Prophet Elisha and 2 water-related miracles
2 Kings 2:19-22 & 6:1-7
re-told by Debbie Dunn
Story highlights:
* Prophet Elisha and 2 water-related miracles from 2 Kings 2 & 6
* God tells Elisha how to make the river near Jericho safe to drink
* Elisha helps another prophet retrieve his ax head from the Jordan River
Bible-tale begins:
Have you ever drunk water from a water hose?
RINGLEADER: That’s not very safe to do these days!
Group repeats
True. But as a kid, I didn’t think about safety when I was hot and thirsty.
Question: What are some safer ways to get water to drink?
Answer: Accept a variety of reasonable answers.
You can drink from a water faucet, a water fountain, or from a bottle of water.
Question: What do you do if you are in the woods or in the desert, how could you satisfy your thirst then?
Answer: Accept a variety of reasonable answers.
Some people bring a canteen or thermos of water with them when they go hiking. Some might carry a water bottle.
Imagine being super thirsty in the woods, seeing water, and running toward it. You scoop up some water with your hands and take a great big gulp.
Hopefully, it will turn out to be cool and delicious.
Question: What do you do if that water tastes really bad or is poison?
Answer: Accept a variety of reasonable answers.
You could boil water over a fire and wait for it to get cool enough to drink.
But imagine that there are dozens or hundreds of you dying of thirst?
That leads us to the first of two miracle tales about the Prophet Elisha.
RINGLEADER: Tell us about the first miracle.
Group repeats
One day, the leaders of the town of Jericho visited Elisha. One leader said:
JERICHO LEADER: Prophet Elisha, we have a big problem.
ELISHA: What is your problem?
JERICHO LEADER: Even though this water looks fine, some pregnant women have lost their babies. Other people have gotten very sick or died.
After Elisha prayed to God, he knew just what to do. Elisha said:
ELISHA: Bring me a brand-new bowl and place some salt in it.
Elisha took that new bowl of salt, threw it into the spring, and said:
ELISHA: The Lord has told me that the water is now pure. It will no longer cause sickness, death, or harm any pregnant women.
Sure enough, the water remained safe to drink from that day forward.
RINGLEADER: Hooray for Elisha! Hooray for safe drinking water!
Group repeats
RINGLEADER: Tell us about the second miracle.
Group repeats
This one is simple but fun. Some nearby prophets, called the Sons of Prophets, came to Elisha one day and asked permission to build a new school for prophets near the Jordan River.
Elisha said yes and even agreed to go with them when they invited him to join.
While they were in the process of cutting down trees, one prophet got a little too enthusiastic when swinging his ax.
The wooden handle remained in his hand. Unfortunately, the iron head of the ax flew off the handle and into the fast-flowing waters of the Jordan River. He cried out:
OTHER PROPHET: Oh, no! That ax was not mine. I borrowed it!
ELISHA: Where did the ax fall?
The man pointed to where he last saw it sink. After praying, Elisha took a stick and threw it into the water. Suddenly, the ax, made of non-floatable iron, floated up to the surface anyway. Elisha said:
ELISHA: Grab the ax.
The man gratefully reached out and grabbed the ax.
RINGLEADER: So, God made an ax made of iron float? Wow!
Group repeats
RINGLEADER: Does that mean God cares about the little things, too?
Group repeats
Absolutely! Compared to miracles about healing leprosy or raising someone from the dead, this Elisha miracle may not sound that impressive. But the thing is, God cares about everything that involves us.
God cares about the big things and the small things. He helps with huge problems like when we are sick or our heart feels broken. He also helps with little things like a test at school or finding a lost toy or our missing glasses.
God knows us completely. The Bible says God even knows the number of hairs on our heads. After all, He created us and knows everything there is to know about each one of us.
[Luke 12:7, Mathew 10:30]
God is always with us. God sees us, hears us, and knows about our heart and mind every minute of every day and night.
For we are God’s children, and He is our shared Daddy. God is the God who truly loves us that strongly!
RINGLEADER: Hooray for the wonderful God who loves us!
Group repeats
Any questions or comments?
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