FAMINE IN BESIEGED SAMARIA, Continued THE SIEGE LIFTED 2 KINGS 7:1-20

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1 1 FAMINE IN BESIEGED SAMARIA, Continued THE SIEGE LIFTED 2 KINGS 7:1-20

2 2 Famine in Besieged Samaria, Continued The Siege Lifted Text: 2 Kings 7:1-20, 1. Elisha replied, Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria. 2. The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen? You will see it with your own eyes, answered Elisha, but you will not eat any of it! 3. Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, Why stay here until we die? 4. If we say, We ll go into the city the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die. 5. At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, 6. for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us! 7. So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. 8. The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took

3 3 silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also. 9. Then they said to each other, What we re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let s go at once and report this to the royal palace. 10. So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there not a sound of anyone only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were. 11. The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace. 12. The king got up in the night and said to his officers, I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city. 13. One of his officers answered, Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened. 14. So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, Go and find out what has happened. 15. They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. 16. Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the LORD had said. 17. Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the

4 4 gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. 18. It happened as the man of God had said to the king: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria. 19. The officer had said to the man of God, Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen? The man of God had replied, You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it! 20. And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died. (NIV) Introduction: I. Chapter 7 opens as a continuation of chapter 6, the place of the chapter break being unfortunate. (The Pulpit Commentary) A. The king of Israel is confronting Elisha with the intention of executing him. 1. Elisha tells the king the siege will be lifted within twenty-four (24) hours. 2. The king spares Elisha s life for another day. B. The scene then shifts to four (4) lepers outside the city gate through whom we learn how the siege came to be so suddenly lifted. (See Long.) II. Coffman wrote, God continued to love Israel in spite of their shameful division into two (2) kingdoms and the apostasy in both of them.

5 5 A. O if there s only one song I can sing, when in His beauty I see the Great King, this shall my song in eternity be: O, what a wonder that Jesus loves me. I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, even me. (PRAISE for the LORD, I am so Glad/Jesus Loves Even Me, Philip P. Bliss, 1870, Praise Press, P.O. Box 40304, Nashville, TN., 37204), Copyright 1992 by Song Supplements, Inc. Commentary: Famine in Besieged Samaria, Continued 2 Kings 7:1, Elisha replied, Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria. (NIV) I. Elisha said, Hear the word of the Lord. A. Elisha answered the king in a most serious manner and gave a prophecy that, when it came to pass, would show clearly that he was a true man of God! (Smith) B. We would do well to hear and obey the word of the LORD! 1. 1 Kings 22:19, Micaiah continued, Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. (NIV)

6 Kings 20:16, Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD: (NIV) 3. Isaiah 1:10, Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! (NIV) 4. 1 Kings 21:19, Say to him, This is what the LORD says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property? Then say to him, This is what the LORD says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth s blood, dogs will lick up your blood yes, yours! (NIV) 5. 2 Chronicles 13:4, Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! (NIV) 6. 2 Chronicles 15:2, He went out to meet Asa and said to him, Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. (NIV) 7. 2 Chronicles 20:20, He went out to meet Asa and said to him, Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. (NIV) 8. Isaiah 28:14, Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. (NIV)

7 7 9. Jeremiah 2:4, Hear the word of the LORD, you descendants of Jacob, all you clans of Israel. (NIV) 10. Jeremiah 7:2, Stand at the gate of the LORD s house and there proclaim this message: Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. (NIV) II. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of (fine) flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria. A. The king would not have to wait long, just twenty-four (24) hours for proof that Elisha was indeed a faithful man of God. (See Smith.) B. The sign that Elisha was indeed God s prophet was that in one (1) day prices in Samaria would fall to pre-siege levels, a precipitous fall! 1. Long wrote, Also, the reader surmises that Elisha s oracle preserves his head for at lest one more day. 2. This prophecy, Coffman wrote, appears absolutely impossible of fulfillment! C. Youngblood wrote that a shekel was the most common weight in the Hebrew system. The shekel weighed about 11.4 grams, or less than half an ounce. The shekel of the sanctuary was said to weigh 20 gerahs, the same weight as the common shekel.

8 8 1. Joshua 7:21, When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath. (NIV) 2. Ezekiel 4:10, Weigh out twenty shekels of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. (NIV) 3. Exodus 30:13, Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD. (NIV) 4. Ezekiel 45:12, The shekel is to consist of twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels equal one mina. (NIV) 5. 2 Samuel 14:26, Whenever he cut the hair of his head he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard. (NIV) D. A seah (measure) was probably about seven quarts (about 7.3 liters). (NIV footnote.) 1. McGee defined a measure as being equal to approximately four (4) pecks or about a bushel. 2. Clarke defined a seah as being equal to about two and one-half (2 ½) gallons.

9 9 3. The Pulpit Commentary estimated a seah to be equal to about a peck and a half. E. Elisha s life dangled by a thread and this pronouncement saved his life. F. Markets, courts, etc. were to be found at city gates. 2 Kings 7:2, The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen? You will see it with your own eyes, answered Elisha, but you will not eat any of it! (NIV) I. The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God,... A. The king s personal attendant was incredulous. (Smith) 1. He didn t believe a word of what Elisha said! B. This officer held a vitally important advisory role. 1. Exodus 14:7, He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. (NIV) 2. 2 Samuel 23:8, These are the names of David s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. (NIV) 3. 1 Kings 9:22, But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his

10 10 government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. (NIV) 4. 2 Chronicles 8:9, But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. (NIV) II. Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates (windows) of the heavens, could this happen? A. This officer ridiculed Elisha s prophecy and said if heaven poured out on Samaria everything in it, prices would not drop that much that quickly. B. The officer was saying that, Your God Jehovah could not make that happen if he opened the windows in heaven and rained down food on our city. (Coffman) C. The king and his court were doubters filled with unbelief! (See Coffman.) III. You will see it with your own eyes, answered Elisha, but you will not eat any of it! A. This officer, Elisha answered, would see that what was foretold actually did happen, but the officer would enjoy none of it because, as it turned out, he would be killed. (See Smith.) Note: Evidently the LORD stayed the hand of the king of Israel in regard to executing Elisha.

11 11 B. This is a prediction that this officer would die before eating any of the predicted abundance. The Siege Lifted 2 Kings 7:3, Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, Why stay here until we die? (NIV) I. Now there were four (4) men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. A. Our attention is now diverted from the king of Israel, his attendant, and Elisha, the man of God, to four (4) lowly lepers trying to survive at the city gates of Samaria. (See Long.) 1. Leviticus 13:46, As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp. (NIV) 2. Numbers 5:3, Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them. (NIV) B. Tradition holds that these four (4) lepers were Gehazi, Elisha s former servant, and his three (3) sons. (See Clarke and Long.) 1. 2 Kings 5:27, Naaman s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever. Then Gehazi went from Elisha s presence and his skin was leprous it had become as white as snow. (NIV)

12 12 C. Lepers were, McGee reminded us, excluded from society and depended on relatives and friends for sustenance. 1. There was nothing for them because those in Samaria were starving. D. The lepers were at the city gate because lepers were excluded from mingling with others, society. (See Clarke.) II. They said to each other, Why stay here until we die? A. These lepers were about to starve to death receiving help neither from those within the city or those besieging the city Kings 6:25, There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels. (NIV) B. They faced starvation, a brutal death at the hands of the Arameans, or imprisonment. (Coffman) 2 Kings 7:4, If we say, We ll go into the city the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die. (NIV) I. If we say, We ll go into the city the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. A. These two (2) options were definitely altogether an unproductive course of action that held no benefits for these lepers. 1. These options were rejected.

13 13 II. So let s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die. A. The only hope for their survival was to defect to the Arameans/Syrians. B. These lepers decided to throw themselves on the mercy of their Aramean enemies Kings 25:11, Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. (NIV) 2. Jeremiah 37:13-14, But when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, You are deserting to the Babylonians! That s not true! Jeremiah said. I am not deserting to the Babylonians. But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. (NIV) 3. Jeremiah 39:9, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the people. (NIV) 4. Jeremiah 52:15, Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along

14 14 with the rest of the craftsmen and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. (NIV) C. Of the three (3) options, the only one which appeared to hold any hope of survival was to go to the Aramean/Syrian encampment. 2 Kings 7:5, At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, (NIV) I. At dusk (twilight) they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there,... A. When the lepers reached the Aramean camp, they found it totally deserted. B. Seeing the Aramean camp deserted, the four (4) lepers were totally astounded. (Coffman) C. Sentries would normally be expected to be on guard duty at the edge of the camp, but the lepers found no guards. 1. Consequently, they went on into the camp, but found the encampment completely deserted. 2. They must have been absolutely amazed! 2 Kings 7:6, for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us! (NIV)

15 15 I. for the LORD had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army,... A. The Arameans were too easily scared, spooked! B. The Arameans heard a noise caused by the LORD which they thought was a huge attacking army. (The Pulpit Commentary) 1. In a panic, they fled! C. A comparable noise of the sound marching in the tops of the balsam trees was instrumental in David s victory over the Philistines Samuel 5:22-25, Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army. So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. (NIV) D. This flight was at night, every man was out for himself, confusion was everywhere, and each man was moving as fast as he possibly could! (See McGee.) II. so that they said to one another, Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptian kings to attack us! A. We should not jump to conclusions!

16 16 B. They reached this conclusion without proof and fled! C. The Hittites lived to the north of Syria and were a continuing serious enemy of the Arameans. 1. It was logical to think that Jehoram/Joram would do everything he could to gain their assistance against a common enemy. 2. The Egyptians also had a history of exerting its military power in the area. 3. The Syrians envisioned a simultaneous, coordinated attack from both the North and South. 4. The Syrians reacted to what they heard in panic without first getting the facts. 5. Expecting attacks from the North and the South, the Syrians fled in an Easterly direction. 2 Kings 7:7, So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. (NIV) I. So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. A. The Arameans fled at dusk, the time the lepers decided to visit the Arameans encampment. (See Long.) B. They believed the Hittite-Egyptian attack would come that very night and they fled post haste! II. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.

17 17 A. A lesson to be learned from this is, Get your facts straight before taking action. B. They ran for their lives! C. The Lord s power is stronger than any earthy mighty army! 2 Kings 7:8, The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also. (NIV) I. The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. A. The lepers entered the Aramean encampment cautiously and were totally amazed at what they found! 1. Suddenly the lepers were rich, richer than everyone in Samaria combined! 2. How their circumstances suddenly changed! II. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. A. These starving men had a feast! B. Then they helped themselves to the spoil, valuables left by the fleeing soldiers. 1. Gehazi had taken silver and clothing from Naaman and hid them in his house. (Long)

18 18 a. 2 Kings 5:5, 25, By all means, go, the king of Aram replied. I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, Where have you been, Gehazi? Your servant didn t go anywhere, Gehazi answered. (NIV) C. The Syrian army carried with it all the supplies it would need and, when they fled, they left everything behind for the taking. III. The lepers returned and entered another tent, took some things from it, and hid them also. A. These four (4) lepers then went to another tent and enriched themselves further. 2 Kings 7:9, Then they said to each other, What we re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let s go at once and report this to the royal palace. (NIV) I. Then they said to each other, We re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. A. Their consciences began hurting them when they thought of the terrible suffering of those inside the city. (Smith) B. Their humanitarian concern for others soon asserted itself; and they decided to spread the good news in Samaria, Coffman wrote.

19 19 1. McGee paraphrased what these lepers said as, Here we are gorging ourselves when the people in the city are starving. We ve got to go tell them the good news. C. Be it said to the credit of these lepers that they were not selfish, covetous, greedy people. II. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. A. Also, if the people in the city learned that they had kept this good news from them, they would likely be killed by those dying of hunger in Samaria. B. If this did not happen, they knew God would punish them for their selfishness. (Smith) III. Let s go at once and report this to the royal palace. A. After looking after their personal interests, the lepers reported their findings to the Israelite authorities. 2 Kings 7:10, So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there not a sound of anyone only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were. (NIV) I. So they went and called out (shouted) to the city gatekeepers (porters) and told them,... A. Lepers were ostracized, quarantined, which partially accounts for the shouting as did the fact that the gates were shut tight!

20 20 II. We went into the Aramean camp and not a man was there not a sound of anyone only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were. A. The lepers told the truth, but left out the details of their taking a considerable amount of spoil, booty for themselves. B. The Arameans were certainly in a major panic, said to have left horses tethered which could have expedited their escape. 2 Kings 7:11, The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace. (NIV) I. The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace. A. The gatekeepers conveyed the message of the Syrian departure to others within the city. B. Jubilation had come to Samaria! 2 Kings 7:12, The king got up in the night and said to his officers, I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city. (NIV) I. The king got up in the night and said to his officers, I will tell (show) you what the Arameans have done to us. A. Jehoram/Joram did not believe this report, but thought the Arameans were setting a trap for the Israelites. (See Long.)

21 21 1. The king s skepticism is understandable, Long wrote, but it also underscores his lack of faith in God and in Elisha, the man of God. 2. This supposition by Jehoram/Joram was not at all unreasonable. (The Pulpit Commentary) 3. The idea was that the Arameans would surround those who entered the Syrian camp and, with the city gates open, enter and take possession of the city. (The Pulpit Commentary) a. Joshua 8:3-19, So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night with these orders: Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don t go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, They are running away from us as they did before. So when we flee from them, you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will give it into your hand. When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the LORD has commanded. See to it; you have my orders. Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai but Joshua spent that night with the people. Early the next morning Joshua mustered his army, and he and the leaders of Israel marched

22 22 before them to Ai. The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. So the soldiers took up their positions with the main camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley. When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city. Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel. Then the LORD said to Joshua, Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city. So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand. As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire. (NIV) B. The Arameans fled at dusk; by the time the lepers got back to the city it was night and Jehoram/Joram was in bed.

23 23 1. The news was urgent and the king got up to deal with the crisis situation. C. Jehoram/Joram said he would show his officers what the Arameans had done to Israel, but God showed him instead, Coffman well wrote! 1. Clarke observed that the king of Israel, Jehoram/ Joram, had heroically defended Samaria. 2. He appears to have shared in the peoples trials and to have been diligent in his duties. (See Clarke.) II. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking,... A. Jehoram/Joram did not believe the Arameans had left. 1. He reasonably thought the Arameans were hiding ready to attack when the Israelites left the city to investigate the Aramean camp. 2. They may very well have planned an enticement to get the starving Samaritans to leave the city giving the Arameans an opportunity to attack and take possession of the city. B. The king of Israel should have believed God, his prophet and His word, but he doubted. (See Coffman.) III. They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city. A. This may reasonably have happened.

24 24 1. However, the actual situation is very different. 2. The Arameans were actually, because of God s intervention, in full retreat. 2 Kings 7:13, One of his officers answered, Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened. (NIV) I. One of his officers answered, Have some men take five (5) of the horses that are left in the city. A. Again, the king of Israel received good advice from his officers. 1. This was not always the case, but their advice was more often good than bad it appears. 2. Naaman also had similar good advice from his servants. a. 2 Kings 5:13, Naaman s servants went to him and said, My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, Wash and be cleansed! (NIV) B. The advice was that a select group be sent to reconnoiter the enemy camp. (Long) II. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed.

25 25 A. If these scouts are killed during their fact finding mission, they would be no worse than those in Samaria who were facing death by starvation. III. So let us send them to find out what happened. A. The king agreed and the scouts were dispatched. B. Once all the facts have been gathered, the Israelites would know what the situation was and could plan an appropriate course of action. 1. This was certainly a better approach than that followed by the Syrians. 2 Kings 7:14, So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, Go and find out what has happened. (NIV) I. So they selected two (2) chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. A. Two (2) chariots with troops were sent to determine what had actually happened. 1. Each chariot would have two horses according to Israelite custom. B. Previously Ben-Hadad had directed, Go and see where he (Elisha) is. (Long) 1. 2 Kings 6:13, Go, find out where he is, the king ordered, so I can send men and capture him. The report came back: He is in Dothan. (NIV)

26 26 2. Now the king of Israel was seeking to verify the report of the lepers and the report of Elisha. (See Long.) C. Chariots in good working order and healthy horses were certainly in short supply in Samaria because of the Syrian siege. II. He commanded the drivers, Go and find out what has happened. A. This was a fact finding mission! B. Their mission was crucial. 2 Kings 7:15, They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. (NIV) I. They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. A. These scouts followed the fleeing Arameans and observed all the valuables they had discarded in their haste. 1. The Syrians were only concerned with escaping with their lives. B. The Israelite scouts had no difficulty tracking the Arameans because they left their possessions strewn everywhere.

27 27 C. The Israelites followed the Arameans all the way to the Jordan River by which time and place it was clear the Arameans had quit the field of battle and were long gone! D. Samaria was about twenty (20) miles from the Jordan River. (Coffman) E. The road followed by the Arameans was the main thoroughfare to Syria. (The Pulpit Commentary) II. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. A. The word of Elisha has once again been found to be completely accurate. (See Long.) B. The messengers also gave an accurate, full and complete report which enabled Israel to respond prudently. Note: Cohn via Long observed that these events have now been reported from five (5) different viewpoints; that is, the narrator s (author of 2 Kings), the Arameans, the lepers, the king s and the messengers (scouts ). 2 Kings 7:16, Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the LORD had said. (NIV) I. Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. A. There was overwhelming joy in Samaria! 1. The whole population en masse descended on the Aramean camp to feast and take spoil, Smith wrote.

28 28 B. These starving people could not be controlled! 1. They rushed headlong to appropriate to themselves the food and valuables the Arameans had left behind. II. So a seah of flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said. A. Word for word, all of this comes to pass (literally) according to the word of Yahweh, Long wrote Kings 7:1, Elisha replied, Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria. (NIV) 2 Kings 7:17, Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. (NIV) I. Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died,... A. Why would God bother with such people anyway? B. The officer who had ridiculed Elisha s prophecy saw what had been foretold, but he did not benefit by it because he was trampled to death by the stampeding crowd! (See Smith.) 1. It doesn t pay to ridicule God s word as spoken by the Lord s faithful prophets, ministers!

29 29 2. The word of Elisha and the word of the LORD are one and the same and it came to pass exactly as spoken. (See Longs.) 3. Jehoram/Joram did not expect his officer to be killed in the line of duty, but Elisha had foretold his death. II. just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. A. The will and word of the Lord will be done, fulfilled in its own time, not necessarily our time, but definitely in God s time. 1. Jehoram/Joram would have done well to have exercised more patience. 2 Kings 7:18, It happened as the man of God had said to the king: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria. (NIV) I. It happened as the man of God had said to the king: A. Certain things in this story are repeated for the purpose of emphasizing the fact that the word of God as spoken through his prophet Elisha was absolutely accurate and was perfectly, exactly fulfilled! II. About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria. A. Elisha said this would happen.

30 30 1. Now it is stated that exactly what Elisha had foretold had now come to pass. 2 Kings 7:19, The officer had said to the man of God, Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen? The man of God had replied, You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it! (NIV) I. The officer had said to the man of God, Look even if the LORD should open the flood gates of the heavens, could this happen? A. It would have been a good thing, perhaps a life saving thing, for this officer to have been respectful to God s prophet and God s word spoken by God s prophet. II. The man of God had replied, You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it! A. The officer did see, but he did not eat because he was dead! 2 Kings 7:20, And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died. (NIV) I. And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died. A. Was this strictly an accident? B. Did the people stop to show concern for the dead officer, or did they selfishly run full speed ahead to gorge themselves on the Syrians bounty?

31 31 C. How much thought did they give to the officer s death?.. or did they even notice? Conclusion: I. Samaria had been brought to the very brink of destruction. (Coffman) A. At the very moment when it seemed all was lost, God delivered them. (Coffman) B. Faith in God is well placed! II. Events in 2 Kings are not necessarily presented in chronological order. A. The events pertaining to the reign of Jehoram/Joram are found in 2 Kings 4, 5, 6, 7 and in 2 Chronicles 21:6-19 which events Lightfoot via Clarke dates as follows: 1. Jehoram s/joram s first year. a. Elisha multiplied the widow s oil. b. Elisha lodged in Shunem. c. The seven (7) years famine had begun. 2. Jehoram s/joram s second year. a. The Shunammite bears a son. b. Elisha resides among the sons of the prophets at Gilgal.

32 32 c. Elisha heals the poisoned pottage. d. Elisha feeds one hundred (100) men with twenty (20) barley loaves and some ears of corn. e. Elisha cures Naaman of his leprosy. 3. Jehoram s/joram s third year. a. Elisha makes an axhead float. b. Elisha prevents Syrian ambushments. c. Elisha strikes those who were sent to seize him with blindness and sent them back to their master. 4. Jehoram s/joram s fourth year. a. Jehoshaphat dies. b. Edom rebels. 5. Jehoram s/joram s fifth year. a. Samaria is besieged by Ben-Hadad. b. Samaria is saved by divine intervention. 6. Jehoram s/joram s sixth year. a. The Philistines and Arabians oppress Jehoram, king of Judah, and take captive his wives and children, leaving only one son behind. 7. Jehoram s/joram s seventh year.

33 33 a. Jehoram, king of Judah, becomes grievously ill. i. 2 Chronicles 21:12-19, Jehoram received a letter from Elijah the prophet, which said: This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: You have not followed the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah. But you have followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your own family, men who were better than you. So now the LORD is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours, with a heavy blow. You yourself will be very ill with a lingering disease of the bowels, until the disease causes your bowels to come out. The LORD aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived near the Cushites. They attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah, the youngest. After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no funeral fire in his honor, as they had for his predecessors. (NIV)

34 34 b. The seven (7) year famine ends. c. The Shunammite s son dies and is restored to life by Elisha. d. The Shunammite petitions the king to be restored to her own land which she left to live in Philistia during the famine. e. Elisha visits Damascus, Ben-Hadad falls ill, Hazael suffocates him and reigns in his stead. Note: Lightfoot via Clarke concluded, We shall always find it difficult and sometimes impossible to ascertain the exact chronology.

35 35 Questions On 2 Kings 7:1-20 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. How could the text in chapters 6 and 7 be better divided? Where do you think chapter 6 should end and chapter 7 begin? 2. Who divided the Bible into chapters and verses? When was this done? 3. What two (2) major scenes are presented in chapter 7? 4. How amazing is it to you that God continued to bless Israel in spite of their grievous sins? What lesson is there in this for us?

36 36 5. How urgent, important is it that we both hear and obey the word of the LORD? 6. What word of the LORD did Elisha deliver to the king of Israel? 7. Define seah and shekel. Give the quantity and/or value of these things. 8. Did Jehoram/Joram believe Elisha s prophecy? If not, why did he not execute him as planned?

37 37 9. What activities normally took place at city gates? 10. After prices in Samaria fell so precipitously, were they still higher, the same as or below pre-siege levels? Give reasons for your answer. 11. What was the reaction of the officer on whose arm the king leaned to Elisha s pronouncement? 12. Define, give the role/position of The officer on whose arm the king was leaning. What does this designation/phrase mean?

38 What was Elisha s response to this officer s statement? Exactly what did Elisha s statement mean? 14. How has your life been different when it was controlled by faith and optimism then when it was controlled by doubt and negativism? 15. What were four (4) lepers doing at the gates of Samaria? 16. What options were open to these lepers as they were trying to survive? Only one had any potential? What was that option?

39 When the lepers reached the Aramean encampment, what did they find? At what time did they reach the Aramean encampment? 18. Why had the Arameans broken off the siege of Samaria and left the area? Had this kind of thing ever happened before? 19. Why did the Arameans think the king of Israel had enlisted the Hittites and Egyptians to war against them? 20. What proof did the Arameans have that they were under attack? What does acting on impulse, in panic, without proof do for a person, a group, an army?

40 When the lepers found the Aramean encampment deserted, what did they do? (See verse 8.) 22. After consideration, what did the lepers decide to do? Why did they decide on this course of action? 23. How did these four (4) lepers get their findings to the king of Israel? Why was this approach necessary? 24. When Jehoram/Joram heard the lepers report, what conclusion did he reach? Was this a reasonable conclusion? 25. Elisha had told the king of Israel wondrous improvements would be seen in Samaria within twenty-four (24) hours. Why didn t Jehoram/Joram connect the lepers report with Elisha s

41 41 prophecy? Elisha had been accurate in everything he had said from day one. 26. Certain verses in chapter 7 are essentially the same. List the subjects and the verses which address these subjects in chapter 7. _ (1) (2) (3) (4) 27. What advice did one of the officers give the king of Israel? Was this advice followed? If so, what resulted from following this advice? 28. What dangers did the messengers, scouts face in the performance of their fact finding duties?

42 Why were chariots used in this mission? How many were dispatched? 30. What did the messengers, scouts determine on their fact finding mission? 31. When the king of Israel heard the messengers report, what did he do? How did the people respond? 32. What happened to the officer who doubted Elisha s word? (See verse 2, ) Was this an accident? 33. What were the peoples reaction to this officer s death?

43 At the very moment when it seemed all was lost, God delivered Samaria. Has this ever happened to you? If so, relate the details. _ 35. Events are not necessarily recorded in chronological order in the biblical accounts of Elisha and Jehoram/Joram. Give Lightfoot s opinion of the order of events as referenced to the reign of Jehoram/Joram. (1) First Year: (2) Second Year: (3) Third Year: (4) Fourth Year: (5) Fifth Year: (6) Sixth Year:

44 44 (7) Seventh Year: