Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Reflections on 2 Kings 6

    2 Kings 06 (Contemporary English Version)
  1. One day the prophets said to Elisha, "The place where we meet with you is too small.
  2. Why don't we build a new meeting place near the Jordan River? Each of us could get some wood, then we could build it." "That's a good idea," Elisha replied, "get started."
  3. "Aren't you going with us?" one of the prophets asked. "Yes, I'll go," Elisha answered,
  4. and he left with them. They went to the Jordan River and began chopping down trees.
  5. While one of the prophets was working, his ax head fell off and dropped into the water. "Oh!" he shouted. "Sir, I borrowed this ax."
  6. "Where did it fall in?" Elisha asked. The prophet pointed to the place, and Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. The ax head floated to the top of the water.
  7. "Now get it," Elisha told him. And the prophet reached in and grabbed it.
  8. Time after time, when the king of Syria was at war against the Israelites, he met with his officers and announced, "I've decided where we will set up camp."
  9. Each time, Elisha would send this warning to the king of Israel: "Don't go near there. That's where the Syrian troops have set up camp."
  10. So the king would warn the Israelite troops in that place to be on guard.
  11. The king of Syria was furious when he found out what was happening. He called in his officers and asked, "Which one of you has been telling the king of Israel our plans?"
  12. "None of us, Your Majesty," one of them answered. "It's an Israelite named Elisha. He's a prophet, so he can tell his king everything--even what you say in your own room."
  13. "Find out where he is!" the king ordered. "I'll send soldiers to bring him here." They learned that Elisha was in the town of Dothan and reported it to the king.
  14. He ordered his best troops to go there with horses and chariots. They marched out during the night and surrounded the town.
  15. When Elisha's servant got up the next morning, he saw that Syrian troops had the town surrounded. "Sir, what are we going to do?" he asked.
  16. "Don't be afraid," Elisha answered. "There are more troops on our side than on theirs."
  17. Then he prayed, "LORD, please help him to see." And the LORD let the servant see that the hill was covered with fiery horses and flaming chariots all around Elisha.
  18. As the Syrian army came closer, Elisha prayed, "LORD, make those soldiers blind!" And the LORD blinded them with a bright light.
  19. Elisha told the enemy troops, "You've taken the wrong road and are in the wrong town. Follow me. I'll lead you to the man you're looking for." Elisha led them straight to the capital city of Samaria.
  20. When all the soldiers were inside the city, Elisha prayed, "LORD, now let them see again." The LORD let them see that they were standing in the middle of Samaria.
  21. The king of Israel saw them and asked Elisha, "Should I kill them, sir?"
  22. "No!" Elisha answered. "You didn't capture these troops in battle, so you have no right to kill them. Instead, give them something to eat and drink and let them return to their leader."
  23. The king ordered a huge meal to be prepared for Syria's army, and when they finished eating, he let them go. For a while, the Syrian troops stopped invading Israel's territory.
  24. Some time later, King Benhadad of Syria called his entire army together, then they marched to Samaria and attacked.
  25. They kept up the attack until there was nothing to eat in the city. In fact, a donkey's head cost about two pounds of silver, and a small bowl of pigeon droppings cost about two ounces of silver.
  26. One day as the king of Israel was walking along the top of the city wall, a woman shouted to him, "Please, Your Majesty, help me!"
  27. "Let the LORD help you!" the king said. "Do you think I have grain or wine to give you?"
  28. Then he asked, "What's the matter anyway?" The woman answered, "Another woman and I were so hungry that we agreed to eat our sons. She said if we ate my son one day, we could eat hers the next day.
  29. So yesterday we cooked my son and ate him. But today when I went to her house to eat her son, she had hidden him."
  30. The king tore off his clothes in sorrow, and since he was on top of the city wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth underneath.
  31. He said, "I pray that God will punish me terribly, if Elisha's head is still on his shoulders by this time tomorrow."
  32. Then he sent a messenger to Elisha. Elisha was home at the time, and the important leaders of Israel were meeting with him. Even before the king's messenger arrived, Elisha told the leaders, "That murderer is sending someone to cut off my head. When you see him coming, shut the door and don't let him in. I'm sure the king himself will be right behind him."
  33. Before Elisha finished talking, the messenger came up and said, "The LORD has made all these terrible things happen to us. Why should I think he will help us now?"


Chapter 6 continues to give accounts of God's mighty works through His prophet Elisha. The accounts not only illustrate God's power, but man's folly when choosing not to trust in God.

The first account of the chapter is a simple demonstration of God's power on behalf of one of the "sons of the prophets" who was part of what was evidently Elisha's school of prophecy. The number of students in the school had grown and their living quarters had become cramped so Elisha gave them permission to go to the Jordan to cut trees and build new quarters, agreeing to accompany them. One of the students, who was using a borrowed axe, lost the iron head of his axe in the river. He cried out to Elisha for help. Elisha asked where the axe head had gone into the river, then he tossed a stick into the river at that location and the axe head floated to the surface enabling the student to retrieve it.

The second account involved the king of Aram and his army. Since the previous chapter gave account of the commander of the Aramean army, Naaman, being healed through Elisha, we must wonder if he is among these troops. We are told that the Arameans are once again waging war with Israel. Their tactic was to set up camp along the border of Israel and conduct raids into Israel. But these raids became unsuccessful when the Lord began telling Elisha where the Arameans were secretly camped and Elisha would pass along this information to king Joram of Israel and he would send troops to thwart the Aramean raids. Joram, however, was not a believer and did not trust Elisha, so the first time Elisha gave him this information he checked it out to see if it were accurate.

The king of Aram became enraged when his raids were repeatedly thwarted and suspected a traitor in his camp. When he questioned his servants about this, one of them told him, "Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom." (6:11) Next, we see the folly of this unbelieving king. Even though God revealed to Elisha "the words you (the king) speak in your bedroom," the king was going to send a contingent of his army to "surprise" Elisha and capture him. But the one surprised would be the Aramean king. His large contingent went by night and "secretly" surrounded the city of Dothan where Elisha was at the time. When Elisha's servant awoke the next morning and looked out from the city he saw that the city was surrounded and excitedly went to Elisha and said, "Oh, my master, what are we to do?" (6:15) But Elisha calmly informed him that "those who are with us outnumber those who are with them." (6:16) When the servant's eyes were opened, he saw that the Aramean army was surrounded by horses and chariots of fire.

Elisha then prayed that the Arameans would be blinded, which the Lord did, and he convinced them they were at the wrong city and led them to Samarie, the capitol, and took them inside the gates. Once inside the city Elisha prayed for the Lord to restore their sight and they realized where they were. Joram, the king of Israel, was as surprised as the Arameans and didn't know what to do with them. He asked Elisha if he should kill them and Elisha told him to feed them and then set them free. For once, he listened to Elisha and made a feast for the soldiers and freed them. When they returned to the Aramean camp, they broke camp and returned to Aram, ending their raids of Israel. Both kings, who both were unbelievers, saw and recognized the Lord's power, but in their foolishness neither of them turned to worship the Lord.

As much as a none believer might want to believe and also have others believe that their unbelief is a choice based on reason, most often it has more to do with keeping control of their life rather than submit it to a God they cannot control. Being "religious" soothes their conscience while retaining control of their life.

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