28 There Is a Prophet in Israel
There Is a Prophet in Israel
The records of Elisha show recorded miracle: by the power of
God, he raised a child from the dead; he fed a multitude, having very little
food; and he, by the power of God, healed a leper.
2 Kings
4:18–37 The widow’s son had died. But Elisha went into his room, and
through his faith, his life was restored.
2 Kings
4:42–44 Much like in Jesus’s lifetime, the multitude was fed with a
fraction of what would seem to satisfy all of them.
2 Kings
5:1–14 Once Naaman humbled himself and hearken to the words of the prophet
Elisha, washing seven times in the River Jordan, he was healed. By small and
simple means great things are brought to pass. We need to trust the Lord and
the words of His prophets.
Elisha’s ministry and miracles testify of Jesus Christ. In fact, the people of
Jesus’s day would recognize Jesus because of the miracles He performed, if they
were remembering the words and works of earlier prophets.
If we want to develop faith like Elisha’s, we must pray for
it, and we must look to the words in the scriptures and from modern prophets.
Elisha had requested a double portion of the spirit of Elijah, and his eyes
were open to see Elijah being carried into heaven.
He didn’t just want this blessing for himself, he prayed for it for his young
servant, and for all of us.
2 Kings
6:17 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee,
open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of
the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
I hope that in these troubling times, we will open our eyes and see all of
those who are on the Lord’s side, and on our side.
God can work miracles in my life.
2 Kings
2–6
Why does God grant us miracles? What purpose can they serve
in our lives? How does it make you feel to know that God personally knows and
loves you, and that you are worthy of His care?
2 Kings
2:19–22 Heavenly Father can heal the waters, and He can give us drink and
replenish us. Jesus is both the bread of life and the living water.
2 Kings
6:4–7 He can help us recover things that are lost and retore things that
are borrowed.
2 Kings
4:8–37 He can restore life. Through Elisha the woman was promised a son in
her old age. For sadness, she dared not believe it. But she had a son. Then
when he died, she had faith to call upon the man of God, and he came and
through faith call the boys spirit to again enter his body.
Luke
7:11–16 Another man, the only son of his mother, had his life restored.
These works were a prophecy, a foreshadowing, of the coming of Jesus Christ,
who healed the sick and raised the dead, and fed the multitudes.
2 Kings
4:42–44 The multitudes were indeed fed.
John
6:1–13 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother,
saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley
loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now
there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number
about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had
given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them
that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his
disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together,
and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which
remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
2 Kings
5:1–15 Naaman was healed of leprosy. Elisha used his priesthood to
bless and heal, and he would not accept reward for that.
Luke
17:11–19 Jesus heals. Ten lepers were healed physically by Jesus. The one
who had gratitude and came back to give thanks and praise the Lord was also
healed spiritually that day.
2 Nephi
26:12–13 12 And as I spake concerning
the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ,
it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ,
the Eternal God;
13 And that he manifesteth himself
unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost;
yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working
mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according
to their faith.
Be a believer!
27:23
23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I
will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today,
and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it
be according to their faith.
Moroni
7:35–37 5 And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case
that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto
you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are
true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?
36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the
children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from
them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or
there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by
faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels
appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto
the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.
The
Power of Spiritual Momentum
The Lord will fulfill His words given through His
prophets.
2 Kings
4:8–17; 7:1–16
The Lord inspired Elisha with revelations of things to come;
things that might have seemed unlikely then. Do you believe in the words of the
prophets? Do you want to hear them? Do you look forward to receiving the Lord’s
words, his counsel, and his directives to you? Are you confirming their
importance in your life by seeking to have the Holy Ghost help you follow the
prophet and to look forward to the Savior’s return.
Are you making your home a place where servants of the Lord
are welcome to visit and to stay? Can the Spirit of the Lord abide with you in
your home? Consider how the woman of Shunem received the prophet.
3 Nephi
29:6 6 Yea, wo unto him that shall deny the
revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by
revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or
by the power of the Holy Ghost!
Doctrine
and Covenants 1:37–38 37 Search these commandments,
for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies
and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.
38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken,
and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away,
my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether
by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it
is the same.
As I am humble and obedient, Jesus Christ can heal me.
2 Kings 5
How can Naaman’s leprosy be likened to a trial that you are
dealing with? How can adhering to what the Spirit is telling you to do deliver
you from your own plagues and heal you? Are you seeking guidance from the Lord’s
prophets?
verses
2–3, 13 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and
had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she
waited on Naaman’s wife.
3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my
lord were with the prophet that is in
Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
13 And his servants came near, and spake unto
him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do
some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how
much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
Interesting to note that the little maid was dealing with a
captivity of her own. But she knew who she was and that Jesus is our deliverer.
Even though she’d been taken to be a servant, she was still willing to point
people towards the living prophet of the living God.
verse 13
What can I personally do to wash and be clean? We are all called upon to
repent, so that we can have a more fullness of the Spirit and of joy. Am I
seeking that?
verse 15
15 ¶ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his
company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now
I know that there is no God in all the
earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of
thy servant.
Because King Naaman had been healed, he new that it was by
the power of the living God.
Luke
4:27 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of
Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the
Syrian.
We need to have faith to be healed. We need to ask, and we need to do what we
are asked to do in return.
1 Peter
5:5–7 5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto
the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be
clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and
giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the
mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting
all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Alma
37:3–7 The scriptures have been saved for us, so that we may learn these
lessons, too; and so that we will also know that there is a God in Israel, and
that He is the God of the whole earth.
7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his
great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord
doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many
souls.
Ether
12:27 27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them
their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be
humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men
that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before
me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong
unto them.
Some of the weaknesses we have are just for this mortal life we are
experiences. God wants to remember Him and to rely on Him. We can trust Him to
help us improve and become more like Him as we hearken, repent, and seek His
help.
Whatsoever
He Saith unto You, Do It
Video: Naaman and Elisha: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2011-03-0074-naaman-and-elisha?lang=eng
“They that be with us are more than they that be with
them.”
2 Kings
6:8–23
We live in the latter-days, and it is important to know that
we are not outnumbered, nor are we defeated. The Lord will be with His saints,
as will all the hosts of heaven.
2 Kings
6:8–23 Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they
that be with us are more than they that be with
them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I
pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened
the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
….How should we treat those we’ve taken captive?
21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when
he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I
smite them?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest
thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with
thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go
to their master.
We should return with them to our Master.
President Eyring, “Like that servant of Elisha, there are
more with you than those you can see opposed to you. Some who are with you will
be invisible to your mortal eyes. The Lord will bear you up and will at times
do it by calling others to stand with you.”
verse 16
And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more
than they that be with them.
Who are with you? Your ancestors. You are the daughter of Werner Sommerfeld and
Daphne Jamison; and the granddaughter of Gustav Sommerfeld and Marie Haertel,
and John Jamison and Pearl McGee; and all those who came before you back to
Adam and Eve. You are the daughter of Heavenly Parents, and you are the
daughter of Jesus Christ through your baptism and through His resurrection. You
are the sister to many good siblings and siblings-in-law; two of those are
angels who are watching and waiting. You are the mother of wonderful children
and children-in-law; one of those is an angel who honors you through faith and
patience; and the grandmother of exceptional grandsons and granddaughters. You
have the Holy Ghost, the scriptures, and the prophets as your guides. As you
live righteously, the Lord will fight all your battles, for the battle is the
Lord’s. Michael, Adam of the father of all living, is at the head of His army,
and all the hosts of heaven and saints of earth are with you.
Doctrine
and Covenants 84:88 88 And whoso receiveth you, there
I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your
right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts,
and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.
2 Kings
6:8–23 Elder Ronald A. Rasband said: “We may or may not have chariots
of fire sent to dispel our fears and conquer our demons, but the lesson is
clear. The Lord is with us, mindful of us and blessing us in ways only He can
do. Prayer can call down the strength and the revelation that we need to center
our thoughts on Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. The Lord knew that at
times we would feel fear. I have been there and so have you. … In this
Church we may be few in number by the way the world counts influence, but when
we open our spiritual eyes, ‘they that be with us are more than they that be
with them.’”
2 Kings
6:16 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with
us are more than they that be with them.
Dearest
Children, God Is Near You
Scripture Helps
- What
does it mean that “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven?”
- What
was significant about Elijah’s mantle falling to Elisha?
- Why
did Naaman want to carry loads of soil from Israel to Syria?
Children’s Study Sections, not done
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