2 Kings 8:1-15 - The Lost Restored and an Evil Advantage

2 Kings 8:1-15

The King Restores the Shunammite’s Land

1 Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the LORD has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.

3 It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and for her land. 4 Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done.” 5 Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him.

So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now.”

Death of Ben-Hadad

7 Then Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, “The man of God has come here.” 8 And the king said to Hazael, “Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’” 9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’”

10 And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover.’ However the LORD has shown me that he will really die.” 11 Then he set his countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?”

He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child.”

13 So Hazael said, “But what is your servant—a dog, that he should do this gross thing?”
And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will become king over Syria.”

14 Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me you would surely recover.” 15 But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his place.

This passage is an account of what was lost restored to life and to live on; the Shunammite’s son had previously been restored to life through Elisha, but she lost her land to live on during the war of the famine when she had to leave for seven years to find food for her family to survive.  She, in a coincidence of events arranged by the LORD, happened to come petition the king for the restoration of her land just as Gehazi was recollecting the story of her son’s resurrection to life by Elisha’s hand.  The king heard and restored all that was lost for her to have a living again in the land of her inheritance just as her son had been restored to life before, both restorations by the hand of God in His grace of providence and provision.  The second part of this passage is a sad account in stark contrast to the first one, where the servant of the king of Syria heard of his master’s imminent demise from sickness and took advantage of the situation to speed up his death and assume the throne for himself just as his prophesied by Elisha who wept at the future evil to be unleashed at his hand against God’s people.  We find that there was restoration with the house and land of the woman contrasted with the evil advantage of a greedy servant to seek control and power instead of an inheritance from the hand of God in His kingdom grace.  We do well to realize we are to be thankful for our inheritance and not treat others deviously or in any evil way for our own advantage to take what is not ours.  Godliness with contentment (1 Timothy 2:1-2, 6:5-6, 2 Peter 3:11-12) for our provision within the providence of the Lord is the lesson to learn here as we pray for those over us and not attempt to usurp them for worldly gain.  We as the former lost have been given an eternal kingdom and house restored in Christ and should not do anything to grab one here for an evil selfish advantage, especially through ungodly means as Hazael used. 

2 Kings 7:1-20 - Opening Windows in Heaven

2 Kings 7:1-20

1 Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’”

2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”

And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

The Syrians Flee

3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” 5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” 7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.

9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact.” 11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king’s household inside.

12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.’”

13 And one of his servants answered and said, “Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see.” 14 Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them in the direction of the Syrian army, saying, “Go and see.” 15 And they went after them to the Jordan; and indeed all the road was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told the king. 16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.

17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. 18 So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.”

19 Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, “Now look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?”

And he had said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.

As the king was about to have Elisha’s head, the prophet pronounced the word of God to deliver the people from famine and free them from the attack that surrounded them and cut off the food.  The king had acknowledged that the calamity was from the LORD (2 Kings 6:33) but was not going to wait to end the messenger anyway, when Elisha loudly spoke of the LORD bringing such an abundance of food the next day to the doorstep of Samaria.  An officer of the king mocked the word by asking, “the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”  This man would indeed see it, but not eat of it due to his doubt of God’s word and ability to do (2 Kings 7:19, 20) as He said.  The Almighty would indeed make windows in heaven open to shower such provision on earth to meet the needs of His people.  Why then would we not trust His word for our daily promise of provision (Matthew 6:31-32, 33-34, Philippians 4:19) today?  He is the same omnipotent and caring God (Hebrews 1:12-13, 13:8, John 8:58) yesterday, today, and forever!  Just as the LORD caused the enemy at the gates of Samaria to fear and flee by the apparent sound of chariots like those of fire (2 Kings 6:17) seen by Elisha before (Ephesians 3:10, 6:12), so He is still able to move our enemies to keep us safe in tribulations for His work and provide us more than we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20-21) we need do victory and sustenance of our daily bread.  He is indeed able to make windows of heaven open (Malachi 3:10) to us to meet and exceed our needs and expectations of grace.  Yes, we who choose to believe and trust His word will eat of these and not die (John 6:57-58) as the officer of the king in this account because we have believed in the Son of God (John 6:69, 16:27, 20:31) and His goodness towards us as promised.  Believe and taste to see (Psalm 34:8, 1 Peter 2:3) how how good the Lord is who makes and opens windows of grace and provision from heaven! 

2 Kings 6:24-33 - Do we Shoot the Messenger?

2 Kings 6:24-33

Syria Besieges Samaria in Famine

24 And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.

26 Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”

27 And he said, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” 28 Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you?”

And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.”

30 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body. 31 Then he said, “God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!”

32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” 33 And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, “Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

A while later after the Syrian raiders had left Samaria, having been blinded by the LORD and their lives spared after being led into captivity and then freedom, Ben-Hadad the king of Syria attacked again.  Most likely, Syria was so humiliated that they wanted to destroy that city of their near demise and so set siege walls against it to prevent any from leaving while they starved out the people of Israel there.  The starvation got so bad that the king heard of two women eating one of their babies to stay alive, and that deception drove one to hide hers after devouring the other’s.  He tore his clothes in an act of repentance and grief as he blamed Elisha for the siege due to the previous humiliation of the Syrians; he seemed to forget, however, that it was the word and work of the LORD who tricked the foreign army and let them go in shame after capturing them within the same city walls prior to this attack.  He tried to blame Elisha for an attempt on his own life just to be certain to have his head.  The tide of the battle was about to turn, however, as we will see in the following chapter.  It is so easy to blame God when things are going badly, and easier to blame the messenger who makes God’s word plain especially when it does not favor the hearer.  But in the end, the Lord has His way for our good and His glory through all circumstances, both good and bad.  Do we then choose to trust Him or shoot the messenger? 

2 Kings 6:8-23 - Secrets Revealed, Protected by the Unseen

2 Kings 6:8-23

The Blinded Syrians Captured

8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” 9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.” 10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?”

12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

13 So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.”
And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in Dothan.”

14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

19 Now Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” But he led them to Samaria.

20 So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, “LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria!

21 Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”

22 But he answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” 23 Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.

This account of the Syrians attempting to attack the people of God reveals two things.  First of all, it demonstrates that God hears every word spoken in secret places behind the closed doors we imagine keep our thoughts from Him, which is impossible because because He is omnipresent.  We see this in how the LORD spoke the words in hidden chambers behind the Syrian king’s closed doors to the man of God, Elisha, to uncover their troop movements to keep God’s people safe.  Secondly, we see the unseen realm exposed in the battles in heavenly (Ephesians 3:10, 6:12) places where again we cannot see but only He who sees all as omniscient and omnipresent is able to do.  The LORD opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant when they were surrounded by Syrian chariots so that he could see the unseen chariots of fire surrounding them all at God’s command in the hidden heavenly realm in which they were standing.  This revelation of God’s power over the angels and the intentions of men was then reinforced by the divine revelation of sight to His own and blindness to those in opposition to Him and His people.  The Syrian army was nullified by blinded eyes as they were led by God at the word of Elisha into captivity and faced a certain destruction inside the city walls of His kingdom.  This is a shadow and portent of the protection of God in Jesus Christ for leading His sheep into the open confession of revealed sins seen by the Lord who now lives in us and gives us no expectation of privacy, as well as His power to keep the enemy blind (John 9:39, Romans 11:7-8, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4) until they find forgiveness and redemption in Christ and enter the walls of His kingdom to escape certain destruction in judgment and see (Isaiah 29:18-19, Matthew 11:5, Luke 4:18) the hidden war for their souls (Revelation 12:17) being waged all around us in this earthly visible world.  The secrets of the heart are revealed (Psalm 44:21, Luke 12:2, Colossians 1:26, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 14:25) and we who are called out to be His have a glimpse into His protection in the unseen heavenly places where the battle is fought for our souls.  There is complete victory over the enemy even if we cannot look into the background at chariots of fire ourselves, because we have His word to give us eyes to see (Luke 8:10, 2 Corinthians 3:16, 18) the world revealed beyond us.  We walk therefore by faith in God’s work to overcome the world (1 John 5:4, 19-20) and not by sight with tangible proofs in this absolute knowledge of these truths revealed only by faith and His Spirit revealing them to our spiritual eyes. 

2 Kings 6:1-7 - God’s Providential Provision

2 Kings 6:1-7

The Floating Ax Head

1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. 2 Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.”

So he answered, “Go.”

3 Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.”

And he answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”

6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

Here Elisha performed a practical miracle for one of the sons of the prophets.  A group of these prophets had been living with Elisha in apparently cramped quarters and resolved to build their own house.  They all walked to the Jordan River to cut down trees to construct their house after receiving permission from Elisha and he went with them as asked.  One of the men swung his ax and the metal head flew off into the water; he was concerned because he had borrowed the tool and likely did not have the means to replace it as a poor prophet in training.  But God used His man to calmly ask where the ax went into the river and then was given wisdom to throw a stick there and it stuck in the iron head and made it float to the surface to he recovered.  That is a supernatural thing from a simple fling of a stick because it was the work of the LORD and wisdom from Him to Elisha to even consider such an act.  God provides in very mysterious and unexpected ways when we are in need and seemingly beyond our wisdom and ability to solve perplexing problems.  This is one of those times written down for us to consider His providential provision to work (Romans 8:28) all kinds of things together for our good needs to His glory, honor, and praise. 

2 Kings 5:20-27 - Greed earns Retribution

2 Kings 5:20-27

Gehazi’s Greed

20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” 21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?”

22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’”

23 So Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him. 24 When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed. 25 Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?”

And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere.”

26 Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.

We see the effects of greed when Elisha’s servant Gehazi took it on himself to lie on behalf of the prophet who served God at no monetary cost (2 Kings 5:15, 16) and then talk Naaman the Syrian out of money and clothing for payment of what he had been told was the free work of the LORD.  He chased Naaman down to extort a false payment for his own gain in his greed as if it was for missionary work of some visiting prophets.  Some still practice this fleecing for grace instead of offering their service to the Lord freely and will likewise answer for their greed as Gehazi did here.  He continued to lie to Elisha instead of confessing his greed and suffered a horrible retribution of leprosy, making him an outcast who would not be able to enjoy the riches he swindled out of Naaman since nobody would come near him, let alone sell him anything or do any business with the infected man.  Greed earns the retribution of sin’s (Romans 6:23) consequences.  We are called to beware this type of dishonesty for personal gain (1 Timothy 3:3, 8, 1 Peter 5:2) and especially in the name of God’s work or even worse in the position as a leader of the flock. 

2 Kings 5:1-19 - True Healing by Simple Obedience

2 Kings 5:1-19

Naaman’s Leprosy Healed

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”

5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said,

Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.

7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.”

16 But he said, ”As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

17 So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD. 18 Yet in this thing may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD please pardon your servant in this thing.”

19 Then he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.

There was this man who was a great and valorous commander of the Syrian army who was named Naaman.  He had leprosy and cried out for healing when a captive girl from Israel heard him and told of a prophet in Samaria who would heal him.  This prophet was Elisha.  But when the king of Syria, Naaman’s master, sent ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold to hire the healer of the LORD to come and make his valued commander who;e again, the king of Israel was upset because he saw this as an impossible trap meant to stir up a war.  Elisha told him to calm down and trust the LORD working through him to heal the man.  He asked for Naaman to come to him, but then did not even answer the door what he arrived; instead, his servant passed on the message to go bathe seven time in the Jordan River and be cleansed from his leprosy.  Naaman was indignantly angry because he expected wild fanfare and waving of hands with magnanimous fantastic gestures and words to properly heal him in the name of the LORD, an expectation and practice still seen sadly today in some circles.  His servants brought him back down to humble reality by saying that if the prophet had asked some great task for him to go through to earn healing, would he have done it?  What then of the message was simple]y, “Wash and be cleansed?”  So Naaman acted in humble faith and was healed as promised.  How many charlatans could learn from this as when Jesus told the entitled Jews (Luke 4:27-28) of a seemingly unworthy Gentile healed when no respectable citizen of Israel found such cleansing by the the Lord.  Religious people often believe they are entitled to healing of body to match the soul, misreading scripture like Isaiah 53:5-6 and 1 Peter 2:24 that demonstrate spiritual healing of reconciling righteousness over flashy gestures to heal the outward person.   Naaman was ever thankful for being restored and offered to pay for the healing, but was told it was not to be done like that; how many charlatans today offer false hopes for a price and perform wild words and gestures to promise healing that the Lord gives through the gospel of salvation to the soul as the priority, flipping the necessary for the secondary that is not the main purpose of the good news of true healing by simple obedience to the word of God? 

2 Kings 4:38-44 - Miraculously Meeting Needs

2 Kings 4:38-44

Elisha Purifies the Pot of Stew

38 And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39 So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were. 40 Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.

41 So he said, “Then bring some flour.” And he put it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

Elisha Feeds One Hundred Men (cf. Matthew 14:13–21; 15:32–39)

42 Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.”

43 But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?”

He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: They shall eat and have some left over.’” 44 So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

The miraculous work of God through the prophet Elisha shows first how the LORD purified food to eat that was previously poisonous, and then secondly is a foreshadowing of the work of the divine Son of God Himself in the multiplying of a small amount of food to feed a multitude of one hundred.  The cleansing process was relatively straightforward, with godly wisdom given to use flour to wick away the poison from the wild food.  The feeding, however, was truly supernatural.  Elisha had been given just twenty loaves of barley bread and corn or some such grain, and he told his servant to give it to feed the one hundred hungry men there, an seemingly impossible task since that would mean just one fifth of a loaf to each, hardly enough to satisfy each of them.  The miracle was not the same as Jesus who multiplied less bread and fish to feed a much larger crowd, yet was miraculous enough to have more than enough to go around from so little to so many.  They “still had some left over” according to God’s word given through Elisha.  We find that God is more than able to meet our needs (Matthew 6:25, 31, Philippians 4:19) and leaves us with enough left over for meeting the needs of others.  He multiplies us (2 Timothy 2:2) to feed others the gospel for feeding the souls of those who hunger for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and find it provided more abundantly in Jesus Christ, the bread (John 6:32-33, 35, 51) of life who is our manna from heaven.  This is how we also miraculously meet the needs of the soul through the proclamation of the word of the gospel of God in Jesus Christ, who also gives us the means and wisdom to meet physical needs of those who hunger in other ways as well.  This account then is a precursor to the work of Christ feeding the multitudes, distributing Himself as it were as the bread of life through our hands and so miraculously meeting needs. 

2 Kings 4:8-37 - A Miraculous Birth, Death, and Resurrection

2 Kings 4:8-37

Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son (cf. 1 Kings 17:17–24)

8 Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. 10 Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”

11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. 12 Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’”

She answered, “I dwell among my own people.”

14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?”

And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.”

And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!”

17 But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.

18 And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “My head, my head!”

So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.”

23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.”

And she said, ”It is well.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! 26 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’”

And she answered, “It is well.” 27 Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”

28 So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?”

29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child.”

30 And the mother of the child said, ”As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.”

32 When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. 34 And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. 35 He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.

Here was a miraculous birth and a death followed by resurrection to life that stands as a foreshadowing of the immaculate birth, death, and resurrection to life of God’s Son.  The prophet Elisha began by being invited to eat with and then stay with a Shunammite woman and her husband as he traveled past her house.  Her husband was old and she had no son, so the LORD promised her one in a year through the prophet’s promise, which was of course not really believed by her until it happened.  One day when the child grew up, he had a violent headache and died; she ran for help to Elisha to ask what was wrong to be promised a child who would be born only to die, and what could God do to remedy the situation.  This is reminiscent of the reason God’s own Son who was long promised was also to die on a cross of suffering and yet be raised from death to life as a promise for our own future.  This was hidden from Elisha as the woman approached him with the distress on her heart just as the death and resurrection of God’s Son was hidden from the apostles (Mark 9:9-10, 31-32, 10:33, 34, Luke 24:31-32) even when He told them plainly of His plan.  The prophet breathed life into the son of the Shunammite mother just as the God-Man returned the breath of life into the Man Jesus Christ on the third day after being sealed in death’s tomb.  The mother and aged father then rejoiced that their son lived again; how much more the Father in heaven rejoices over His Son’s resurrection to bring us life in and with Him and we join Him (John 14:28) with joy inexpressible (1 Peter 1:8-9) and full of glory as those who went before us heard in the scriptures (1 Peter 1:10-11, 12) for so long in anticipation of life (Job 19:25-27) from death! 

2 Kings 4:1-7 - God’s Provision of Grace

2 Kings 4:1-7

Elisha and the Widow’s Oil (cf. 1 Kings 17:14–16)

1 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”

5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”

And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

This widow was of one of the “sons of the  prophets” which was likely a prophet in training of sorts or an actual son of a known prophet used by the LORD to deliver His word to the people of God.  What we do know is that Elisha was a prophet and her affiliation brought her plea for help to his attention.  Because she called her dece husband the servant of Elijah specifically and that he knew he was a servant who feared the LORD, the ancient accounts say that her husband was Obadiah (1 Kings 18:12) who feared God and hid the prophets from Ahab and Jezebel in caves.  Either way, Elisha honored her as the widow of a servant of God and met her needs to keep the debt collectors from taking her sons to pay her debts as slaves.  He heard she only had a single pot of oil in the house, and was directed by the LORD to have her gather as many empty pots as possible from her neighbors.  She then poured out the single jar into the others until she ran out of empty ones, a miracle as profound as the Lord Jesus Christ with the loaves and fishes feeding thousands later.  It was God’s gift of provision to honor her and her deceased husband who served Him in this case, enabling her and her free sons to live on after paying her debts with the proceeds of selling many jars of the valuable oil.  Such is God’s gift to us in His daily bread of provision for our needs even now, and especially for those who set aside their lives in service to Him and the gospel to set men and women free (John 8:36, Romans 6:18, 22) from enslavement to sin and provide all we need in support of body and soul (Matthew 6:31, 33, 2 Peter 1:3) for living and for godliness.  This is an example of God’s provision of grace honoring those (1 Samuel 2:30, John 12:26) who honor Him.