Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-02-20
ELISHA THE SUCCESSOR.
LESSON VIII, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB. 22.

Zech. Nv, G-Commentary by Rev. ID. NJ.
Stcarns,
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission of II. S. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel'
phia.
r. "And Elisha saw it."
lie had asked for double portion of the
spirit of Elijah, and the reply was, eff thou
see me taken from thee, it shall be so unto
thee Tvs. 10). Now we are told that he
saw the chariot and horses of fire, and the
whii1wind which took Elijah to heaven,
and we will expect, therefore, to see in HIM
the spirit of Elijah.
"And he cried, My father. my fatherl the
chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof"
IL, 10. "And he took hold of his own
clothes and rent them in two pieces. He
took up also the mantle of Eli jah that fell
from him, and went back and stood by the
bank of Jordan
Thus he discards himself, puts himself
off and puts on Elijah. Jesus our Master
has assembled, and has left on earth many
who believe in Him to be His witnesses.
He has also sent down the Holy Spirit to
live II u.s. and he in us the power for ser
vice and testimony. and the work can be
done only as our golden text tells us.
Ii. "Aud he took the mantle of Elijah
that fell from him. and smote the waters
and said Where IS the Lord God of Eli ahY"
He now acts in the name of Elijah, using
the mantle of Elijah, and looking to the
Lord God of Elijah. 80 did Peter aud
John when they said to the lame man, "In
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise
up and walk (Acts iii, @. Or to take all
older illustration, 50 did David when he
said to Goliath, 81 come to thee in the
name of the Lord of hosts, the God Of the
armies Of Israel q Sam. xvii, 40.
And when he also had smitten the
waters, they parted hither and thit3fer, and
Elisha went over
The same power that had been man
ifested on behalf of millions, and so re
Gently on behalf Of two men, is now put
forth on behalf Of Elisha only. God will
lavish His omnipotence on one man who is
willing to stand for Him: but it was not
simply for the sake of one man, but for the
sake of many that He might be gloFified.
Is "T'hc spirit of Elijah doth rest on
! Elisha
Thus testified the sons of the prophets
who from Jericho had witnessed the divid-
ing of the watcrs
| "And they came to meet him, and bowed
| themselves to the ground before him"
| They worShiped God in Elisha, or as
Paul says, They Rlorifed God in me-
| Gal. i, "a Thus Potiphar saw God in
| Joseph, and SO also did the keeper Of the
| prison and Pharaoh the king Gen. xxXix,
! 9, 3, %: xii 81 Thus he king of Babylon
saw God in Daniel and his companions
| dan. ii, u; iii, PSI. And the time is com
| ing when all nations of the earth shall see
| God in Israel, and bow down to Him and
worship Him der. iii, IL Eek. xxxvi, %;
| Zech. viii. 23).
lG. let them 90, we pray thee, aud seek
thy master; lest peradventure the Spirit Of
| the Lord hath taken him up and cast him
upon some mountain or into some valley. -
The sons OF the prophets request that
fifty strong men should 20 and rescue
| Elijah from possible difficulties in which
the spirit of the Lord might have left him.
Il. They sent him, therefore, fifty men,
and they sought three days, but found him
1 not"
At first Elisha refused to allow them to
90. but when they urged and insisted he
| finally consented, and this is the result.
Is And when they came again to him
Oor he tarricd at Jericho) he said unto
them, Did not say unto you, Go not
The energy Of the flesh can only be shown
its folly by allowing it to prove its help
leSsncss. These fifty were sure that they
knew better nan Elisha, but their vain rf
forts have now done for them what they
would not le; his words do, that is convince
them Of their folly.
10 "Dehold pray thee. the situation OF
this city is pleasant, as my Lord seeth: but
the water is naught and the ground
barren
Pleasant to the eyes. but unfruitfulness
and dca h was III it; how like the tree OF
the knowledge Of good and evil in the gar
den Of Eden. There is only life and fruit
fulucss where the Spirit of God is, and
however pleasant or attractive person OF
n work may appear, without the Spirit all
is death and barrenness. Observe how the
people of the city see in Elisha one whom
they believe can help them. because tbs
Spirit of God was in him. People seldom
go to those who live far from God for help
20 and he said, Bring me new cruise
and put salt therein. And they brought il
to him"
In Deut. xxx, %; Jer. xvii, 6; Zeph. ii
@ salt is associated with desolation ant
BARONESS, and every Bible reader is famil
lar with the Salt sea Gen. xiv, 3; Josh. iii
, IS, etc }, in which it Is said nothing cal
live. But in Lev ii, -, we read that every
Offering to the Lord required salt; in \ um
/ xviii, IA, we read of covenant OF salt, anC
in Matt. V, IS, believers are called the sal
, of the earth, while in Col iv, e. we are tolc
that our conversation should he seasoned
with salt. We need not stumble over hes,
, seeming contradictions when we rcmcmDc
that Jesus Himself is to some a SAVIOR o
death unto death and to others a SAVIOR o
life unto life Oh Cor. ii, -, 10. salt i