II Kings 6
Elisha and the floating ax headverses 1-7
And the sons of the prophets
said to Elisha
BEHOLD now
the place where we dwell with you is too strait for us
Let us go – we pray you – to Jordan
and take thence every man a beam
and let us make us a place there
where we may dwell
And he answered
Go you
And one said
BE CONTENT – I pray you – and go with your servants
And he answered
I will go
So he went with them – and when they came to Jordan
they cut down wood
BUT as one was felling a beam – the ax head fell into the water
and he cried – and said
Alas master – for it was borrowed
And the man of God said
Where fell it? And he showed him the place
And he cut down a stick – and cast it in thither
and the iron did swim
Therefore said he
Take it up to you – and he put out his hand
and took it
Elisha warns against of king of Syriaverses 8-10
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
And the man of God sent to the king of Israel
saying
Beware that you pass not such a place
for thither the Syrians are come down
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
King of Syria sends soldiers to arrest Elishaverses 11-14
Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing
and he called his servants – and said unto them
Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?
And one of his servants said
None – my lord – O king – BUT Elisha – the prophet that is in Israel
tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber
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
Therefore sent he thither horses – and chariots – and a great host
and they came by night – and compassed the city about
Servant of Elisha sees soldiersverse 15
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early
and gone forth
BEHOLD – a host compassed the city
both with horses and chariots
And his servant said to him
Alas – my master
How shall we do?
Elisha prays for servant’s eyes to be openedverses 16-17
And he answered
Fear not
for they that be WITH US are MORE than
they that be WITH THEM
And Elisha prayed
and said
LORD – I pray you – 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
Elisha prays for eyes of soldiers to be blindedverse 18
And when they came down to him
Elisha prayed to the LORD – and said
Smite this people – I pray you – with blindness
And HE smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha
Elisha leads soldiers to Samariaverse 19
And Elisha said to them
This is not the way – neither is this the city
follow me – and I will bring you to the man whom you seek
But he led them to Samaria
Elisha prays for soldier’s eyes to be openedverse 20
And it came to pass – when they were come into Samaria
that Elisha said
LORD open their 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
Kings of Israel asks Elisha concerning soldiersverses 21-23
And the king of Israel said to Elisha – when he saw them
My father – shall I smite them?
Shall I smite them?
And he answered
You shall not smite them – would you smite those whom you have
taken captive with your sword and with your bow?
Set bread and water before them – that they may eat and drink
and go to their master
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
Famine in Samaria with Syrian army thereverses 24-25
And it came to pass after this
that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host
and went up – and besieged Samaria
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
King of Israel finds two women fightingverses 26-29
And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall
there cried a woman unto him saying
Help – my lord – O king
And he said
IF the LORD do not help you – whence shall I help you?
out of the barn floor – or out of the winepress?
And the king said to her
What ail you?
And she answered
This woman said to me
Give your son – that we may eat him today
and we will eat my son tomorrow
So we boiled my son – and did eat him
and I said to her on the next day
Give your son – that we may eat him
and she has hid her son
King of Israel wants Elisha’s headverses 30-31
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
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
Elisha knew of king’s angerverse 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 you have this son of a murderer has
sent to take away mine head?
Look – when the messenger comes – shut the door
and hold him fast at the door
Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?
King arrives at Elisha’s doorverse 33
And while he YET TALKED with them – BEHOLD
the messenger came down to him
and he said
BEHOLD – this evil is of the LORD
What should I wait for the LORD any longer?
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with you is too strait for us. (3334 “strait” [yatsar] means to be or become constricted in size, to wrap, envelop, to be cramped, restricted, hampered, or be scant)
DEVOTION: Building projects have their own challenges. Here we have a group of prophets who were meeting in a place that was too small for them and they asked Elisha if it would be good to build a bigger meeting place.
He agreed with the project and they started building their new meeting place. Now we think and they thought that if they were working on a project for the LORD that everything would go very smoothly. That is not always the case with building projects. Some have many complications that arise that make us wonder what to do.
Here we have one of the men using a borrowed axe to cut down trees. It seems that the axe was not in the best of shape and the head fell off into the Jordan River.
Axes are made of medal and don’t flow when they go into the water. It is hard to find something in the water. Now he came to Elisha crying because it was borrowed and he couldn’t pay for it. So Elisha told him what to do. He saw the LORD work in the fact that the iron axe head flowed to the surface of the River and he was able to retrieve it.
When something goes wrong in any project we are doing for the LORD we need to turn to the LORD for solutions to the problems we are facing. HE wants to hear from us when we are struggling even on good projects we are doing for HIM.
During every project we face it is a time to make sure we are close to the LORD and trust HIM to see it through. This can be even projects around the house or in school as well as in the church.
CHALLENGE: Trust HIM to help you through them all.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber. (4904 “bedchamber” [mishkab] means lodging, a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep, couch, act of lying, a bier, or sleeping room.)
DEVOTION: There is no place that the LORD doesn’t see what is going on. HE is everywhere present. Or he is omnipresent. The Bible tells us that there is no place that anyone can hide where God does not see.
So when the King of Syria made plans to attack the children of Israel the LORD revealed to Elisha what was going to happen and he told the King of Israel and he moved his army to get out of harm’s way.
The LORD is still active in the lives of HIS people. HE sends them warning when they are in danger. HE communicates through people and circumstances what is going in our world to those who are followers of HIM.
We need to be listening to the LORD all the time through HIS communication from HIS Word the Bible and through the ministry of those around us that are genuine believers and through HIS speaking to us.
God wants to help HIS people because HE loves us and wants us to serve HIM faithfully. We have to be listening to HIM every chance we get to hear HIS voice.
Are we available to listen to HIM as Elisha was available to him? HE is just as concerned with us as HE was with the children of Israel in the Old Testament.
Too often we move ahead of God and so we find ourselves in circumstances we don’t like. If we could only be patient and wait on the LORD for answers to our questions or our life situation we would be better followers of HIM
CHALLENGE: Are we listening to the still small voice of the LORD today?
: 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. (6491 “open” [paqach] means to be observant, or see.)
DEVOTION: There is so much in front of us that we don’t see. As a husband my wife says that it is right in front of me and yet I don’t see it. Seeing is very important in our life. We have to see what is going around us when we drive.
Also, there is spiritual vision. The LORD wants us to see things in our lives that are not pleasing to HIM. HE wants us to see the open doors that are in front of us. HE wants us to see the closed doors that we are not to go through.
Elisha saw what God was doing but the servant didn’t see it. Elisha was in fellowship with the LORD. Elisha was in the presence of the LORD. The LORD revealed things to Elisha that the rest of the nation did not see. He was a prophet of the LORD.
Here is a servant who sees a human army surrounding his city and no means to escape. Elisha sees a heavenly army that will destroy the earthly army. He doesn’t worry. Elisha prays for his servant to see the army of the LORD. The LORD grants all three of Elisha’s prayers in this chapter.
This one helps the servant realize that the LORD was in control of the situation, not the human army.
We need to see that the battle is the LORD’S. We need to stop fighting in our own power and leave it to HIS army to do the fighting for us. HE wants us to be dependent on HIM.
We are surrounded by HIS army, so that, we need to trust HIM. HE promises to NEVER leave us or FORSAKE us. The battle is real. The devil and his angels are all around us. There are followers of the devil that want to see us destroyed.
We need to remember HIS promise and count on HIM to only allow what we can take into our lives. Our Savior, Jesus, is more powerful than our enemies. Praise HIS name!!! There is a great song out “Open the eyes of my heart, LORD.” Is that our prayer?
CHALLENGE: When was the last time the LORD opened your eyes to what HE was doing in your life? Are you spending time alone with HIM to get your spiritual eyes strengthened?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 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. (3740 “provision” [kerah] means feast, a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed, banquet, or an eating and drinking celebration)
DEVOTION: What should we do with our enemies when it is in our power to hurt them? This is a nation that was supposed to be honoring the LORD. The king was faced with a problem. Here was an group of enemy soldiers that Elisha had brought into the city of Samaria – the capital of the ten tribes of Israel.
He asked Elisha if he should kill all the soldiers. What would we have done? He thought he should kill them but Elisha said NO!! He wanted the king to set up a feast and feed them and then let them go. Strange but that is what they did. They treated their enemies as guests at a banquet.
Our enemies are following the wrong leader. Our enemies are following our enemy the devil. We have a choice to make every time there is someone who is treating us wrong. We can either mistreat them back or show them the love of the LORD in spite of their actions. Too often we might want to be like the king and want to kill our enemies but that is not the LORD taught us to do.
We are to love our enemies and try to witness to them of the love of Christ. We need to show and tell them of what HE has done in our life and see if they will become a follower of HIM.
This band of soldiers went back to the king and they left the country this time because of the actions of Elisha. There would be future times when this same army would return to fight again against Israel.
The LORD gives us wisdom to fight each battle differently. The next battle was one where there was a famine in the land and this battle had to be fought differently as well. No two battles are the same when we are fighting our enemies.
Asking the LORD for wisdom for each battle is necessary. What battle are you facing today? What are you doing to understand what is happening from the LORD’S perspective?
CHALLENGE: The LORD is the one who provides all our blessing. HE even blesses nations that are going against HIS people at time.
: 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? (3176 “wait” [yachal] means hope, tarry, look forward, expect, or patient)
DEVOTION: We have a tendency like this king to blame everything that happens on the LORD not doing HIS responsibility of protecting HIS people. The king thought that nothing bad should happen in his kingdom as long as he had a prophet like Elisha around to represent the people before the LORD.
The problem was that he was not a good king who honored the LORD with his words and deeds. He wanted to live as he pleased and expected the LORD to not judge him for his actions. That is not the way Elisha presented the LORD to the people.
They had their responsibility to serve the LORD faithfully even through the LORD said they were HIS people. If they were unfaithful to HIM HE would chasten them.
The king’s answer was to kill Elisha for all the problems they were having with Syria. Elisha had given a message to wait on the LORD and HE would send deliverance but the king thought the LORD was taking to long and that Elisha should be judged.
The elders of Israel were listening to Elisha over the king when the messenger was sent to kill him. The king realized he was wrong but still wanted to blame God for all the trouble.
Do we have a tendency to blame the LORD the problems HE allows in our lives? Are we the cause of many of our own problems? It is our lack of obedience that causes the LORD to send things our way? Does HE allow things in the lives of HIS children to strengthen them through suffering?
Our attitude toward the LORD should always be one of TRUST. HE will work everything out in the end because HE does love us and wants us to honor HIM in our actions.
CHALLENGE: Too often, we do not trust the LORD enough in our times of trials. Allow HIM time to work out the detail of our trial for HIS glory.)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be openedverse 17
Elisha prayed for soldiers eyes would be blindedverse 18
Elisha prayed for the soldier’s eyes to be opened in Samariaverse 20
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)verses 6, 9, 10, 15, 31
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 17, 18, 20, 27, 33
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Angelsverse 17
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
King of Syriaverses 8, 11-23
War with Israel
Sent spies to find Elisha
Army taken to Samaria
Left Samaria
Bands of Syriaverse 23
Benhadad – king of Syriaverse 24
Besieged Israel and caused a famine
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Murdererverse 32
Evilverse 33
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Contentverse 3
Man of Godverses 6, 9, 10, 15
Miracleverses 6, 12, 17, 18
Warning of dangerverse 10
Deliverance (2x)verse 10
Fear notverse 16
Feed your enemyverse 22
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Sons of the Prophetsverse 1
Elishaverses 1-7, 9, 12-23, 31
Iron did swim
Sent warning to King of Israel
King of Syria found out it was him that was warning Israel
Prayed when house surrounded by Syrian army
Prayed to smite Syrian army with blindness
Took army to Samaria
King of Israel wanted to kill Syrians
Told him NO – feed them
Israelverse 8
King of Syria fighting against them
King of Israelverses 9-11, 26, 31
Warned by Elisha
Wanted to kill Elisha because of famine
Servant of Elishaverses 15-17
Saw Syrian army at their home
Elisha told him to fear not
Saw horses and chariots of fire around them
Great famineverses 25-30
King of Israel found two women who had agreed to eat their children
King rent his clothes and wanted to kill Elisha
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
30–33 Jehoram’s reaction was one of anguished horror. He tore his robes, revealing his sackcloth garments of grief underneath. Enraged and blaming Elisha for the whole affair, he dispatched a messenger to seize and behead Elisha (v.31). When he had come to himself, however, he ran after his messenger, hoping to stay his hand. By divine insight Elisha knew the details of the whole episode and instructed certain elders who were with him to bar the door of the house until Jehoram could overtake his executioners (v.32). When the king arrived, he was admitted into the house (v.33). Convinced that the Lord had pronounced the doom of the city, Jehoram had all but given up any hope of the Lord’s deliverance. Yet perhaps his realization that all that had transpired was from the Lord carried with it the faintest hope that God would yet miraculously intervene. The restraint of the messenger and the king’s words hint at the faint hope of divine consolation. Such comfort Elisha would proceed to give. (Patterson, R. D., & Austel, H. J. (1988). 1, 2 Kings. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 196). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
6:32. The elders who were sitting with Elisha in his house (cf. 5:9) were the officials of the land. Perhaps they were meeting with the prophet to discuss what should be done. Warned by God, Elisha announced that the king was sending someone to have him beheaded. Joram did not realize that Elisha was the solution to his problems rather than their source. The prophet’s instruction to the elders to bar the door against the executioner was evidently intended to postpone any violence until Joram himself would arrive. (Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?) The instruction would also give Elisha opportunity to announce God’s message of imminent deliverance.
6:33. When Joram did arrive he asked Elisha why he should wait … any longer for God to act. Apparently Elisha had told Joram that God had said he should not surrender to Ben-Hadad but should wait for divine deliverance. Since that help was not forthcoming Joram had decided to take matters into his own hands. As he had done many times before he was disobeying the orders of his Lord through Elisha, acting as an unfaithful administrator (cf. 1 Sam. 15:11). Since, as Joram stated, the disaster (the siege and the famine) was from the Lord, the king should have obeyed Him. (Constable, T. L. (1985). 2 Kings. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 551). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
33. while he yet talked with them] He had hardly explained his knowledge and his wish before action became necessary. The messenger arrived, and we must understand that the king also arrived immediately afterwards, and so the execution of Elisha was stayed, and Jehoram was shewn to be in some degree penitent for his hasty threat.
and he said] The words which follow must be the words of the king. He has reached Elisha’s house and countermanded his first order. Now his thought is of what shall be done next. The people are at the direst extremity, and God, who has allowed this evil to come upon the nation, gives His prophet no message of relief. In this conviction he is of the mind that Samaria shall be surrendered. Hence his language, ‘This evil is of the Lord’ and He allows it to continue, ‘why should I wait for the Lord any longer?’(Lumby, J. R. (1891). The Second Book of the Kings with Introduction and Notes (p. 69). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)
Food so loathsome as an ass’s head, which at other times the poorest would have spurned, was now sold for eighty shekels’ weight of silver (about £8); and the fourth part of a xestes or kab—which was itself the smallest dry-measure, the sixth part of a seah—of the coarse, common pulse, or roasted chick-peas, vulgarly known as “dove’s dung,” fetched five shekels (about 12s. 6d.).* (Farrar, F. W. (1903). The Second Book of Kings. In W. Robertson Nicoll (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible: Samuel to Job (Vol. 2, p. 359). Hartford, CT: S.S. Scranton Co.)
Is of the Lord; he hath inflicted it, and (for aught that I see) he will not remove it. Thus he lays all the blame upon God, not, as he ought, upon his own and his mother’s wickedness, which provoked God, who doth not willingly afflict, to send this heavy judgment upon him. What should I wait for the Lord any longer? thou biddest me wait upon God for help; but I perceive I may wait long enough before deliverance comes; I am weary with waiting, I can wait no longer. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 1, p. 730). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
However, yāḥal is used of “expectation, hope” which for the believer is closely linked with “faith, trust” and results in “patient waiting.” The sense of expectation may be positive, i.e. hoping for good in the future. (Gilchrist, P. R. (1999). 859 יָחַל. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
“To preach deliverance to the captives.”
—Luke 4:18
None but Jesus can give deliverance to captives. Real liberty cometh from him only. It is a liberty righteously bestowed; for the Son, who is Heir of all things, has a right to make men free. The saints honour the justice of God, which now secures their salvation. It is a liberty which has been dearly purchased. Christ speaks it by his power, but he bought it by his blood. He makes thee free, but it is by his own bonds. Thou goest clear, because he bare thy burden for thee: thou art set at liberty, because he has suffered in thy stead. But, though dearly purchased, he freely gives it. Jesus asks nothing of us as a preparation for this liberty. He finds us sitting in sackcloth and ashes, and bids us put on the beautiful array of freedom; he saves us just as we are, and all without our help or merit. When Jesus sets free, the liberty is perpetually entailed; no chains can bind again. Let the Master say to me, “Captive, I have delivered thee,” and it is done for ever. Satan may plot to enslave us, but if the Lord be on our side, whom shall we fear? The world, with its temptations, may seek to ensnare us, but mightier is he who is for us than all they who be against us. The machinations of our own deceitful hearts may harass and annoy us, but he who hath begun the good work in us will carry it on and perfect it to the end. The foes of God and the enemies of man may gather their hosts together, and come with concentrated fury against us, but if God acquitteth, who is he that condemneth? Not more free is the eagle which mounts to his rocky eyrie, and afterwards outsoars the clouds, than the soul which Christ hath delivered. If we are no more under the law, but free from its curse, let our liberty be practically exhibited in our serving God with gratitude and delight. “I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.” “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. London: Passmore & Alabaster.)
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