2 Kings 6

2 Kings 6:1

8. Miraculous Recovery of an Axhead (6:1-7)Some of the sons of the prophets were dissatisfied with the cramped quarters where they lived with Elisha, probably in Jericho or Gilgal. Therefore, they gained the prophet’s permission to move near the Jordan and build a place there. In the process of building, one of the men lost a borrowed axhead in the Jordan. Elisha responded to his distressed plea by casting a stick into the river. The axhead floated and was retrieved by the grateful builder.

2 Kings 6:8

9. Miraculous Military Maneuvers (6:8-23)Another evidence of Elisha’s miraculous powers concerned his knowledge of highly confidential military moves in the camp of the enemy. The Syrian king was nonplussed because all his secret plans repeatedly became known to the king of Israel; he suspected that one of his men was a spy for Israel. When he learned that the Prophet Elisha was revealing his plans to the king of Israel, he determined to capture Elisha at all costs. Hearing that the prophet was in Dothan, a city not far north of Samaria, he sent a band of marauders to surround the city . . . by night. In the morning Elisha’s servant was terrified when he saw the enemy host surrounding the city. But in answer to the prophet’s prayer, the servant was given miraculous power to see a protective host of horses and chariots of fire sent by God to guard His people. Elisha asked the LORD to strike the Syrians with blindness. The prophet was then able to lead them from Dothan to Samaria without a struggle. When the king of Israel suggested killing them, Elisha reminded him that he would not kill the captives whom he had taken . . . with . . . sword and bow, so why kill these who were delivered into his hands without any effort on his part? Instead, the king was ordered to feed them and send them home. By this humane treatment he overcame evil with good. Such marauding bands conducted no more raids on Israel. Verse 16 reminds us of 1Jo_4:4 b". . . He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." In our spiritual battle with the forces of evil, we have protection and power given us by our omnipotent Ally. Through the prayer of faith the Lord can open the eyes of our hearts to the reassuring fact that He is defending us and frustrating Satan’s destructive intentions.

2 Kings 6:24

10. The Famine in Samaria (6:247:20)6:24-31 The incident beginning here is not necessarily in chronological order. Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, . . . besieged Samaria so successfully that famine conditions prevailed in the city. (If this siege took place after the seven-year famine mentioned in 2Ki_8:1-2, as some suggest, we can understand how serious the situation really was.) People had to pay exorbitant prices for ceremonially unclean foods (a donkey’s head) and for herbs or grain. “Dove droppings” was the name of a plant with an edible bulb. The plant bears the name “Star of Bethlehem” today. The king of Israel acknowledged that no one but the LORD could help, and he mourned greatly when he found cannibalism being practiced by the people. Blaming Elisha for the terrible conditions and for failing to do anything to relieve the situation, he vowed to kill him before the day was over. 6:32, 33 But Elisha received divine information about the king’s intentions and told the elders that a messenger from the king was on the way, followed by the king himself. He ordered them to refuse entrance to the messenger until the king himself arrived. Almost immediately the messenger arrived, and then the king. He felt there was nothing to do but surrender to Syria. Then the king said, “Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” The incident reminds us that “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Pro_21:1). The king of Israel is not mentioned by name here; in fact, the name of the king is not given in any of the incidents recorded in chapters 48. Many commentators hold that Jehoram (Joram) was king during the siege, but it is impossible to be certain since Elisha’s ministry, which stretched over half a century under four different kings, is not recorded in chronological order.