2 Kings 7:1 – 20 “Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel.’” (A seah is approximately 6.6 dry quarts or 7.3 liters (probably about 8.2 pounds or 3.7 kilograms of flour. A shekel is approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams, probably of silver. 2 seahs is approximately 13.2 dry quarts or 14.6 liters (probably about 19.3 pounds or 8.8 kilograms of barley)
But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” “You will see it with your own eyes,” replied Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it.”
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die? If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”
So they arose at twilight and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts of the camp, there was not a man to be found. For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”
Thus the Arameans had arisen and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents and horses and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had run for their lives.
When the lepers reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they carried off the silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. On returning, they entered another tent, carried off some items from there, and hid them. Finally, they said to one another, “We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will overtake us. Now, therefore, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city, saying, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a trace—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.”
The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported to the king’s household.
So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and enter the city.’ ”
But one of his servants replied, “Please, have scouts take five of the horses that remain in the city. Their plight will be no worse than all the Israelites who are left here. You can see that all the Israelites here are doomed. So let us send them and find out.”
Then the scouts took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.” And they tracked them as far as the Jordan, and indeed, the whole way was littered with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in haste. So the scouts returned and told the king.
Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. It was then that a seah of fine flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
Now the king had appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king had come to him. It happened just as the man of God had told the king: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel.”
And the officer had answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?”
So Elisha had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!” And that is just what happened to him. The people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
LEPROSY!!! Few sicknesses were more feared than this condition. Spread by the bacteria mycobacterium leprae, leprosy dulls nerves so that sufferers have no idea when they are incurring infection or injury. In Elisha’s day, there were probably also patients with other skin diseases such as eczema who were labeled as lepers. At any rate, lepers were social outcasts, forced to exist on the fringes of towns. The Syrians were besieging Samaria, and the famine was so severe that people were eating donkey heads, dove feces, and even in one case, killing and eating a child. Sitting outside the city gates, four lepers decided that it was far better to go to the Syrian camp than to remain at Samaria and die. But when these men reached the Syrian camp, the Syrian army was nowhere to be found! At dusk, the Lord had caused the Syrians to panic and flee, leaving their supplies at the camp and a trail of belongings that stretched all the way to the Jordan River.
Meanwhile, back in Samaria, Elisha had told the king of Israel that by the next day, 7.3 liters of fine flour and 14.6 liters of barley would sell for a mere shekel. The king’s macho body guard scoffed, insisting, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” For this show of disdain, Elisha advised the officer that he would witness this phenomenon but he would not eat any of the food.
The four lepers initially looted one or two tents but then began to feel guilty and returned to Samaria and informed the king. When the king sent scouts to investigate, they verified the report. Desperate for food, the people of Samaria rushed to the Syrian camp. When the king’s body guard attempted to control the crowds, he was trampled to death in the rush. Truly, this man witnessed the flow of food without eating any of it.
APPLICATION: It’s interesting that it was the king’s body guard but not the king himself who doubted Elisha’s prediction. Perhaps the king was slowly realizing that Elisha would only speak truth. Whatever the case, this man mocked God and paid for his arrogance with his life. No matter how strong a man might be, a starving desperate crowd can take him out! DON’T MOCK GOD!
David Guzik in his Enduring Word commentary has this to say about the king’s body guard. “All in all, the officer well illustrates the conduct of unbelief:
· Unbelief dares to question the truthfulness of God’s promise itself.
· Unbelief says, “This is a new thing and cannot be true.”
· Unbelief says, “This is a sudden thing and cannot be true.”
· Unbelief says, “There is no way to accomplish this thing.”
· Unbelief says, “There is only one way God can work.”
· Unbelief says, “Even if God does something, it won’t be enough.”
(https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-kings-7/)
Elisha believed, and several miracles took place. The besieging army represented all the fighting men of Syria, probably more than 100,000 soldiers. This army had surrounded Samaria for so long that all the food supplies were running out and people were tempted to engage in cannibalism. The unbelieving king was in despair. Just when it seemed that things could not get any worse, God caused the entire Syrian army to panic and take to their heels back to Damascus (Miracle #1) leaving all their goods, their animals, and even their food supplies behind them. (Miracle #2) The siege was lifted, the famine was relieved, and there was so much food available that prices plummeted. (Miracle #3) God’s Word through Elisha proved true. Even though this deliverance was a new thing, a sudden thing, a miraculous thing, and something God had never done before, God accomplished it. And God’s deliverance was enough to save the people of Samaria.
The lessons for us are clear. Even if we feel a situation is hopeless, we must remember that God is still sovereign and that He is a God of infinite variety. God is constantly doing new things, if only we can see them with the eyes of faith. And God’s provision will always be enough and even more than enough. Not only did the Syrians leave foodstuffs behind, but they also left valuable horses and donkeys as well as silver and gold and quality garments and even tents. It’s likely that those soldiers may have even discarded their weapons in their haste to make it eastward across the Jordan. The king of Israel and his subjects gained untold riches as well as much – needed food.
Today, do you feel that your back is to the wall and you have nowhere to turn and no resources? Go to God in prayer, trusting that He already knows your situation. God can provide abundantly if only we will ask.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You, even when our situations become desperate. Thank You in advance for providing for us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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