Title: Seeing God
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text: 2 Kings 2:1-12
Is seeing God enough? Is seeing God too much? What do we even mean by seeing God? Over the years I have been taught songs that refer to seeing God in some wistful, ecstatic, or trance-like manner. I never really imagined that those singing such songs actually meant much by them. Rather than focusing attention on God, they were actually focused on some mystical, internal, emotive experience completely foreign to events of God's appearing as we find them in the Bible. When we find Biblical characters who come in contact with God, their lives are changed, their responsibilities increase, they are called out of their comfort zone. Is this what we are after in our hope for seeing God?
It was no secret that Elijah's time as prophet of Yahweh was at an end. No, he wasn't on his deathbed. No one had called in hospice. His health was not failing. He was not surrounded by enemies on all sides. No king or queen of Israel was not seeking his death. In fact, he had been threatened by a king. He had survived a famine, being fed by ravens at a brook. With the brook drying up, he had found respite in exile under the care of a widow with no means of support. He had fled again after death threats from Jezebel, thinking to just lie down and die in the wilds. He had been fed and restored and sent on his way to meet Yahweh and continue with his ministry.
This was nothing like any of that. He had survived many trials but now found himself ready for Yahweh to carry him away and both he and the majority of the prophets in Israel seemed fully aware that this was that day. Elijah's time was up, so Yahweh turned him toward the wilds on the eastern side of the Jordan. He journeyed with Elisha from Gilgal down to Bethel, on to Jericho, on to the Jordan, and then across to the other side. This was where Yahweh had dealt somewhat differently and more directly with the people in their journey of wandering after their exo ...
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text: 2 Kings 2:1-12
Is seeing God enough? Is seeing God too much? What do we even mean by seeing God? Over the years I have been taught songs that refer to seeing God in some wistful, ecstatic, or trance-like manner. I never really imagined that those singing such songs actually meant much by them. Rather than focusing attention on God, they were actually focused on some mystical, internal, emotive experience completely foreign to events of God's appearing as we find them in the Bible. When we find Biblical characters who come in contact with God, their lives are changed, their responsibilities increase, they are called out of their comfort zone. Is this what we are after in our hope for seeing God?
It was no secret that Elijah's time as prophet of Yahweh was at an end. No, he wasn't on his deathbed. No one had called in hospice. His health was not failing. He was not surrounded by enemies on all sides. No king or queen of Israel was not seeking his death. In fact, he had been threatened by a king. He had survived a famine, being fed by ravens at a brook. With the brook drying up, he had found respite in exile under the care of a widow with no means of support. He had fled again after death threats from Jezebel, thinking to just lie down and die in the wilds. He had been fed and restored and sent on his way to meet Yahweh and continue with his ministry.
This was nothing like any of that. He had survived many trials but now found himself ready for Yahweh to carry him away and both he and the majority of the prophets in Israel seemed fully aware that this was that day. Elijah's time was up, so Yahweh turned him toward the wilds on the eastern side of the Jordan. He journeyed with Elisha from Gilgal down to Bethel, on to Jericho, on to the Jordan, and then across to the other side. This was where Yahweh had dealt somewhat differently and more directly with the people in their journey of wandering after their exo ...
There are 10920 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
