Elisha’s Bones

2 Kings 13: 20-21 (NIV): 20 Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 21 Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.

    Elisha was a prophet in Israel after David and Solomon, about 800 years before Jesus. This incredible miracle happened a year or so after Elisha died. Some poor guy had died and was about to be buried in a tomb when Moabite raiders came over the hill. The men conducting his funeral were too frightened to continue a proper burial and funeral, so they just threw his body onto the bones of Elisha. When they did, he came back to life! Can you imagine everyone’s surprise?

    Back then, people were buried in caves that had a shelf hewn out of the rock. The deceased would lie on the shelf until he turned to bones; they would then take the bones and place them in an ossuary and reuse the tomb. Elisha’s tomb must have been nearby, so they just threw the corpse in there to escape the raiders.

    I want us to notice that God continued to use Elisha even after he was gone. That’s the legacy I want too. I want God to continue to bless people through my children, family, and circle of influence. I want my life to be a blessing now and after I am gone. What legacy will you leave behind?

   The second point is that God could use Elisha, even when Elisha was at his weakest. God can always use us. The supernatural power that raised the man to life belonged to God, not Elisha. God has placed each of us where we are to be used of him to be a blessing to others. You may not think God can use you, but I can assure you, if he could use a man who was dead and gone, he can use you, no matter your circumstance. In fact, God can use us more when we are humble and realize that we are nothing without him.

    And don’t miss this: God loves to turn around a bad day. It couldn’t have been any worse for the dead man in this passage. He was dead and his funeral was ruined by marauding Moabites. But as soon as his body hit Elisha’s bones, he came back to life. God is always up to something good and you never know how he might take an awful situation and turn it into something unbelievable.