FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-7:20

5. The God Who Fulfills His Promises – Continued

Please read 2 Kings 7:1-20 for the background to this section.

From Last Lesson: When morning comes, the whole city will discover that the enemy has fled, and they’ll wonder why the men didn’t say something. When the truth comes out, the four men would be punished for keeping the good news to themselves.

It was night when the men found their way back to the city and approached the guard at the gate. Since these four men lived just outside the gate, the guard must have known them. The lepers gave him the good news and he shared it with the other guards, and one of the officers took the message to the king. Once again revealing his unbelief and pessimism (2 Kings 3:10, 13), Joram said that the whole thing was a trick, that the enemy was hiding and only trying to draw the people out of the city so they could move in. That was how Joshua had defeated the city of Ai (Joshua 8). It wasn’t so much that he doubted the word of the lepers as that he rejected the word of Elisha. Had he believed the Word of the Lord, he would have accepted the good news from the lepers.

One of the officers had the good sense to reason with the king. Let some officers take a few horses and chariots and go investigate the terrain. If it all turns out to be a trick and they are killed, they would have died had they stayed in the city, so nothing is lost. The officer wanted five horses but the king let him have only two chariots with probably two horses per chariot. The men found the camp devoid of soldiers. Then they followed the escape route all the way to the Jordan River, a distance of twenty-five miles, and saw on the ground the clothing and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their flight.

The spies raced back to the city and shared the good news that the Syrian army was gone and their camp was just waiting to be looted. It was indeed a day of good news as the people found food to eat and to sell back in the city, not to speak of valuable material goods that could be converted into cash. But the main lesson isn’t that God rescued His people when they didn’t deserve it, but that God fulfilled the promise He gave through His prophet Elisha. Note the emphasis on “the word of the Lord” in verses 16-18.

Jesus has promised to come again, but in these last days, people are questioning and even denying that promise. Fulfilling what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3, the scoffers have now come and are asking, “Where is the promise of His coming?” The church is like those four lepers: we have the good news of salvation and we must not keep it to ourselves. If people don’t believe the Word of the Lord, they won’t be ready for His coming; but if we don’t give them the message, they can’t be ready for His coming. What will we say when we meet the Lord?

Bad news for the king’s officer (verses 17-20). It appears that this officer had gradually accepted the pessimistic unbelieving attitude of his king. To him, it was impossible for the prices to fall that low in one day and for fine flour and barley to be available so quickly. But God did it! The very people he thought would die of starvation came rushing out of the gate. They knocked him down, trod on his helpless body, and he died. The Word of the Lord lived on but the man who denied that Word was killed. “Heaven and earth will pass away,” said Jesus, “but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-7:20

5. The God Who Fulfills His Promises – Continued

Please read 2 Kings 7:1-20 for the background to this section.

Good news from the Lord (verses 1-2). How fortunate it was for the kingdom of Israel that they had Elisha the prophet living and ministering among them! Throughout Hebrew history, in times of crisis, the prophets had God’s message for God’s people, whether they obeyed it or not. King Joram could turn to the priests of Baal, but they had nothing to say. The Lord spoke through “His servants the prophets” (2 Kings 21:10)

Joram wanting something to happen now; he would wait no longer. But Elisha opened his message with “tomorrow about this time.” What would happen? Food would once more be available and the inflationary prices would fall drastically. The fine flour for the people and the barley for the animals would cost about twice as much as in normal times. This was a great relief from the prices the people had paid for unclean food.

The officer who attended the king didn’t believe the words of the prophet and scoffed at what Elisha said. “Will it become like Noah’s flood,” he asked, “with food instead of rain pouring out of heaven?” (See Genesis 7:11. The Hebrew word translated “windows” in the King James Version means “floodgates.”) To the humble heart that’s open to God, the Word generates faith; but to the proud, self-centered heart, the Word makes the heart even harder. The same sun that melts the ice will harden the clay. The next morning, all the people in the city except this officer would awaken to life, but he would awaken to death.

Good news from the enemy camp (verses 3-16). The scene shifts to outside the locked gates of Samaria where four lepers lived in isolation (Leviticus 13:36). Nobody had told them about Elijah’s promise of food. They were discussing their precarious situation when they came to an insightful conclusion: if they stayed at the gate, they would die of hunger, but if they went to the enemy camp, they might receive some pity and some food. Even if the Syrians killed them, it was better to die quickly from a sword’s thrust than to die slowly from hunger. Lest they be observed from the city wall, they waited until twilight before going to the Syrian camp. Most of the camp would be resting and the lepers would have to deal only with some of the guards.

But nobody was there! The Lord had caused them to hear a sound which they interpreted as the coming of a vast army, and the Syrians had left their camp as it was and fled twenty-five miles to the Jordan River, scattering their possessions as they ran. The Lord had defeated the Moabites by a miracle of sight (2 Kings 3:20-23) and now He defeated the Syrians by a miracle of sound. They thought the armies of the Egyptians and the Hittites were coming to destroy them. The four lepers did what any hungry men would have done: they ate to the full and then looted the tents for wealth, which they hid.

However, as night came on, they stopped to have another conference and assess the situation. Why should an entire city be starving, and mothers eating their own children, while four dying men are selfishly enjoying the resources in the abandoned camp? Furthermore, when morning comes, the whole city will discover that the enemy has fled, and they’ll wonder why the men didn’t say something. When the truth comes out, the four men would be punished for keeping the good news to themselves.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-7:20

4. The God Who Keeps His Covenant – Continued

Please read 2 Kings 6:24-33 for the background to this section.

From Last Lesson: Joram’s father, Ahab, called Elijah “the one who troubled Israel” (1 Kings 18:17), and Joram blamed Elisha for the plight Samaria was in at that time. The king sent a messenger to arrest Elisha and take him out to be killed.

The prophet wasn’t upset or worried, for the Lord always told Elisha everything he needed to know. As the prophet sat in his house with the elders of the land, leaders who had come to him for counsel and help, he knew that the arresting officer was on his way. He also knew that the king himself would follow him to make sure the execution was a success. Elisha had already made it clear that he didn’t accept the authority of the king of Israel because Joram was not of the line of David (2 Kings 3:14). Joram was the son of Ahab the murderer, the king who with his wife, Jezebel, killed the Lord’s prophets who were opposing Baal worship (1 Kings 18:4). They also killed their neighbor Naboth so they could confiscate his property (1 Kings 21).

Elisha commanded the elders to hold the door shut until both men were outside. Being kept waiting at the door didn’t help the king’s temper one bit, and he called to Elisha, “Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” He should have said, “I am the cause of this great tragedy and I repent of my sins! Pray for me!” There was provision in the covenant for confession and forgiveness (Deuteronomy 30) if only King Joram and his people had taken advantage of it. The Lord always keeps His covenant, whether to bless if His people obey or to discipline if they disobey.

5. The God Who Fulfills His Promises

Please read 2 Kings 7:1-20 for the background to this section.

Did Elisha and the elders allow the king to enter the room along with his attendant and messenger? They probably did, but Joram was a somewhat subdued man when the door was finally opened to him, not unlike his father, Ahab, when Elijah indicted him for the murder of Naboth (1 Kings 21:17-29). The only messages the Lord had sent to the rebellious King Joram were the army around the city and the starvation within the city, and the king still had not repented.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-7:20

4. The God Who Keeps His Covenant

Please read 2 Kings 6:24-33 for the background to this section.

The border raids stopped, but Ben Hadad II decided it was time again for war. Rulers have to prove themselves to their people, and defeating and looting a neighbor is one of the best ways to reveal your strength and wisdom. This time he sent the full army and he seems to have caught Joram totally unprepared. Perhaps the peace along the borders lulled Joram into thinking that Syria was no longer a threat. Joram doesn’t seem to have been very astute when it came to military matters.

The siege of Samaria lasted so long that the people in the city were starving. It seems that Elisha had counseled the king to wait, promising that the Lord would do something, but the longer they waited, the worse the circumstances became. But it must be remembered that God warned that He would punish His people if they failed to live up to the terms of His covenant. Among His punishments were military defeat and famine (Leviticus 26:17, 25-26, 29, 33, 36-39; Deuteronomy 28:17, 25-26, 48-52), and Israel was now experiencing both. Had King Joram called his people to repentance and prayer, the situation would have changed (2 Chronicles 7:14). People were reduced to eating unclean food, such as a donkey’s head and dove’s droppings, and for these they paid exorbitant prices—two pounds of silver for the head and two ounces of silver for the dung.

But even worse, people were eating their own children! This, too, was a predicted punishment for breaking God’s covenant (Leviticus 26:29; Deuteronomy 28:53-57). King Joram met two such women as he walked on the wall and surveyed the city. One woman called to the king for help, and he thought she wanted food and drink. Joram’s reply really put the blame on the Lord and not on the sins of the nation. God alone could fill the threshing floor and the winepress and provide food and drink. But the woman didn’t want food and drink; she wanted justice. Her friend hadn’t kept her part of the bargain but had hidden her son!

Joram was appalled that the nation had fallen so low, and he publicly tore his robe, not as a sign of sorrow and repentance but as evidence of his anger at God and Elijah (see 2 Kings 5:7). When he did, he exposed the fact that he was wearing a rough sackcloth garment beneath the royal robe, but what good is sackcloth if there’s no humility and repentance in the heart? His next words make it clear that he took no responsibility for the siege and the famine and that he wanted to murder Elisha. He even used the oath that he learned from his evil mother, Jezebel (1 Kings 19:2). Joram’s father, Ahab, called Elijah “the one who troubled Israel” (1 Kings 18:17), and Joram blamed Elisha for the plight Samaria was in at that time. The king sent a messenger to arrest Elisha and take him out to be killed.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-7:20

3. The God Who Shows Mercy

Please read 2 Kings 6:18-23 for the background to this section.

Elisha didn’t ask the Lord to command the angelic army to destroy Ben Hadad’s feeble troops. As with nations today, defeat only promotes retaliation, and Ben Hadad would have sent another company of soldiers. God gave Elisha a much better plan. He had just prayed that the Lord would open his servant’s eyes, but now he prayed that God would cloud the eyes of the Syrian soldiers. The soldiers weren’t made totally blind, otherwise they couldn’t have followed Elijah; but their sight was clouded in such a way that they were able to see but not comprehend. They were under the delusion that they were being led to the house of Elisha, but Elisha was leading them to the city of Samaria!

When Elisha went out to meet the Syrian troops, did he lie to them? No, because he was no longer in the city of Dothan and was actually going to Samaria. The prophet was actually saving their lives, for if King Joram had been in charge, he would have killed them. Elisha did bring the troops to the man they wanted. When the army arrived at Samaria, the guards must have been shocked to see the prophet leading the troops, but they obediently opened the gates and then God opened their eyes. Imagine their surprise when they found themselves at the heart of the capital city and at the mercy of the Israelites.

King Joram would have slain all of the Syrian soldiers and claimed a great victory for himself, but Elisha intervened. The king graciously called Elisha “my father,” a term used by servants for their master (2 Kings 5:13), but later, he wanted to take off Elisha’s head! Like his wicked father, Ahab, he could murder the innocent one day and then “walk softly” before the Lord the next day (1 Kings 21). Double-minded people are unstable (James 1:8).

Elisha’s reply took the matter entirely out of the king’s hands. Had Joram defeated this army in battle? No! If he had, he could kill his prisoners; but if he hadn’t, then whoever captured the prisoners would decide what to do. These were not prisoners of war; they were Elisha’s guests, so the king’s responsibility was to feed them. Joram knew that having a meal with them was the same as making a covenant with them (Genesis 26:26-31), but he obeyed. In fact, he went beyond the prophet’s request for bread and water and prepared a great feast for the soldiers.

Solomon wrote, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21-22). In Romans 12:20-21, Paul quoted these words and applied them to believers today, and see also the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-36. King Joram wanted to kill the Syrians, but Elisha “killed them with kindness.” By eating together, they made a covenant of peace and the Syrian bands would no longer raid the borders of Israel.

Would this approach avert conflicts today? We must remember that Israel is a covenant nation and that the Lord fought their battles. No other nation can claim these privileges. But if kindness replaced long-standing and deeply rooted ethnic and religious differences among peoples, as well as national pride and international greed, there would no doubt be fewer wars and bombings. The same principle applies to ending divorce and abuse in families, riots and lootings in neighborhoods, uproars on campuses, and division and conflict in our communities. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7).

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-7:20

2. The God Who Protects

Please read 2 Kings 6:15-17 for the background to this section.

This servant was not Gehazi, for he had been removed and replaced. The young man was an early riser, which speaks well of him, but he was still deficient in his faith. Seeing the city surrounded by enemy troops, he did the normal thing and turned to his master for help.

A woman told evangelist D. L. Moody that she had found a wonderful promise that gave her peace when she was troubled, and she quoted Psalm 56:3, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Moody said he had a better promise for her, and he quoted Isaiah 12:2, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid.” We wonder what promises from the Lord came to Elisha’s mind and heart, for it’s faith in God’s Word that brings peace in the midst of the storm. Perhaps he recalled David’s words, “Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Psalm 27:3). Or the words of Moses may have come to mind, “Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid . . . for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you” (Deuteronomy 20:3-4).

Elisha didn’t trouble himself about the army; his first concern was for his frightened servant. If he was going to walk with Elisha and serve God, the young man would face many difficult and dangerous situations, and he had to learn to trust the Lord. We probably would have prayed that the Lord would give peace to the lad’s heart or calmness to his mind, but Elisha prayed for God to open his eyes. The servant was living by sight and not by faith and couldn’t see the vast angelic army of the Lord surrounding the city. Faith enables us to see God’s invisible army (Hebrews 11:27) and trust Him to give us the victory. Jacob had a similar experience before he met Esau (Genesis 32), and Jesus knew that, if His Father so desired, the angelic army could deliver Him (Matthew 26:53). “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people” (Psalm 125:2). “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). The angels are servants to God’s people (Hebrews 1:14), and until we get to heaven, we will never fully know how much they have helped us.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 6:8-7:20

From our point of view, it would have been more logical for the Lord to appoint Elijah, the “son of thunder,” to confront the enemy armies that invaded Israel; but instead, He appointed Elisha, the quiet farm boy. Elisha was like the “still, small voice” that followed the tumult of the wind, the earthquake, and the fire (1 Kings 19:11-12), just as Jesus followed John the Baptist who had an ax in his hand. By declaring the righteousness of God and calling for repentance, Elijah and John the Baptist both prepared the way for their successors to minister, for without conviction there can be no true conversion.

As always in Scripture, the key actor in the drama is the Lord, not the prophet. By what he said and did, as well as by what he didn’t do, Elisha revealed the character of the God of Israel to King Joram and his people. Jehovah is not like the idols of the nations (Psalm 115), for He alone is the true and living God.

1. The God Who Sees

Please read 2 Kings 6:8-14 for the background to this section.

Whenever the Syrians planned a border raid, the Lord gave Elisha the information and he warned the king. Baal could never have done this for King Joram, for idols have “Eyes . . . but they do not see” (Psalm 115:5). The Lord sees not only the actions of people but also their thoughts (Psalm 94:11; 139:1-4) and their hearts (Proverbs 15:3, 11; Jeremiah 17:10; Acts 1:24). Most of the people in the northern kingdom of Israel were unfaithful to the Lord, and yet in His mercy He cared for them. “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).

The king of Syria was sure there was a traitor in his camp, for the mind of the unbeliever interprets everything from a worldly viewpoint. Idolaters become like the gods they worship (Psalm 115:8) so Ben Hadad was as blind as his god Rimmon (2 Kings 5:18). However, one of Ben Hadad’s officers knew what was going on and informed the king that the prophet Elisha was in charge of “military intelligence” and knew what the king said and did even in his own bedroom.

The logical solution then was to eliminate Elisha. Once again you see the ignorance of the king, for if Elisha knew every scheme the king planned for the border raids, surely he would know this scheme as well—and he did! Ben Hadad’s spies found Elisha in Dothan, located about twelve miles north of the capital city of Samaria. Elisha’s home was in Abel-meholah, but in his itinerant ministry, he moved from city to city. Humanly speaking, he would have been safer in the walled city of Samaria, but he had no fear, for he knew God was caring for him. The arrival that night of a company of foot soldiers, cavalry, and charioteers didn’t upset the prophet in the least. This was not the full army but rather an enlarged “band” such as engaged in border raids (2 Kings 5:2; 6:23; 13:20; 24:2).

When God’s servants are in His will and doing His work, they are immortal until their work is done. The disciples tried to discourage Jesus from going back to Judah, but He assured them He was on a “divine timetable” and was therefore perfectly safe (John 11:7-10). It was only when His “hour had come” (John 13:1; 17:1) that His enemies had the power to arrest Him and crucify Him. If the Father’s eye is on the sparrow (Matthew 10:29), then surely He is watching over His precious children.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.