2 Kings part 2
2 Kings 3:1 Now
Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over
Verse 1 is reminding us
that Jehoram of the
Now I know this can be
confusing and that is why I wanted to point out and show you the most plausible
answer to these differences. This is why I reminded you in our last lesson that
sometimes we will see the reigns of these kings vary depending on whether they
are counting from when the co-reigned or from when they reigned on their own.
Getting back to our text,
we learn that Jehoram was little better than his father and mother in that he
put away the sacred pillar of Baal. Unfortunately, he did go far enough because
he embraced all the false Gods from Jeroboam’s time and still caused
This teaches us that we
should not go back to the restoration movement or to any other movement for our
authority. Instead, we always need to go back to the first century and simply
look at what God wants us to do because His word and His way is the only way.
2 Kings 3:4 Now
Mesha king of
We learn that the King of Moab was a sheepbreeder. The only
other time this word is used in reference to Amos in Amos 7:14.
2 Kings 3:9 So the
king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they
marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the
army, nor for the animals that followed them.
10 And the king of
So, here we have 3 kings joined together to defeat the Moabites. However, there was no water for the army for 7 days. Jehoram was quick to blame God for their situation as many nonbelievers like to do. But, fortunately for them Jehoshaphat was faithful to God and trusted in Him. So, instead of blaming God for the situation, he wants to seek him out and find out what God wants. It’s interesting that the servants of Jehoram knew about Elisha and knew where he was. So they all go to see Elisha.
2 Kings 3:13 Then
Elisha said to the king of
Elisha makes its clear
that he doesn’t want anything to do with the King of Israel because he knows
how wicked he is and how is relies upon on his false Gods. That’s why he tells him
to go to his own prophets instead of him. We find out the only reason Elisha
decides to help them is because of Jehoshaphat. Now I don’t know for sure why
he calls for a musician, but once he played his instrument the Lord gave Elisha
a message. God was going to provide water for these men in this valley, but
they would not see wind or rain.
2 Kings 3:18
"And this is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD; He will also
deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19
"Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and
shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin
every good piece of land with stones."
20 Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering
was offered, that suddenly water came by way of
No matter how hard things
seem to us, to God all things are simple. Defeating the Moabites would be easy
with God on their side. Now that they have asked for God’s guidance, He tells
them exactly what he wants them to do. He wants them to attack every city and
destroy just about everything. Then just as God promised, the next morning the
valley fills up with water from
2 Kings 3:21 And
when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them,
all who were able to bear arms and older were gathered; and they stood at the
border. 22 Then they rose up
early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites
saw the water on the other side as red as blood. 23 And they said, "This is
blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now
therefore,
So the Moabites were
ready to fight, but when they saw this water they thought it was blood. Now, I
don’t know if God made it look that way or if the early morning light made it
look that way. But, whichever it was is caused them drop their guard because
they thought these people had killed themselves and so all they could think
about was plundering.
2 Kings 3:24 So when
they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the Moabites, so
that they fled before them; and they entered their land, killing the
Moabites. 25 Then they
destroyed the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land
and filled it; and they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all
the good trees. But they left the stones of Kir Haraseth intact. However
the slingers surrounded and attacked it.
26 And when the king of
Well, as we read, the Moabites were in for a surprise while
plundering was on their mind. These 3 armies killed them and started attacking
everything God had asked them. However, there were a few places they didn’t
destroy. Apparently Moabites thought
Now as we enter into chapter 4 we will see 5 different miracles that Elisha performs.
2 Kings 4:1 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 woman was the wife
of one of the unnamed sons of the prophets. Jewish tradition says that her
husband was Obadiah. Back then, when a person could not pay their debt it was
common practice for them to take someone as a slave. This poor widow would have
really struggled without her sons. Well, Elisha is going to help her out. Now
the only thing this woman had of value was a small jar of oil. So, Elisha
instructs her to get as many vessels as she can and to poor the oil into each
of them and set them aside when they are full and that is exactly what she did.
Thanks to God, this widow had enough oil to pay her debt and more to live on
for a long time. This shows us the mercy of God and how he provided this woman
abundantly.
2 Kings 4: 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."
This is great example of
godly woman who was wealthy that was willing to provide for a man of God. She
persuaded her husband to make him a room to stay in since he was always passing
by there and she fed him. This also shows us that Godly women stood out in the
OT as well.
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."
Here we are introduced to
Elisha’s servant Gehazi. We will find out later that he has problem with greed
in chapter 5. Elisha is happy with this women’s generosity and he wants to do
something for her. He has good relationship with the king and he offers to say
something to him in her behalf, but she was satisfied with the ways things
were.
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.
Elisha still wanted to do
something for this woman, so he gets a good idea from his servant Gehazi. So,
she is given the gift of a child.
2 Kings 4:18 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
Now this is a sad situation. This woman was blessed by God to have this son and now he is dead. Out of desperation she goes to Elisha and clings to his feet hoping that he might be able to do something about her son. You can see that she wasn’t ready to accept her son was gone for good because before she left her house she tells her husband, “it is well” in verse 23 and when asked by Ghaizi how her family was, again she says, “it is well” in verse 26.
2 Kings 4: 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.
So, Gehazi takes
Elisha’s staff and puts on the boy, but he is still dead.
2 Kings 4:33 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.
One
thing you will notice in Bible is that there are only a few times that someone
was raised from the dead. In fact in the OT there are only 3 instances that I
am aware of where the dead are raised alive. One was done by Elijah and 2 were
done by Elisha with one of them being done after he was dead. In this instance,
he laid on top of the boy 2 times. The first time his flesh became warm and the
second time he sneezed 7 times and was brought to life. Once again, this Godly
woman was blessed by God.
2 Kings 4:38 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.
Since
there was a famine in the land, there wasn’t much available to eat, so this man
went out and found what he could, including these gourds. He did not know they
were poisonous. Now Elisha works his 4th miracle in this chapter by
putting flour in the pot and making the stew good to eat. Now let’s move on to
our 5th miracle.
2 Kings 4:42 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 first thing that
comes to my mind in this last miracle is how Jesus did this same thing except
on much a larger scale as he fed 5000 one time and 4000 another and that was
just the men. We can also see that Elisha servant was just like Jesus’ apostles
because he expresses doubt on how these 100 men are going to be fed by such a small
amount of food. But, God worked a miracle through Elisha and not only was there
enough food for them to eat, they had leftovers. Again, this shows us that God
provides and He does so abundantly.