2 Kings 6:1-33
1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe heada fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.b
9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord,c O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a greatd host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15 And when the servante of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: followf me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20 And it came to pass, when they were come into 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, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
24 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.
26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
27 And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?
28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.
29 So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the nextg day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.
30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
31 Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
32 But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, 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 yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?
"TOO SMALL FOR US"
(vv.1-7)
The sons of the prophets are often spoken of in connection with Elisha's history, but when banded together, they did nothing (so far as the record goes) that indicated they were led by God. Once do we read of one of the sons of the prophets carrying a message from God. Elisha told him to take a flask of oil and anoint Jehu to be king over Israel, giving him a message from God at the same time. The son of the prophet did so alone (2 Kings 9:1). This was work done for God, for the young man acted by faith, without help from others. Another case was that of one of the sons of the prophets telling his neighbour to strike him (1 Kings 20:35). When he would not, a lion killed him. Then another did strike and wounded him. This man was acting alone at the Word of God, so that afterward he was called a prophet (1 Kings 20:38), and he fearlessly brought God's message to Ahab (ch.20:39-42).
The general tendency was for the sons of the prophets to live on the reputation of their fathers, which was not personal faith. These young men had evidently been attracted to Elisha and were living with him. But the time came when they felt themselves too confined (v.1). If it is not faith that has brought us into the place of enjoyment of the Lord's presence, we too will begin to feel too confined. It is natural to desire a larger place for ourselves than that which God has provided, and there are many today who direct their energies into building something that will satisfy them.
These men did not want to dwell where Elisha was in their midst, but they wanted his presence with them in what they were doing (v.3). How much like many Christians today who feel restricted where two or three are gathered together to the name of the Lord Jesus, yet in building their own churches they desire the Lord to go with them.
Elisha let them have their way and graciously went with them, just as we know today that the Lord often blesses those who are building in their own way. It was not Elisha who suggested or directed this project, though he did not oppose it. But rather than ambitiously building for ourselves, is it not wiser to be content with what the Lord Jesus says, "On this Rock I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18)? Since believers are a vital part of His church, it is inconsistent of us to be building another church. Yet in the Lord's sovereign wisdom and grace, He does give His blessing to those who have some good motives, though mixed with selfish motives.
We do not read of the work of these men having any good and lasting result. In fact, the record only reports that as one man was cutting down a tree the head of his axe flew off into the water. He did not even appeal to his fellow workers, but rather told Elisha. "Alas master, for it was borrowed" (v.5). This is too often the case with "sons of the prophets." The axe speaks of the truth of the Word of God, a tool that can be most effective when well used. But we may be using "borrowed" truth, that which someone else has gained for his own profit, but which we have not really acquired in our own souls. It may have been learned intellectually in a Bible school, but not vitally in the school of God. If so, there will always be some sort of failure in our work.
However, just as the man appealed to Elisha, we may appeal to the Lord Jesus, who is sufficient for every need. Elisha cut off a stick from a tree and threw it into the water (v.6), and the iron axe head miraculously floated to the top of the water. The stick reminds us of a connection with the cross of Christ, as the stick is connected to a tree.
SYRIANS - BLINDED, CAPTURED AND RELEASED
(vv.8-23)
Though the commander of the Syrian armies had been healed through and Israelitish prophet (ch.5), the king of Syria was still determined to wage war against Israel. His plan was to ambush Israel's army, deciding by consultation with his servants where his army should camp to best accomplish his purpose (v.8).
But the Lord revealed to Elisha what Syria was doing, and he warned the king of Israel, Jehoram, not to pass in the direction of Syria's camp (v.9). Jehoram sent spies who confirmed that Syria's camp was in the place of which Elisha told him. This happened more than twice. If we pay attention to the Word of God we shall be preserved from the deceptions of the enemy. God was by no means showing His approval of Jehoram by giving him this information, for Jehoram was not approved by God (2 Kings 3:14). But God rather showed the king of Syria that Israel was God's nation, and He would protect them in spite of their bad king.
The king of Syria was so disturbed that his plans were known to Israel that he thought there must be a traitor in his own court (v.11). But one of his servants knew (by whatever means) that Elisha the prophet told the king of Israel the words the king of Syria spoke in his own bedroom (v.12). Certainly this information could come to Elisha only by the power of God, and the king of Syria ought to have realised he was dealing with One infinitely higher than himself. In such a case, the only wise thing for him to do was to leave Israel alone.
Having received knowledge that Elisha was revealing to the King of Israel the secrets of the King of Syria in planning warfare, the King of Syria foolishly decided to fight against God by taking Elisha captive, possibly hoping to kill him. He sent horses and chariots and a great army with the intention of capturing one lone, defenceless man! Similarly, the chief priests and Pharisees sent "a great multitude with swords and clubs" to arrest the Lord Jesus (Matthew 26:47), though He had no weapons and nothing like an army to protect Him. Why did they think it necessary to have such crowds, either in the case of the Lord Jesus or in that of Elisha? Because they were afraid of spiritual power, but thought that overwhelming numbers could defeat that power. How pathetically foolish! The Lord Jesus showed His superior power in speaking the words, "I Am," causing all the crowd to go backward and fall to the ground (John 18:6). Thus they were helpless before His face, yet He allowed them to get up and take Him prisoner! Why? Because He had said His hour had come (John 17:1).
The Syrian armies came by night and surrounded the city (v.14). They used all the strategies of a major war engagement! Elisha's servant, when he rose early in the morning, was terrified and asked, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" (v.15).
With perfect calmness Elisha answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (v.16). Then he prayed that the Lord would open the servant's eyes, and the young man saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha (v.17). Is there any less protection for believers today? Believers may not see the angel of the Lord camping round about us, but this is nevertheless true (Psalms 34:7). Those redeemed by the blood of Christ have no reason to fear any enemy, for God is their Protector.
Elisha prayed that the Syrians might be stricken with blindness, then went boldly out to them, telling them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city" (v.19). Then he led them in their blindness to Samaria, where they were surrounded by Israel's men. He prayed again, asking the Lord to open their eyes, and they found themselves prisoners in the enemy's camp! (v.20).
The king of Israel eagerly asked Elisha if he should kill these men, but Elisha refused to give him permission, asking him if he would kill men whom he had taken captive. Rather, he told Jehoram to give them food and water and allow them to return to their master (v.22). What a lesson for these men! Though God had shown them His great power, yet He would also show them His great grace. Would they ever forget an experience like this? The king prepared a great feast for them before sending them away. We are told therefore that the bands of Syrian raiders did not come any more into the land of Israel.
THE SIEGE OF SAMARIA BY SYRIA
(vv.24-33)
The grace shown by the king of Israel to the Syrians did not, however, have a very lasting effect. For though the Syrians did not send bands of raiders to Israel, yet Ben-Hadad king of Syria took his whole army to lay siege to the City of Samaria (v.24).
The siege caused severe famine in the city, so that a donkey's head was sold for 80 shekels of silver and a small amount of dove's droppings for 5 shekels. Why did the king of Israel not even consider praying to the Lord in this predicament? He could speak of the Lord (v.27), but had no faith whatever in God's sovereign goodness.
A woman cried out to the king for help, but not asking for food. Rather, she had a complaint against another woman with whom she had made an agreement that they would kill and boil their sons on different days so that they could eat. She claimed she gave her son the first day, whom they killed and ate. Now she said the other woman had hidden her son when it was her turn to provide him as food (vv.26-29).
Certainly the king could not remedy this matter, and was so affected that he tore his clothes, a sign intended to express repentance, though true repentance was not in the king's thoughts. In fact, when he tore his clothes, people were able to see that he had sackcloth underneath (v.30). The sackcloth was also intended to be a sign of repentance, but he was wearing it as a sort of religious charm, hoping by this means to remedy the bad situation of Israel. This was merely hypocrisy.
Verse 31 is a proof of his hypocritical attitude. He swore by God that Elisha must be killed. Why? Because Elisha was the one person in Samaria who represented God and Jehoram blamed God for the famine. Certainly God could have prevented it, but He did not, for the famine was an infliction because of Jehoram's guilt. Instead of Jehoram judging himself, he determined to judge Elisha, the one man through whom he could have found deliverance. But his judging Elisha was the one way he could show his hatred toward the God of Israel. How many there are who bitterly condemn the Lord Jesus when they are in trouble! Yet He is the one source of true help for them!
Elisha, sitting in his house with the elders of the city, knew perfectly well that King Jehoram had sent a man to kill him, and told the elders of this, instructing them to shut the door and not allow the man to come in (v.32). He spoke of Jehoram as "this son of a murderer," for Ahab was certainly a murderer. But God would see to it that His servant was protected.
Serious trouble ought to melt people's hearts, but the heart of Jehoram was only hardened instead. Blaming the Lord for the famine, he said, "Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?" (v.33). But if he would not wait for the Lord, what could he do?