The Old Testament history is closely related to God's economy in the way of typology. The prophet Elisha represents God's New Testament economy in typology. Elisha was a type in the Old Testament who typified the real things in the New Testament. In Luke 4:27 the Lord Jesus referred to Elisha as a type of Himself, saying, "There were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian." Here the Lord indicated that Israel's rejection of Elisha and Elisha's turn to the Gentiles was a type of Himself as the Son of Man. This offended those in the synagogue, and they cast Him out. This fulfilled the type of Elisha, who came to God's people with the word of grace but was rejected by them. Christ also was rejected and forced to turn to the Gentiles to preach the word of grace.
In this message we will see more concerning the ministry of Elisha as we consider the reign of Jehoram over Israel.
Jehoram, the son of Ahab, began to reign from the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah and reigned for twelve years in Samaria (2 Kings 1:17b; 3:1).
Jehoram did what was evil in the sight of Jehovah, but not like his father and his mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal, which his father had made. Yet he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, by which he caused Israel to sin, and did not turn away from them (vv. 2-3). This means that Jehoram followed the one who was the founder of division and idol worship in Israel.
Jehoram fought against the king of Moab, who was rebelling against him (vv. 4-27). Jehoram made an alliance with Jehoshaphat king of Judah and the king of Edom (vv. 7-10). At the suggestion of Jehoshaphat, Jehoram sought out Elisha in order to inquire of Jehovah by him. Through Elisha Jehovah told Jehoram to go ahead into battle (vv. 11-19). Jehoram conquered Moab, forcing the king of Moab to offer his firstborn son, his successor, to his idol as a burnt offering upon the wall (vv. 20-27a). Then great wrath came upon Israel, and they departed and returned to their own land (v. 27b).