Elisha continues his divine service of miracles in the Kingdom of Israel. Jehoram is still king, Ben-hadad rules Syria, and things are not friendly between the two kingdoms. Between war campaigns there is an uneasy peace. The time is very near the death of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, 848 BC.
2 Kings 4:38-41 -- There were a few years of drought in Israel, resulting in famine. On one of his rounds between the Schools of the Prophets, Elisha comes to Gilgal or Ephraim. He suggests they put on a large pot of water and make stew from whatever can be found. One of the students finds what he takes to be edible wild cucumbers. However, they are the bitter-tasting variety that cause indigestion and diarrhea. The taste is the same as a rather deadly plant, and the students refused the eat it. Elisha adds a bit of flour and the Lord purifies the pot, perhaps symbolizing how the Bread of Life added to our lives can remove our poisonous sins.
4:42-44 -- To insure we know that Bread of Life is always sufficient, we are told of a man coming from an area near Gilgal called Baal Shalisha, also called Beth Shalisha, "The House of Three Valleys." He was able to produce a crop of barley, which can grow under conditions many other things will not. Barley harvest is near the first of April, and this man had no priests of Levites to whom he could present his offering, so he brought to Elisha as much as a man could carry. This would be twenty flat disks of barley pita, and a large bag of roasted grain, still a favorite today in the Middle East. This might have fed Elisha and his servant Gehazi for a week or so, but Elisha wanted to share it with the whole school. The giver questioned how some hundred men would profit from a mere mouthful each, but Elisha promised by the Word of God there would be enough for all and some left over. Thus it happened; the students came and took enough for a full meal and all were fed.
5:1-4 -- Jehovah designed a way to bring His servant into the limelight. Naaman was the commander over the entire Syrian army. Leprosy in the Old Testament was more a descriptive term than a precise medical diagnosis. It was most likely not what we call "leprosy" today (Hansen's Disease). Tradition describes a condition much more like eczema, where the skin dies off in thin layers, turning white and flaking, exposing raw flesh underneath. Eventually it progressed to the point of limbs dropping off. It actually was not that easy to spread to others, and in Syria was not regarded as abhorrent, but could limit one's physical performance. Naaman had valiantly led in battle, but his affliction threatened to cut short his illustrious career. During one of their petty raids, the Syrian troops brought back an Israeli girl captive and made her a gift to Naaman. The context indicates serving him was quite an honor. The girl was aware of Elisha's miracles, and spoke glowingly of his power. Word got back to Naaman and then Ben-hadad.
5:5-7 -- While the two kingdoms might conduct raids in disputed areas, they were ostensibly at peace. Not knowing the situation, Ben-hadad assumed Elisha served in Israel's court, as he represented the old God of Israel. Thus, he sent a delegation to Samaria with a generous gift, a customary offering of royalty and noblemen in exchange for a great favor. The suits of clothing would most certainly have included some light armor. It was a mark of nobility to bear arms and armor routinely. When Jehoram discovered the reason for the visit, he thought it was some sort of outrageous provocation, a pretext for war. The request was beyond any king to fulfill, save the King of Kings. Jehoram tore a section of his royal garments near the collar as a sign of mourning for what was surely a war to come, one he knew Syria could win.
5:8-14 -- Elisha heard about it and sarcastically taunted the King, asking why he should be all out of sorts, since Jehoram need only request help from Elisha. We have seen already how such a thing would be galling to the royalist party, which for mere politics rejected allegiance to Jehovah. Still, Jehoram sent Naaman back with Elisha's messenger to the Prophet's quarters there in the capital city. Humbly obeying the rules about lepers entering the home of the God-fearing, Naaman expected Elisha to come out and perform some elaborate ritual. Instead, the Prophet sent a servant with instructions that made no sense to Naaman: wash seven times in the Jordan. Indignant, the General left, taking the main road back home. While his path almost certainly crossed the Jordan, he muttered how the rivers near Damascus were at least as good as the Jordan, but his servants asked him to see things in a different light. If Elisha had ordered some grand performance or sacrifice, it would have made perfect sense to Naaman. One pays a high price for a great healing. Why was bathing for cleanliness so objectionable? How hard could it be to get wet in the Jordan? Thus, he could quickly and easily prove whether this man really was a servant of a Most High God. Naaman relented and made a stop at the Jordan, and dipped himself seven times under the water's surface. Upon drying his skin, it was found to be as soft and pink as that of newborn.
5:15-19 -- Realizing no other god even claimed the power to heal like this, Naaman returned to Gilgal determined to honor this prophet and his God. Now clean, Naaman came into the courtyard of Elisha's dwelling, along with his ranking servants. He present himself as a servant to a king. His offer was again rebuffed, for it would miss the point entirely. God is honored more in the heart than in material things. Still acting under the assumption Jehovah was merely a national god of some place, he begged to take as much Israeli soil as he could carry away, so as to make a place of worship. He further begged forgiveness when his job required him to pay lip-service to his master's god, Rimmon. Rather than struggle with the man's misunderstandings, Elisha blessed the plan and sent Naaman away in peace.
5:20-27 -- Gehazi just could not understand how Elisha could turn down such good and useful gifts. He never really absorbed what he saw and heard in his years of service to the Prophet. Chasing after Naaman, he requested a portion of the gifts. The two suits of clothing, including dress armor, would be a heavy bundle. The silver was measured by weight, for the coin by the same name did not yet exist. Altogether, what Naaman sent back required two or more men to carry. Once the goods were hidden, Gehazi returned to his master as if nothing had happened. Elisha was a true prophet of God, from Whom nothing was hidden. He could reveal any fact to His prophets. Elisha gave his servant a chance to confess, but Gehazi lied. Elisha's question indicated Gehazi understood nothing, for by rejecting the gifts, Elisha showed Jehovah was not about stuff, but about the heart. The high honor to His name from refusing the gifts was deeply compromised by Gehazi's actions. Since he sought Naaman's wealth, he would also have Naaman's disease. Thus, he could no longer serve Elisha.
6:1-8 -- The witness of Elisha turned many hearts back to God, and the School of the Prophets was bursting at the seams. The students suggested going down as a group to the Jordan Valley, where tall straight trees grew in abundance, and fetching back logs for construction of a larger facility. Elisha agreed to go with them on this trip. The role of prophet included relying of God for everything that mattered, and otherwise a carefree existence without significant private property to hinder service to God. Primitive axes were often nothing more than a strip or wedge of iron, sharp on one edge and squared flat on the other. A heavy club would be split at the top, the blade embedded sharp side out, and the top of the split bound with a thong. Just as with modern axes, such a haft was regarded as easily replaceable, but the head was rather expensive. It was nothing for the thong to break and the head slip out of the handle, but this time it landed in the river. The man who lost it was intensely sorrowful for the loss it would mean to the owner. Even in such a minor thing, the Lord responds to the cry of a pure heart; the blade was recovered by Elisha tossing a stick in the water where it fell. The stick sank and the axe head floated to the top, instead.
6:9-12 -- In this last year of Jehoshaphat's life, Syria went to war against Israel. No doubt, Jehoram blamed Elisha for restoring the health of Syria's brilliant commanding general for making it possible. However, the Lord was not in this attack. The secret war counsels of the aging Ben-hadad were revealed to Elisha. This was a war of raids to provoke a defensive response. The plan was to ambush the troops of Israel when they came to aid the cities under attack. Elisha sent messages to Jehoram to prevent the army falling into these ambushes. Ben-hadad was sure he had a spy in his court. However, they reminded him the one who brought about the healing of Naaman was no sham shaman, but a true prophet of Jehovah, on Whose turf they brought war. For this God, the deepest thoughts of man were open. The Syrian spies in the Land of Israel could confirm Elisha's inexplicable insight.
6:13-18 -- After checking with these spies, it was reported Elisha was in Dothan. This town was about ten miles (16km) north of Samaria, just one ridgeline south of the Jezreel Valley. The city itself sat low in a high valley. During the night, a battalion or so of the Syrian army surrounded the town, lining the hillsides that sloped down to the city. By dawn, the new servant of Elisha was distraught, for it was obvious they had come for the Prophet. Elisha prayed the man would see the truth, and the servant suddenly saw an even greater Army of Heaven on the ridges above the troops surrounding the city. When the Syrian troops converged on the city, Elisha prayed and they were struck blind in the sense they were hypnotized and under Elisha's power. Whatever he said was their reality.
6:19-23 -- Elisha told them they were at the wrong place, and had not found their man. In a daze, they followed him the three hours' march to Samaria. He led them into the open square of the capital city, then prayed they would come back to their senses. Realizing they were inside the city of their enemy, they could easily be killed by the large garrison of troops there. This Jehoram eagerly suggested, even honoring Elisha in his excitement. Instead, Elisha insisted they be treated honorably, feasted and sent away. The message to Syria could be no louder. God was fully against their current campaign, and they withdrew from raiding Israeli cities.
6:24-29 -- However, Ben-hadad could not give up his dream of conquering Israel and expanding his empire. The context assumes we know Jehoram still refused to pay more than lip-service to Jehovah. The drought returned and Syria took the opportunity to lay siege to Samaria, hoping the drought would humiliate the city and shorten the time required to win their surrender. In a very short time, people were reduced to eating anything organic, and the price was quite high for something normally tossed out to vultures, or washed down the gutters. As the King passed through the city, he was importuned by a woman in dire straights. Before he even heard her claim, he told her only Jehovah could help her, and He had apparently abandoned them, since there was no food to be had for anyone. Did she think there was so much as a floor sweeping of dirty grain, or a even the merest stain of wine that had not already been peeled from the dry wine vats? Then he invited her to share her yet-one-more tale of woe. What she told him was beyond even his jaded imagination. The woman complained her neighbor had entered into a deal to eat their children. After consuming hers, the other welshed on the deal and hid her child.
6:30-33 -- The King was shocked by the depravity of this story, and tore his robe in the universal symbol of distress. He continued walking along the top of the wall, now wearing sackcloth under his royal vestments. It was not enough Elisha had commanded the Syrian soldiers be set free, but they should also be feasted from the royal stores. Instead of delivering the Syrians into his hand, Elisha had freed them to come back and fight again, and helped make the city less prepared for famine at the same time. In an outburst, he vowed to behead the Prophet. It happened Elisha was in the city, in his own dwelling, talking with the elders. As the King approached with his bodyguard, a servant went as usual before him to announce his presence. Even before the runner came in, Elisha proclaimed how the King was a true son of his murdering father, coming with the intent to murder him. He told the elders to seize the runner when he came in and bar the door. As they stood holding the door against the arrest party, the King shouted through the door. Since this dire situation was the doing of Jehovah, why should He be honored by the King?
7:1-2 -- Elisha had an answer. By that time the next day, prices for food would be back to normal. That is, the whole thing would be over, and daily life would be as it was before, the famine eased and the invaders gone. A chief minister of the King asked sarcastically how this could be. Experience alone indicated this promise from Elisha was mere babbling. Was Jehovah going to open windows in the sky to rain food on the city? It would still not be enough. Even God could not make that promise come true. Elisha solemnly promised the official would see it, but not live to enjoy it.
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Ed Hurst
19 February 2005
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