2 Kings 13:20-21 Elisha died and was buried.
Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 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.
Isn't that funny!!?? Well, I guess it wouldn't have been if you were there or later saw the dead man walking around but I think it's funny!
The Bible is full of these little stories, nuggets of more-or-less inconsequential things that maybe don't mean a thing to us today. Much of the Bible, at least the Old Testament, is oral tradition that was eventually written down. I guess in the storytelling period, they had to spice it up a little to keep everyone's attention.
Imagine sitting around the fire, listening to the storyteller telling the same story you'd heard dozens of times before. Except this time, he throws in the story that he'd heard about this dead man's bones being pitched into Elisha's tomb, then walking out alive! People asking, "but, but, we thought you were dead. What happened? Why are you alive now?!" The dead man replies, "well, the best I can figure, those guys were taking my dead body to bury when they noticed this bunch of thieves coming. Scared 'em to death so they pitched my body in the nearest hole - ended up being on top of Elisha's! I woke up then, by those dead bones of Elisha's. Those are sure powerful bones! Sure am glad is all I can say."
The storytellers don't like adding all that into the story so they shorten it. Still grabs the listeners' ears when they tell it though. Or maybe when it got written down, the writers left off a chunk of the story because it didn't really have any lessons, except about the power of Elisha, the man of God.
I don't know why these types of verses are in the Bible. I don't know of any life lessons I gain from them. I do know that I've never seen these verses noted in a devotional, or heard them read and preached on during church. I read these verses because I am reading through the Bible, Genesis to Revelation, front to back, beginning to end (so to speak). There are a lot of these gems hidden throughout the Bible. I'm enriched when I find them if for no other reason than they are entertaining. God does have a sense of humor, you know.
Thank You again, God, for Your Holy Word, even the parts that don't seem to mean much. If it is something You want me to know, please enlighten me. I love Your Holy Word. Thank You. Amen.
Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 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.
Isn't that funny!!?? Well, I guess it wouldn't have been if you were there or later saw the dead man walking around but I think it's funny!
The Bible is full of these little stories, nuggets of more-or-less inconsequential things that maybe don't mean a thing to us today. Much of the Bible, at least the Old Testament, is oral tradition that was eventually written down. I guess in the storytelling period, they had to spice it up a little to keep everyone's attention.
Imagine sitting around the fire, listening to the storyteller telling the same story you'd heard dozens of times before. Except this time, he throws in the story that he'd heard about this dead man's bones being pitched into Elisha's tomb, then walking out alive! People asking, "but, but, we thought you were dead. What happened? Why are you alive now?!" The dead man replies, "well, the best I can figure, those guys were taking my dead body to bury when they noticed this bunch of thieves coming. Scared 'em to death so they pitched my body in the nearest hole - ended up being on top of Elisha's! I woke up then, by those dead bones of Elisha's. Those are sure powerful bones! Sure am glad is all I can say."
The storytellers don't like adding all that into the story so they shorten it. Still grabs the listeners' ears when they tell it though. Or maybe when it got written down, the writers left off a chunk of the story because it didn't really have any lessons, except about the power of Elisha, the man of God.
I don't know why these types of verses are in the Bible. I don't know of any life lessons I gain from them. I do know that I've never seen these verses noted in a devotional, or heard them read and preached on during church. I read these verses because I am reading through the Bible, Genesis to Revelation, front to back, beginning to end (so to speak). There are a lot of these gems hidden throughout the Bible. I'm enriched when I find them if for no other reason than they are entertaining. God does have a sense of humor, you know.
Thank You again, God, for Your Holy Word, even the parts that don't seem to mean much. If it is something You want me to know, please enlighten me. I love Your Holy Word. Thank You. Amen.
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