The word of the Lord is with him

And Jehoshaphat said,"The word of the LORD is with him."So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. – 2 Kings 3v12

What a testimony Elisha had. Everyone had known about Elijah. Everyone knew where he stood. He was the prophet of God and there was no question about that.

But he was gone. Elisha was his replacement. Usually the successor to a great man never quite measures up to him.

Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah. He is an enigma. Sometimes he acts like a complete pagan, while other times we see at least a semblance of spirituality. One thing that is obvious, he does recognise the man of God. Here he, along with the kings of Israel and Judah, is seeking counsel about yet another battle. When Elisha’s name came up he said simply, ‘The word of the Lord is with him.’

I like that. I know that we have the word of God in a different way than Elisha, but still he sets an example for us. People who saw him and knew his life knew that he had the word of God. It was a part of his life. When the king thought about him he knew that Elisha had the word of God.

I wonder if people know that about us. When our name comes up in conversation do people connect us with living in accord with God’s word?

Wouldn’t it be a great testimony if people could say something like ‘Yeah, I know Roger; he lives his life according to the Bible?’