Outline of 2 Kings. The Kingdom of Israel. Saul 1050 to 1010 BC 40 Years Acts 13:21

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1 Outline of 2 Kings The Kingdom of Israel King Date Years King Scripture Reference Saul 1050 to 1010 BC 40 Years Acts 13:21 David 1010 to 970 BC 40 Years 2 Samuel 5:1-5 1 Kings 2:10-12 Solomon 970 to 930 BC (see 1 Kings 6:1 ~ 476 years after Exodus from Egypt BC) 40 Years 1 Kings 11:42 Israel The Divided Kingdom 1 Kings Judah King / Years Reigned Date Scripture Reference King / Years Reigned Date Scripture Reference Jeroboam / 22 Years BC 1 Kings 14:20 Rehoboam / 17 Years (did evil in the sight of Jehovah - practiced idolatry) BC 1 Kings 14:21 Abijam (Abijah)/ 3 Years (18th year of Jeroboam). Did that which was evil / practiced idolatry BC 1 Kings 15:1-2 Nadab / 2 Years Baasha / 24 Years Elah / 2 Years BC BC BC 1 Kings 15:25 1 Kings 15:33 1 Kings 16:8 Asa / 41 Years (20th year of Jeroboam). Did that which was right in the sight of Jehovah as David his father BC 1 Kings 15:9-10 Zimri / 7 days 880 BC 1 Kings 16:15 Omri / 12 Years BC 1 Kings 16:23 (states that this is the 31st year of Asa??) Ahab / 22 Years Ahaziah / 2 years (17th year of Jehoshaphat) BC BC 1 Kings 16:29 1 Kings 22:51-52 Jehoshaphat / 25 years (4th year of Ahab). Did right as did his father Asa; however, his son married the daughter of Ahab which brought evil to Judah BC 1 Kings 22:

2 Israel The Divided Kingdom 2 Kings Judah King / Years Reigned Date Scripture Reference King / Years Reigned Date Scripture Reference Jehoram or Joram (Son of Ahab... Ahaziah had no sons - begins in the 2nd year of Jehoram of Judah's reign or 18th year of Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 3:1) [The confusion of differing dates in 2 Kings is cleared by understanding that many of the kings reigned as co-regents with their fathers] / 12 years Jehu (kills both king of Israel and Judah and also household of Ahab) / 28 years - see 2 Kings 10:36 Jehoahaz (son of Jehu) 17 years Jehoash (son of Jehoahaz) 16 years - in the 37th year of Joash of Judah. Jeroboam (son of Jehoash) / 41 years - He did that which was evil in sight of God BC BC BC BC (began reigning in the 15 year of Amaziah of Judah) 2 Kings 1:17; 3:1 2 Kings 10: Kings 13:1 2 Kings 13:10 2 Kings 14:23-24 Jehoram / 8 years. Did that which was evil as the house of Ahab. Jehoahaz or Ahaziah / 1 year - Sinful likened unto the house of Ahab, king of Israel. Athaliah (woman) (Ahaziah's mother, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and Jehoram's wife) usurped the throne of Judah by killing all her grandchildren. Reigned? Joash (son of Ahaziah) / 40 years... began reign as king at the age of 7. Did that which was right yet did not remove high places of idolatry. Repaired the temple of Jehovah. Amaziah (Son of Joash) / 29 years. Did that which was right yet not to the level of David (2 Kings 14:3-4) BC 831 BC 831 BC BC BC 2 Kings 8:16-17; 2 Chronicles 21 all 2 Chronicles 21:17; 22:1) / 2 Kings 8: Chronicles 23:1 2 Kings 12:1ff 2 Kings 14:1-2 Zechariah (son of Jeroboam) / six months ~ 724 BC (in the 38th year of Azariah / Uzziah - 2 Kings 15:8) 2 Kings 14:29; 15:8 Uzziah (Azariah) / 52 years - began in the 27th year of Jeroboam of Israel (~ 749 BC) see 2 Kings 15:1. did right; however, he did not remove the high places of idolatry BC 2 Kings 14:21; 15:1-2 Shallum (killed Zechariah and reigned in his stead) / 1 month 723 BC 2 Kings 15:13 Menahem (killed Shallum and reigned in his stead) / 10 years BC 2 Kings 15:17 Pekahiah (son of Menahem) / 2 years BC 2 Kings 15:23 Pekah (Pekahiah's captain who conspired against him and killed him) / 20 years {suppose to be in the 52 year of Uzziah which would be ~ 710 BC). Hoshea / 9 years (Began in the 12th year of Ahaz) Israel is dissolved: Fall to Assyria 676 BC BC BC 2 Kings 15:23 2 Kings 17:1 Jotham (son of Uzziah) / 16 years. Did right as did his father Uzziah; however, the high places of idolatry were not removed. Ahaz (son of Jotham) / 16 years (did that which was evil) Hezekiah (son of Ahaz) / 29 years (began in the third year of Hoshea) - Did that which was right and measured up to David [first king to do so since Asa] BC BC BC 2 Kings 15: Kings 16:1-2 2 Kings 18:1-2 2

3 Israel No Longer Exist Manasseh (son of Hezekiah) / reigned 55 years: Did great evil - re-established all the idolatry that his father Hezekiah had worked so hard to rid Judah of. Manasseh is captured by the Assyrians, repents for his wickedness, and is permitted to return to Jerusalem where he destroys the idol temples he built and reinstated Jehovah worship BC 2 Kings 21:1ff Amon (son of Manasseh) / reigned 2 years: Did that which was evil and reestablished idolatry into Judah BC 2 Kings 21:19ff Josiah (Son of Manasseh) reigned 31 years (began at age 8). Did that which was right and is the third king (behind Asa and Hezekiah) to be compared to David his father BC 2 Kings 22:1ff Jehoahaz (son of Josiah) reigned only 3 months. Did that which was evil. 565 BC 2 Kings 23:31 Eliakim (son of Josiah) - 11 years. Pharaoh-necoh places him as a vassal king over Judah and changes his name to Jehoiakim) - Did that which was evil BC 2 Kings 23:36 Jehoichin (son of Jehoiakim) - reigned 3 months. Jehoichin did that which was evil. He was defeated and deported to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. 554 BC 2 Kings 24:8 Mattaniah (Jehoichin's uncle) reigned 11 years. Placed on the throne of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar who changed the king's name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah did that which was evil BC 2 Kings 24:17-18 Judah conquered by Babylon Gedaliah - Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor over Judah. Gedaliah was murdered by Ishmael because the governor demanded that Judah remain under subjection to Babylon. 543 BC 2 Kings 25:

4 Introduction: The author of 2 Kings is unknown. Whoever this inspired writer was he must have lived and wrote during the days of Judah's Babylonian captivity due to the book ending during these days. The book of 1 Kings begins with the historical record of David's death and ends with Ahaziah's two year reign over Israel (970 to 844 BC). 2 Kings begins with the death of Ahaziah and ends with the complete collapse of Judah, Jerusalem, the city's walls and temple (i.e., approximately 300 years to 543 BC). 2 Kings records the historical account of Israel's fall to Assyria during the days of Hoshea king of Israel (676 BC). Secondly, the book records the gradual demoralization of Judah and final collapse during the reign of Zedekiah (543 BC). The book reveals the high cost of sin. Jehovah had warned both Israel and Judah to repent of their wickedness yet after hundreds of years of virtually no response the Lord crushes his people. Assyria was God's "rod of anger" against the southern kingdom of Israel (Isaiah 10:5). Babylon was the Lord's divine "battle axe" against the northern kingdom of Judah (Jeremiah 51:20). The sins of God's people were numerous. They had put God on the shelf and served the gods of the nations round about them. They came to be concerned more about personal wealth and status rather than the promise God made through Abraham and David. The book of 2 Kings zooms in on one particular problem that manifest the reason there were only three kings out of 32 that put their faith, confidence and trust in Jehovah. Though these two nations claimed to be followers of Jehovah they had, for the most part, placed their confidence, trust, and faith in the nations around them. Consider these events: Ahaziah, king of Israel, injures himself and rather than seeking out Jehovah the king seeks the advise of Baal-zebub (Lord of the Flies) the god of Ekron (2 Kings 1:2-4, 16). Ahaz, king of Judah, calls upon Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria to "save me out of the hand of the king of Syria" rather than calling upon the name of Jehovah (see 2 Kings 16:7-9). Furthermore, Ahaz erects and calls upon the gods of the Damascenes for help rather than calling upon the name of Jehovah (2 Chronicles 28:23). Hoshea, king of Israel, called upon So, King of Egypt, for help against Shalmaneser, king of Assyria (2 Kings 17:1-6). Zedekiah, king of Judah, calls upon Egypt for help against Babylon (Jeremiah 37:1-10). All of these actions, on the part of the kings of Israel and Judah, illustrated a lack of confidence, trust, and faith in Jehovah. The apostle Paul commands, "Have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3). The Psalmist wrote, "It is better to take refuge in Jehovah than to put confidence in man. It is better to take refuge in Jehovah than to put confidence in princes" (Psalms 118:8-9). To put one's trust and confidence in the riches of this world (Job 31:24-25; Zephaniah 1:18), governments of men (Psalms 118:9), or a friend and neighbor (Micah 7:5) above God is the height of foolishness. God demands man's whole heart of trust, love, and confidence (see Deuteronomy 10:12-13 see also Matthew 22:37). Let us place our trust and confidence in the Lord whether we are living in times of plenty or desperation (see Job 4:6; Psalms 65:5; Proverbs 3:26; 14:26). Solomon wrote, "The fear of man brings a snare; But whoso puts his trust in Jehovah shall be safe" (Proverbs 29:25). The time of the kings was 930 to 543 BC. Three hundred and eighty seven years passed in Israel and Judah's history. During these years eleven kings ruled Israel and twenty one kings ruled Judah (counting Gedaliah the appointed governor of Judah). Out of thirty two kings there were only three (Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiah) who measured up to the standard set by David. These three kings ruled a combined time of one hundred years out of the total three hundred and eighty seven years of the kings in Judah and Israel. When the Assyrians challenged the idea of putting confidence and trust in Jehovah Hezekiah stands firm in his confidence in the Lord (see 2 Kings 18:all and 19:14-19). Again, when the book of the law was found Josiah made a covenant with Jehovah to do all that within it indicating his trust and confidence in Jehovah (2 Kings 23:1ff). 4

5 Though Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiah had made many spiritual reforms within Judah it was not enough to change the character of the people nor God's determined wrath against the ungodly. The prophets Amos and Jeremiah reveal the state of ungodliness and moral depravity that both Israel and Judah and fallen to. We cannot understate or undervalue the grotesque manner in which God, in his fierce wrath, destroyed Israel and Judah for their ungodliness (see Lamentations 2:20-21; 4:9-10). God mashes his people, sentences them to 70 years in Babylonian captivity, and all the while reiterates his promises of a future messiah and the promises of forgiving man of their sins (see Jeremiah 31:31ff and many other passages). The overall lesson of 2 kings is that mankind should always put their faith, trust, and confidence in the Lord rather than others. Those who refuse to do so will be subject to his eternal wrath (see 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 14:19-20). Outline of 2 Kings Chapter 1 I. Jehovah takes the life of Ahaziah for his gross Idolatry (1 all): A. "And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab" (1:1). 1. The book of II Kings opens with Ahab s son Ahaziah on the throne of Israel and Jehoshaphat ruling the southern Kingdom of Judah. 2. Syria, the country to the North of Israel, has taken the place of the Philistines as principal enemy to God s people. The war with Syria, in which Ahab lost his life, has severely weakened Israel. Moab has taken advantage of their weakness and has rebelled. David had previously subjugated Moab to Israel (2 Samuel 8:2) yet now they sought freedom from their tributary relationship. B. "2 And Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this sickness. 3 But the angel of Jehovah said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed" (1:2-4). 1. The spiritual state of Israel is depicted when their king, Ahaziah, inquires of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron rather than Jehovah God. Baal-zebub was recognized as the "lord of flies" (ISBE v. 1, pp. 377). The word Beelzebub is found at Matthew 12:22-28 and means Master of the flies (ISBE; v. 1, pp. 447) or Lord of filth or dung (Thayer 100) (see study # 1; Misguided Trust). 2. Jehovah God hears the king's plan and thereby sends Elijah to intercept the messengers as they were headed to Ekron. The prophet of God pronounces the king's doom and then leaves. C. "5 And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them, Why is it that ye are returned? 6 And they said unto him, There came up a man to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he that came up to meet you, and told you these words? 8 And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite" (1:5-8). 1. Apparently the messengers had come back so quickly that Ahaziah knew that something had gone wrong. The messengers tell the king all that Elijah had said. Ahaziah would not come off the sick bed due to his inquiring of another god which is no God at all. 2. Ahaziah asks his messengers to describe the man who told them this message. The men explain that the prophet was hairy with a girdle of leather about his loins. The king knew 5

6 Chapter 2 immediately that it was Elijah (note: Elijah was not a physically hairy man but likely wore a hairy garment to maintain a state of sorrow and repentance of Israel's violations against Jehovah). D. "9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he spake unto him, O man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 11 And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty and his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 13 And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in thy sight. 15 And the angel of Jehovah said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king" (1:9-15). 1. Ahaziah is obviously moved to anger with Elijah's proclamation of the king's death. The king sends three sets of fifty men with their captains to apprehend the prophet of God. Jehovah reigns fire down from heaven against the first two sets of men. The third set of fifty comes in a very humble and fearful approach. 2. Why did God allow this to take place? Keil and Delitzsch explain it as follows: This summons to the prophet, to allow himself to be led as a prisoner before the king, involved a contempt not only of the prophetic office in the person of Elijah, but also of the Lord, who had accredited him by miracles as his servant. The two captains who were first sent not only did what they were bound to do as servants of the king, but participated in the ungodly disposition of their lord. They attacked the Lord with reckless daring in the person of the prophet, and the second captain, with his 'come down quickly,' did it even more strongly than the first. This sin was punished, and that not by the prophet, but by the Lord Himself, who fulfilled the word of His servant. What Elijah here did was an act of holy zeal for the honor of the Lord, in the spirit of the old covenant, under which God destroyed the insolent despisers of His name with fire and sword, to manifest the energy of His holy majesty by the side of the dead idols of the heathen. 1 E. "16 And he said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 17 So he died according to the word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram began to reign in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?" (1:16-18). 1. Ahaziah, like his father Ahab, put his trust and faith in the Baal gods of the surrounding nations rather than in Jehovah the one true God. Due to this lack of faith in the one true God, while exercising faith in gods that do not even exists, the Lord takes the life of Ahaziah king of Israel (see study # 1). Though the writer tells us of the rest of the acts of Ahaziah written in the Chronicles there is not really much found there. 2. Note the similarity of names regarding the kings of Judah and Israel (Jehoram or Joram). 1 Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the OT. Volume 3, pg

7 I. Elijah ascends to heaven on a chariot of fire (2:1-14): A. "And it came to pass, when Jehovah would take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me as far as Beth-el. And Elisha said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el. 3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that Jehovah will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho" (2:1-4). 1. Evidently, it was common knowledge among the prophets that Elijah was to be taken off the earth in a miraculous way. 2. Elisha knew of this and for this reason followed Elijah on his final journey over the Jordan. B. "5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that Jehovah will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me to the Jordan. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood over against them afar off: and they two stood by the Jordan. 8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground" (2:5-8). 1. As Elijah and Elisha passed through Gilgal, Bethel, and Jericho, they encountered other prophets who were referred to as sons of prophets. Evidently, there were schools of prophecy in these cities. We can look back to the days of Samuel for the origin of such schools. Samuel took measures to make his work of restoration permanent as well as effective for the moment. For this purpose he instituted companies, or colleges, of prophets (1 Samuel 19:19-20 others; Bethel 2 Kings 2:3 etc.). Into them were gathered promising students, and there they were trained for the office that they were afterward destined to fulfill Obviously, the prophets at these schools had attained knowledge, by divine revelation, that Elijah was to be taken by God as well. Elijah is apparently giving these prophets a glimpse of the Holy God at work by including them in his last moment on the earth. They all knew, by faith, that a miraculous event was about to transpire and Elijah wants them to see all that they can to make solid their confidence for their future work. 3. From Jericho, Elijah and Elisha traveled to the Jordan (50 of the prophets from the school traveled with them as well yet stood afar off). Elijah took his mantle (the cloak which signified the prophet s office) and miraculously parted the Jordan River so that they both passed over on dry land. C. "9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so" (2:9-10). 1. Elijah asks Elisha if he has any final request: Elisha said yes, give me a double portion of your spirit. Elijah said that this was a hard request, nevertheless, if Elisha sees him taken away he will know that it is God s will to grant his request (see study # 2; Elijah). 2. The request of Elisha is evidently based upon Deuteronomy 21:17, where this denotes the double portion which the first-born received in the father s inheritance. Elisha, resting his foot upon this law, requested of Elijah as a first-born son the double portion of his spirit for his inheritance. Elisha looked upon himself as the first-born son of Elijah in relation to the other 'sons of the prophets,' inasmuch as Elijah by the command of God had called him to be his 2 The New Unger s Bible Dictionary. Merrill F. Unger pg

8 successor and to carry on his work. 3 The meaning therefore is that Elisha would perform twice as many miracles as did Elijah and nothing more (see study # 3; Elisha). D. "11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof! And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is Jehovah, the God of Elijah? And when he also had smitten the waters, they were divided hither and thither; and Elisha went over" (2:11-14). 1. As Elijah and Elisha walked along the way a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared to them and swept Elijah away in a whirlwind. As Elijah ascends to the heavens, he drops his mantle to Elisha so that he would know that the office of prophet now belonged to him as God's divinely appointed successor of Elijah. 2. Elijah's departure reminds us of Enoch. The scriptures tell us, "Enoch walked with god: and he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Enoch was apparently taken from the earth without experiencing physical death. He was also somewhat like Moses, who died yet God took his body (Jude 1:9) (see study # 2). 3. Elisha performs his first miracle by parting the Jordan River with the mantle given him by Elijah. II. Elisha, the Prophet of God, Performs Three Miracles (2:15-25): A. "15 And when the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho over against him saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there are with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master, lest the Spirit of Jehovah hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. 17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 18 And they came back to him, while he tarried at Jericho; and he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?" (2:15-18). 1. When Elisha returns to the sons of the prophets they urge the prophet of God to go on a search for the body of Elijah. Elisha; however, warns them not to go for they would not find it. 2. The prophets; however, urge Elisha to the point of him being weary with them and so they go out seeking the body of Elijah and find nothing. Elisha replies, "Did I not say unto you, Go not?" B. "19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, we pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is bad, and the land miscarrieth. 20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. 21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast salt therein, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or miscarrying. 22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spake" (2:19-22). 1. The second miracle of Elisha is conducted in Jericho. The men of the city approached Elisha with a dilemma. The water was undrinkable and caused the ground to not give good crops. 2. Elisha then took a new dish filled with salt and pored it into the waters of Jericho saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or miscarrying." The waters were immediately restored. C. "23 And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth young lads out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou baldhead; go up, thou baldhead. 24 And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. 3 Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the OT. Volume 3, pg

9 And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two lads of them. 25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria" (2:23-25). 1. The third miracle of Elisha occurred as he left Jericho for Bethel. Young lads from the city came to Elisha and began to mock him and make fun of his baldhead. Evidently Elisha was balding and the children took this as an occasion to make fun of him. Elisha turned and cursed the children by the name of Jehovah for their ridicule and caused two she bears to come up and kill 42 of the lads. 2. This occurrence was intended to prove to the despisers of God that the Lord does not allow His servants to be ridiculed with impunity All that is necessary is to admit that the worthless spirit which prevailed in Bethel was openly manifested in the ridicule of the children, and that these boys knew Elisha, and in his person insulted the prophet of the Lord they were punished for the sins of their parents Israel was in a state of wide open rebellion at this time. 2 Kings 1 indicates the state of debauchery in that the king seeks the advise of Baal-zebub (the lord of the flies and filth) rather than Jehovah. The stage is set for another squaring off between the prophets of God and the kings of Israel. Chapter 3 I. Israel, Judah, and Edom war with Moab (3 all): A. "Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, but not like his father, and like his mother; for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not there from" (3:1-3). 1. Jehoram, son of Ahab, reigns in Israel after Ahaziah's death (Ahaziah had no sons). The dates are somewhat confusing because 1 Kings 1:17 states that Jehoram began in the second year of Jehoshaphat's son's reign. The confusion is cleared when we understand that many of the king's rules overlapped each others as they served together in a co-regency. 2. Though Jehoram was a son of the wicked King Ahab he was not quite as sinful as his father. Nevertheless Jehoram did that which was evil just not to the extent of his father. He actually has a moment of spirituality in that he removes the "pillar of Baal" that his father had made. B. "4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master; and he rendered unto the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel. 7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses" (3:4-7). 1. Moab's rebellion against Israel began during the days of king Ahaziah (before he fell through the lattice - see 2 Kings 1:1). Ahaziah was unable to do anything against Moab due to the accident. Moab had not only threatened Israel but also Judah (see 2 Chronicles 20:1ff). Jehoram; however, determines to put Moab back in subjection. 2. Jehoram, son of Ahab, had something in common with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. Jehoshaphat's son, also named Jehoram, had married Ahab's daughter. Jehoram, king of Israel, was actually Jehoshaphat's in-law. Jehoshaphat agrees to help Israel against Moab. 3. Recall that Jehoshaphat had also helped Ahab, king of Israel, when they were at war with Syria (see 1 Kings 22:1ff). We must note; however, that Jehoshaphat's help given to the wicked was 4 Ibid. pg

10 not approved of God (see 2 Chronicles 19:1-3). Jehoshaphat also helped Ahaziah, king of Israel, and once again Jehovah gave great warnings to the king (read 2 Chronicles 20:35-37). 4. Once again we find Jehoshaphat helping the wicked of Israel (3rd time) which was not God's will. Sometimes family ties can be stronger in one's mind that God's will (see study # 6; Putting one's Faith above Family). C. "8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way of the wilderness of Edom. 9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! for Jehovah hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. 11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, that we may inquire of Jehovah by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. 12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of Jehovah is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him" (3:8-12). 1. Jehoshaphat was a spiritually minded man who considered Jehovah (see 2 Chronicles 17:3-6) (see study # 4; Jehoshaphat). When Jehoshaphat and Ahab went against Syria the king of Judah sought the advise of a prophet too (see 1 Kings 22:5). When Jehoshaphat and Judah went to war against Moab and Ammon the king sought the help of Jehovah (2 Chronicles 20:3ff). 2. While Jehoram's lack of faith and doomed disposition comes out in a time of trouble it is Jehoshaphat that calls for Elisha the prophet of God. D. "13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay; for Jehovah hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. 14 And Elisha said, As Jehovah of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. 15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Jehovah came upon him. 16 And he said, Thus saith Jehovah, Make this valley full of trenches. 17 For thus saith Jehovah, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, and ye shall drink, both ye and your cattle and your beasts. 18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of Jehovah: he will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19 And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones" (3:13-19). 1. The three kings come before Elisha for advise. Elisha speaks only to the king of Israel. Due to Jehoram's wickedness Elisha would have nothing to do with him; however, because the good king Jehoshaphat was with him he would save Israel and Judah. 2. Not only would the omnipotent God supply Israel, Judah, and Edom with water but he would deliver Moab into their hands. Elisha tells the kings to destroy all cities, trees, fountains of water, and they were to "mar (ruin) every good piece of land with stones." Moab was to be laid waist with no opportunity to recover. 3. Another miracle attached to Elisha is the miraculous supply of water and the defeat of Moab. E. "20 And it came to pass in the morning, about the time of offering the oblation, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. 21 Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all that were able to put on armor, and upward, and stood on the border. 22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water over against them as red as blood: 23 and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have smitten each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. 24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward into the land smiting the Moabites. 25 And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the 10

11 fountains of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth [only] they left the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it. 26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew sword, to break through unto the king of Edom; but they could not. 27 Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land" (3:20-27). 1. The trenches miraculously filled with water for the soldiers and animals of Israel, Judah, and Edom. When the Moabites saw the water in the early morning sunlight it looked as though it were blood. The Moabites concludes that the three kings must have fought among themselves and there was such a great slaughter that rivers of blood were flowing. The men of Moab charge into the camp of Israel only to find ready men who fought viciously against them. The battle was taken to Moab where Israel, Judah, and the Edomites began to destroy all the cities, trees, and fountains of water as Jehovah had commanded. 2. When the king of Moab saw the destruction of his kingdom he does the unthinkable. He sacrificed his own first born son in the sight of all in the battle. Upon seeing this, the armies of Judah, Israel and Edom fled. Keil and Delitzsch explain this as the people of God fearing Jehovah due to a violation of the Law of Moses. The law states that no one should cause another to make a human sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21; 20:3). Chapter 4 I. Elisha Performs Four more Miracles (4 all): A. "Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear Jehovah: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen. 2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4 And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full. 5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons; they brought [the vessels] to her, and she poured out. 6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons of the rest" (4:1-7). 1. The widow's oil: One of the sons of the prophets had died leaving behind a wife and two sons. Apparently the family had amassed a debt to creditors. The creditors were about to take her sons as slaves to satisfy her debt, which was perfectly legal for them to do (Leviticus 25:39-40). The woman sought after Elisha and told him her situation. She said the only thing she had of value was a small pot of oil. 2. Elisha tells here to go borrow many vessels from her neighbors and shut herself in her house. Take the small bottle of oil and poor it into the borrowed vessels. She did as Elisha said and the bottle of oil produced much more. She filled many pots with oil and then sold them to pay her debt and take care of her children. B. "8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. 9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, that passeth by us continually. 10 Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a seat, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. 11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber and lay there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast 11

12 been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. 14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old. 15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. 16 And he said, At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid. 17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her. 18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to his servant, Carry him to his mother. 20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again. 23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? It is neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. 24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee. 25 So she went, and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is the Shunammite: 26 run, I pray thee, now to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. 27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone: for her soul is vexed within her; and Jehovah hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. 28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me? 29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. 30 And the mother of the child said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her. 31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked. 32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. 33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto Jehovah. 34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. 35 Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. 37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out" (4:8-37). 1. Elisha, by the power of God, raises the Shunammite's son from the dead: A wealthy woman who lived between Jezreel and Mt. Carmel offered Elisha much assistance when he traveled. She even went to the trouble of building Elisha permanent quarters to stay in while he was on his way. 2. Elisha began to think about all the good this woman had done for him and wanted to repay her in some way. He spoke with his servant Gehazi regarding the matter and Gehazi told Elisha that the woman had never had a child. Elisha called the woman and told her that she would conceive. She was somewhat surprised and told Elisha there was no way because of her age (reminds us of Abraham and Sarah: Genesis 18:12-13). 3. The woman did conceive however and had a son. The boy grew into a man. One day as he was working in the field with his father and the other servants, he complained to his father about a terrible headache. His father sent him home to the mother and there he died in his mother s lap. 12

13 Synopsis: 4. The child s mother then went to Elisha, who was at Mt. Carmel, and told him what had happened. Elisha sends Gehazi with his staff and tells him to lay it upon the boy s face and he would come back to life. Gehazi does so but there came no life to the boy. Elisha then comes to the boy and lays over him and brings him back to life. C. "38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal. And there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets. 39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not. 40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. 41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot" (4:28-41). 1. Bad Food turned to Good: There was a famine in the land and the prophets were hungry. Elisha told one of them to gather wild plants from the field and put it into the pot to cook. The servant did so however, when the prophets began to eat it they could tell that it was poisonous plants. 2. Elisha then called for some meal and added it to the pot and the food became miraculously eatable. D. "42 And there came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 43 And his servant said, What, should I set this before a hundred men? But he said, Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith Jehovah, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of Jehovah" (4:42-44). 1. Feeding 100 sons of the prophets with 20 barley loaves: On another occasion, a man brought the prophets an offering of 20 barley loaves to eat. There were 100 prophets there that were in need of food. The 20 barley loaves was not enough to feed them. Elisha tells the man to give it to the 100 men and it will suffice. 2. The miracle was similar to that performed by Jesus when he fed the 5000 men plus the women and children with five loaves and two fishes (Matthew 14:16-21). Recall that Elisha had asked Elijah for a double portion of his spirit (i.e., the great ability to perform miracles - see 2 Kings 2:9). Elisha was much like Solomon in that he did not ask for fame or fortune he simply asked for that which would help God's people most (see study # 3). Miracles would be the way that Israel would recognize the great oneness of God and be moved to repentance (see 1 Kings 18:37). Seven miracles of Elisha have been revealed to this point of our study. Israel had fallen away from God. It was the intention of God to perform these miracles in the sight of Israel that they may know that he is the only true and living God. He did this through Elijah and now through Elisha. Jesus and his apostles performed miracles for the same reason (Mark 16:20 and John 20:30-31). The miracles of Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, and the apostles are no longer needed today. The complete word of God has been delivered and thereby man has all that he needs to believe and make it to heaven (1 Corinthians 13 all) (see study # 5; Miracles and their Purpose). Chapter 5 I. Naaman cured of Leprosy (5:1-19): 13

14 A. "Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him Jehovah had given victory unto Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper" (5:1). 1. Israel had been at war with Syria during the days of king Ahab. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, had decided against God's will to help Israel (1 Kings 22:1ff; 2 Chronicles 19:1-3). Jehovah had sent his prophet Micaiah to prophecy against Ahab saying that the king would be killed during the war with the Syrians (1 Kings 22:19ff). Now we find that Naaman, captain of the Syrian host, was given victory over Israel by the help of Jehovah. Israel, under the kingship of Ahab, had come to be very wicked. Jehovah apparently uses Syria and Naaman to punish them and move them to repentance (see study # 7; The Sovereignty of Jehovah God). The following chapter is taken in Chronological order meaning that the current King of Israel would be Jehoram. Syria continued to pose a threat to Israel due to her sins. 2. Though Naaman was a mighty man of valor and held in great honor among the Syrians he was a leper. What a great contrast. Naaman's leprosy diminished greatly the valor and honor he held. Leprosy is "A chronic, infectious, granulomatous disease occurring almost exclusively in tropical and subtropical regions, caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, and ranging in severity from noncontiguous and spontaneously remitting forms to contagious, malignant forms with progressive anesthesia, paralysis, ulceration, nutritive disturbances, gangrene, and mutilation" (AHD 724). B. 2 And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maiden; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! Then would he recover him of his leprosy. 4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maiden that is of the land of Israel. 5 And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, And now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy" (5:2-6). 1. After Israel looses a battle with the Syrians they raid the land and take captives back to their land. One of these captives was a "little maiden" that looked after Naaman's wife. The little maiden tells Naaman's wife about Elisha, the "prophet that is in Samaria" who could heal Naaman of his leprosy. 2. News eventually comes to the king of Syria and the king sends great treasures to Israel and makes a request for the king of Israel to be responsible for healing Namaan of his leprosy. C. "7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? But consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. 8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel" (5:7-8). 1. Jehoram knew very well the dreaded and incurable disease of leprosy. The king of Israel believes Syria's gifts and impossible request to be nothing more than another ploy to crush Israel further. 2. When Elisha hears of the request and the king's response the prophet of God tells the king to send Namaan to him so that, "he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." There is a similar statement to this found at Ezekiel 2:5; 33:33 (theme of 2 Kings). a. A prophet is one who speaks for a God and interprets his will to man... generally, an interpreter, declarer... one who possesses the gift of an inspired preacher and teacher... the revealer of God s counsel for the future, a prophet... a predictor of future events (LS 704). b. How would the people know that a prophet had been among them? The only way this could have happened is if what the prophet has to say comes to pass (cf. Deuteronomy 14

15 18:20-22). When Namaan saw his leprosy disappear as Elisha prophesied then he would know that Jehovah is Lord and Elisha is his prophet. D. "9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Jehovah his God, and wave his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage" (5:9-12). 1. Elisha was confident that Jehovah would heal Naaman of the leprosy and that the Syrian would know that a prophet of God was in Israel. Elisha does not even come out to meet Naaman. The prophet sends a messenger to Naaman instructing him to wash himself in the Jordan River seven times. The whole ordeal was nothing as Naaman had expected. Naaman, in a fit of anger, said, "I thought he will surely come out to me, stand, and call on the name of Jehovah his God, and wave his hand over the place..." When Elisha did not do as Naaman "thought" then Naaman gave up on Jehovah. 2. People today have preconceived ideas about how God should work and what His word should say. Many people's answers to issues of this life are, "thats the way I was raised... that is what I was always taught... I thought that the Bible meant this or that..." Rather than following God's simple instructions many make a grave mistake by doing what they think rather than what God says. Naaman "thought" Elisha would do anything but what he instructed. E. "13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, would thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean" (5:13-14). 1. Naaman's servants reason with their master saying that the prophet of God did not ask him to do anything spectacular. What Elisha said was very simple; i.e., "Go wash seven times in the Jordan River." When Naaman finally agreed to comply with the instructions he came to be cleansed of his leprosy. 2. Naaman, like all people today, needed to learn that when compliance is given to God's simple instructions then His divine grace will be given to the obedient. Consider other men in History who experienced God's grace through their obedience to His instructions: a. Noah: (Genesis 6:8) but Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah. Noah, by Godly fear, obeyed the commands of God (Hebrews 11:17). God gave him instructions and he followed them (Genesis 6:13ff). Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him, so did he (Genesis 6:22). Noah received God s grace, salvation from the flood, through faithfully following his instructions. b. Abraham: (Hebrews 11:8) By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. Abraham received that which was promised to him by acting on faith. The favor was the inheritance; however, it was not received until he obeyed the voice of God (Rom. 4:1-2, 13; James 2:21). c. Joshua: (Hebrews 11:30) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about for seven days. In Joshua 6:1-5, God tells Joshua that He has given Jericho into his hand. God s favor or grace was the giving of Jericho. Notice that there was something on the part of Israel to do in order to receive God s favor. When Israel complied with God s instructions, the walls fell and they took the city by force. They received God s favor by obedient faith. 15

16 d. The blind man: (John 9:7) Jesus said, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, he went away and washed, and came seeing. The blind man received the favor or grace of God, his sight, when he complied with the instructions of Jesus. He received grace through faith! e. Three thousand people in Jerusalem at Pentecost: (Acts 2) On the day of Pentecost 3,000 people had access by faith into grace. They wanted forgiveness of sins. They received God s favor of forgiveness when they complied with His commands through the apostle Peter. The Lord commanded baptism for the forgiveness of sins. When they complied with the Lord's instructions He forgave them of their sins. F. "15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him; and he said, Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a present of thy servant. 16 But he said, As Jehovah liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17 And Naaman said, If not, yet, I pray thee, let there be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto Jehovah. 18 In this thing Jehovah pardon thy servant: when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, Jehovah pardon thy servant in this thing. 19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way" (5:15-19). 1. The honorable character of Namaan is now further revealed. Namaan could have left the Jordan River and returned to Syria without giving the prophet of God thanks but he didn't. Namaan returns to Elisha and makes a famous proclamation of faith saying, "I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel." Naaman gives glory to God for miraculously healing him of his leprosy. Elisha had said that Naaman would come to know that there is a prophet of God in Israel and so he now does. Herein is the objective of 1 and 2 Kings. Israel and others needed to come to know and understand the one true God (see study # 8; Gaining faith in God through Elisha's Miracles). 2. Naaman offers Elisha a gift for the merciful act of healing his leprosy; however, Elisha wants no part of it. Naaman then asks permission to take two mules burden in weight of soil from Israel that he may make sacrifices and worship Jehovah on it back in his own city. 3. Naaman then explains to Elisha his predicament as one who would have Syrian duties in the house of Rimmon. Rimmon was "a god worshiped in the 10th and 9th century BC by the Arameans, who probably pronounced his name Ramman. His temple in Damascus is mentioned in 2 Kings 5:18...the name Rimmon means 'thunderer' or 'thunder-god'" (ISBE v. 4, page 196). Naaman's character is once again examined as he was conscientious about having to worship in the temple of Rimmon as a Syrian. Naaman asks Jehovah to forgive him of this before he even did it. Elisha appears to have accepted Naaman's confession. II. The Foolishness of Gehazi (5:20-27): A. "20 But Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: as Jehovah liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. 21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after him, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? 22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there are come to me from the hill-country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment. 23 And Naaman said, Be pleased to take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of raiment, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him" (5:20-23). 1. Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, displays a completely different character to that of Naaman. Namaan was an honorable man; however, Gehazi was a dishonorable man in that he lies and seeks the riches of this world. 2. Gehazi tells Naaman that Elisha had sent him to request gold and clothing yet Elisha had done no such thing. Naaman gives Gehazi twice as much as he had asked for. 16

17 Chapter 6 B. "24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house; and he let the men go, and they departed. 25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. 26 And he said unto him, Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and men-servants and maid-servants? 27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow" (5:24-27). 1. Gehazi returns home only to find Elisha awaiting him with a question. Elisha asks his servant where he had been. Gehazi lies and says, "no where." 2. Elisha knew exactly where his servant was and what his lies were all about. Due to Gehazi's greed Elisha strikes him with the leprosy that once belonged to Naaman. I. Elisha's Miracles and more Wars with Syria (6 all): A. "And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us. 2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto the Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. 3 And one said, Be pleased, I pray thee, to go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood. 5 But as one was felling a beam, the axehead fell into the water; and he cried, and said, Alas, my master! For it was borrowed. 6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and made the iron to swim. 7 And he said, Take it up to thee. So he put out his hand, and took it" (6:1-7). 1. The dwelling place of the sons of prophets was not sufficient for the amount of prophets that lived there. The prophet s request permission of Elisha to build another dwelling place. Elisha agrees and the men go to work felling trees near the Jordan River. 2. While working near the banks of the River Jordan, one of the prophets swung his axe, in which he had borrowed, and the iron head slipped off falling into the River. The man was sorely distressed because of his great poverty. The axe was loaned to the man. Loosing it would mean replacing it and it is apparent the man could not do so. Elisha cut a stick off of a tree, placed it into the river and the head of the axe miraculously floated on the surface of the river. The prophet took hold of the floating axe and it was restored. B. 8 Now the king of Syria was warring against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are coming down. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11 And the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12 And one of his servants said, Nay, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber" (6:8-12). 1. Benhadad had camped in many secret parts of Israel to ambush God s people. Every place he went in secret; however, Elisha revealed the Syrian's location to Jehoram. 2. Benhadad was very frustrated. He demanded to know whom the traitor was that was revealing his whereabouts to the king of Israel. One of Benhadad s servants explained that it was not one of the Syrians who had betrayed him, but it was Elisha the prophet of God. 17

18 C. "13 And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! How shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that are with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (6:13-17). 1. When the king of Syria found out that Elisha had been revealing his secrets to the king of Israel he was furious. Benhadad sends horses, chariots, and a great host to take Elisha at Dothan. 2. When the Syrian army surrounded the encampment of the prophets at Dothan, Elisha s servant asked how they would fair, Elisha made a memorable statement: Fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that are with them." It may have been a somewhat odd statement to Elisha s servant seeing that those present were a few prophets. Then Elisha prayed to God that the servant s eyes would behold the spiritual situation. God did so and the man saw, the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." 3. A very similar statement is made in our New Testament Bibles. The apostle John wrote, "Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). The apostle Paul said, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?... Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Romans 8:31, 37)... and again he said, "I can do all things in him that strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). As David defeated Goliath by the help of Jehovah so the people of God must know that a great and powerful help is at their disposal in the Lord (see 1 Samuel 17:46-47). Elisha's confidence and faith in God did not waiver. He showed no fear of man though he was surrounded by the mighty Syrian army (see study #1; # 3 and # 9). D. "18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto Jehovah, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. And he led them to Samaria. 20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Jehovah, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And Jehovah opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? Shall I smite them? 22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 23 And he prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel" (6:18-23). 1. As Benhadad s army came upon the prophet, Elisha prayed that God would cause the soldiers to be blind. God answered Elisha s prayer and the Syrian army was made blind. 2. Elisha then led the Syrians to Samaria (the trip from Dothan to Samaria was a 10 miles due south). When Jehoram saw the army he was amazed and asked Elisha if he should slay them with the sword. Elisha responds by saying, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master." The point made by Elisha was that Jehoram never killed the men captive in battle why would 18

19 he want to do so with these men? To kill the men would have been to frustrate the intention of the entire event. What an odd situation this was. The Syrians were the bitter enemies of Israel and now they are told to feed, water, and release them. The Syrians, as their captain Namaan, needed to see that Jehovah is the God of Israel, He is all powerful, and there is no other god. Elisha instructs that the men be fed and sent back to the king of Syria. When this was done, the Syrians put an end to their current campaign against Israel. E. "24 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. 26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. 27 And he said, If Jehovah do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? Out of the threshing-floor, or out of the winepress? 28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow. 29 So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him; and she hath hid her son. 30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes (now he was passing by upon the wall); and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. 31 Then he said, God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. 32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold the door fast against him: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? 33 And while he was yet talking with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of Jehovah; why should I wait for Jehovah any longer?" (6:24-33). 1. The armies of Syria came up and besieged Samaria. The siege lasted so long that the people of the city became extremely hungry. They were killing and eating unclean animals such as Donkeys. From there they went to eating the Donkey s head and then they stooped to eat animals dung. This indeed was a severe famine. Israel was holding out however, most likely by the orders of Elisha the prophet of God on a promise of deliverance. 2. One day, Jehoram was walking the walls of the city surveying the situation, when a woman cried out to him in anguish. Jehoram answers her by saying that he cannot possibly help her seeing that there was no food anywhere. The woman then disclosed her real reason for addressing the king. She said that she had entered an agreement with another woman to eat both their sons. They would start by killing and boiling the flesh of her son and the next day they would kill and boil the flesh of the other woman s son. The woman addressing the king had held up to her part of the bargain killing her son, boiling his flesh and allowing all to eat it. However when it came time to kill the other woman s son she fled the scene. The woman obviously wanted Justice but Jehoram saw the utter horrifying condition the city was in. He fell to the ground rent his clothes and put on hairy mourning garments. 3. Jehoram decided this had gone on long enough and determined to cut off Elisha s head. The text does not tell us; however, it is apparent that Elisha had foretold of these events. Elisha's prophetic knowledge of the event brought him in association with the guilt in the eyes of the king. God told Elisha that the king had sent a messenger to cut off his head. He also knew that Jehoram had changed his mind and came after the messenger to stop him. Elisha and the elders held off the slayer until Jehoram arrived. Jehoram looks at Elisha and says basically that God has caused all this and he wants to know how much longer he could wait. In this statement we see a glimmer of hope in the words of the king yet he needed to be reassured. Elisha did this very thing in the next chapter. 4. One may ask, "Why would God permit such horrible things to happen to His people." The answer is obvious. Israel was no longer His people. They had rejected the Mosaic Law and 19

20 were living in sin. God's love is actually depicted in these events. He is chastising the people that they may return to Him. To return to God one must recognize Jehovah as the Lord God Almighty. God causes certain events to help the people see clearly that He alone is God. Secondly, the people would need to humble themselves by admitting that they had done wrong. God brings upon Israel these horrific events to change the minds of His people. If the Lord did nothing while Israel walked in sin they would never see their need to change. Parents today that do not chastise, admonish, and correct erring children are doing them a grave disservice. The greatest love is depicted when one tries to help others (see Proverbs 27:5; Hebrews 12:5-13) (good introduction / theme statements). Chapter 7 I. Jehovah saves Israel from the Syrians (7 all): A. "And Elisha said, Hear ye the word of Jehovah: thus saith Jehovah, To-morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof" (7:1-2). 1. As Benhadad of Syria pressed upon Samaria with a grievous siege the people thought all was lost. Jehoram has blamed Elisha for the great calamity. When it appears that the people of Samaria could go no lower in hunger and fear Elisha makes a proclamation of hope. The prophet of God tells the people that by this time tomorrow all will be able to buy food. 2. The captain of Jehoram's army spoke words of little faith and doubt in the power of Jehovah God. Elisha tells him that it will happen and because of the captain's doubt Elisha tells him that he will not eat any of the food. 3. This captain stands as a representative of Israel and their lack of faith in Jehovah (see theme). Israel is put to shame by the faith of Namaan, a Syrian captain who gained faith in the Lord (see 2 Kings 5:8, 11-12, 15). B. "3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? 4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians; and when they were come to the outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no man there. 6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. 7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life" (7:3-7). 1. Four leprous men were at a point of starvation and desperation. They felt it would not matter if they died going into the Syrian camp to seek food. When they come into the camp they found no Syrians. 2. The Lord had caused a great sound to come in the Syrian's camp that made them believe a great army was approaching. The Syrians fled for their lives in fear leaving all their belongings behind. C. "8 And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and they came back, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. 9 Then they said one to another, We do not well; this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake us; now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household" (7:8-9). 20