Come to Understanding

Come to Understanding

They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding,

and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. — Isaiah 29:24

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense,

and caused them to understand the reading. — Nehemiah 8:8

June 1, 2007
Volume 6 Number 11

First Elijah, Then Elisha

As we look around the world, we can see many similarities between our spiritual condition and that of Israel after the death of David. Enlisting the help of Hiram, the king of Tyre, to help build the house dedicated to the name of Yahweh, Solomon opened himself up to influences that led to the destruction of the united kingdom of Israel:

1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.

2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,

3 You know how that David my father could not build a house unto the name of Yahweh his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until Yahweh put them under the soles of his feet.

4 But now Yahweh my God has given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurring. -1 Kings 5

Solomon (whose name means "peace") had peace all around him. He could, therefore, proceed to build the "house unto the name of Yahweh:"

5 And, behold, I purpose to build a house unto the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your room, he shall build a house unto my name. -1 Kings 5

The Hebrew word translated above as "adversary," is Njs, which is "Satan!" Thinking that being at peace meant that the subtle influence of Satan was not around, Solomon sought the help of Hiram. As the the king of Tyre, he was also the king of the Sidonians, also called "Zidonians," who were skillful craftsmen:

6 Now therefore command you that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with your servants: and to you will I give hire for your servants according to all that you shall appoint: for you know that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. -1 Kings 5

Solomon brought the Sidonians (Zidonians) to work along side the people of Israel in building a house for the name of Yahweh. After Solomon and Hiram finished the work, Solomon stood before the people of Israel and proclaimed Yahweh to be the only God:

59 And let these my words, with which I have made supplication before Yahweh, be near unto Yahweh our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:

60 That all the people of the earth may know that Yahweh is God, and that there is none else.

61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with Yahweh our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

62 And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before Yahweh. -1 Kings 8

Even though he had pledged his commitment to Yahweh alone as God, Solomon married foreign women. Among these were women of the Zidonians, which were from Hiram’s kingdom:

1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; -1 Kings 11

Solomon soon began worshipping their gods. The first of these gods that he worshipped was the goddess of the Zidonians, Ashtoreth (known by many different names under the title of the "Queen of Heaven," she was often worshipped along side of Baal, the principal male deity):

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of Yahweh, and went not fully after Yahweh, as did David his father. -1 Kings 11

Because of the evil worship that Solomon was deceived into performing, Yahweh removed ten of the twelve tribes of the kingdom from his family and gave them to Jeroboam, who had been living in Egypt.

Even though Jeroboam called his new kingdom by the name "Israel," it was not the Israel that Yahweh had established. Jeroboam dedicated it to the worship of the gods of Egypt, instead of to Yahweh. He set up golden calves for the people to worship, made his own priests, and even established his own holy days (see 1 Kings 12).

The kings of this new "Israel," continued in the traditions that Jeroboam had established until the seventh king, Ahab, committed a greater sin than all of the other kings before him. He followed in the footsteps of Solomon and married a Zidonian woman:

30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of Yahweh above all that were before him.

31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. -1 Kings 16

The princess of the Zidonians, whose name was Jezebel, became the Queen of Israel! She was in charge of the four hundred "prophets of the groves." Ahab said:

19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table. -1 Kings 18

The term "groves," is translated from the Hebrew word, hrva (asherah). It is a reference to the goddess herself, her images, and the poles associated with her worship.

Yahweh sent His prophet, Elijah, to call Israel to repentance for their evil worship of Baal through the goddess. He called upon Israel to choose whether they would worship Yahweh or Baal:

20 So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to mount Carmel.

21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, How long halt you between two opinions? if Yahweh is God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. -1 Kings 18

As Queen Jezebel relentlessly pursued Elijah to kill him, Yahweh told him to anoint a new king over Israel and another prophet to take his place:

16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shall you anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shall you anoint to be prophet in your room. -1 Kings 19

Yahweh told Elijah to anoint Jehu as king and Elisha as prophet. These names are of great prophetic significance. The meanings of the names of Elijah (God is Yah), Elisha (God is salvation), and Jehu (Yah is He, from the Hebrew name, awhy [Yahoo]) testify that the name of God is Yah, which is the short form of the name Yahweh. He would reveal Himself as Yah the Savior, as He did by the name Yahshua, which is often translated as Jesus. Yah is He!

As Elijah stood by the River of Jordan with Elisha, he demonstrated the power of the spirit of Yahweh as he smote the waters with his mantle and they parted. After Elijah was taken away by the power of the spirit of Yahweh, Elisha remained, having a double portion of his spirit:

9 And it came to pass, when they had gone over, that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken away from you. And Elisha said, I pray you, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, You have asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so to you; but if not, it shall not be so.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both apart; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. -2 Kings 2

Just as Elijah preached repentance and preceded Elisha, John the Baptist (whose name means Yah gives grace) also preached repentance and preceded Yahshua, who even called him "Elijah:"

13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

14 And if you will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come. -Matthew 11

Quoting from the prophet Isaiah, Yahshua told of His own great anointing by the Spirit of Yahweh:

18 The Spirit of the Lord [Yahweh] is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord [Yahweh] -Luke 4

Yahshua, therefore, demonstrated the fulfillment of the words recorded by Amos, which is that Yahweh tells His prophets what He is going to do before it happens:

7 Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, but he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets. -Amos 3

Yahweh reveals that He will send Elijah:

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Yahweh: -Malachi 4

We saw the types of Elijah and Elisha demonstrated through John the Baptist and Yahshua. We can now expect another "Elijah" to call the world to repent from the misguided worship that results from Satan’s subtle influence on believers. He will call us to serve only Yahweh before the return and reign of Yah the Savior as the righteous King.

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Scriptures are taken from the Proper Name Version of the King James Bible.