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“search the scriptures” John 5:39
In 2 Kings chapter 6 verse 24, we find that the peace the nation enjoyed only lasted for a short period of time and soon the enemy was at the gate of the city again. Elisha, despite his faithfulness and service, is now facing more danger as God, in His governmental dealings with His people, allows the king of Syria to come up and besiege Samaria.
From this we learn two simple lessons that we can apply to our own lives. First, we are not immune to problems as the people of God. The prosperity gospel movement, so called, has no basis in scripture. In fact, we often find that the most faithful saints are the ones who are called to pass through the most trying of circumstances. Second, we learn that we ought to always be on our guard as the enemy of every believer, the devil, constantly looks for opportunities to attack the people of God to bring them under his influence.
The distress of the people in the face of the enemy was soon apparent. Famine conditions prevailed, as a result of the siege of the city, to the extent that dung was treated as a precious commodity to be traded for silver coins! How desperate was their plight.
In subtle ways, the devil similarly seeks to bring famine conditions into our spiritual lives today. He does everything he can to stop us from reading the scriptures. The world places great demands upon our time, whether it be in business or pleasure, that will rob us of time spent in the things of God. The pressures of business and the demands of family life leave us with little time for the assembly or for the study of the word of God.
Slowly, but surely, we find our priorities becoming skewed and we begin to place value on things that are trivial and of limited eternal worth. How much time do we spend scrolling on social media or engaged in hobbies and other pursuits that have little spiritual value? If our priorities are not adjusted, we will soon be impoverished and starved of spiritual nourishment. In a fast-paced world with many legitimate demands placed on the people of God, it is vital that we make time to gather spiritual food to avoid the dangers of spiritual famine. Make the study of the scriptures, both personally and collectively at the assembly gatherings, a priority in your life.
The king of Israel looks on in despair at the plight of his people. He is presented with a tragic case of a woman whose son has just been killed and eaten. Such was their desperation that they had done the unimaginable and taken the life of a child in order that they might live. This is the fulfilment of Deuteronomy chapter 28 verses 50 and 53 where God had warned His people of the tragic consequences of disobedience with young and old being seen as dispensable. On the face of it this sounds completely foreign to our values and would be unthinkable today, but how often are unborn children preyed on and treated as worthless in society? The rights of the mother trump the rights of the child, and the sacrifice of children takes place daily with little thought as to the serious consequences of this act. Remember God values all life but, in particular, He has a care for the vulnerable.
We can also apply the lesson to believers who would never dream of killing their child, yet in their pursuit of a career or a better lifestyle, their children are left in the care of others – often with little regard for their spiritual wellbeing. It is not easy raising children on a single salary and, at times, difficult choices do have to be made so we can provide for our families. Remember, though, that God places a high value on motherhood and the selfless sacrifice of every ‘stay-at-home mum’, who has invested her time in bringing up children for the Lord, will be well rewarded. Let all who have the privilege, and responsibility, of bringing up children never take it lightly. Rather than appealing to God in supplication, the king actually now blames God and His prophet for the famine. Like his father, Ahab, before him, he refuses to acknowledge any culpability on his part and instead blames Elisha. Elisha’s silence at the siege was seen as his condoning of it – the king knew he could have done something about it and wanted Elisha killed for not acting. Men blame God, and His people, for their circumstances and for His apparent inactivity rather than admitting that the problem, oftentimes, is because of their own sinful ways.
Elisha is unperturbed by the king’s threats and once more we see that he seems to have advance notice from God of events about to take place! A man in touch with heaven had a greater knowledge than the king with all his advisors. Likewise, today, the Christian who reads his Bible has a greater understanding of the future than many of the best political analysts of the day.
Elisha speaks as the prophet of God with his declaration of the word of the Lord. The desperate circumstances drove men to listen to his voice. The king was at least willing to acknowledge Elisha’s power from God and stayed his murderous intent on hearing the prophet speak. A man who speaks for God with power can still stay the hand of evil men.
The king’s advisor, in his unbelief, relied on what he could see rather than on the word of God. The prevailing conditions caused him to ridicule Elisha and his refusal to believe the prophet left him bereft of the enjoyment of seeing the word of God being fulfilled. The sin of unbelief is indeed a serious sin. Like the Jews who were among the first to hear the gospel preached, in their unbelief many were prevented from entering into the blessings of it. That which was a ‘savour of life’ to the Gentiles who believed, was a ‘savour of death’ to the unbelieving Jews, 2 Cor. 2. 16.
Still today, men point to circumstances and mock the promises of God. Their failure to believe God and His word will result in their eternal condemnation and rob them of the immeasurable blessings available through faith in Christ.
We are now introduced to four leprous men sitting outside the gate of the city. Desperate times lead to desperate measures, and they decide to cast themselves upon their enemies in the hope that they will have mercy upon them. In the twilight they set off and to their amazement they discover that the camp is completely empty – the Lord had performed a great miracle!
In a foreshadowing of the deliverance of Zechariah chapter 14 in a future day, the Lord intervenes on behalf of His people. Men in their panic believe an incredible tale as they hear a great noise and imagine a great army has been summoned to fight on behalf of the besieged city. This defies belief but fear grips them and with a herd mentality they all flee from the imagined threat leaving the camp and all their resources unguarded, to the amazement of the four lepers.
God had turned the enemy into a provider of blessing for His people. Their evil plans were thwarted. What they meant for evil, God meant for good, Gen. 50. 20. This was remarkable grace as the people of God were not only going to be fed but enriched beyond measure as well.
The lepers could hardly believe their good fortune and their desires for personal gain get the better of them. Hurrying from tent to tent they grab whatever they can and begin to store up treasures for themselves. What a pitiful sight it must have been to see these men, with their bodies covered in leprous sores, hoarding up silver and gold for a future they were unlikely to see. What was the point of hiding it when they were dying of leprosy? How sad it is to see people today doing the very same thing. They are putting all their energies and efforts into storing up treasures on earth that will be of no value to them when life comes to an end.
Let us remember the exhortation of Christ in Matthew chapter 6 verse 20 to ‘lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal’. Get your priorities right and invest your time and energies in storing up treasures of eternal worth rather than wasting all your energy going in for the fleeting wealth of this present world.
Thankfully, these lepers realize their folly and recognize they have a higher duty to carry out. Not far away there is a city dying of hunger and here they are with the remedy, but they are holding their peace. Silence in these circumstances when men are dying is unconscionable. Well might we apply the challenge as we think of a world of lost sinners around us in need of the gospel. If we are not actively seeking to reach the lost then ‘we do not well’ for ‘this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace’, 2 Kgs. 7. 9. God has provided abundant riches in Christ that the world needs to know about. Let us constantly seek opportunities as they did to ‘go and tell’.
As we picture these lepers making their way to pass their report on to the king, we are reminded of the words of 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 27, ‘God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty’. These despised lepers had a message of deliverance and hope that confounded the king and his servants. What a thrill it must have been as the king’s servants returned with the news that the report was entirely accurate!
The dependability of the word of the Lord spoken by His prophet is now clearly seen as Elisha’s words of blessing to God’s people, and condemnation to the unbelieving lord, equally came to pass. The detail of Elisha’s prophecy relating to the costs of goods and the precise timing of the prophecy were fulfilled exactly ‘as the man of God had spoken to the king’, 2 Kgs. 7. 18.
Let us ever remember that God’s word can be trusted no matter how impossible the circumstances might seem. He is in control of all our circumstances, and our times are also in His hand, Ps. 31. 15.
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