03.23. Gehazi with Elisha's Staff

Gehazi with Elisha’s Staff But behold the broken-hearted mother with tottering steps, bearing her lifeless son into Elisha’s chamber! She lays him on the prophet’s bed, as if the child were only asleep. She once more gazes at him through her tears, and plaintively once more calls him by his name; but alas! a life to her so precious, is certainly fled, and she sees nothing but a corpse. Nevertheless she again presses his pale, clay-cold cheek with kisses, and bedews it with her tears. And now, having forced herself away from the chamber of death, and locked the door, she dispatched a message to her husband; to whom, however, the messenger was not to mention a word about the melancholy event, but only to request him to send her one of the young men, and one of the asses, that she might hasten to the man of God to Mount Carmel, and return immediately. Her husband complied, though surprised at her sudden determination; as it was then neither new moon nor the sabbath, at which times it may be supposed to have been the practice of Elisha to hold religious meetings in that retirement, apart from the idolatrous neighborhood. She left answer that it should be "well;" and as soon as the ass was saddled, she said to her servant, "Drive and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee." So she went and came unto the man of God to Mount Carmel, that his prayers might be put up for her at the throne of grace, if peradventure his intercessions might prevail to bring back her beloved child from the dead. The prophet seeing her from a distance, and apprehending that something was the matter, sent his servant Gehazi to meet her. "Run now," said he, "I pray thee to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well;" which she said either in confusion of mind, or; which is more probable, in very strong faith. See Hebrews 11:35. Thus she hurried on towards the man of God, and when she had come to him, to the hill, what a heart touching scene ensued! She prostrated herself before him, and held him by the feet, though Gehazi, presuming that such importunity could not but be offensive to his master, came near to thrust her away. "And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me." Then, in a few abrupt words, which Elisha could well understand, and which seem to have been all that her suffocating grief could utter, she said, "Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?" These two questions told her sad tale at once, and there was stirred up at the same moment, in Elisha’s heart, an ardent desire that God might soon comfort this brokenhearted mother by the restoration of her child from the dead. "Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. And the mother of the child said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose and followed her. And Gehazi passed on before them;" but being on so solemn an errand, he was forbidden to speak to, or answer, any one who might meet him on the way. Gehazi, having thus hastened forward, arrived at the house, and did as he was commanded. He laid the prophet’s staff upon the face of the little corpse, doubtless expecting, with the sorrowing domestics, that a miraculous effect would ensue; in other words, that the child would return to life. "But there was neither voice nor hearing." The dead awakes not; and the spectators look down embarrassed. Perhaps this was an instructive lesson to Gehazi, and it may certainly be such to us. The staves of the men of God are powerless of themselves; and their energy consists in the virtue imparted to them by the prayer of faith in the Divine promises, through the mighty name of Jesus. How often have the very powers of hell fled before his weakest dependent servants! How often have mountains of difficulty been removed, and deep waters of affliction been divided, yea, the world itself been obliged to yield, through the prayers and exertions of faith! But, where there is nothing of this, it is only "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?" Form is in itself but an unmeaning thing, to which faith alone can impart energy.