Immerse: Bible Reading Experience - NLT Daily Bible In A Year

Immerse Day 229: Miracles and Faith in the Stories of Elisha

Welcome to Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience. In Day 229, dive into the compelling stories of Elisha's miraculous deeds. Encounter the widow whose jar of oil never runs dry, the Shunammite woman's hospitality rewarded with a son, and the dramatic resurrection of her child. Witness Elisha's intervention in a deadly stew, the abundance from barley loaves, and the healing of Naaman's leprosy. Follow the tale of Gehazi's greed and its consequences. Conclude with a miraculous recovery of a lost axe head. Join us for this enriching journey of faith and divine intervention.

00:00 Introduction to Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience
00:04 Elisha and the Widow's Olive Oil Miracle
01:22 The Shunammite Woman's Hospitality and Miracle
03:03 The Shunammite Woman's Son Revived
06:23 Elisha Purifies Poisonous Stew
07:12 Elisha Feeds a Hundred Men
07:49 Naaman's Leprosy Healed
11:40 Gehazi's Greed and Punishment
13:28 The Floating Axe Head
14:22 Conclusion and Farewell

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Immerse: Kingdoms is the third of six volumes in Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience. Kingdoms presents a new and unique journey through the story of Israel from the time of its conquest of Canaan (Joshua) through its struggle to settle the land (Judges, Ruth) and the establishment of Israel’s kingdom, which ends in a forced exile (Samuel–Kings). The nation of Israel, commissioned to be God’s light to the nations, falls to division and then foreign conquest for rejecting God’s rule.

4 Questions to get your conversations started:
1. What stood out to you this week?
2. Was there anything confusing or troubling?
3. Did anything make you think differently about God?
4. How might this change the way we live?

QUICK START GUIDE
3 ways to get the most out of your experience
  1. Use Immerse: Beginnings instead of your regular chapter and verse Bible. This special reader’s edition restores the Bible to its natural simplicity and beauty by removing chapter and verse numbers and other historical additions. Letters look like letters, songs look like songs, and the original literary structures are visible in each book.
  2. Commit to making this a community experience. Immerse is designed for groups to encounter large portions of the Bible together
    for 8 weeks–more like a book club, less like a Bible study. By meeting every week in small groups and discussing what you read in open,
    honest conversations, you and your community can come together to be transformed through an authentic experience with the Scriptures.
  3. Aim to understand the big story. Read through “The Stories and the Story” (p. 483) to see how the books of the Bible work together to tell God’s story of his creation’s restoration. As you read through Immerse: Beginnings, rather than ask, “How do I fit God into my busy life?” begin asking, “How can I join in God’s great plan by living out my part in his story?”

What is Immerse: Bible Reading Experience - NLT Daily Bible In A Year?

Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.

This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.

Ethan: Welcome To Immerse: The
Daily Bible Reading Experience.

Day 200 and 29

one day the widow of a member of the
group of prophets came to Elijah and

cried out, my husband who served you is
dead, and you know how he feared the Lord.

But now a creditor has come threatening
to take my two sons as slaves.

What can I do to help you?

Elisha asked, tell me, what
do you have in the house?

Nothing at all except
a flask of olive oil.

She replied, and Elisha said,
borrow as many empty jars as you

can from your friends and neighbors.

Then go into your house with your
sons and shut the door behind you.

Pour olive oil from your flask
into the jars, setting each

one aside when it is filled.

So she did, as she was told, her
sons kept bringing jars to her

and she filled one after another.

Soon.

Every container was full to the brim.

Bring me another jar.

She said to one of her
sons, there aren't anymore.

He told her.

And then the olive oil stopped flowing.

When she told the man of God what had
happened, he said to her, now sell the

olive oil and pay your debts and you and
your sons can live on what is left over.

One day, Elisha went to the town of Shun.

A wealthy woman lived there, and she
urged him to come to her home for a meal.

After that, whenever he passed that way,
he would stop there for something to eat.

She said to her husband, I am
sure this man who stops in from

time to time is a holy man of God.

God, let's build a small room for
him on the roof and furnish it with

a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp.

Then he will have a place to
stay whenever he comes by.

One day, Elisha returned to s Shnu and
he went up to this upper room to rest.

He said to his servant, Gaza, tell the
woman from Suna, I wanna speak to her.

When she appeared, Elisha said to
Gaza, tell her we appreciate the

kind concern you have shown us.

What can we do for you?

Can we put in a good word for you to the
king or to the commander of the army?

No.

She replied, my family
takes good care of me.

Later, Elisha asked Za,
what can we do for her?

Za replied, she doesn't have a
son and her husband is an old man.

Call her back again.

Elisha told him when the woman returned,
Elisha said to her as she stood in the

doorway, next year at this time, you
will be holding a son in your arms.

No, my Lord, she cried.

Oh man of God.

Don't deceive me and get
my hopes up like that.

But sure enough, the woman soon
became pregnant, and at that

time, the following year, she
had a son just as Eisha had said.

One day when her child was older,
he went out to help his father who

was working with the harvesters.

Suddenly he cried out.

My head hurts.

My head hurts.

His father said to one of the
servants, carry him home to his mother.

So the servant took him home and
his mother held him on her lap.

But around noontime, he died.

She carried him up and laid him
on the bed of the man of God, then

shut the door and left him there.

She sent a message to her husband,
send one of the servants and a

donkey so that I can hurry to the
man of God and come right back.

Why go today?

He asked, it is neither a new
Moon festival nor a Sabbath, but

she said it will be all right.

So she saddled the donkey and
said to the servant, hurry, don't

slow down unless I tell you to.

As she approached the man of God at Mount
Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance.

He said to Gaza, look, The woman from
Suna is coming run out to meet her

and ask her, is everything all right
with you, your husband and your child?

Yes, the woman told
Gaza everything is fine.

But when she came to the man of God at
the mountain, she fell to the ground

before him and caught hold of his feet.

Je eye began to push her away, but
the man of God said, leave her alone.

She is deeply troubled, but the
Lord has not told me what it is.

Then she said, did I ask
you for a son, my Lord?

And didn't I say Don't deceive
me and get my hopes up?

Then Elisha said to Gaza,
get ready to travel.

Take my staff and go.

Don't talk to anyone along the way.

Go quickly and lay the
staff on the child's face.

But the boy's mother said, as surely as
the Lord lives, and you yourself live,

I won't go home unless you go with me.

So Elisha returned with her.

Gaza hurried on ahead and laid the staff
on the child's face, but nothing happened.

There was no sign of life.

He returned to meet Elisha and
told him the child is still dead.

When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed
dead, lying there on the prophet's bed.

He went in alone and shut the door
behind him and prayed to the Lord.

Then he laid down on the child's
body, placing his mouth on the child's

mouth, his eyes on the child's eyes,
and his hands on the child's hands.

And as he stretched out on him, the
child's body began to grow warm again.

Elijah got up, walked back and forth
across the room once, and then stretched

himself out again on the child.

This time the boy sneezed seven
times and opened his eyes.

Then Elisha summoned Gaza.

Call the child's mother.

He said, and when she came in,
Elisha said, here, take your son.

She fell at his feet and bowed before
him, overwhelmed with gratitude.

Then she took her son in her
arms and carried him downstairs.

Elisha now returned to Gilgal and
there was a famine in the land.

One day, as the group of prophets was
seated before him, he said to his servant,

put a large pot on the fire and make
some stew for the rest of the group.

One of the young men went out into the
field to gather herbs and came back

with a pocket full of wild gourds.

He shredded them and put them into the
pot without realizing they were poisonous.

Some of the stew was served to the
men, but after they had eaten a

bite or two, they cried out, man of
God, there's poison in this stew.

So they would not eat it.

Elisha said, bring me some flour.

Then he threw it into the pot
and said, now it's all right.

Go ahead and eat.

And then it did not harm them.

One day, a man from Bale shisha brought
the man of God a sack of fresh grain

and 20 loaves of barley bread made
from the first grain of his harvest.

Elisha said, give it to
the people so they can eat.

What his servant exclaimed feed a
hundred people with only this, but Elisha

repeated, give it to the people so they
can eat for this is what the Lord says.

Everyone will eat and there
will even be some leftover.

And when they gave it to the people,
there was plenty for all and some left

over just as the Lord had promised.

The King of Aram had great admiration
for Neiman the commander of his

army, because through him, the Lord
had given Aram great victories.

But though Neiman was a mighty
warrior, he suffered from leprosy.

At this time, AIAN Raiders had invaded
the land of Israel, and among their

captives was a young girl who had
been given to Neiman's wife as a maid.

One day the girl said to her
mistress, I wish my master would

go to see the prophet in Samaria.

He would heal him of his leprosy.

So Neman told the king what the young
girl from Israel had said, go and visit

the prophet, the King of Aram told him,
I will send a letter of introduction

for you to take to the King of Israel.

So Naamen started out carrying as
gifts, 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds

of gold, and 10 sets of clothing.

The letter to the King of
Israel said, With this letter,

I present my servant Neiman.

I want you to heal him of his leprosy.

When the King of Israel read the
letter, he tore his clothes in

dismay and said, am I God that I
can give life and take it away?

Why is this man asking me to
heal someone with leprosy?

I can see that he's just
trying to pick a fight with me.

But when Elisha, the man of God,
heard that the King of Israel

had torn his clothes in dismay,
he sent this message to him.

Why are you so upset?

Send Neman to me and he will learn that
there is a true prophet here in Israel.

So Neman went with his horses and
chariots and waited at the door of

Elisha's house, but Elisha sent a
messenger out to him with this message.

Go and wash yourself seven
times in the Jordan River.

Then your skin will be restored and
you will be healed of your leprosy.

But Neman became angry and stocked away.

I thought he would certainly
come out to meet me.

He said, I expected him to wave his
hand over the leprosy and call on the

name of the Lord his God, and heal me.

Aren't the rivers of Damascus,
the Abna and the far par better

than any of the rivers of Israel?

Why shouldn't I wash
in them and be healed?

So Neman turned and went away in
a rage, but his officers tried

to reason with him and said, sir.

If the prophet had told you to
do something very difficult,

wouldn't you have done it?

So you should certainly obey him when he
says, simply go and wash and be cured.

So Naamen went down to the Jordan River
and dipped himself seven times as the

man of God had instructed him and his
skin became as healthy as the skin

of a young child, and he was healed.

Then Neman and his entire party
went back to find the man of God.

They stood before him and Neman
said, now I know that there is no God

in all the world except in Israel.

So please accept a gift from your servant.

But Elisha replied, as surely
as the Lord lives whom I serve,

I will not accept any gifts.

And though Naomi and urged him
to take the gift, Elisha refused.

Then Naman said, all right, but
please allow me to load two of my

mules with Earth from this place,
and I will take it back home with me.

From now on, I will never again
offer burnt offerings or sacrifices

to any other God except the Lord.

How may the Lord pardon
me in this one thing?

When my master, the king goes
into the temple of the God, RI to

worship there and leans on my arm.

May the Lord pardon me when I bow too.

Go in peace, Elisha said.

So Neiman started home again, but
Za the servant of Elisha, the man of

God, said to himself, my master should
not have let this air Amenan get away

without accepting any of his gifts.

As surely as the Lord lives, I will chase
after him and get something from him.

So Gaza set off after Neiman.

When Na in saw Gaza running after
him, he climbed down from his

chariot and went to meet him.

Is everything all right?

Naamen asked?

Yes, Jeza said.

But my master has sent me to tell you
that two young prophets from the hill

country of Raim have just arrived.

He would like 75 pounds of silver and
two sets of clothing to give to them.

By all means, take twice as much
silver, Naomi, and insisted he

gave him two sets of clothing.

Tied up the money in two bags
and sent two of his servants

to carry the gifts for Gaza.

But when they arrived at the
Citadel, Gaza took the gifts from

the servants and sent the men back.

Then he went and hid the
gifts inside the house.

When he went into his master, Elijah
asked him, where have you been?

Gaza?

I haven't been anywhere.

He replied, But Elisha asked him,
don't you realize that I was there

in spirit when Neman stepped down
from his chariot to meet you?

Is this the time to receive money
and clothing, olive groves and

vineyards, sheep and cattle,
and male and female servants?

Because you have done this, you
and your descendants will suffer

from ne amen's leprosy forever.

When Gaza left the room, he
was covered with leprosy.

His skin was wide as snow.

One day the group of prophets came to
Elisha and told him, as you can see, this

place where we meet with you is too small.

Let's go down to the Jordan River
where there are plenty of logs there.

We can build a new place for us to meet.

All right.

He told them, go ahead,
please come with us.

Someone suggested I will.

He said, so he went with them.

When they arrived at the Jordan,
they began cutting down trees, but

as one of them was cutting a tree,
his axe head fell into the river.

Oh, sir, he cried.

It was a borrowed axe.

Where did it fall?

The man of God asked when he showed
him the place, Elisha cut a stick and

threw it into the water at that spot.

Then the Axe head floated to the surface.

Grab it, Elisha said.

And the man reached out and grabbed it.

This concludes today's
Immer reading experience.

Thank you for joining us.