When Your Hands Are Tied-2022

Now, while I usually reserve all of our application to the end, I want to give you a couple of things right at the outset of our study on the life of Elisha. When facing impossible situations, that is when your hands are tied, whatever it might be, perhaps small in someone else's mind, but great in yours, we need to remember a couple of things that when God is in charge, first of all, plans should not degenerate into a panic. You've heard the old adage, don't just stand there, do something. Sometimes the memo from heaven is, don't do anything, just stand there. Are you going through a tough time right now?

Does life seem to be pressing in on you just a little harder than usual? Since we all face tough times, we need to think biblically about them. Tough times are by their nature unpleasant, but they are designed by God to develop trust. We see in the life of Elisha that those who are willing to trust eventually see God's power revealed. Just because our hands are tied doesn't mean our hearts have to be. Today on Wisdom for the Heart, Steven Davey begins a series called Elisha, Living the Impossible Life.

We launch that series right now with this message entitled, When Your Hands are Tied. The gentleman I read some time ago had taken a trip to Russia. He and several other pastors had taken a trip incognito traveling just as American tourists and had gone to assess the need for Christian radio.

This was in the days before the curtain came down and they eventually made their way to a collective farm in Siberia. They were met by the commissar who was expecting these tourists and he showed them about his area, had great pride in what his area offered. And knowing that they were Americans, he decided to surprise them a little bit. And so he asked them if they would like to see his church.

Of course, they agreed, rather confused. They said, yes, they would like to see the church. And so he took them on a walk and eventually they rounded enough corners and they saw in the distance what looked to be like a church building.

It's Russian style, it's onion shaped turrets gleaming in the sun. And they thought, well, this is kind of interesting as they nudged each other and they got a little closer and they could see splashed across the walls of this church, communist slogans. And eventually they arrived and walked through the front doors into the foyer area. And it looked, I read one of these pastors telling the story, like any other church foyer, nothing was unusual and they were still somewhat in shock. And then they walked through the doors that led into the auditorium and that's where they sort of caught their breath. To their amazement and astonishment from floor to ceiling and many, many rows, that entire auditorium was nothing but one chicken coop stacked upon another filled with cackling hens. The commissar let it sort of sink in to them and then he said, we have the finest chicken hatchery in all of Siberia.

And then gesturing rather proudly, he said to his American tourists, chickens are real, God is not. The biography of Elisha opens with a flurry of stories. In fact, there are six of them.

That I am convinced as I am studying them will have time to cover three. They are nothing more than God's way of refreshing their minds then and our minds as students of the word today, that God is real. Now that might be kind of a surprising theme to address an audience that's come to church. In fact, I'm convinced that many of us could share testimony that God is real and there's some testimony of God's power or providence or sovereignty or timing in your life and maybe if we had time, we could just pan the audience and one after another could stand up and say, here's how I know, here's what's happened in my life.

Maybe it's through a challenging difficulty, maybe a shattered relationship, a grim doctor's report, a financial loss. The list could go on and on that has convinced you as God has eventually worked that He is real. A testimony to the fact that though our hands are at times tied, God's hands are at work. Now, while I usually reserve all of our application to the end, I want to give you, suggest to you a couple of things right at the outset of our study on the life of Elisha. When facing impossible situations, that is when your hands are tied, whatever it might be, perhaps small in someone else's mind but great in yours, we need to remember a couple of things that when God is in charge, first of all, plans should not degenerate into a panic.

You've heard the old adage, don't just stand there, do something. Sometimes the memo from heaven, as I heard repeated again over these last few days, sort of comes at you and it says, don't do anything, just stand there, where we have to trust the Lord, which means we have to trust the Lord's timing. Second of all, remember when God is in control, trust should not dissolve into blame. The Apostle Paul told us that the history of the Israelite nation was given to challenge us from falling into the same traps that they did, that is falling into the same unbelief. If the truth were known, when we're faced with a situation where our hands are tied, some difficulty or tragedy or maybe some impossibility, our most common responses, not surprisingly to us, mirror the nation Israel to a T. And I want to give you an illustration of that. Take your Bibles and turn to Exodus 14.

Let's start there. Well, the Israelites have left Egypt, they have escaped in their Exodus period. Pharaoh then has a change of heart, you may remember from the story, and he realizes he's just lost his work force and now everybody's going to have to start making bricks, and they're not too happy about that.

So he sends his army to wipe them out, or if they're willing, I imagine, to return them to slavery. So here the Israelites are, they're standing on the bank of this deep red sea, and here comes Pharaoh's army behind them. As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them and they became, here's the first response, frightened. That is, they panicked. Now to be honest with each other, had we been in that company and we had the mountains beside us, the mountains beside us, the deep red sea in front of us, and the mightiest marching force in the known world, marching toward us, we would say, as my boys would say, we're toast.

We're history. The second response builds on the first one, it's blame. Look at verse 11. They said to Moses then, is it because there were no graves in Egypt? They evidently sent some kind of committee to him.

Talk to him about this. That you've taken us away to die in the wilderness. Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?

Ever been blamed? Lost your sanctification, which I'm thinking maybe he did at that moment. The third response is the verdict. Here's the committee decision based upon the data.

They've put it into the machine. Verse 12, the middle part, leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians, for it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. This is classic here. The fact finding group on human affairs has put all the data in and they've spit out two options. Moses, we have two options, we're going to die or we're going to go back into slavery.

Anybody ever thought about maybe a third option? The water's parting, them walking across on dry land, the water's coming back and killing all of Pharaoh's army. My friend, when your hands and mine are tied, we alternate between fear and blame and despair, which is that response there. And our trouble is we say, Lord, I've got this all figured out.

There are one or two ways you choose A or B to get us out of this, to take us safely through. Now I know, ladies and gentlemen, this is so easy to preach. This is so easy to say. It's not easy to become.

It's not easy to practice. But there is something in our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ that displaces fear with confidence. There is to be something in our lives that dissolves blame. As we grow older in our relationship with Jesus Christ, we don't grow bitter against Him and others. And here's what it is. It is coming to know Him, coming to love and worship Him. He said, be still and what?

Know that I am what? God. Now with that in our spiritual briefcases, let's go to 2 Kings.

Would you turn there? 2 Kings in chapter 2, you remember that Elisha's just picked up the mantle and tucked it away as Elijah is swept to the heavens in a fiery caravan of steeds in that whirlwind. No sooner does he slip into the role as God's chief spokesman for the nation, that he is hit full force with some impossible situations where his hands, as it were, were tied. Let's see how God moves in His behalf and apply what we can.

Well, we certainly can't apply all what we can to our lives. Verse 19, in the men of the city said to Elisha, behold, now the situation of this city, that is Jericho by the way, is pleasant, as my Lord sees. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful. And he said, bring me a new jar and put salt in it. So they brought it to him. And he went out to the spring of water and he threw salt in it and said, thus says the Lord, I have purified these waters.

Who's doing the purifying? Elisha or God? There shall not be from thee or their death or unfruitfulness any longer. So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha, which he spoke. Now the miracle was not in the salt.

You understand that. This was not some fancy chemical reaction whereby the waters were purified at the fountainhead and then distributed throughout. No, this salt was merely a symbol, as it is in the Bible, of cleansing and preservation in the midst of corruption and decay. You see, Elisha is preaching a sermon in this miracle for the need for divine cleansing. The people of Jericho and the people of the nation needed God and submission to him and repentance to cleanse them so that they would be preserved. It's also interesting to me, as I studied this, that in 2nd Chronicles, chapter 13, it tells us that the throne of David was established by a salt covenant. And as hard as I tried to find some details on that, I couldn't find anything related to the establishment of that throne by means of a salt covenant. But we're told that it happened. Salt, perhaps then in this story, at least in the minds of those original students and observers, could have been used as a symbolic measure of telling the nation that even though it's divided, even though it's even though it's corrupt, even though there are tensions and wars, that God is the God of the covenant and that he is still, as it were, the monarch in control, perhaps.

The second impossibility, at least from a human perspective, will emphasize now the rebellion of the nation against the word. Look at verse 23. Then he went up from there to Bethel. And as he was going up, by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, go up, you bald head.

Go up, you bald head. When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up 42 lads of their number. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something about this passage I really like.

It warms my heart. It's obvious here that the passage is teaching, you make fun of all headed prophets, look out for bears, right? Well, obviously this passage is more serious here than I'm making. Let me give you some clues that kind of point out what's happening here. First of all, it's important to recognize that this event is occurring in Bethel or near Bethel.

Bethel is the chief center for pagan Baalism. Secondly, these lads are actually young men. These aren't little children playing a prank. These are young men steeped in Baalism who are old enough to understand their responsibility and to be responsible for their actions before God. And their reference to Elisha is critical. It's more than just an insult. It isn't so much an insult about the way he looked as about what he did. In fact, you notice in verse 23, the words, look at their insult.

They all begin with the words, go up, go up. Most that I have researched believe this is a reference to the up-going of Elijah. Supposedly Elijah has gone up in some miraculous entourage.

Well, if that'd be the case, we've gotten rid of our ark enemy of Baalism. You get out of here too. Get lost.

Go up. This is no idle threat. In fact, you'll notice again in verse 24, the two bears tore up 42 of their number. In other words, there were more than 42. We're not told how many, but it could be as many as 100, maybe 150, maybe 200 who have surrounded perhaps behind him. They're coming in mass to insult this prophet of God, perhaps moving closer, maybe screaming louder. This is a mob whose end action may have been harm, maybe even death. What's Elisha going to do?

He turns around and delivers a sermon and then God moves. As one man I read suggested, it would take the bears to rescue Elisha from lynching. Two bears came out and literally mauled. It doesn't tell us that they even killed any of them, but they mauled, 42 of them. So, while it doesn't say any of them were killed, I'm fairly convinced that there were 42 conversions to Judaism that afternoon.

Chapter 4 opens with another impossible situation. Chapter 4 verse 1, now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, your servant my husband is dead and you know that your servant feared the Lord and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves. Now imagine being Elisha, he doesn't have any money.

The way the system operated that God had established, if you were indebted to another Israelite, if you were unable to pay would be an indentured servant as it were to that person, at least until the year Jubilee when all debts would be canceled. Maybe there were as many as seven years where her boys would be his slaves. Now according to some rather ancient Aramaic scrolls that date before the time of Christ called the Targum, they give an interesting insight that this woman was the wife of Obadiah, of the book of Obadiah.

Josephus, first century Jewish historian, informs those who read his writings that she was not only the wife of Obadiah, but that Obadiah had borrowed money to provide food for the 100 prophets he was hiding in the caves from Jezebel. Evidently, he unexpectedly died. It evidently happened so fast that his financial affairs for his family were not cared for. He borrowed the money, probably thinking that over a period of years he'd be able to pay it back. Well something happened.

Obadiah died and now the sons of this widow are in danger of being taken into slavery until the debt is paid and she just sort of gushes the story out onto Elisha as he appears. This is an impossible situation. Our hands are all tied. Before we go any further, let me throw in two extra thoughts here that struck me as I studied and reflected later in the week. First of all, even the most committed Christians experience the most difficult of times.

The godly wife of a godly man. Second of all, it's interesting from this study that many times a solution from God does not arrive until after the darkest moments are experienced. Can you feel the urgency of this story? Look back again in verse one.

Climb into the scene and I want you to notice the details. She says, your servant, my husband, is dead and you know that your servant feared the Lord. Why'd she say that?

Perhaps, in other words, this shouldn't be happening to me. I fear God. Obadiah feared God. And the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves. Here in this statement, ladies and gentlemen, you have fear, I think you have blame, and I believe strongly you have despair. Elisha, is God real?

You ever ask that question? And Elisha said to her, verse two, what shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? And she said, your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil. Stop, the word jar there is a reference to the anointing flask, which is almost so pitiful. All she has is her husband's flask, he used for ceremonial anointing. Then he said, go borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels.

Note this, do not get a few. Giving her a big clue here. And just in case you didn't catch it, verse four, and you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons and pour out into all these vessels and you shall set aside what is full.

Now, you just slip into her sandals for a moment. God is about to give you as much as you are prepared to receive. How prepared are you and I to receive at that moment? Kind of reminds me of the fable of the king who invited all of his royal guests, his knights and his ambassadors, his princes and princesses to come to a royal banquet. And he gave them an interesting stipulation in the invitation. He asked them to bring to him some salt, which was precious in his day and rare. And he asked them to bring it in a vessel of their own choosing.

No measure was prescribed to them for their gift. The night arrived, everyone came to the castle and they were depositing their gifts of salt, some bringing little pouches, dainty, small. Others, out of gratitude for their king, were bringing big vessels of salt. And then he did what he had planned to do after they had emptied their salt. He replaced in the vessel they brought gold as his gift to them. Only so much as would fit in their vessel. Now the difference between that fable and this true story is that she's in on the fact that whatever she brings is going to be filled up. Now this would be fun. Oil is gold.

It's as good as cold hard cash. Now how many vessels would you bring? I know what I'd do. I'd go down here to this new Walmart and I'd buy out the Tupperware department. I'd probably borrow the offering plates. I'd take everything I could get.

I'd take the big trash cans and only so far as I believed that God could produce what he promised, really, right? Evidently, she believed. Look at verse 5. So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons. And they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured.

You kind of get this assembly line look. Her kids are probably too small to be responsible for pouring. So they're just bringing these vessels in this line and she's pouring from this little bitty flask and it never runs out. And it came about, verse 6, when the vessels were full that she said to her son, bring me another vessel. And he said to her, there's not one vessel more. It's like, we've cleaned the village out, mom. There's nothing left. And the oil stopped. Verse 7. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, here's the plan. Go sell the oil and pay your debt and then you and your sons can live on the rest. Imagine that.

She has enough oil to pay off the debt and now she has enough oil to live for the rest of her life without fear of hunger or physical need again. What an impossible situation that revealed the power of God. Can I tie these strings together with a couple of different thoughts? Number one, predicaments are designed to develop trust. When your hands are tied, God is inviting every one of us in those situations to call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things, which what? Thou knowest not.

I've got a third option. Second of all, those willing to trust. And I'm talking about those in the Christian community. Just because you're a believer doesn't mean you're going to develop trust.

Doesn't mean that you're going to learn anything from your predicaments, your impossible situations. But if you will trust him, you will eventually see God's power revealed. Here are the Israelites on the bank of their deep red sea and Moses comes to them and he says, I've got the option from God.

Here's the plan. Great Moses, what is it? Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Go back and get another one. And then he continues on. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. So the advice of God is when your hands are tied, sometimes don't do anything. Just stand there.

Wait. Trust. Those willing to trust eventually see God's power revealed.

And you know what's exciting? As a believer, you probably have a story or two that goes on and on and on. A story or two that God uses to remind you that he will move in for you when you have the sea in front, the mountains beside, and the army at back. Third, when God's solution is revealed, our ultimate response is praise.

Can it be anything else? Can you imagine the frustrated Jericho now rejoicing that their water is clear and clean and fresh? Can you imagine that widow who had gone through agony, the unexpected death of her husband, the godly prophet, and now being reduced to fear that her two little boys will be taken away and there the creditor stands, but Elisha moves in and God works.

Can you imagine what it's like in her home that night? When our hands are tied, the hands of God are at work. So we should never panic, blame, despair. In other words, ladies and gentlemen, when your hands are tied, your heart can triumph.

Why? Because the hands of our God, who is not slow to help, is an ever-present help in time of need. Even if it feels as if your hands are tied today, your heart can triumph as you rest and trust in God. I hope today's Bible message has encouraged you. This is Wisdom for the Heart.

What you just heard is lesson one in a series called Elisha, Living the Impossible Life. I hope you'll be able to join us in the days ahead as Stephen Davey looks at the life of this extraordinary man from the pages of scripture. In addition to equipping you with these daily Bible messages, we also have a magazine that we publish monthly.

We send Heart to Heart magazine to all of our Wisdom partners, but we'd be happy to send you the next three issues if you'd like to see it for yourself. You can sign up for it on our website or you can call us today. Our number is 866-40A-BIBLE. That's 866-482-4253.

Call today. In addition to being our daily Bible teacher here on Wisdom for the Heart, Stephen is also the pastor of the Shepherd's Church in Cary, North Carolina. This coming fall, Stephen is hosting a conference called the Shepherd's 360 Conference. This is a three-day event and it's designed for anyone involved in church leadership. If you're a pastor, elder, deacon, teacher, Bible study leader, this conference is for you. We also have many students and young people join us each year as they plan and train to serve in the church. If you're able to make it, we'd love to have you join us. We'd also enjoy meeting you and you'll be encouraged as you fellowship and learn with your brothers and sisters in Christ. This event is several months off, but since it involves travel and a few days here, we wanted you to know about it early. I hope you'll consider joining us, so visit wisdomonline.org to learn more. And of course, join us again tomorrow for more wisdom for the heart. you