July 8, 2025 • 20 mins
In this Bible Story, the land of Israel is perishing at the hand of the Syrians. The land is stripped of all its resources. Food, water, and life slowly left the city of Samaria. Women are forced to eat their own children, and all hope seems lost. This story is inspired by 2 Kings 6:24-7:20. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is 2 Kings 6:28 from the King James Version.
Episode 136: Finally, on recovery from the siege of Ben-Hedad, Israel once again faces famine. But before it hits the land in full force, Elisha goes to warn the Shunemite family he used to sojourn with. After seven years of living outside of Israel, she returns just as Gehazi is telling her story to the King. Meanwhile, the King of Syria, who was critically ill, sent his servant Hazael to the prophet Elisha to see if he would recover. When he finds him, Elisha breaks down in tears because God has made known to him the damage Hazael will do.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. And the king said, unto her, what
aileth thee? Then she answered, this woman said, unto me,
give thy son that we may eat him to day,
and we will eat my son tomorrow. Second King six
twenty eight. Heavenly Father, when difficult moments arise, keep my
(00:23):
heart and my mind steadfast on you. I will not
lose focus on what is important, but instead I will
keep my heart and my thoughts centered on you and
your word. I will not allow the draft of this
world to cause me to compromise my beliefs and devour
the promise that you have given me. I will not
(00:46):
allow emotion from challenges to cause me to harm others
in my life simply because I am upset or I
don't have the answers I desire. Instead, open my life
up and blo bless me with supernatural abundance and provision,
like you did for the lepers in Second King six
twenty four to seven twenty as you do, give me
(01:11):
the access to tell others where your blessings are flowing,
so that they too may be free from seasons of
lack and despair. In Jesus' name, Amen, listening to these
daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from
the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year,
(01:34):
brought to you by Bible Ineyear dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Famine in Samaria. In our last story, we saw Laisha
avoid the wrath of the armies of Aram. The Lord
confused them and lured them into trapped by blinding them
to the identity of Elisha. He led them into the
capital of Israel, where they were at the mercy of
the king's army. However, instead of killing them, they showed mercy.
(02:12):
As a result, Aram and Israel lived at peace with
one another. Now we hear about one of the darkest
stories in Israel's history, a story of a famine so
harsh that people were forced into the greatest sin anyone
could commit. Yet even in this moments of redemption are
awaiting Israel. Inspired by the Book of Second Kings.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
This is Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a Year podcast. In the last reading, we heard
how God blinded the soldiers of Aram who had surrounded Elisha.
The prophet. Elisha had seen God's army, his angel army
there to protect him, and had not wavered in his faith.
Despite the enemy at his doorstep. We then saw how
(03:00):
God worked through Elisha to bring peace between Israel and
Aram as the Israelis showed mercy and kindness to the
enemy and did not kill even when doing so would
have been very easy and within their rights. Today will
turn to an event that's truly hard to understand. A
famine so intense and a people so desperate that they
(03:21):
turned to unspeakable acts and commit grievous sin in a
desperate attempt to stay alive. So let's listen now to
this reading from God's word.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Israel enjoyed a brief moment of peace and prosperity. Conflict
with the Aramians had ceased, and all seemed well. However,
evil lurked in the darkness beyond the borders of Israel.
Ben Hadad, the King of Syria, had planned a deadly
insurgence on Samaria, the capital of Israel, the shining jewel
(03:54):
of a once prosperous nation, crumbled under the boot of
Syria's vast army had taken as prostitutes and slaves. Men
were murdered on the battlefield and children were left without homes.
Even worse, the armies of Syria made its home less
than one hundred miles away to raid Israel again and again.
As a result, Samaria fell into a famine unlike any
(04:18):
in its history. Samaria wept like a broken and dying orphan.
Hunger lingered like a dull blade lodged in someone's stomach.
Even the king himself walked to the city streets with
pain and hunger. Food became so scarce that a donkey's
head sold for over eighty shekels of silver, doves dung
was sold as food for five shekels. The children of
(04:41):
Israel were driven to madness, too hungry and thirsty to
think rationally or selflessly. With the hunger came chaos. One morning,
the king was walking among the city near the border wall.
His lungs filled up with dust and his lips were
parched from lack of water. At his people, the pain
(05:01):
of seeing them die slowly was greater than the hunger
pains in his stomach. To make matters worse, there was
no way to defend against Syrian attack, since his soldiers
were starved. He would have cried, but his body was
devoid of water. He could not spare a single tear.
The king leaned against the wall and surveyed his broken kingdom.
(05:23):
As he was stumbling through the city, he heard a shout,
help my lord. The king turned to see a woman.
The woman looked as if she was once very beautiful. However,
hunger took away her color. Her once dark and healthy
hair was thin and gray. Her eyes reflected great pain
and sorrow. She was, in many ways, a perfect image
(05:45):
of the state of Israel. The king shook his head
in despair. How could I help you? If the Lord
has not helped us, how on earth could I possibly
aid you? The King's voice choked up. He felt helpless.
His people needed him, and he could do nothing but
despair alongside them. He looked up at her. She looked
(06:06):
completely broken. Her thin frame was trembling in its place.
Her frail face looked up at the king with longing
and helplessness. The king sighed, what is your need? He asked,
we ate him? She said. There was a pause for
a moment. The King's heart grew heavier as she watched
(06:26):
the woman crumble with grief. My neighbor and I agreed
to eat our sons, our babies. The words seemed almost
like a cruel joke, but the woman spoke with complete seriousness.
We agreed to eat my son yesterday and her son
to day. So we boiled my child and ate him.
(06:47):
And now the woman and her boy are nowhere to
be found. The darkness of her words shrouded the king
in sorrow. Righteous anger welled up inside him. His fist
pressed against the wall, and he told or his clothes.
He did not blame the woman for what she did,
nor did he blame the other woman for leaving with
her son to save him. The king blamed only one
(07:09):
man for all this suffering. He blamed the man of God.
He blamed Elisha. May God put me to death if
I do not have Elisha's head falling from his shoulders
by the end of the day. So the king sent
out his commander to Elisha to lure him in so
he might be murdered. Elisha sat in his home, surrounded
(07:31):
by the elders of Israel. The men were standing beside
a fire, no food, no wine, no water. Before the
commander approached the house, Elishah spoke to the elders quietly,
the king has despatched a murderer to slay me. When
he comes, shut the door and hold it against him.
His master will not be far behind. As he was speaking,
(07:53):
a knocking was heard from the front of the house.
The king's commander was behind the door, doing his best
to seem harmless and well intentioned. He heard no response
from the house, so he knocked again nothing. After waiting
for a long while, he tried to enter the home
to no avail. The commander was angry now and yelled
through the door. This plague is from the Lord. Why
(08:16):
should I wait on him any longer for help? His
outburst confirmed Elisha's theory. People blamed God and him for
their troubles. In reality, it was the Syrians, but any
time discomfort or pain was experienced, people believed it must
have been the spiteful playing of an angry God. Alyisha
(08:36):
approached the door and spoke calmly through it. Hear the
word of God. Tomorrow at about this time, flower, barley
and gold will flow through the gate of samaria Ha.
The captain explained, Has the Lord finally made windows in
heaven to see our plight and send favors? He asked?
(08:56):
His words were spiteful and filled with cynicism. Hear me,
Elisha said again, you shall see it all with your
own eyes, but you will taste none of it yourself.
With those words, the commander left filled with doubt, frustration,
and hunger. Meanwhile, at the edge of the Gate of Samaria,
(09:17):
there were four lepers resting in the shade of the
Mighty Wall. Not only were their bodies outward lay wasting
away from their disease, but their inward parts were being
consumed by hunger. Lepers were not allowed in the city
for fear of the disease spreading, so they were doomed
to rod outside the gates. One of them looked to
the distance beyond Israel Hillars of smoke could be seen
(09:39):
where the Syrian camp was. Why are we just sitting
here until our inevitable deaths, he said. If we stay,
we die of hunger. If you go into the city,
we die of hunger or stoning. He sighed and looked
back at the horizon. But if we go to the
Syrian camp, maybe they will have pity on us and
give us food, or they will just kill us and
(10:00):
will die, leaving us no worse off than we were before.
The plans seemed rational, so the four lepers limped their
way towards the Syrian camp. It was twilight and darkness
had just began to cover the empty skies. The Lepers
drew closer to the camp, expecting bonfires and torches to
illuminate the path. Instead, all they saw was darkness. Coals
(10:24):
were burning off the last of their heat, and pits. Food, weapons,
and supplies were thrown around as if they had been
dropped in a hurry. The camp itself was completely empty
of any Syrians. As it turned out, earlier that day,
the Lord had sent a confusing wind to rush through
the canyons beyond the Syrian camp. Thundrous noises burst through
(10:44):
the valley beside them, giving the illusion of a great
army approaching. Out of fear of ambush, the Syrians left
in a hurry, leaving all their plunders, horses, food in
tense behind. The Lepers could barely contain their excitement. The
immediately filled their bellies with food, wine, and water. They
ransacked the camp for all valuables, gold, silver, and flower.
(11:09):
All of the sudden, these four forgotten Lepers were the
richest men in Israel. They took the mules and packed
them with flour, barley, gold, and water. Then they hid
them for themselves. As they were unpacking the mules, a
gentle nudge of God's spirit came upon them. All of
a sudden, their eyes were opened to what they were doing.
(11:29):
This isn't right, they said. We are to share this
good news with the king so all can enjoy this blessing.
It was still dark, but the lepers wasted no time.
They ran towards the gate keeper and told him everything.
He ran to the king and woke him up. When
the King heard of this, he leaped to his feet
in excitement. However, a rush of skepticism followed. How do
(11:52):
we know this isn't a trap, he asked himself. So
the king sent two horsemen to scout the area and
make sure the Syrians had truly left. On their travels,
they saw remnants of Syrian clothing, weapons, and jewelry, proof
that they had left in haste. So all the people
were given permission to storm the Syrian camp and finally
find food. Silently and subtlely, the Lord provided for the
(12:16):
needs of his people. The people were ravenous and rejoiced
in the taste of fresh food for the first time
in months. They returned to Samaria with the spoilers. The
crowd was so large that they posed danger to the
city gates, so the king appointed his commander to oversee
the gates. He stood at attention and watched the tidal
wave of people approaching with flower and barley. The commander's
(12:40):
heart sank as he remembered the words of elisha hear
the word of God tomorrow at about this time, flower,
barley and gold will flow through the gate of Samaria.
The words echoed in his mind as he watched the
people approach with more flower, barley in gold than he
had seen in his life. But then he remembered what
(13:00):
Elishah said afterwards, you shall see it all with your
own eyes, but you will taste none of it yourself.
As those words resonated in his memory, the sea of
people crashed upon the city gates. The commander did his
best to stop them, but he was knocked over and
traveled to death.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
As we opened today's scripture, the peace Israel had enjoyed
for a time has been shattered by the Syrian king
and his army. They invaded Israel's capital city, Samaria, and
slaughtered men, enslaved women, and left countless orphans. It was
truly the darkest of times in the kingdom. But things
were only going to get worse. The Syrians set up
(13:45):
an outpost nearby that allowed them to come back again
and again to attack, pillage, and kill. Samaria was plunged
into severe famine that even the most unpalatable foods like
donkey heads and duve dung were worth their weight in silver.
One day, as the king walked along the wall of
the city, a woman cried to him for help. Though
(14:08):
he could not help her, he asked what her trouble was.
Her answer revealed that desperation was so high that some
had turned to an unthinkable evil. This woman told the
king that she and another woman had agreed to boil
their babies and eat them. She had gone first, killing
her own child and consuming him with the other woman,
(14:29):
but now the other woman had hidden her child, refusing
to hold up to her end of the agreement. Life
has now lost all value in the face of such
need and oppression. It's such a sad commentary on the
state of Samaria that mothers were sacrificing their own babies
so that they could continue to live. This woman's story
(14:52):
was too much for the king. He tore his clothes
in anger in mourning. He had every reason to be
angry and fill with sorrow. But what happened next revealed
how misdirected his anger was. He vowed to kill Elisha,
God's prophet that very day. He was sure it was
Elishah's fault that all of this was happening. In e fact,
(15:13):
he was blaming God for these circumstances. Elisha was just
the closest target. So he sent his commander to bring
Elishah out of his home and murder him. And when
the commander could not get Elisha to come out, he
grew frustrated, and in his frustration revealed that, just like
the King, he blamed God for what was going on.
(15:34):
We read his words in Second King six thirty three.
The messenger came down to him and said, the trouble
is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the
Lord any longer? Before we judge the king and his
commander too harshly, we might want to think and consider
how we are often guilty of blaming God for other things.
(15:54):
When things aren't going our way, or if life is
in disarray, or some tragedy that we cannot expel plain
has come upon us. Do we turn to God for
help and wait on him and trust in him, or
do we blame our problems, our troubles, our struggles, or
accuse him in ways that are unconscionable. God had not
(16:14):
caused this trouble. It was the Syrian army, the enemy,
who had attacked and taken Samaria. God was not the
source of their trouble. But as Elisha was about to
tell them, God would be the source of their rescue.
He told the commander that the very next day, food
would come through the gates of Samaria, barley, flower, and
(16:34):
even gold would enter the gates. The commander scoffed at
this promise. He wasn't just being doubtful, he was being unbelieving,
and his lack of faith are no faith was going
to cost him. Elishah told him that what he said
was true, and that the commander would see it with
his own eyes, but never taste it for himself. And
just as Elishah the prophet said, God provided four lepers
(16:59):
who lived outside the walls ventured into the Syrian camp.
They supposed that they would either receive food or a
swift death, and either would be welcomed outcomes. But as
they entered the camp they found it empty. God had
sent a mighty wind and a thunderous noise to strike
fear and confusion into the enemy, and they had all fled,
(17:22):
leaving behind what flower, barley, and gold. The four men
initially planned to keep it all to themselves, but God
moved in them, and they ran to Samaria to tell
the king. And just as God had promised to Elijah,
the next day, barley, flower, gold entered the gates of
the city. Rescue had come in the most unlikely and
(17:45):
supernatural of ways. This was the work of God. The
commander at the gate saw it all, but in a
sudden rush of people, that man was trampled underfoot and died.
We may never know or understand why bad things happen
to us. It's an ancient question, isn't it. Why do
(18:06):
bad things happen to people? Why is there suffering? Why
are their tragedies in life? We've wrestled with these kinds
of questions for thousands of years. But here's what we know.
We know that God loves us, that God is working
always in our behalf to those of us who know
and love Him Romans eight twenty eight, and the New
(18:27):
Testament says, for we know that God is working all
things together for the good to those who love the
Lord and who are called according to his purpose. Yes,
God is good, he does good, and he's working all
things together for good to those who trust in him.
Dear God, we thank you for your word to us today.
(18:49):
It's a very hard story to read, and we admit
that we don't often understand the reason for tragedy and pain.
We can't understand why a woman would take the life
of him precious child. But we thank you that always
you are there for us with mercy and grace to
provide for us and our needs. That you are working
all things together for our good and your glory. Help
(19:13):
us to believe in you even when we don't see
our way through that we look to you in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot Com
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(19:36):
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(19:57):
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bless you.
Let us pray. And the king said, unto her, what
aileth thee? Then she answered, this woman said, unto me,
give thy son that we may eat him to day,
and we will eat my son tomorrow. Second King six
twenty eight. Heavenly Father, when difficult moments arise, keep my
(00:23):
heart and my mind steadfast on you. I will not
lose focus on what is important, but instead I will
keep my heart and my thoughts centered on you and
your word. I will not allow the draft of this
world to cause me to compromise my beliefs and devour
the promise that you have given me. I will not
(00:46):
allow emotion from challenges to cause me to harm others
in my life simply because I am upset or I
don't have the answers I desire. Instead, open my life
up and blo bless me with supernatural abundance and provision,
like you did for the lepers in Second King six
twenty four to seven twenty as you do, give me
(01:11):
the access to tell others where your blessings are flowing,
so that they too may be free from seasons of
lack and despair. In Jesus' name, Amen, listening to these
daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from
the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year,
(01:34):
brought to you by Bible Ineyear dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Famine in Samaria. In our last story, we saw Laisha
avoid the wrath of the armies of Aram. The Lord
confused them and lured them into trapped by blinding them
to the identity of Elisha. He led them into the
capital of Israel, where they were at the mercy of
the king's army. However, instead of killing them, they showed mercy.
(02:12):
As a result, Aram and Israel lived at peace with
one another. Now we hear about one of the darkest
stories in Israel's history, a story of a famine so
harsh that people were forced into the greatest sin anyone
could commit. Yet even in this moments of redemption are
awaiting Israel. Inspired by the Book of Second Kings.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
This is Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a Year podcast. In the last reading, we heard
how God blinded the soldiers of Aram who had surrounded Elisha.
The prophet. Elisha had seen God's army, his angel army
there to protect him, and had not wavered in his faith.
Despite the enemy at his doorstep. We then saw how
(03:00):
God worked through Elisha to bring peace between Israel and
Aram as the Israelis showed mercy and kindness to the
enemy and did not kill even when doing so would
have been very easy and within their rights. Today will
turn to an event that's truly hard to understand. A
famine so intense and a people so desperate that they
(03:21):
turned to unspeakable acts and commit grievous sin in a
desperate attempt to stay alive. So let's listen now to
this reading from God's word.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Israel enjoyed a brief moment of peace and prosperity. Conflict
with the Aramians had ceased, and all seemed well. However,
evil lurked in the darkness beyond the borders of Israel.
Ben Hadad, the King of Syria, had planned a deadly
insurgence on Samaria, the capital of Israel, the shining jewel
(03:54):
of a once prosperous nation, crumbled under the boot of
Syria's vast army had taken as prostitutes and slaves. Men
were murdered on the battlefield and children were left without homes.
Even worse, the armies of Syria made its home less
than one hundred miles away to raid Israel again and again.
As a result, Samaria fell into a famine unlike any
(04:18):
in its history. Samaria wept like a broken and dying orphan.
Hunger lingered like a dull blade lodged in someone's stomach.
Even the king himself walked to the city streets with
pain and hunger. Food became so scarce that a donkey's
head sold for over eighty shekels of silver, doves dung
was sold as food for five shekels. The children of
(04:41):
Israel were driven to madness, too hungry and thirsty to
think rationally or selflessly. With the hunger came chaos. One morning,
the king was walking among the city near the border wall.
His lungs filled up with dust and his lips were
parched from lack of water. At his people, the pain
(05:01):
of seeing them die slowly was greater than the hunger
pains in his stomach. To make matters worse, there was
no way to defend against Syrian attack, since his soldiers
were starved. He would have cried, but his body was
devoid of water. He could not spare a single tear.
The king leaned against the wall and surveyed his broken kingdom.
(05:23):
As he was stumbling through the city, he heard a shout,
help my lord. The king turned to see a woman.
The woman looked as if she was once very beautiful. However,
hunger took away her color. Her once dark and healthy
hair was thin and gray. Her eyes reflected great pain
and sorrow. She was, in many ways, a perfect image
(05:45):
of the state of Israel. The king shook his head
in despair. How could I help you? If the Lord
has not helped us, how on earth could I possibly
aid you? The King's voice choked up. He felt helpless.
His people needed him, and he could do nothing but
despair alongside them. He looked up at her. She looked
(06:06):
completely broken. Her thin frame was trembling in its place.
Her frail face looked up at the king with longing
and helplessness. The king sighed, what is your need? He asked,
we ate him? She said. There was a pause for
a moment. The King's heart grew heavier as she watched
(06:26):
the woman crumble with grief. My neighbor and I agreed
to eat our sons, our babies. The words seemed almost
like a cruel joke, but the woman spoke with complete seriousness.
We agreed to eat my son yesterday and her son
to day. So we boiled my child and ate him.
(06:47):
And now the woman and her boy are nowhere to
be found. The darkness of her words shrouded the king
in sorrow. Righteous anger welled up inside him. His fist
pressed against the wall, and he told or his clothes.
He did not blame the woman for what she did,
nor did he blame the other woman for leaving with
her son to save him. The king blamed only one
(07:09):
man for all this suffering. He blamed the man of God.
He blamed Elisha. May God put me to death if
I do not have Elisha's head falling from his shoulders
by the end of the day. So the king sent
out his commander to Elisha to lure him in so
he might be murdered. Elisha sat in his home, surrounded
(07:31):
by the elders of Israel. The men were standing beside
a fire, no food, no wine, no water. Before the
commander approached the house, Elishah spoke to the elders quietly,
the king has despatched a murderer to slay me. When
he comes, shut the door and hold it against him.
His master will not be far behind. As he was speaking,
(07:53):
a knocking was heard from the front of the house.
The king's commander was behind the door, doing his best
to seem harmless and well intentioned. He heard no response
from the house, so he knocked again nothing. After waiting
for a long while, he tried to enter the home
to no avail. The commander was angry now and yelled
through the door. This plague is from the Lord. Why
(08:16):
should I wait on him any longer for help? His
outburst confirmed Elisha's theory. People blamed God and him for
their troubles. In reality, it was the Syrians, but any
time discomfort or pain was experienced, people believed it must
have been the spiteful playing of an angry God. Alyisha
(08:36):
approached the door and spoke calmly through it. Hear the
word of God. Tomorrow at about this time, flower, barley
and gold will flow through the gate of samaria Ha.
The captain explained, Has the Lord finally made windows in
heaven to see our plight and send favors? He asked?
(08:56):
His words were spiteful and filled with cynicism. Hear me,
Elisha said again, you shall see it all with your
own eyes, but you will taste none of it yourself.
With those words, the commander left filled with doubt, frustration,
and hunger. Meanwhile, at the edge of the Gate of Samaria,
(09:17):
there were four lepers resting in the shade of the
Mighty Wall. Not only were their bodies outward lay wasting
away from their disease, but their inward parts were being
consumed by hunger. Lepers were not allowed in the city
for fear of the disease spreading, so they were doomed
to rod outside the gates. One of them looked to
the distance beyond Israel Hillars of smoke could be seen
(09:39):
where the Syrian camp was. Why are we just sitting
here until our inevitable deaths, he said. If we stay,
we die of hunger. If you go into the city,
we die of hunger or stoning. He sighed and looked
back at the horizon. But if we go to the
Syrian camp, maybe they will have pity on us and
give us food, or they will just kill us and
(10:00):
will die, leaving us no worse off than we were before.
The plans seemed rational, so the four lepers limped their
way towards the Syrian camp. It was twilight and darkness
had just began to cover the empty skies. The Lepers
drew closer to the camp, expecting bonfires and torches to
illuminate the path. Instead, all they saw was darkness. Coals
(10:24):
were burning off the last of their heat, and pits. Food, weapons,
and supplies were thrown around as if they had been
dropped in a hurry. The camp itself was completely empty
of any Syrians. As it turned out, earlier that day,
the Lord had sent a confusing wind to rush through
the canyons beyond the Syrian camp. Thundrous noises burst through
(10:44):
the valley beside them, giving the illusion of a great
army approaching. Out of fear of ambush, the Syrians left
in a hurry, leaving all their plunders, horses, food in
tense behind. The Lepers could barely contain their excitement. The
immediately filled their bellies with food, wine, and water. They
ransacked the camp for all valuables, gold, silver, and flower.
(11:09):
All of the sudden, these four forgotten Lepers were the
richest men in Israel. They took the mules and packed
them with flour, barley, gold, and water. Then they hid
them for themselves. As they were unpacking the mules, a
gentle nudge of God's spirit came upon them. All of
a sudden, their eyes were opened to what they were doing.
(11:29):
This isn't right, they said. We are to share this
good news with the king so all can enjoy this blessing.
It was still dark, but the lepers wasted no time.
They ran towards the gate keeper and told him everything.
He ran to the king and woke him up. When
the King heard of this, he leaped to his feet
in excitement. However, a rush of skepticism followed. How do
(11:52):
we know this isn't a trap, he asked himself. So
the king sent two horsemen to scout the area and
make sure the Syrians had truly left. On their travels,
they saw remnants of Syrian clothing, weapons, and jewelry, proof
that they had left in haste. So all the people
were given permission to storm the Syrian camp and finally
find food. Silently and subtlely, the Lord provided for the
(12:16):
needs of his people. The people were ravenous and rejoiced
in the taste of fresh food for the first time
in months. They returned to Samaria with the spoilers. The
crowd was so large that they posed danger to the
city gates, so the king appointed his commander to oversee
the gates. He stood at attention and watched the tidal
wave of people approaching with flower and barley. The commander's
(12:40):
heart sank as he remembered the words of elisha hear
the word of God tomorrow at about this time, flower,
barley and gold will flow through the gate of Samaria.
The words echoed in his mind as he watched the
people approach with more flower, barley in gold than he
had seen in his life. But then he remembered what
(13:00):
Elishah said afterwards, you shall see it all with your
own eyes, but you will taste none of it yourself.
As those words resonated in his memory, the sea of
people crashed upon the city gates. The commander did his
best to stop them, but he was knocked over and
traveled to death.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
As we opened today's scripture, the peace Israel had enjoyed
for a time has been shattered by the Syrian king
and his army. They invaded Israel's capital city, Samaria, and
slaughtered men, enslaved women, and left countless orphans. It was
truly the darkest of times in the kingdom. But things
were only going to get worse. The Syrians set up
(13:45):
an outpost nearby that allowed them to come back again
and again to attack, pillage, and kill. Samaria was plunged
into severe famine that even the most unpalatable foods like
donkey heads and duve dung were worth their weight in silver.
One day, as the king walked along the wall of
the city, a woman cried to him for help. Though
(14:08):
he could not help her, he asked what her trouble was.
Her answer revealed that desperation was so high that some
had turned to an unthinkable evil. This woman told the
king that she and another woman had agreed to boil
their babies and eat them. She had gone first, killing
her own child and consuming him with the other woman,
(14:29):
but now the other woman had hidden her child, refusing
to hold up to her end of the agreement. Life
has now lost all value in the face of such
need and oppression. It's such a sad commentary on the
state of Samaria that mothers were sacrificing their own babies
so that they could continue to live. This woman's story
(14:52):
was too much for the king. He tore his clothes
in anger in mourning. He had every reason to be
angry and fill with sorrow. But what happened next revealed
how misdirected his anger was. He vowed to kill Elisha,
God's prophet that very day. He was sure it was
Elishah's fault that all of this was happening. In e fact,
(15:13):
he was blaming God for these circumstances. Elisha was just
the closest target. So he sent his commander to bring
Elishah out of his home and murder him. And when
the commander could not get Elisha to come out, he
grew frustrated, and in his frustration revealed that, just like
the King, he blamed God for what was going on.
(15:34):
We read his words in Second King six thirty three.
The messenger came down to him and said, the trouble
is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the
Lord any longer? Before we judge the king and his
commander too harshly, we might want to think and consider
how we are often guilty of blaming God for other things.
(15:54):
When things aren't going our way, or if life is
in disarray, or some tragedy that we cannot expel plain
has come upon us. Do we turn to God for
help and wait on him and trust in him, or
do we blame our problems, our troubles, our struggles, or
accuse him in ways that are unconscionable. God had not
(16:14):
caused this trouble. It was the Syrian army, the enemy,
who had attacked and taken Samaria. God was not the
source of their trouble. But as Elisha was about to
tell them, God would be the source of their rescue.
He told the commander that the very next day, food
would come through the gates of Samaria, barley, flower, and
(16:34):
even gold would enter the gates. The commander scoffed at
this promise. He wasn't just being doubtful, he was being unbelieving,
and his lack of faith are no faith was going
to cost him. Elishah told him that what he said
was true, and that the commander would see it with
his own eyes, but never taste it for himself. And
just as Elishah the prophet said, God provided four lepers
(16:59):
who lived outside the walls ventured into the Syrian camp.
They supposed that they would either receive food or a
swift death, and either would be welcomed outcomes. But as
they entered the camp they found it empty. God had
sent a mighty wind and a thunderous noise to strike
fear and confusion into the enemy, and they had all fled,
(17:22):
leaving behind what flower, barley, and gold. The four men
initially planned to keep it all to themselves, but God
moved in them, and they ran to Samaria to tell
the king. And just as God had promised to Elijah,
the next day, barley, flower, gold entered the gates of
the city. Rescue had come in the most unlikely and
(17:45):
supernatural of ways. This was the work of God. The
commander at the gate saw it all, but in a
sudden rush of people, that man was trampled underfoot and died.
We may never know or understand why bad things happen
to us. It's an ancient question, isn't it. Why do
(18:06):
bad things happen to people? Why is there suffering? Why
are their tragedies in life? We've wrestled with these kinds
of questions for thousands of years. But here's what we know.
We know that God loves us, that God is working
always in our behalf to those of us who know
and love Him Romans eight twenty eight, and the New
(18:27):
Testament says, for we know that God is working all
things together for the good to those who love the
Lord and who are called according to his purpose. Yes,
God is good, he does good, and he's working all
things together for good to those who trust in him.
Dear God, we thank you for your word to us today.
(18:49):
It's a very hard story to read, and we admit
that we don't often understand the reason for tragedy and pain.
We can't understand why a woman would take the life
of him precious child. But we thank you that always
you are there for us with mercy and grace to
provide for us and our needs. That you are working
all things together for our good and your glory. Help
(19:13):
us to believe in you even when we don't see
our way through that we look to you in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot Com
app and make prayer and Bible study a priority in
your life. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with
(19:36):
someone you love, share it with a friend, Pass it
on because this podcast can make a huge difference in
people's lives. I'm hearing wonderful stories of the impact of
God's Word as a result of listening to Bible in
a year. And if you want more biblical resources, resources
from God's Word that will enable you and assist you
(19:57):
in your walk with God, then be sure to visit
Jack Graham dot org. That's Jack Graham dot org. God
bless you.
Host
Jack Graham
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