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This miracle is a rather unusual one, in which Elisha caused an iron axe head to float. The incident begins with the sons of the prophets presenting a proposition to Elisha (v1): “Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, ‘See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us.’”

‘Sons of the prophets’ is a term applied to small assemblies of believers – not just males – but family groups dispersed through the Northern Kingdom of Israel; ‘Ecclesias’ we could say. It appears that they lived together as communities, probably with a central building (Ecclesial Hall) for communal worship. This group had increased in numbers to the point that they needed more spacious accommodation.

Readings: 2 Kings 13; Ezekiel 3; 2 Corinthians 10-11

In the readings for today there is a theme of challenge and difficulty for the servant of God. Ezekiel was sent to take God’s message among the captives from Jerusalem. He is described as their watchman. He does not want to go but it is inevitable that he will, in obedience to his calling. God has given Ezekiel the amazing vision of the cherubim to assure him that He is always there, at work among his people. Captivity is not an end but a genuine opportunity, as Daniel showed.

About 4,000 years ago a faithful man, Abraham, was promised a land inheritance by GOD.  GOD said to him: “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it” (Genesis 15:7). However, this promise was not fulfilled in his lifetime.  But he believed he would receive it in the future. He is described in the Bible as one of those who “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off” (Hebrews 11:13).

At the start of 2 Kings 5 we are given a comprehensive description of Naaman: (v1) “Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favour, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valour, but he was a leper.”

Naaman was a Gentile military man, of high status and reputation. He had evidently been successful against the enemies of Syria – including Israel – and the LORD had already been working in his life. He was a courageous warrior – but after that long list of positives there is a stark and blunt comment – he was a leper. There was no known medical cure for leprosy in those days. It was a dreaded disease which resulted in a slow death – so it is a very appropriate type of sin.

Readings: 2 Kings 5; Lamentations 1; 1 Corinthians 14

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians contains some astonishingly hard-hitting, and, perhaps, surprising things. How many members of our community have you ever met who openly deny that Jesus was raised from the dead? It’s almost unbelievable; but it happened in the first century (see 1 Corinthians 15:12). This was just one of the issues Paul sought to rectify in his two epistles. Such was the love he had for these men and women; he didn’t cast them off. They were like sons and daughters to him (4:15). And, like any faithful parent, he wanted only what was best for his children.

Readings: 1 Kings 19; Jeremiah 45-46; 1 Corinthians 4-5

Today, we do not hear God speaking. We have difficulty imagining what it must have been like to hear a divine voice (the voice of an angel perhaps) from heaven, but many servants of God (and sometimes others who were His enemies) had that experience. Nor have we heard the voice of Jesus; and we may envy the disciples who talked with the Master two thousand years ago.

Readings: 1 Kings 12; Jeremiah 38; Mark 12

God’s purpose is to fill the Earth with people who have a love and an enthusiasm for the things of The Truth. And this love and enthusiasm should be demonstrated in the way we live our lives today; we must not “light a candle and put it under a bushel” (Matthew 5:15) and wait until the return of our master.