Sunday Sermons
The Day of Good News
2 Kings Chapters-6 7
2 Kings 6:1-2 The living quarters for the prophets had become too small that they sought to build a larger facility. 6:3-5 Along the banks of the Jordan is a thicket about a mile wide, where they could cut down willow, acacia, tamarisk and other trees. During this community effort to build, one of the prophets loses an ax head in the Jordan River. He immediately cries out because such an object was expensive, the student-prophet was probably poor, and the ax head had been begged or borrowed. This incident of the lost ax head, and Elisha’s miraculous recovery of it, is considered by some an insignificant event, causing them to wonder aloud why it consumes space in Scripture, or even why he performed the miracle in the first place. But this section of Scripture reminds us that no miracle is insignificant and God pays attention to even the small problems among His people! Yet miracle isn’t minor when people try to duplicate it—and fail! The floating iron necessitated the suspension of the universal law of gravity. The fact that the ax head was borrowed shows the poverty and difficult circumstances under which these prophets labored. It also shows Elisha as a man of compassion and one who had time for the smaller problems of life. 6:5-7 “Even though Elisha tossed a floating stick into the water first, the incident was not an example of imitative magic, but another miracle from the hand of the prophet. The floating stick was merely a symbol of what Elisha wanted the ax head to do. The text says, “…and he made the iron float” (Dilday pp. 310-311). 6:9-12 Evidently the Syrians were trying to ambush the Israelite army, but Elisha informs the Israelite king of the Syrian plans for ambush. Immediately the prophet sent a warning to the Israelite king to change any plans he had for travel in that area. The Israelite king took Elisha’s warnings seriously and apparently sent out military patrols to verify it. It may be that Israel’s troops preceded the Syrian troops to the spot and set up a fortified camp there themselves, thus frustrating the Syrian plan. The Syrian king was enraged and immediately suspected that someone in his command was actually an Israelite spy. Here we find that Elisha’s powers were well known upon the Syrian soldiers. The king was advised of the facts by his own soldiers. Elisha the prophet was monitoring and exposing their every military move. Even words spoken in the secrecy of his most intimate quarters were common knowledge to this prophet. 6:13-14 The Syrians also had an intelligence gathering network and learned that Elisha was in the city of Dothan, which was about ten miles north of Samaria. Since they were aware of Elisha’s ability to predict every troop movement, it was strange that they did not assume that the prophet would see through their new strategy too. It seemingly never occurred to these Syrians that the prophet who knew miraculously where they were planning their ambush would also know when and where they were planning to come for him! Unbelief is always short-sighted. 6:16-17 Here is a lesson that we need to learn. “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them”. This is always true for the believer (1 John 4:4). It is not God’s people, but God’s enemies who are surrounded and helpless (Psalm 34:7). 6:18-20 Upon Elisha’s request, God struck the entire Syrian army with blindness, but such blindness that didn’t damage their eyes. It was more a mental blindness, where what they were seeing wasn’t reality. “Since the soldiers could see well enough to drive their horses and chariots behind Elisha directly into Israel’s fortress of Samaria, it appears that the miracle was one of confused sight, a supernatural impediment that deceived them” (Dilday p. 318). Elisha went out and told them that this wasn’t the city (and they didn’t recognize his face or voice), and Elisha then proceeded to lead the entire army to the Israelite capital of Samaria.
6:21 “There is a touch of humor in verse 21 when the king of Israel suddenly realized Ben-Hadad’s great army had just been deposited helplessly within the very walls of his royal capital. One can almost see the dignified monarch, his royal composure shattered, waving his arms and shouting excitedly, ‘My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?’” (Dilday p. 318). 6:22-23 Elisha wanted to convict the hearts of the Syrian army with kindness and impress upon them the all-sufficient power of God. It was also a demonstration of God’s mercy to Syria and to the king of Syria, it was in effect a second chance. Beyond sparing their lives, God even treated the Syrian army to a wonderful feast before sending them on their way (see Romans 12:17ff). “Furthermore, this would be one more opportunity to confirm in the thinking of the Syrians that ‘the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings’ (1 Kings 20:31), because their God is a merciful God. The Syrians must have been greatly impressed, not only with Jehovah’s mercy, but also with Elisha’s superhuman insight” (Whitcomb p. 79). God was giving every soldier in this army and all his family members a chance to think seriously about believing in Jehovah and renouncing their faith in idols. God does give His enemies a chance to repent (2 Peter 3:9). Now this may mean that God’s enemy might abuse such an opportunity (Romans 2:1-4), but we need to rejoice that God is giving even the extremely wicked chances to be saved. 6:23-24 For a while the Syrians were impressed with the above miracle, but without the decision to believe, and without repentance, such lessons are eventually lost and forgotten.
6:25 Sometime after the events in verses 1-23, Ben Hadad II tried again to defeat Israel. This time instead of sending raiding parties, he mobilized his entire army and besieged the capital city of Samaria. Since no one could enter or leave the city a great famine resulted. So great was the famine that one donkey’s head, one of the least nourishing and most repulsive parts of this animal, unclean to the Israelites, became a highly valued commodity, selling for two pounds of silver ($50.00), and approximately a half-pint of dove’s dung, which is the literal translation of the Hebrew, for about two ounces of silver ($3.00).
2 Kings 7:1 While the Israelite king thought that all was hopeless (6:33), Elisha announced that within 24 hours, not only would the siege be over, but there would be plenty of food to eat at pre-siege prices. Seven quarts of flour would sell for a shekel, and 13-14 quarts of barley (for the cattle to eat), would sell at the same price. Remember that during the siege eighty shekels would buy only the head of a donkey (6:25), and $3 would only buy a kab of dove’s dung. 7:2 The personal attendant of the king could not believe this prediction. “With scoffing sarcasm he insisted that the prediction was utterly impossible. Even if the Lord were to make windows in the heavens, and pour down through them grain instead of rain, this prediction could not come to pass” (Smith p. 570). This officer’s attitude reminds me of people who will not believe the simple statements or promises in Scripture, as if anything was actually too difficult for the Lord. Yet God would punish this man for his skepticism. He would live to see the fulfillment of this prophecy, but he would not live to enjoy this divine deliverance. In like manner, every unbeliever will actually see or experience the Second Coming and the fulfillment of what the Bible teaches, yet they will miss out on the reward.
7:3-4 Lepers were customarily confined to quarters outside the camp (Leviticus 13:46). “But these probably were forced by desperation to venture near the gate of the city, looking for a handout” (Winters p. 206). Having weighed their options they decided that they could either enter the city and die of starvation, or surrender to the Syrians who were besieging the city, and hope for mercy. “They finally decided that their best option was to surrender to the Syrians, from whom they might get some food. If the Syrians killed them, they had lost nothing because they would die anyway” (Vos p. 157). 7:5 As a result, at dusk the four approached the Syrian camp and found it completely deserted. 7:6-7 The same God who caused one Syrian army to see things that were not there (2 Kings 6:18) now caused another Syrian army to hear things that were not there. Does God have a sense of humor? Hearing the supernaturally generated noise of approaching armies, the Syrians feared the worst. “Rumors swept through the camp. Had the Hittites in the north (modern Turkey) and the Egyptians in the south been enlisted by Israel to catch Ben-Hadad and his troops in a trap? The Syrian soldiers stampeded, leaving behind all their provisions in order to retreat more rapidly. They even left their horses and donkeys, believing there was not time to hitch them up” (Dilday pp. 326-327). This event reminds me of what Solomon noted, “The wicked flee when no one pursues” (Proverbs 28:1). It also reminds me that God scoffs at the limited and puny power of human armies in which so often unbelievers place their confidence (Psalms 2:4). 7:8 The first response of all four men is absolute selfishness. At first these diseased men gorged themselves and hid the loot they gathered from the enemy tents. 7:9 But then they came to themselves (Luke 15:17). I am impressed with these men. They were lepers and could have easily convinced themselves that this was “pay-back time” and that their suffering and exclusion from the Israelite community justified such hoarding. They could have said to themselves, “Why should we help the people in Samaria, we have lived on their handouts long enough!” But even having leprosy had not made these men bitter or resentful.
“This is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent”: These lepers had the news that could save an entire city. Today, we have the gospel message that can save the entire world! Are we keeping silent? “To have a great gift—wealth, education, freedom—and not share it is evil. Using such gifts only for selfish purposes without regard for the needs of others is a serious sin. Never is that more true than with the gift of salvation. Do we think that we are important enough that we are the ultimate end of God’s mercy?” (Dilday p. 328). As Christians we cannot simply keep our blessings to ourselves (Ephesians 1:3), we must want others to share in the happiness that we are enjoying. “If we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us”: I am impressed with the urgency to do the right thing that came upon these men. Instead of believing that they had plenty to time to correct the situation, they believed that simply waiting until morning would be a fatal delay. Do we have the same sense of urgency when it comes to repentance and confessing a sin? (1 John 1:8-10).
7:10-11 Note that God uses ordinary people, in fact, here He uses people with some serious handicaps. Just because you consider yourself ordinary and inadequate does not mean you are therefore excused from the responsibility of talking to others about the gospel. God does not require that we be walking encyclopedias of theological knowledge, or champion debaters, or persuasive salesmen, He only expects us to be faithful conveyers of the message. For a moment consider how the modern survivalist movement is so contrary to Christian principles. On the one hand we have people hoarding food and other supplies (self-first), and getting away from other people, and living in isolation. On the other hand the Bible teaches us to go into the world, share, give, and help others.
7:12 The Israelite king thought that the whole thing was a trap, intended to lure the Israelite army out into the open. Sadly, this king forgot that he was already in a trap, he was in a city faced with famine, yet being suspicious can paralyze one into inaction.7:13 Fortunately his servants had some common sense and said, “Let’s send out a reconnaissance patrol, if they get captured, no harm done, for they will eventually die anyway if they stay in the city”. Yet every unbeliever is in an even worse predicament than this king. The king thought he was “safe” in a city that was dying of starvation, and the wrath of God presently rests upon everyone who does not believe in Christ (John 3:36). 7:14-15 This patrol not only found the Syrian camp empty, but the entire route of the Syrian retreat was littered with clothing and gear that the army had jettisoned in their headlong flight. This trail of supplies reached all the way to the Jordan River!
7:16-20 Both of Elisha’s predictions came to pass. Please note that when God predicts something He is often very specific. Two measures of barley sold for a shekel and a measure of fine flour sold for a shekel. The officer who had doubted the truthfulness of Elisha’s prophecy was trampled to death as he attempted to control the crowd that poured out of the city. “We may be sure, however, that in the midst of all the rush and confusion few, if any, took the trouble to thank Elisha or Elisha’s God for this miraculous intervention on their behalf (Psalms 78:29-32; 106:15)” (Whitcomb p. 81). “His death stands as a testimony to the truthfulness of God’s word through the prophet. It also reminds the book’s readers to believe God’s word, hope in God’s provision, and count on God’s deliverance” (House p. 281). It should also remind us that those who doubt and question God and His word will receive nothing (James 1:6-8).
