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2 Kings 6

In this chapter, Elisha performs a series of miracles that demonstrate God's provision and protection for His people. The chapter begins with a miracle involving a lost ax head and continues with Elisha's intervention in a military conflict between Israel and the Syrians. Through God's power, Elisha blinds the Syrian army and leads them to the Israelite capital, showing mercy to them in an unexpected way. The chapter ends with a severe famine in Samaria caused by a Syrian siege, highlighting the desperate conditions Israel faced.

2 Kings 6:1-5 (NKJV)
1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us.
2 Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.” So he answered, “Go.”
3 Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.”
4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.
5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”

The prophets under Elisha’s guidance are growing in number, and their current dwelling place has become too small. They propose building a larger one by the Jordan. Elisha agrees and accompanies them. While working, one of the men loses a borrowed ax head in the river, causing distress because of its value and the fact it was not his own. This scene shows the practical needs of the community and sets the stage for a miracle that displays God’s concern even in minor crises.

2 Kings 6:6 (NKJV)
6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.

Elisha's response to the lost ax head is a demonstration of divine intervention in everyday matters. By throwing a stick into the water, he causes the heavy iron to miraculously float. This miracle shows that God cares about the small challenges in the lives of His people and is able to reverse natural laws to provide solutions.

2 Kings 6:7 (NKJV)
7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

Elisha tells the man to retrieve the ax head himself, reinforcing the partnership between divine power and human responsibility. Though God performs the miracle, the man must still act by retrieving the ax head. This interaction teaches that God provides, but we are called to participate in His work.

2 Kings 6:8-12 (NKJV)
8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.”
10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?”
12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

Elisha, through divine revelation, repeatedly warns the king of Israel about the Syrian king’s secret military plans. This frustrates the Syrian king, who suspects a spy among his ranks. However, his servant reveals that it is Elisha who is supernaturally intercepting the plans. This highlights the power of prophetic insight and God’s protection over Israel through Elisha’s ministry.

2 Kings 6:13-14 (NKJV)
13 So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.” And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in Dothan.”
14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

The king of Syria, realizing Elisha’s role in thwarting his plans, decides to capture the prophet by sending a large force to Dothan, where Elisha is residing. The fact that he sends such a significant military presence to capture one man demonstrates the fear and respect Elisha commands, but also the futility of human efforts against God’s power.

2 Kings 6:15-17 (NKJV)
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Elisha’s servant is terrified when he sees the Syrian army surrounding them, but Elisha reassures him with the knowledge of unseen divine forces. He prays for the servant’s eyes to be opened, revealing the angelic army protecting them. This passage powerfully illustrates that God’s presence is greater than any earthly threat, though it may not always be visible to human eyes.

2 Kings 6:18-20 (NKJV)
18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 Now Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” But he led them to Samaria.
20 So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria!

Elisha prays for God to blind the Syrian army, rendering them helpless. He then cleverly leads them to Samaria, the heart of Israel’s territory. Once inside, Elisha asks God to restore their sight, revealing their vulnerable position. This event demonstrates God’s power over human strength and strategy, while also showing Elisha’s wisdom in dealing with enemies without violence.

2 Kings 6:21-23 (NKJV)
21 Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”
22 But he answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”
23 Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.

The king of Israel is eager to kill the captured Syrian soldiers, but Elisha forbids him, instructing instead to show mercy by feeding them and sending them home. This act of grace leads to peace, as the Syrian raiders no longer attack Israel. This passage highlights the power of mercy and compassion over violence, and how God’s ways often lead to unexpected results.

2 Kings 6:24-25 (NKJV)
24 And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.
25 And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.

Despite the earlier act of mercy, the Syrian king Ben-Hadad later besieges Samaria, leading to severe famine within the city. The conditions are so dire that people are willing to pay exorbitant prices for even the most detestable items, such as a donkey’s head and dove droppings. This dire situation reflects the extreme desperation of the people during the siege.

2 Kings 6:26-29 (NKJV)
26 Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”
27 And he said, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?”
28 Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’
29 So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.”

The famine reaches such an extreme that people are resorting to cannibalism, as this shocking story illustrates. A desperate mother recounts a horrifying agreement between her and another woman to eat their children due to starvation. This grotesque situation reveals the extreme breakdown of moral and social order in Samaria during the siege, highlighting the severity of God’s judgment on the people for their disobedience.

2 Kings 6:30-31 (NKJV)
30 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body.
31 Then he said, “God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today.”

The king, upon hearing the woman’s tragic account, is filled with anguish, tearing his clothes to reveal sackcloth beneath, a sign of mourning and repentance. However, instead of turning fully to God, the king blames Elisha for the crisis and vows to execute him. His reaction shows a mix of grief, frustration, and misguided anger, directing blame toward God’s prophet rather than examining his own leadership.

2 Kings 6:32-33 (NKJV)
32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, 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 was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, “Surely this calamity is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

Elisha, knowing what the king plans, warns the elders and prepares for the messenger’s arrival. The king, arriving shortly after, expresses his frustration with the situation, blaming the Lord for the famine and questioning why he should continue to wait on divine intervention. This final scene sets the stage for Elisha's response and the unfolding of God's plan to deliver the city, demonstrating the tension between human impatience and divine timing.

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