~ Unbelief versus Faith ~ By: Jo Smith --Sept. 3, 2006

2ki 3:1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 3:2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. 3:3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

2ki 3:4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.

2ki 3:5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 3:6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel. 3:7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.

2ki 3:8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom. 3:9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.

2ki 3:10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!

Watch here that this king of Israel had not lived right with God. Therefore he had no faith in God. See just as soon as trouble appeared, for there was no water for them, he assumed that God had brought them out there to deliver them into the hand of Moab. This is how it is when people do not live for God. When they are in trouble, their hearts fail for fear. They have no faith. They cannot believe that God can or will deliver them. This is what sinful living does to the heart. They cannot believe for they are under that spirit of condemnation.

2ki 3:11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

See here the Godly king of Judah had faith and all he needed was to hear from a prophet of God. See he did not just jump to conclusions that God had forsaken them and brought them out here to betray them. He had enough faith to ask God what to do.

2ki 3:12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. ( He knew who the Word of God was with.) So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 3:13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.

Here Elisha told the king of Israel that he would not even so much as look at him were it not for the presence of Jehoshaphat. He then mocked him and told him to call on his idols, as his father and mother had done. Then the king of Israel again repeats his lack of faith and thinking that God has brought these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. Even in the presence of Elisha, he still has no faith.

In chapter four we see a widow who had nothing and was about to lose her sons to her creditors. She sent to the man of God to ask counsel. When he told her what to do, she and her sons obeyed. Then they saw a great miracle from God. They borrowed vessels from their neighbors and from one bottle of oil, filled them all, sold them and paid their debts, because she had faith and listened to what the man of God told her to do.

Next we see another woman of great faith. She had no child, but she never asked Elisha to give her one. He prophesied to her that she would have a child. After the child was older, he took sick and died. 2ki 4:21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 4:22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. 2ki 4:23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.

Now that is pure faith. It shall be well. She had no doubt that if she got to Elisah, her son would be made alive again.

2ki 4:38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. 4:39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. 4:40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

These people had no faith. They just saw what was obvious to them. They never considered that something could be done about the poisoned soup. They knew not the Word of God which says that if you eat anything poison, it shall not harm you. Now the people who have no faith mock and scorn this. But the people of faith fully believe it and live by it.

But watch what Elisha did, for this was a man of FAITH. 2ki 4:41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

All it took was FAITH. The others were in unbelief. Which one are you in? Look at each of these illustrations and decide how you would have handled it by how you do handle bad things in your own life. Do you cry out that death is in the pot?

2ki 4:42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

2ki 4:43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 4:44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

This servitor had no faith. All he could see is there is not enough food to go around. What? Should I set this before an hundred men? He thought Elisha was a little crazy. But Elisha had the faith. Set it before them, and they shall eat and leave thereof. He knew the Word of God, how Jesus would do these things. And He knew that he could do the same things by the same FAITH.

2ki 2:19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is nought, and the ground barren. 2:20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.

2ki 2:21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. 2:22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

This happened after Elijah had been taken. The men of this city had no faith. They did not know a thing to do with their barren land and their lack of water. Now this is typing that the old way, which Elijah represents, was barren and did not have the water of life, the Faith of Grace. Elijah was gone. The OT was dead. It had been barren and had not brought forth any life or children of God. In Isa they had said we have not brought forth any fruit, but only wind. Isa 26:18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

Now Elisah, representing the NT ministers or covenant, told them to bring a new cruse. This is what Jesus meant when he said new wine must be put into new vessels, and both are preserved. It represents the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus. Jesus told his disciples, ye are the SALT of the earth. So Elisha cast SALT into the spring of waters, and thus they were healed.

When Jesus sent the Holy Ghost, the grace Covenant, this healed those bad waters of the Old Covenant, law. Now the Word of God will bring forth LIFE. The waters are healed by the blood of the New Covenant. Glory to God. This is the pure FAITH. When Jesus cast his truth in, by his Apostles, these waters were healed, and now bring forth LIFE.

2ki 2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.

2ki 2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 2ki 2:25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

These mockers are told about in the New Testament. In the last days mockers shall come. They speak against things which they do not understand, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the gifts of the Spirit. They speak against water baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remissions of sins. They speak against speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. They are represented by these mocking children. They are those who cling to law and refuse the New Testament salvation.

Elisha knew this. So he turned and cursed them in the name of the LORD. Two she bears, representing those two witnesses of Jesus, along with the Bear kingdom of Noah, which destroyed all that old world of evil, unbelievers, came and tare FORTY AND TWO children. Why forty-two? This represents the false prophet, the image of the beast, who tramples the holy City for FORTY-TWO months. It is their time.

So I say unto you, you who mock the New Testament salvation according to the Book of Acts, you need to take heed. Repent and turn to God and seek for some true FAITH, before those two witnesses come and tare you. It is going to happen. Beware! You are treading on dangerous grounds when you mock the things of God.