{"id":63497,"date":"2019-09-25T14:18:34","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T11:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=63497"},"modified":"2023-04-24T09:23:12","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T06:23:12","slug":"elisha-not-the-savior-of-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/elisha-not-the-savior-of-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Elisha – Not The Savior Of Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[607,931,506],"acf":{"old_id":"63497","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33692,"related_cahpter":"317","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"His prophetic role is of a different nature","content":"

One particularly irksome aspect of Elisha’s prophetic tenure is that with all his remarkable miracle-making \u2014 healing springs and lepers, procuring food, resurrecting the dead \u2014 he is unable to use his supernatural powers to repel the Aramean aggressor and to defend the nation. This is highly pronounced during the siege of Samaria (6:24-7:20) where the narrative celebrates Elisha’s premonition of the siege’s end, and yet absurdly, despite Elisha’s amazing foreknowledge, he is absolutely powerless to overpower the enemy. Likewise, when he blinds the Aramean forces who surround Dothan, his chariots of fire and horses of fire protect him personally, but he never intends to destroy the power of the Aramean military.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is Elisha denied the wherewithal to save Israel?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In God’s original instruction to Elijah (I Kings 19:15-16), which is issued after Elijah’s failure to reform Ahab and to draw his regime away from its commitment to idolatry, He decrees the fall of Ahab’s kingdom. As such, Israel was destined to be overrun and controlled by Aram. Both Elisha and the king of Israel were incapable of altering Aram’s relentless military assault that would terminate the Omride dynasty and punish Israel. Although initially it seemed that Elisha was the third agent of divine punishment alongside Hazael and Jehu, an instrument of God’s wrath and retribution, Elisha adopts a very different role. During this time of phenomenal hardship for the kingdom of Israel, Elisha serves as something of an antidote, a counterbalance. His miracles serve individuals or small groups, offering benevolent assistance and a palpable sense of God’s presence. In the international arena, his impressive powers never extend to eliminating the enemy forces; instead they generate reverence for the God of Israel, as expressed by Naaman and even Ben-Hadad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elisha, far from being the instrument of God’s rage, is a symbol of consolation, support, assistance, and comfort. Throughout the years of foreign occupation and attack, domestic hardship and suffering, Elisha uses all his God-given powers in the service of keeping faith in God alive. Rather than confronting the king of Israel, he allies with him. In a generation in which faith might have been lost, Elisha is a beacon communicating God’s steadfast presence, even during moments of punishment and military defeat. Elisha doesn’t overpower the enemy, he cannot break the siege, but he befriends king and commoner alike, helping them understand that despite the adversity, God is still the God of Israel and He will not abandon His people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alex Israel, II Kings: In a Whirlwind,<\/em> Maggid Books, 2019, Elisha\u2019s Tears\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":63310,"id":63310,"title":"Alex Israel - 2_kings_cover","filename":"Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-hairy-prophet\/alex-israel-2_kings_cover\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"alex-israel-2_kings_cover","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":63117,"date":"2019-09-23 13:43:41","modified":"2019-09-23 13:53:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1711,"height":1821,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-282x300.jpg","medium-width":282,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-768x817.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":817,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-962x1024.jpg","large-width":962,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","1536x1536-width":1443,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover.jpg","2048x2048-width":1711,"2048x2048-height":1821,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-1128x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1128,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Alex-Israel-2_kings_cover-395x420.jpg","home_baner-width":395,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"Excerpts from: II Kings - 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