Re: Jn 2:4, TI EMOI KAI SOI, GUNAI;

Ben Crick (ben.crick@argonet.co.uk)
Wed, 15 Oct 97 19:05:29

On Wed 15 Oct 97 (08:30:14), jwrobie@mindspring.com wrote:
> And in 1 Kings 17:18, I don't really see that the context indicates
> that the woman is alluding to a covenant:
> 
> 1Kin 17:17 (KJS) And it came to pass after these things, [that] the son of
> the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so
> sore, that there was no breath left in him.
> 18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of
> God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay
> my son?
> 19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her
> bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him
> upon his own bed.

Elijah had demonstrated to this widow of Zarephath, a Syro-Phoenician, just
how powerful this Covenant God of the Hebrews was. It rained not for three
years at the say-so of the prophet. The brook Cherith dried up. But God made
a covenant with Elijah "I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee" (1 Kings 17:9). She obeyed, and the cruse of oil and the barrel of meal did
not run out, until the LORD sent rain (verse 14). Then suddenly the widow's
son took sick and died. MaH LLiY WaLaKh, the woman exclaims. She had believed in Elijah's God and fed and housed his prophet. Now she remembers her past
unconfessed sin (not specified). In fear of the Covenant God of Israel, she
cried TI EMOI KAI SOI... Will Elijah's God not have mercy on her again, AND
on her son? Her son was her only hope of sustenance for the future. After
the miraculous resuscitation, the woman confessed "Now by this I know that
thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth"
(verse 24). Yes, God made a covenant with her: see Luke 4:25-26.

> The 2 Kings 3:13 quote seems to clearly indicate that Elisha is saying quite
> literally, "I'm not your guy, go to the other prophets":

So he is; using heavy irony. God is about to deliver these three kings into
the power of the king of Moab. Don't call on me to honour your covenant: call on your gods whom you named as witnesses when you made your covenant.
the Covenant Formula was common to all Hittite-derived covenants, treaties,
contracts or agreements. The gods (or YHWH) are called upon as Witnesses.
Even Satan diesires to be worshipped as God, and makes covenants as if he
were God; but Isaiah tells him "Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we are in agreement:... we have made lies our
refuge" (Isaiah 28:15); "And your covenant with death shall be broken, and
your agreement with hell shall not stand..." (verse 18).

-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
 <ben.crick@argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
 http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm