Would You Recognize Foreshadowing in Scriptures

    

          I am taking my annual pilgrimage through the books of first and second Kings, reading the stories of all the men who ruled in Israel.  I'm knee-deep in their stories recognizing that they quickly moved in and out of succession following the death of Solomon.  One can see their stories unfold, cascading back and forth between the kings that ruled the Northern Kingdom with its headquarters in Samaria, and the kings of Judah or Southern Kingdom whose throne remained in Jerusalem.  Each year that I pass through these stories, I’ve gone to great lengths to understand who’s who, to determine which side they were on, how long they ruled, and whether they were considered a good king or bad king according to God's standard.  In their book, A Visual Theology, Guide to the Bible, Seeing and Knowing God’s Word, Tim Challies and Josh Byers present the best visual aid which could have saved me hours of research had I discovered it sooner.  Not only do they lay each king side-by-side, with dates of reign, but they also provide color-coded boxes next to each name indicating their status with God.  Some kings moved from good to bad, and others from bad to good.  The corresponding box is shaded indicating their rise or fall in favor of the Almighty.  The visual aid makes each account much easier to digest their stories.  With pre-emptive information, looking for clues that support this graphic viewpoint are easier to draw from the text.    

I have included a link to view this visual representation, if interested:  https://visualtheology.church/collections/graphics/products/kings-prophets-of-israel 

    During these 'kingly' accounts, we can also recognize the men of God who are sent by God to give advice and offer warnings.  Most often these passages are highlighted with the words, "Thus says the LORD."   In some instances, the kings become allies and join forces to fight battles.  We may see prophets from either side provide input.  Not all advice is of equal value.  If you don't see, "Thus says the LORD," odds are the prophet is speaking as a man, not of God.  In the visual illustration, Josh Byer’s artwork indicates which prophets were sent to which kingdom with God's message, either Northern or Southern Kingdom.  As I studied a passage in 2 Kings 1 – 3 this morning, my interest was piqued when I noticed that three times, King Ahaziah sent men to Elijah to encourage him to return with them to meet the king face-to-face.  King Ahaziah had already received news through a messenger that he would not recover from his injuries.  Rather than hear this devasting news from a messenger, Ahaziah wished to hear from Elijah face-to-face.  Three times he sent fifty-one men to request Elijah's audience.  Two of those three times, these men came with urgency, but both times Elijah refused.  He said, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty” (See 2 Kings 2:10, and 12), and that is exactly what happened.  By the third set of men, their leader did not come so bold but with humility begged Elijah to spare their lives.  This leader fell on his knees and entreated him (see 2 Kings 2:13).  Could it be the humility of this man that spared he and his soldiers?  Elijah complied with the men’s wishes and went to see the king.  He confirmed the messenger’s original message and King Ahaziah died.

     If you are familiar with the stories that surround Elijah, this story captures far less of our attention that the story of how God sent fire down from heaven to consume the bull, the wood, the altar, and lapped up the 12 vessels of water in front of the 450 prophets of Baal and then put them all to death.  It seems even less remarkable than the story of how Elijah outran King Ahab and his chariot by hiking his skirt and running the fastest four-forty on record.  One may ask, who is afraid of a little rain cloud (the size of a man's fist)?  Apparently, Elijah, who had never trained for the Summer Olympics; but this story and the one that proceeded it became more fascinating to me as I continued to read between the lines.

     Just like the last story, the next story found in 2 Kings 2 had a repeating pattern of three.  In this story, one finds two characters, Elijah, and Elisha.  As a kid in Sunday School, I often got these prophets mixed up.  Going back to 1 Kings 19, we see that God sends Elijah to anoint three men.  This story follows the story where 450 prophets of Baal are destroyed.  Queen Jezebel (king Ahab's wife) makes an oath to get even.  Over her dead body, she would find and kill Elijah.  Jezebel did not realize that she had just pounded the last nail into her own coffin.  Elijah was to anoint (1) Hazael, the king over Syria, (2) Jeru, the king over Israel (the Northern Kingdom), and (3) Elisha to be the prophet that would take Elijah’s place.  At this last appointment Elijah must have known that his career was ending.  

     Picking the story back up in 2 Kings 2, we see that Elijah has been encouraging Elisha to stop following him like a lost puppy as he travels from Gilgal to Bethel on to Jericho and finally beyond the Jordan River.  We see the third parting of the water.  The pattern of three picks up in the passage, as each time Elijah says, “Please stay here,” (see 2 Kings 2:2,4,6) Elisha refuses with an acknowledgement of loyalty.  He says, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”  As I read these three accounts, I had a little inclination that I was about to stumble upon something of significance.  Likewise, as I read about the alliance of three kings in 2 Kings 3, the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, almost a Deja vu.  When something catches your interest in Scriptures, I find that it is always worth my time to investigate.  

     Several questions began to fill my mind: (1) Why would Elisha be so loyal to follow Elijah, when he clearly had requested that Elisha stay behind?  (2)  Why would Scriptures tell us of a prophet who ascended into heaven escaping death?  

The first query reminded me of the story of Ruth, how she followed Naomi (from Moab to Bethlehem).  We know how the story of Ruth turned out.  She was rewarded with a kinsman redeemer, Boaz, and she became the mother of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David, and a direct ancestor to the son of God.  The second question reminded me of Jesus as I connected the dots.  This notion prompted by last question, (3) Does Elijah's story foreshadow the story of Jesus?  It was at this point I began to compare the two stories when I read that the prophets in Jericho asked Elisha if they could go back and search for Elijah because possibly God had dropped him out of the whirlwind (tornado?) and left him injured on a mountainside or valley.  Elisha said ‘no,’ but later recanted.  The missing puzzle piece, that lay hidden, was discovered when I read, “And for three days they sought him but did not find him.” (See 2 Kings 2:17) Are you beginning to see what I saw? 

     As the hints piled up, like clues in the second half of a mystery novel, I thought back to the definition of foreshadowing I received this past winter in my discipleship class.  Foreshadowing can either be a warning or indication of a future event.  In my current writing class, foreshadowing is a literary tool that can be used to give the reader hints about what will happen next.   I learned about four types of foreshadowing available to an author: (1) prophecy, (2) evocative, (3) symbolic, and (4) red herring.  Prophecy seems the most obvious in terms of Biblical accounts.  Evocative foreshadowing  that is often done with flashbacks and flashforwards.  The author, Divine in this case, is providing clues that point to something we should be remembered in the future.  There are many examples of this in Scripture as well.  Symbolic foreshadowing, which may be harder to recognize, requires that you think outside the box.  An example might be David's psalm's referring to the good Shepherd and the sheep who know His voice.  The last foreshadowing, called the Red Herring is like a wild goose chase.  It's like a snipe hunt, no matter how hard you look for something that doesn't exist, you will never find it.  That is like the teaching of false prophets who want you to believe something that was never in God's plan.

     When we read the Bible for the first time chronologically, it is harder to discover foreshadowing.  You need to know how the story ends to really solidify the ah-ha discoveries.  When we take multiple passes through all of Scripture, we begin to see what things point to Jesus.  It becomes easier to unravel the mystery, but credit is due the Holy Spirit who brings to mind things we do not remember or the things we cannot see.   When we lay two stories side by side, it becomes much clearer the similarities of the story of Elijah and Elisha and how they point to Jesus.  

• Elijah and Elisha	Jesus and Peter (and the disciples)
  Elisha seemed to know that his master was leaving.	Jesus disciples also knew that he would be leaving.  (Mark 9:30-32)
  Elisha seemed to know that his master was leaving.	Jesus’ disciples also knew that he would be leaving.  (Mark 9:30-32)
  Elijah told Elisha three times “Please Stay Here.”	Jesus returns to Peter, James, and John who he asked to sit and pray 3 times and found them asleep. (Mark 14:32, 37-38, 41-42)
  Even though Elisha was told to stay put, he refused.	In the opposite sense, Peter denied that he would ever fall away.  (Mark 14:27-31)
  Elijah was implying that Elisha could not go where he was going.	Likewise, Jesus told his Peter that he could not go where He was going.  (John 13:36-37)
  Elisha acknowledge three times, that he knew what was instore for his master, “Yes, I know.  Keep silent.”	Peter denied that he knew Christ three times hoping to keep the truth of his association with Jesus silent.  (Luke 22:56-57, 58, 59-60)
  Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for him before he departed.	Jesus spent his three-year ministry equipping the disciples to carry on once he departed.  (Mark 6:7-13)
  Elijah conquered death by God taking him in a whirlwind.	Jesus conquered death, by resurrection.  (1 Corinthians 15:4)
  The prophets of Jericho searched for Elijah three days but could not find him.	Jesus was in the belly of the earth three days following his crucifixion.  (Matthew 12:39-41)
  Elijah ascended into heaven.	Jesus ascended into heaven.  (Mark 16:19-20)
  Elijah’s spirit was observable as it rested on Elisha.	Jesus Spirit is observable on believers when it dwells within us.  (Acts 2:17-18)
  Elisha providing drinking water as one of his early signs of being a man of God.  The original water had created both death and miscarriages (sorrow).	Jesus is the living water; anyone who drinks of it, will never perish, will be filled with joy, and will be satisfied.  (John 7:37-39)