The Balance

 "When the group of prophets from Jericho saw from a distance what happened they exclaimed, "Elijah's spirit rests upon Elisha!" 2 Kings 2:15...."Mercy triumphs over judgement." James 2:13...." God's mercy is always a higher priority to Him than judgement. God's heart will always draw Him to those who need His grace." Chris Tiegreen

In the Old Testament, two of my favorite prophets are Elijah and Elisha. Both were mighty men of God, and Elijah was the mentor and example for Elisha. Before his departure from this world, Elijah asked Elisha what he would ask of him. Elisha asked for a double portion of the spirit that Elijah walked and ministered in. I've always loved that story and have always hoped that this would be my deepest desire as well; to have a double portion of the spirit that men such as Elijah and Elisha walked in. Yet, I have come across, due to the writings of Chris Tiegreen, insight into these two men, and to the ways of God that I've not truly seen before.

The name "Elijah" means "Yahweh is God." And this was what the message of Elijah pointed to. He spoke to a people captivated by a host of sins, not least of which was idolatry. He warned the people of the consequences of their sin and called them to repentance. Justice and judgement were the center of his preaching. Elisha means "God saves," and this was the central message of his life and ministry. In these two men we see what must be the whole message of the church and its ministers. A pointing to the truth that God Almighty is God alone and that He will tolerate no other gods before Him. That to reject Him brings upon us the most dire of consequences of which none can escape. This was the message of Elijah. In Elisha we see a man preaching to those same people.

As Tiegreen writes, "Elijah declared the sins of a nation. Elisha remedied them." Both men gave witness to the heart of God. He is a God of judgement and His wrath will come upon the finally unrepentant. Elisha, who had twice the spirit of Elijah, showed the deep desire of God to forgive, to heal, to make whole. His mercy will always triumph over His judgement......unless we reject that mercy.

I think our great error in the church, and an eternally costly one, is that we have no balance between the messages of the two prophets. We have a group, smaller I think, that emphasizes His judgement. God is angry, and He is seeking to punish. The other group, much larger I believe, is that God is all mercy, and that He would never allow His wrath to fall upon those who defy, disobey, and reject Him and His ways. The first abuse the reality of His justice and the latter abuse the truth of His mercy and grace. God is a God of balance, and the church must present Him as such. He hates sin and He will and does judge, but His first desire is to forgive. The church must hear and receive this message, and it must be boldly presented. Then the church must take this message to the world. This was seen in the message of His Son, Jesus Christ. It must now be seen in the message of those who profess to follow Him.

I still yearn for that double portion of His Spirit, but a double portion that will proclaim the full message of the gospel. Unconfessed, unrepentant sin will be finally judged. The verdict, hell, will be terrible. But before that verdict is given, His mercy, grace, and forgiveness will be constantly held out before all. It is a frightening and at the same time wonderful message. May we proclaim it with a double portion of His Spirit. May I, may you, walk in that Spirit right now. And if we're not, may we yearn for nothing else until we do.

Blessings,

Pastor O