One last, odd story about Elisha. His miracles don’t even cease after his death:
Then Elisha died and they buried him. Some time later, raiding bands of Moabites, as they often did, invaded the country. One day, some men were burying a man and spotted the raiders. They threw the man into Elisha’s tomb and got away. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came alive, stood up, and walked out on his own two feet. (2 Kings 13.20 – 21, MSG)
Really? “When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came alive…” I told you in advance that there were a lot of miracles in the story of Elisha, many of them pretty far-fetched like this one. But the only reason I can think of that this story would be included in scripture is that it’s true! I wonder what happened to the guy?
We’re back to God is real! God is here! It’s the only explanation for this miracle-dense section of scripture: 1 Kings 17 (Elijah’s entrance) – 2 Kings 13 (Elisha’s death). Is it a lesson in times and seasons? This set of miracles was done in Israel, the Northern Kingdom, where there were no good kings and people were not encouraged in the true worship of the true God. There is another set of miracles in Daniel – signs to a pagan kingdom(s). Then Jesus, the apostles, and others. God is alive and well and can act as he chooses.
There are those who believe that these kinds of miracles don’t happen today. I don’t agree. Please see these blogs:
You do not have because you do not ask, (James 4.2, ESV)
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us… (Ephesians 3.20, ESV)