Author: William Douthwaite

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

That sounds familiar…

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ashlyn Smith on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Kings 4 and 5.

Elisha does impressive miracles in 2 Kings.

  • He brings a child back to life (2 Kings 4:32,35).
  • He feeds a whole bunch of people with just a little bit of food (4:42-44).
  • He heals a person from leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-14).

Hmm. Who does that remind me of? Jesus? Yep.

I don’t remember who pointed this out to me, but the John the Baptist – Jesus dynamic was foreshadowed by the Elijah – Elisha pairing. It’s a fascinating parallel. Not an exact parallel, but interesting. There is also a similar dynamic with Moses and Joshua (preparation followed by conquest).

Remember when Elisha prayed for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2:9)? Elisha does about twice as many miracles as Elijah. Double, indeed.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Death in the pot!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash

It was a Wednesday night in the late winter or early spring. Our church hosted a soup supper before the midweek Lent worship service. We typically had three or four different soups each week.

One week, as I was ladling some delicious looking vegetable soup into a bowl, Ann (the cook) said, “I don’t think it’s very good.”

I replied, “You mean like ‘death in the pot’ stew?” When she gave me a puzzled look, I told the bible story of a concoction made from wild gourds in 2 Kings 4 that prompted the response, “There is death in the pot!” (2 Kings 4:40).

Fortunately, her soup was delicious, and the “Death in the pot” soup recipe merited a place in a church cookbook published a few years later.

In the scripture, Elisha tosses some flour in the soup to make it edible. A miracle? I suppose.

I like to think of myself as a decent cook. However, I’ve prepared a few dishes that needed prophetic intervention. I didn’t even like some of them.

As a pastor, some of my congregation members would prepare some food for me when I went to visit them. Not every meal or snack was palatable. I especially remember the time one homebound member graciously shared a meals-on-wheels with me. I didn’t get a chance to see the label on the microwavable tray before she heated it up, so I really don’t know what kind of meat I ate that day. With a polite smile, I ate what I think was mashed turnips along with the mystery meat. By the grace of God, she offered me a Klondike bar for dessert (what would you do for a Klondike bar?) and all was good.

No, they didn’t teach me this at seminary. Smile, nod your head, and mumble, “Mmmm. Good.”

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Don’t make fun of the prophet

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Céline Chamiot-Poncet on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Kings 2.

The news got around quickly. Elijah had been swept up into heaven. Elisha has assumed his role as prophet.

The ridicule begins immediately. “Young boys came out from the city and ridiculed [Elisha] and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead!” (2 Kings 23).

More than just making fun of Elisha’s lack of hair, the boys rejected the prophet of God as well. Not a good move on either front. Elisha “Cursed them in the name of the Lord” (2:24). That’s kind of like a preacher yelling, “Go to hell!”

The Lord has Elisha’s back and “two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two of the boys” (2:24).

I didn’t see that coming! Neither did they. And I’m pretty sure no one made fun of Elisha after this. Don’t mess with God’s prophets.

The only other place bears are mentioned in scripture is Isaiah 59:11. “All of us growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us.” Someday you’ll win bible trivia night with that fact.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

That’s easy

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Kings 3.

I was fiddling with my grandson’s Rubik’s cube a couple of weeks ago. I’ve never really tried to solve one. I felt pretty accomplished to get one whole side solved. However, I’ve watched videos of kids solve the whole cube in less than a minute. They make it look so easy.

So three kings, from Israel, Judah, and Edom, assemble armies to fight with Moab. But after a week, they run out of water. Are they destined for defeat? Only one way to find out. Go get Elisha. He’s in touch with God. Let’s hear what he has to say.

Elisha tells them to dig trenches, because water is coming. It won’t come from a rainstorm. It will come from the Lord. Then he adds, “This is an insignificant thing in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 3:18). And by the way, you’ll defeat Moab, too.

We underestimate God on a regular basis, don’t we? He creates simply by speaking. Water in a desert? Easy. Walk on water? Not really that hard. Healing? You name it, he can cure it.

The Lord asked Abraham, “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14). It’s a rhetorical question. Nothing is challenging for the almighty.

The challenge is believing that. The challenge is believing that my prayers and petitions are significant. God wants me to ask, seek, and knock, so he can delightfully (and quite easily) give, reveal, and open up daily blessings and new morning mercies.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

He’s my God, too

Posted on by William Douthwaite

After Elijah is separated from Elisha and taken into heaven by a whirlwind, Elisha is left with nothing but Elijah’s coat.

Now what’s he going to do? Elijah had folded up the coat, struck the Jordan’s water, and it split so the two of them could cross over. Is Elisha going to be able to duplicate that so he can go home? How exactly did Elijah do that?

It’s quiet now. The chariot of fire and horses of fire are gone. The whirlwind is gone. Elijah is gone. As he strikes the water with Elijah’s folded coat, Elisha asks, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” (2 Kings 2:14).

How do you think Elisha felt when the waters divided and he could cross over? Do you think he was surprised? Do you think he hit the water with confidence? Or was it a half-hearted “I doubt if this is going to work” effort?

I think we’ve all known men and women who seemed to be much more spiritual than us. Their mature faith, vast knowledge of scripture, amazing prayers made us feel that God must like them a lot more than us.

Elisha discovers that God’s there for him, too. I think Elisha was surprised, relieved, and encouraged when God divided the water for him to cross over. The Lord wasn’t just the God of Elijah. He was Elisha’s God, too.

It’s always a great moment when I remember that the God of all creation is my God. That the Savior of the world is my Savior. That the Holy Spirit not only dwells in the spiritual temple of God’s people (the church) but in me.

Yeah, Elijah’s God and Elisha’s God is my God, too.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I could use a double

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Kings 2.

Elisha has big shoes to fill. His mentor Elijah predicts a drought, and it happens! Three years later, Elijah prays and it rains. Elijah not only humiliates, but destroys all the prophets of Baal. Brings King Ahab to his knees in repentance. Fire consumes his sacrifice on Mt. Carmel. Fire consumes detachments of soldiers sent to bring him to King Ahaziah.

When it’s time for a whirlwind to take Elijah to heaven, he says to Elisha, “Ask me what I should do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” (2 Kings 2:9)

It’s not that Elisha feels like half the prophet Elijah was. He’s thinking as a Hebrew man who knows the law of Moses. According to Deuteronomy 21:17, the firstborn son receives a double portion of the inheritance. This more than a teacher-student relationship. Elijah has been – and will always be – like a father to Elisha.

What a great reminder that I can never ask too much of my heavenly Father. He’s always ready to do more than I ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20)!


Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The algorithm

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 22.

There’s an algorithm. We all know that, right? As you scroll through social media, shop online, and read news stories, the internet gets a feel for your demographic, your likes and dislikes, and your opinions and tastes. It makes sure that you see more of what you prefer, what you believe, and what you want to buy. Before long, your digital world consists of people like you with similar viewpoints and amazingly good taste, like yours!

There is, as you know, nothing new under the sun.

“The king of Israel (Ahab) assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, ‘Should I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead or should I refrain?’ And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king” (1 Kings 22:6). Four hundred prophets who all have the identical message.

If that sounds a little fishy, then you’ll understand why Jehoshaphat (the king of Judah) asks, “Aren’t there any prophets of the Lord around here?”

The king of Israel responds, “There is one, but I hate him. He only ever has bad news!” (1 Kings 22:8).

Actually, that’s one of the signs of a legitimate prophet. God doesn’t send prophets to pat you on the back and say, “Good job!” Prophets call us to repentance. Prophets warn of God’s wrath. Prophets remind us of God’s promises to help us get back on the right track when we’ve wandered away from him.

The scriptural algorithm isn’t going to tell me what I want to hear. It’s always filled with what I need to hear.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Repentance is always on the table

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jorge Garcia on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 21.

The writer of first Kings gives King Ahab the honor of being the worst king – maybe the worst person – ever!

“There certainly was no one like Ahab who gave himself over to do evil in the sight of the Lord” (1 Kings 21:25).

And yet, when confronted by Elijah, Ahab repents.

“Yet it came about, when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; I will bring the disaster upon his house in his son’s days.” (1 Kings 21:27-29)

When Ahab repents, God is merciful to him! It makes me wonder, “Is repentance ever off the table?”

We like to think so. We like to think that when someone crosses a line, it’s over. There’s no going back. And yet Jesus himself says, “the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out” (John 6:37).

On any given day, I underestimate God’s mercy and overestimate my own righteousness. Chapters like this and kings like Ahab force me to reevaluate. Repentance is always on the table. Repentance is always on he table for me. That’s because Jesus is on the cross for me. Not just for everyone, but for me.

Thank God his mercies are new every morning!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Get some rest

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Shane on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 19.

The puppies and small grandchildren who run around our house seem to have limitless energy. They run full out until I tuck them into bed. That’s when they crash and immediately fall asleep.

After the fire of the Lord consumes Elijah’s sacrifice and he slaughters the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:38,40), Jezebel threatens his life (1 Kings 19:2).

After a day’s hike in the desert, Elijah prays, “Lord, take away my life” (19:4). I’ve had it. I quit.

He falls asleep and wakes to find an angel encouraging him to eat. After a second nap and meal, he takes a forty-day trip to a mountain called Horeb. Here, God speaks to him in a low whisper instructing him to anoints kings and a successor to be prophet in his place (19:15,16).

I think this is a great example of what we would call “self care.” Of course, it’s God who provides the physical and spiritual restoration. It was a great day on Mount Carmel. But even a prophet crashes when the adrenaline wears off. We weren’t designed to run full throttle forever. We were created needing rest. Without it, we get sick or our bodies break down. So will our souls, unless we take some time to rest.

Never feel guilty about taking care of yourself. Never feel guilty when God sends someone else along to care for you. He knows you need it.