The Book of Second kings

Chapter 7

[1] Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.
[2] Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

Heralding the Good News 2 Kings7:1-20

1) Hunger 6:24,25

[6:24] And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged

Samaria.

[25] And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore

pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.

The enemy, Benhadad besieged Samaria (capital of N. Tribes of Israel) and the people within are starving

The world is influenced by the devil (2 Cor 4:3,4 the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them

The world is hungry and there is a famine for spiritual things desperate circumstances

Doves Dung (1/4th part) 5pc silver (2.5 pc silver = 1 oz at $17.84/oz)= $35.68

Donkey’s head is worth 80 pc silver (2 lb at current price $17.84/oz) = $570.88

How nasty the diet the world is willing to satisfy its craving

Feeding on the refuse of satans table and it cannot bring satisfaction (materialism, entertainment)

2) Helpless 6:26-30

[26] And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.

[27] And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?

[28] And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we

may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.

[29] So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she

hath hid her son.

[30] And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the

wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.

Jehoram is the king of Israel and as he walks he hears the cry of a woman who had boiled and eaten her son

Woman explains plight, the king as a political leader is looked to and man is helpless to change

The kings rends garment - outward display of religion BUT full of hypocrisy Jl 2:12,13 rend our heart not our garments

Ignored the death of the child/ sanctity of life is overlooked/ How we cheapen the value life

Lev 26:27-29 God will chastise the nation who strays away from the Lord (abortion/children abandoned).

3) Hatred 6:31-33

[31] Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

[32] But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the

messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look,

when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind

him?

[33] And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the

LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?

In his frustration and his inability to have the answers the king threatens the man of Gods life

Christians are blamed for the evils of society and viewed as trouble makers

Do away with the concept that the Bible is the Word of God, lets look to humanism

In fact not only will the world oppose, but Gods people will not want to take a stand

The king recognized what was going on was, in actuality, the judgment of the Lord (33)

Wrong decisions and wrong priorities have caused the chastisement of God

He knew it but was not willing to confess and repent and change his ways instead he blame shifts

The king officially attacked the man who preached the Word

4) Hope 7:1,2 The miracle announced and Gods Word will not return void Is 55:11

Elisha prophesies the famine will be lifted “Tomorrow 3 qts of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel” $5.01

10 qts of grain a shekel - $5.01 (Proportionate calculation= the price of gas falling to .68/gal& bread .30

The officer of the king said “this cannot be” doubting the power of God & the Word of God & the man of God

Shunning hope“My situation is unique, God can’t help me, God can’t change my circumstances”

His heart is not willing to change and be stirred from unbelief (shown mercy, supplies sent, Syrians depart?

You don’t have to live in hatred and hopelessness any longer, you can leave that place

The trial, the burden, the famine can end if you are willing to respond as God would have you to

God wants to improve your situation, but because of an unwillingness to believe you’re lost

[3] And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
[4] If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.
[5] And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.
[6] For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.
[7] Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

5) Hardship 7:3-7

4 lepers sit outside the gate saying “since we have terminal illness lets go to Syrian camp and try to eat”

If Syrians were to kill us by swords, well, we are going to die of starvation by famine anyway

In desperation, they walk into the camp of the Syrians and find the camp empty

The Lord had caused the enemy to hear a noise (heavenly horsemen) and in fear, the enemy fled away

[8] And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

6) Hoarding 7:8

Leprosy is a picture of separation and sin. The lepers come to the camp (source) & are rescued from death

The lepers have found refreshment, riches & raiment (from rags to fine robes Is 64:6, Is 61:10)& hid itPr15:27

[9] Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.
[10] So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.
[11] And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.
[12] And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.
[13] And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.
[14] They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
[15] And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.
[16] And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
[17] And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.
[18] And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:

[19] And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
[20] And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

7) Heralding 7:9-20

The said “we do not well....this is a day of good tidings....and we hold our peace”

We have the good news and we must share it. One beggar telling another where they can find bread

The world is in siege (consumed with spiritual hunger, hopelessness, hatred)

While the church sits here. We have the solution, the enemy has lost, victory over Satan is given

We have the means of deliverance and have the truth of Gods Word Rom 10:13 whosoever shall call

We don’t witness, we don’t reach out.........the Great Commission has become the great omission

“Mischief”- there is a sin in remaining silent..... “go and tell the kings household”

Courage to go back to the city gates (to witness), compassion on others (to those who hated them)

The kings skepticism, unbelief caused him to conclude their report was a trick and enemy strategy of war

Thus the king sent out scouts & their report was true, the city believed (conversion) & was saved

The officer who did not believe Elisha’s report saw the truth but was killed before enjoying it