And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us.
The sons of the prophets were young men who lived and trained under Elisha. They tell him their shared home has grown too small: a healthy sign of growth, or discontent with the place God gave them?
Start with who was speaking. One writer draws a line between the prophets and the second generation who followed them.
The sons of the prophets were their fathers' sons, but they did not have their fathers' soul-history or spiritual stamina. This can be said without blaming them. They were born into a certain circle. Without any effort they found themselves outwardly in much the same position as their fathers. But they did not have the knowledge of God that comes from experience, the knowledge their fathers had. In the nature of things they could not have it. So whatever they learned, much or little, they had to learn for themselves.
Commentators differ here. Some read the crowding as the natural result of a teacher worth hearing.
These sons of the prophets were greatly favoured men: they were the companions and disciples of Elisha. His words must have been good to listen to. It is no wonder that they crowded to hear him. The place where they lived with him could not hold them, and they felt they needed more room. It was a healthy sign, and their desire for enlargement had the full approval of the prophet.
Others read the same sentence as a symptom, and turn it into a test of what brought a person into the place to begin with.
The sons of the prophets generally lived on the reputation of their fathers, and that is not personal faith. It is clear that these young men were drawn to Elisha and were living with him. But the time came when they felt too confined. If faith has not brought us into the place where we enjoy the Lord's presence, we too will begin to feel too confined. It is natural to want a larger place for ourselves than the one God has provided. Many today put their energy into building something that will satisfy them.
The complaint is not only about a house. It is about a house they shared with Elisha, under his charge. That is why the same place can feel cramped to one person and wide to another.
Here we come to the secret of all the trouble we may have as Christians in the things of the Lord, whether on our own or together in assemblies… The sons of the prophets found the place where they lived with the prophet too small for them. We may find that living with the Lord is too small for us. It is not too small for the Spirit. There all is blessed width and true liberty. But it is narrow — unbearable, in fact — for the flesh.
If the cramped feeling is real growth, the answer is not less nearness to the Lord but more.
Are we dwelling with our Lord as those sons of the prophets dwelt with Elisha?… We often quote His words: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." But are they mere words to us, or a living reality? If we are dwelling with the Lord and learning from Him, we are growing. Our souls are growing larger, and we shall want to move on into the more abundant life that is ours.
The writers see meaning in the river these young men chose.
It was to the Jordan that these young men went for the material to build their larger dwelling. There is no place like the Jordan for enlargement of soul, because the Jordan is a figure of death. Death is a great and effective teacher. It teaches us how great man's fall is, for death is the measure of it. And it teaches us how great God's love is.
Another writer reads the scene as a picture of the faithful few left in Israel. For them the move is a step forward, not a step away.
They want to go a step further. They want a dwelling place other than the one of affliction and repentance, however precious that place is. This place is the Jordan… The remnant want to build themselves a house and dwell there. At last the remnant recognises that for them this death is the place of blessing and rest.
The chapter before this had Elisha handling a foreign commander and a king's servant. Now he is asked about timber.
Once again the story of Elisha moves from kings and great men to a simple domestic scene connected with building a home for the sons of the prophets… He is ready to meet the difficulties of kings and their armies, and, in due season, can concern himself with felling a tree and building a house… In the greatness of his way he can stoop to small affairs and walk with humble folk.
- Inherited. The sons stood where their fathers stood, but without their fathers' history with God. Each one had to learn for himself.
- Crowded. Commentators differ. One reads the packed house as a healthy sign of growth under good teaching. Another reads it as the restlessness of those whom faith never brought there.
- Narrow. The place felt small because they shared it with Elisha. Living with the Lord is never too small for the Spirit — only unbearable for the flesh.
- Enlarged. Real room comes from staying close to Him, not from leaving. Those who dwell with Him grow, and growth makes them want more.
- Jordan. They headed for the Jordan, the river of death. That is where the soul is enlarged, and where the faithful find blessing and rest.
Let us go, we pray thee, to the Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he said, Go.
Elisha's students have outgrown the house they share with him. So they ask to fetch timber from the Jordan and build somewhere larger. Commentators read their words in two ways: as a healthy sign of growth, or as restlessness with the place God gave them. The verse then turns on Elisha's one-word reply.
One reading takes the overcrowded house as a compliment to the teacher.
These sons of the prophets were highly favoured men. They were the companions and disciples of Elisha. His words must have been good to listen to. No wonder they crowded to hear him until the place where they lived with him could not hold them, and they felt they needed more room. It was a healthy sign, and their desire for enlargement had the full approval of the prophet.
Others read the same request as a warning. What makes a place feel cramped depends on what brought you there.
The sons of the prophets tended to live on the reputation of their fathers. That was not personal faith. Elisha had drawn these young men, and they were living with him. But the time came when they felt too confined. If faith has not brought us into the place where we enjoy the Lord's presence, we too will begin to feel too confined. It is natural to want a larger place for ourselves than the one God has provided. Many today put their energy into building something that will satisfy them.
Notice the two halves of their sentence: they dwell with him, and it is too small for us. One writer presses that contrast.
They were dissatisfied with the room he could give them, and they thought they could do better for themselves… We may find that to dwell with the Lord is too strait for us. It is not too strait for the Spirit. There all is blessed width and true liberty. But it is narrow, even intolerable, for the flesh.
Elisha does not argue or forbid. He lets them go, and one writer sees wisdom in that.
The prophet replied, "Go." He would not stand in their way. He was a wise old man. He saw that they must learn their own lessons, and not draw their strength from tradition or anything second-hand.
Even the errand for timber carries a lesson, because of the river they went to.
These young men went to the Jordan for the material to build their larger home. There is no place like the Jordan for enlarging the soul, because the Jordan is a picture of death. Death is a great and effective teacher. It teaches us how great the fall of man is, for death is the measure of it. It also teaches us how great the love of God is, for He "shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Death shows us the way God has taken to recover His fallen creature for Himself. It is the way that brings him into larger blessing than was possible before he fell.
The scene is a small one: logs, a building site, a house to make. That is what makes it striking after the accounts of kings and armies.
Once again the story of Elisha passes from kings and great men to a simple home scene: the building of a place for the sons of the prophets to live… He is ready to meet the difficulties of kings and their armies. In due season he can also concern himself with felling a tree and building a house. With the greatest ease he can deal with a great man of the world. With the same ease he can fit himself to the simple affairs of the lowly sons of the prophets. In the greatness of his way he can stoop to small matters and walk with humble people.
- Crowded — the house was too small because the teaching was worth hearing. Growth fills a room, and the wish for more space had the teacher's full approval.
- Or cramped — the same feeling can mean something else. If faith did not bring you there, you will soon feel confined and start building something of your own. The young have energy, the old have experience, and we need both.
- Released — Elisha's answer is one word: "Go." He will not block them. Second-hand lessons give no strength, and each man must learn for himself.
- Jordan — they go for timber to the river that pictures death. No place enlarges the soul like it. Death measures how far man fell, and how far God's love reached to recover him.
- Stooping — the prophet who handled kings and armies can turn to felling a tree and building a house. He stoops to small matters and walks with humble people.