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2 Kings Chapter 7
Elisha Promises Food
- 2Kings 7:1 Then
Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD,
Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold
for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the
gate of Samaria.
- 2 Then a lord on
whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said,
Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this
thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine
eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
This was the same man that the king
sent to execute Elisha in 2 Kings chapter 6 after blaming him for
the famine. This man would see the food come but not eat of it like
Elisha says.
The Syrians Flee
- 2Kings 7:3 And there
were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they
said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
- 4 If we say, We will
enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we
shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now
therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if
they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall
but die.
- 5 And they rose up
in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when
they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria,
behold, there was no man there.
These lepers thought they were going to
die one way or another so that chose to go into the camp of the
Syrians and die that way instead of famine. They were so desperate
and hungry that they chose to be slain than to die of hunger but
still hoping their lives would be spared.
- 2Kings 7:6 For the
Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of
chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host:
and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired
against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the
Egyptians, to come upon us.
- 7 Wherefore they
arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their
horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for
their life.
The Lord caused them to hear a loud
noise of chariots and horses. The spirit of fear and imagination
caused them to flee and leave behind their goods. Sometimes we who
are prone to imginations and fear suffer most from what we think
might happen. The "what ifs"we imagine are many times worse than the
actual things that do happen. I've done that at times until I start
thinking, "Does imagining and worryiny prevent anything bad if it
did happen?" No it doesn't. We suffer twice if it does happen. First
by the fear and then by the event if it happens. Usually it doesn't.
God has mercy.
There may be times when God warns of
something that may happen but in that case, God gives us a prayer
burden about it or let's us know a solution to what may happen. In
the case of Noah and the Ark; there was something that he and his
family could do to prepare for it. Noah preached many years to warn
of what was to come. In the case of Jonah, he was to warn the city
of Ninevah that because of their wickedness, within 40 days, they
would be destroyed. They repented so it didn't happen at that time.
Usually just praying may prevent the evil or else God is preparing
us as to what we can do like Noah did. God is good though to those
that trust in Him.
Still worrying and imagining the worst
never helps. In this case though, the imagination of the Syrians
caused them to flee and others benefitted from their fear.
- 2Kings 7:8 And when
these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went
into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver,
and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and
entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and
hid it.
- 9 Then they said one
to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings,
and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some
mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go
and tell the king's household.
They enjoyed their bounty for a while
but then their conscience kicked in and they knew they had to share
what they found so they went to Jehoram, the king of Israel to let
him know what happened.
- 2Kings 7:10 So they came and
called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We
came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man
there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and
the tents as they were.
- 11 And he called the porters; and
they told it to the king's house within.
- 12 And the king arose in the night,
and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians
have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they
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.
Now we see the king's imagination
kicking in. He wrongly assumed this was a trick of the Syrians to
ambush them and take them captive or defeat them in battle.
- 2Kings 7:13 And one
of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee,
five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city,
(behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left
in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the
Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.
- 14 They took
therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host
of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
Some of the brave servants of the king
decide to ask him to let them go and see.
- 2Kings 7:15 And they
went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of
garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their
haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.
- 16 And the people
went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of
fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for
a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
They found it even as the lepers said
and had a time gathering the spoils that were abandoned in haste by
the Syrians.
- 2Kings 7:17 And the
king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the
charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate,
and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king
came down to him.
- 18 And it came to
pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two
measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for
a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of
Samaria:
- 19 And that lord
answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD
should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he
said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not
eat thereof.
- 20 And so it fell
out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he
died.
This fulfilled the prophecy given to
him previously that the famine would be over but the man who was
sent to take the life of Elisha didn't get to eat of it. He died
after being trampled at the gate when people who were so hungry and
tired of famine stormed through the gate trying to get to the goods
first. Sad ending for him. DC
2 Kings Chapter 8
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