And they came to the foresaid hill, and behold a company of prophets met him. And the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he prophesied in the midst of them. And all that had known him yesterday and the day before, seeing that he was with the prophets, and prophesied, said to each other: What is this that hath happened to the son of Cis? Is Saul also among the prophets? And one answered another, saying: And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb: Is Saul also among the prophets? And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

***
Is this not so beautiful? "God gave unto him another heart." In the same day that Saul was seeking lost animals that belonged to his father, he is found by Samuel, anointed King of Israel, and "God gave unto him another heart." I think that some who have been converted, or reverted, to their faith, even if the process is very gradual, can still relate to the sweeping personal grandeur of feeling God giving one another heart. And then the spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied. This causes amazement among those who knew him and even a proverb arises from this, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" When God sends the Holy Spirit, there is a sweeping transformation that is so beautifully described here, as Saul goes from seeker of his father's lost asses to prophet and King.