seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Kings 6: 24 Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. 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.
26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”
27 The king replied, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?” 28 Then he asked her, “What’s the matter?”
She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’ 29 So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him,’ but she had hidden him.”
30 When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and they saw that, under his robes, he had sackcloth on his body. 31 He said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”
32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Don’t you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?” 33 While he was still talking to them, the messenger came down to him.
The king said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
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.”
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!”
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And here's the link to the commentary I read. Today the verses go across chapters so here's the link for the second set.
Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria: Though the kindness of Elisha and the king of Israel changed the heart of the Syrian raiders, it did not change the heart of the king of Syria. He launched a large, full-scale attack against his neighbor to the south.
There was a great famine in Samaria: The siege strategy successfully starved Samaria. The famine was so bad that a donkey’s head or dove droppings became so expensive that only the rich could afford them.
God do so to me and more also: The king was deeply grieved and angry — but not with himself, with Israel, or with their sin. The king was angry against the prophet of God.
Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer: The king of Israel was honest enough to admit that his real anger was against the LORD.
Hear the word of the LORD: Though the king of Israel blamed the LORD for the calamity that came upon Israel and Samaria, God still had a word for the king and the nation — and it was a good word.
Tomorrow about this time: God’s promise through Elisha was that in 24 hours the economic situation in Samaria would be completely reversed. Instead of scarcity, there would be such abundance that food prices would radically drop in the city.
Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be: The king’s officer doubted the prophecy, and his doubt was based on several faulty premises.
In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it: Through Elisha, God pronounced a harsh judgment upon the king’s doubting officer. He would see the word fulfilled, but not benefit from its fulfillment.
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Happy Boxing Day! This is the day everyone boxes up what they got and they return it all so they can pay their rent next month, right?
Back in the days when the events described here were taking place, Asa was king of Judah. Baasha was king of Israel. Ben-Hadad was the king of Syria.
In those days, Ben-Hadad surrounded a city in Samaria and cut off all its supply lines.
The people of Samaria were starving.
The king of Israel had semi joined up with the king of Syria to get rid of those who would do them harm.
The king of Israel was riding the road by the walls and a woman called out to him.
I've heard the woman's story preached in church. I've never heard the story behind it. But now, current events have people in Syria, Samaria, Israel, Golan Heights and Gaza in the same predicament as that woman.
The people of Samaria had turned to cannibalism. One woman tricked another woman into sacrificing her baby. Really... They actually cooked up her son and ate him.
The woman was willing to give up her son for the lives of others, but when it was time for the others to cook up another fine young human for dinner, the other women and their babies were nowhere to be find.
Now, the last time a city was under siege, it was the king of Moab who was at the wall, and he slaughtered his own son to end the siege. Everyone got grossed out and put down their weapons and went home.
The king of Isarel was grossed out when he heard the woman's story. But he asked her "what can I do about it?" [paraphrased] and she told him to go to the threshing floor, the winepress, and the gate of the city... After all that's where politics and finances were settled.
Now the king of Israel got so angry about what was going on in Samaria, what with the cannibalism and all, he wanted to take his anger out on God. The king of Israel didn't worship God. Ahab and Jezebel's gods were still in the temples that Ahab built to keep the people from making the journey to Jerusalem to worship God.
Since the king couldn't just demand that God answer to him, he went after the next best thing.... Elisha, God's Prophet would pay.
The king of Israel sent a messenger to get Elisha and bring him to the king to answer up for the boiled baby.
Before the messenger could arrive, however, Elisha got word for God and he took steps to keep himself safe. He had the Elders hold the door.
Elisha told everyone that by the same time the next day, the prices would be dropped and the siege would be over.
There was a doubter in the crowd, a soldier. He stated what many of us would be thinking. "Now how's that going to happen?" [Paraphrased]
Elisha told him, "God will make it happen and you won't get a crumb". [paraphrased] The soldier doubted God! He would pay for his blurting.
So, these verses are about a boiled baby and a doubting soldier who wouldn't get a crumb.
Most of all though, things got so bad they ate a baby????
These verses are about the boiled baby.
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