“The God who made the world and everything
in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by
hands. And he is not served by human
hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and
breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men,
that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they
should live. God did this so
that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he
is not far from each one of us. ‘For in
him we live and move and have our being.’
As some of your own prophets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”
~ the
apostle Paul, speaking in Athens (Acts 17:24-27)
In America, we have set aside today to commemorate
Martin Luther King, Jr. – someone who called on all of us, Christians
especially, to recognize the truth that all men are created equal. I had the privilege of reading “Letter from a
Birmingham Jail” earlier this year, and found it very convicting.
I am so grateful for people who are willing to
stand up and speak truth in a world that so often refuses to listen. King spoke about the truth contained in the
verse above: God has made all men from
one man, showing our equality. We are
precious because we are made in God’s image.
He cares about each one of us. As
the verse goes on to say, he even cares about the times and places in which we
live.
Location matters.
History matters.
The other day I listened to a series of talks on
the life of the prophet Balaam by Ravi Zacharias. The talks were very good, but what stuck out
to me was a side comment he made about the calling of Elisha. And, again, I was struck with the fact that places…and
history…are important.
In 2 Kings 2 in the Bible, we are told that God is
about to miraculously take Elijah up to heaven.
Elijah and Elisha are just coming from Gilgal when Elijah tells Elisha
to stay while he goes on to Bethel.
Elisha is not easily dissuaded and follows Elijah to Bethel. While in Bethel, Elijah tells Elisha to stay
while he goes to Jericho, and Elisha again refuses to leave his master. In Jericho, Elijah tries to leave Elisha
behind again while he journeys to the Jordan, and still…Elisha stays with Elijah. They reach the Jordan, Elijah miraculously
separates the Jordan River by striking it with his cloak, Elisha asks to
inherit a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, and Elisha sees Elijah taken up into
heaven by a chariot and horses of fire.
Wow, eh? We
see what seems to be a random assortment of trips…Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, the
Jordan…almost as if Elijah is trying to either lose Elisha…or test him. But it appears that Elijah was giving Elisha
one last lesson about God before Elijah handed his job off to his apprentice.
What happened at each of these locations?
1.
Gilgal: In Joshua 4, the Israelites miraculously
cross the Jordan River on dry ground, entering the promised land for the first
time. One man from each of the twelve
tribes of Israel picks up a stone from the middle of the river bed, and after
they cross, they place these stones in a memorial at the first place they camp: Gilgal.
a.
At this same place, God also asks the Israelites
to be circumcised, recommitting to their covenant with God by doing what they
had neglected to do while they wandered in the wilderness. Gilgal
sounds like the Hebrew word for “roll”, and it was there that they
respected God’s holiness by following his commands, and it is said that God “rolled
away the reproach of Egypt” from the Israelites at Gilgal.
2.
Bethel: Bethel means “house of God,” and any good
Israelite would remember that:
a.
Abraham pitched his tent west of Bethel (Genesis
12:8)
b.
Abraham first built an altar to the Lord at
Bethel (Genesis 13:3-4)
c.
Jacob dreamed of the ladder/stairway to heaven,
and God promised to give him the land and
be with him at Bethel (Genesis 28:10-22)
d.
God told Jacob to settle in Bethel and to build
an altar there (Genesis 35:1-7)
e.
Jeroboam set up a golden calf as an idol in
Bethel for Israel to worship (I Kings 12:28-29).
3.
Jericho: In Joshua 5:13ff, after the Israelites
crossed over the Jordan and were circumcised, they see the power of God as the
highly fortified city of Jericho comes tumbling down after 7 days of silently
walking around the city (Joshua 5:13ff).
It is completely miraculous, because all the people do is walk, play
trumpets, and shout – and the wall comes down!
4.
Jordan: the Jordan River was such a big part of the
landscape of Israel, connecting the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, separating
the nation of Israel as it traveled North to South. God splits the Jordan River in Joshua 3 as the
priests step out in faith into the flood-stage river…and the people walk over
on dry ground. And, in 2 Kings 2, Elijah
strikes the water with his cloak and the river splits.
How could I have missed this before? Ravi mentioned that Elijah was reminding
Elisha of God’s holiness at Gilgal,
his faithfulness at Bethel, and his power at Jericho. It wasn’t until I read up on those places
that I understood what he meant.
Elisha would have seen the 12 stones commemorating
the crossing of the Jordan and through the name Gilgal remembered the circumcision
that took place there to please a holy God.
He would have seen the altars and recognized the
faithfulness of God even when Israel turned away to idol worship.
He would have seen the still fallen walls of
Jericho, not rebuilt: a testament to the miraculous power of the God he
served.
And when Elisha got to the Jordan? How could he miss the lesson there?
God used sandals of men walking in faith to split
that river in Joshua 3.
God used the rocks from the middle of the river to
remind the Israelites of who He was and what he could do in Joshua 4.
God used the cloak of a prophet to split the river
in 2 Kings 2.
Inanimate objects could be used to give glory to
God. Because it wasn’t the inanimate
objects themselves, but the God behind them.
As Ravi said, “Even stones can be a testimony for
God…how much more a person empowered by God?”
So, on this day commemorating American history, I
think it’s good to go back to Biblical history as well and realize God cares
about the times and places in which we live.
He cares about the places He leads us to and
through, if only momentarily.
If we look and listen closely, I think we can’t
help but hear the testimonies of those who have gone before us, pointing to a
God who made the world and everything in it.
A God who is not far from any one of us.
A holy God. A faithful God. A miraculously powerful God. A God who desires that we should reach out
and to seek Him. And a God who is willing
to use the simplest things to share his truth and grace with others…even
Christians…if we’re up for the challenge.
As God used Elijah to show Elisha, all we might
need as impetus is a short history lesson.
