Bible Question:
I Kings 17:21 reads, "And he stretched himself upon the child three times..." 2 Kings 4:34 reads, "And he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and he stretched himself upon the child..." My question is this: Was this a God-mandated practice that Elijah and Elisha performed, that of "stretching" oneself upon a sick person to heal them? Is this practice in use today by the Christian church? |
Bible Answer: Dear love..peace..joy - These passages describe a type of diatherapy that was common in ancient times. The body of a healthy person was used to help a sick person. This kind of therapeutic procedure was administered to aging King David by the fair damsel Abishag the Shunammite. See 1 Kings 1:1-4. To my knowledge the church does not use the practice today. --Hank |