The Prophet Elisha
The holy Prophet Elisha was the son of a farmer named Shaphat (I Kings 19:19). God made the Prophet famous by many miracles.
After Elijah was taken up into Heaven Elisha had to cross the river Jordan. He struck the water with the mantle of Elijah. The water parted, and he crossed on the dry river bed.
When Elisha came to the city of Jericho, the inhabitants of the city said to him, “Our water is bad, and because of this the ground is barren.” Elisha threw salt into the spring of water and the water became tasty and healthful.
Near the city of Bethel, Elisha saw children coming from the town who began to laugh at him and cry out, “Go away, thou baldhead, go away.” He told them that for this disrespect to an elder they would be punished by God. At that moment two bears came out of the forest and tore to pieces forty-two of the children.
Once a poor widow came to Elisha. She was crying and said to him, ‘My husband is dead and left many debts. The creditor came to take my two sons to be servants.”
“Tell me what hast thou in the house?” asked Elisha.
The woman replied, “Nothing, save a pot of oil.”
Elisha said to her, “Go, borrow vessels for thyself from all thy neighbors, as many empty vessels as you can. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and thou shalt pour the oil into all those vessels.”
The woman did this. The oil was poured until all the vessels were filled. She sold the oil, paid all the debts and there still remained enough money for her sons and her to live.
In the city of Shunem, a certain rich woman had a son. It came to pass that her son suddenly fell ill and died the same day. She went to Elisha and in despair fell at his feet. The Prophet came into the house where the child lay and for a long time prayed to God. The child came back to life.
The commander of the armies of the King of Syria, Naaman, was sick with leprosy. No one could cure him of this illness. Naaman’s wife had a captive Jewish girl as a servant. Seeing the sufferings of her master she said, “O that my lord were before the Prophet of God in Samaria; then he would recover him from his leprosy.”
Naaman went to the Prophet Elisha in the Israelite land. Elisha sent a servant to tell Naaman that he should wash seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman did as the Prophet ordered him and immediately became well. With rich gifts he returned to Elisha, but the Prophet took nothing from him.
When Naaman went home, Elisha’s servant Gehazi caught up with him and took from him, in the name of the Prophet, silver and some clothes. Having hidden what he had received, Gehazi came to Elisha. “Whence comest thou, Gehazi?” Elisha asked him.
“Thy servant went no where,” replied Gehazi.
Then the Prophet exposed his lie and said to him, “The leprosy of Naaman, besides his silver, shall cleave to thee.” And Gehazi went out from Elisha, covered with leprosy.
Even after his death the Prophet Elisha performed a miracle. In the year after his death, a man was being carried past the cave in which Elisha was buried. But seeing their enemies, the men who were burying him hurriedly threw the dead man into the Prophet’s cave. On falling, as soon as he touched Elisha’s bones, he came to life and arose.
Note: See II Kings, chaps. 2-10; 13:1-21.
(from: The Law of God
