2 Kings 4

Sin came into the world through one man, and with sin came death and misery. All of the people groups that have lived on the face of the earth have felt the sting of poverty, barrenness, disease, and grief. But God, who is rich in mercy, was not content to leave the world in this state of brokenness.

In the days of Elijah and Elisha, He gave powerful testimony to His own healing plan. There were many people in great need in that day who did not see God's miracles at work. But some few got a glimpse of a better era that would come into the world through Jesus Christ.

When Jesus came to Israel preaching and teaching the kingdom of God, His message was accompanied by heavenly signs. These signs, reminiscent of the miracles of Elijah and Elisha, testified to a coming kingdom consummation when the blessings of heaven would be revealed fully upon the earth.

In this world we have tribulation. Weak people face grinding poverty. Parents lose their children. Scarcity and misery bring much sorrow upon whole communities. But God has overcome the power of sin through His Son.

Elisha gave oil to a needy woman. He gave healthy and plentiful food to the hungry. He raised the dead.

Jesus, the Son of God, performed even greater signs. He fed thousands with just a few loaves, and turned water into wine. He repeatedly healed the sick. He even raised a man who had been in the grave for four days.

But Jesus was more than a prophetic miracle worker. He is the Bread of Life. He is the Resurrection and the Life.

Like the miracles of Elisha, Jesus' great works were a sign of the ultimate victory of heaven. But far better still, in Jesus' resurrection the kingdom of heaven has come.

When the Lord returns with the fullness of heaven and earth, death shall be no more. Neither shall their be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things will have completely passed away.

At present we live in that time between the inauguration of the kingdom of God and the fullness of that kingdom coming. God still answers prayer from heaven, and even sends His Spirit upon millions, bringing life to the dead through the preaching of the gospel. Yet the poor are with us, and we mourn the loss of those we love. But now, because of our Redeemer, our hope for a glorious kingdom of resurrection fruitfulness has been perfectly secured.

Today is a day of faith. Trusting in Jesus, we persevere even in poverty and trial with a measure of the joy of the Lord. As Jesus wept at the death of His friend, we also weep. But we commit our loved ones to the earth with the sure hope of the coming day of the consummation of the glorious kingdom of Christ.