God Conversation

In 2 Kings 5:1-19, Naaman met Elisha, the mighty prophet of God and he was supernaturally healed. 

Naaman was the commander of Syria’s (Aram’s) army and well regarded as a military man, but he had leprosy. His Israelite servant girl suggested he go to Elisha to be healed.

Instead of Elisha coming to the door to greet Naaman, he sent a messenger to him saying,  

Naaman Seeks Special Treatment

Naaman arrives with chariots to pay Elisha honor. Through his riches and social standing, he hopes to convince the prophet that he is worthy of a healing.

He even stops at the door like a beggar for alms, humiliating himself in hopes that Elisha will return the favor and stoop down and give him a healing.

Naaman was furious with the message and turned away in a rage. His pride was bruised because he expected Elisha to greet him, lay hands on him and miraculously heal the leprosy. He wanted special treatment for his faith.

Naaman’s servants urged him to reconsider, and Naaman wisely did. After dipping himself in the Jordan River seven times, he was completely healed as Elisha had said. In fact, 

2 Kings 5:14 his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy 

Naaman had decided how God should heal a man as important as himself. He was not about to wash in the dirty Jordan River! Naaman was about to lose his blessing when he was entreated by his servants to obey the prophet. Naaman repented. The scripture says his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child.

What can we learn from Naaman?

1. God Doesn’t work on our terms

2. Salvation is the same for everyone

3. God doesn’t do  distinctions between people

Just like Naaman, we are in need of a cure, the same cure given to everyone who will come to Christ.

Jesus mentioned this story

Jesus used the story of Naaman and Elisha as an illustration of Israel’s problem of unbelief. 

In Luke 4:27, Jesus tells the crowd in the synagogue of Nazareth, “There were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” 

The lepers of Israel overlooked the healing that could have been theirs through Elisha, so God healed a Syrian instead. In the same way, the Israelites of Jesus’ day were missing the Power right in front of their eyes. But God is no respecter of persons, and the Gentiles eventually received the gospel that Israel rejected.

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2 Kings 4:42-44 Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.” But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?” He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

 Jesus twice fed multitudes with a few loaves and fish (Matthew 14:13-21 and 15:32-39). God used Elisha to do a similar miracle hundreds of years before.

We see in this story that they had relatively few loaves of barley bread to feed many. 

Elisha told his servant to give the twenty loaves of bread to the one hundred men He asked, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.

Also barley was regarded as simple food, better for feeding animals than people. Humble barley loaves aren’t much to work with, but God doesn’t need much.

More than enough

By God’s miracle, few loaves were made many and they had more than enough. It says, “they ate and had some left over,” and it was all according to the word of the LORD.” God promised more than provision, but to provide beyondthe immediate need. Elisha trusted the promise of God, acted upon it, and saw the promise miraculously fulfilled.

Here in 2 Kings it was 20 loaves for about 100 people. In the ministry of Jesus, it was 5 loaves for 5,000 people! In 2 Kings there was some left over, but in the ministry of Jesus they filled 12 big baskets with the leftovers (John 6:13).

God's provision

Psalm 37:16 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.

Times were tight, food was scarce, but the company of prophets were learning from Elisha about God’s faithfulness in providing for his people even through times of famine.

Isaiah 61:7 Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, Everlasting joy will be theirs.

God promised a double portion many times in the Bible. We need to believe that he is our provider and can multiply the little that we have.

Zechariah 9:12 Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.

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 Elisha was visiting the school of the prophets at Gilgal, instructing them in the things of God. At the close of a meeting he gave orders that a simple meal should be prepared for them; so one of them went out into the field to gather herbs, that they might have a vegetable stew. He found a wild vine with gourds. Securing a goodly quantity, he returned and shred them into the pot of pottage, quite unconscious that he was making use of a poisonous plant.

2 Kings 4: 38:41

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 see the 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 thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. 41 Aß

Death in the pot

The pottage was found to be dangerous; so that they cried out, 'there is death in the pot', (v. 4:40). Elisha immediately cured the bad taste and prevented the bad consequences of this poisonous pottage.

“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 [or ‘evil thing’] in the pot” ( 2 Kings 4:41).

Meal or flour is a substance that has been crushed to make a rough powder, esp. plant seeds crushed to make flour. It was used to thicken the sauce. 

The “meal” we regard as the Word of God: either the written or the personal Word. One of the great types of Christ is seen in the meat (i.e., meal) offering of Leviticus 2. 

It is only by the Word we are safeguarded from evil. See how graciously God provided for “His own.” Though there was a “dearth in the land,” yet these sons of the prophets were not without “meal”! How thankful we should be for the Word of God in our homes in such a day as this. Though someone else fetched the meal, “he [Elisha] cast it into the pot”!

Jesus told the disciples in Mark 17:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

The promise of Jesus

The expression translated "when they drink deadly poison" could be translated "If they consume deadly substances" and it's not just literal poisons like arsenic, antrax, etc. God is able to protect us from anything poisonous, from herbal poisons to dangerous vaccines.

Mark 17:19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

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Second Kings 4 records the account of Elisha and the Shunammite woman. The woman is described as a wealthy married woman in the village of Shunem.

The wealthy woman had an extra room built on to her house and furnished it comfortably for Elisha. Elisha and his servant used the room whenever they passed through the area of Shunem. In thanks for the help she gave to the preaching of the word of God, Elisha told the woman that she would give birth to a son even though her husband was very old. She did give birth to a son but after a few years, he died. 

The woman placed the boy’s body in Elisha’s special room and then went to find Elisha. Elisha came and raised her son from the dead.

2 Kings 4:32–35 describes what happened next: “When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the LORD. Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.”

When Elisha arrived, he went into the room with the dead child, shut the door, prayed, stretched himself on the child to warm him, and prayed. God heard his prayer and restored the life to the child!

Life and death

There is a reference in the New Testament where Jesus mentions life and death that I believe has something to do with this story.

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

1. Elisha shut the door and prayed. Are you praying regularly for the salvation of your children or for someone else’s children?

2. There was personal contact. The intimate contact there was of eye, mouth and hands. This suggests that if we are going to win the children to Christ we must: 

1. be able to see things from the child’s standpoint; 

2. be able to speak in the child’s language; 

3. be able to enter into the child’s interests.

3. There was intense desire and effort. In verse 34, we are told that the prophet “stretched himself out upon him”.Bringing God to someone is hard work, demanding the sacrifice of time and energy. It often proves disappointing, but it is gloriously worthwhile work and brings great reward to the worker.

4. There was patience and perseverance.. Elisha had to hold on to God and to work on in faith. The child sneezed 7 times before coming back to life, then there is the sign of vision, for we are told that the child “opened his eyes”.

The message that brings life

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

Metaphorically everyone is spiritually dead before responding to the message of the gospel. Just like the shunammite's  son we passed from death to life through the sacrifice of Jesus. It was hard work and perseverance from Him that caused the mircle of resurrection in our lives.

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A prophet died and left debts that his widow and two sons could not pay. The creditor decided to take the two sons as slaves in payment of the debt. When the widow begged for Elisha’s help, the Lord miraculously provided them with enough oil to sell and pay off the debt.

In one town a poor widow approached Elisha. Her husband had been a prophet.

This poor widow was unable to pay the debts that her husband had left her with. She had only a small amount of olive oil in her home – nothing else of value. As was the common practice of the time, her two sons were going to have to work for the lender until the money was paid back. In this case, he was going to exact a more harsh payment. They were to become his slaves.

God’s servant, Elisha, told the woman to borrow all the empty jars from her neighbours that she could possibly get, close her doors, and begin pouring the oil from her jar into the borrowed jars. As she obeyed, the widow saw that God provided enough oil to fill all the jars.

2 Kings 4:5-7 So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

Lessons from this miracle

1. Pray and ask for God's wisdom

2. Use what you have to get what you need

3. God will give you supernatural abundance when you obey to His word.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

"What do you have in the house?" said the prophet to the woman

Jesus afterward said to His disciples, "How many loaves do you have?"

God can multiply the little that we have and transform it into abundance. Our tendency is to hold back and hold tightly what we perceive to be insignificant in our lives (or what we don’t have enough of). Yet, in God’s order, rather than hoarding our talents (or whatever it is we’re holding on tightly to), you’ll discover that it is in the pouring out of the LITTLE you have that it becomes more. 

What does the little jar of oil in this story represent in your life? WHat can you place in God's hands today? 

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God is able to take care of every problem you bring to Him. Whatever you are facing may be big to you, but nothing is impossible for Him!

Three kings had banded together to mount a surprise attack on the Moabites. Their strategy was to lead their combined armies through the desert and attack Moab where an attack would be least expected.

2 Kings 3:9-10 tells us: “So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. And the king of Israel said, ‘Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.’”

The only thing that could save them was a miracle. Jehoshaphat, the godly king of Judah, recognized this and urged the other kings to seek God’s direction from the prophet, Elisha.

“Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.’ But the king of Israel said to him, ‘No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab’” (2 Kings 3:13).

Elisha was not found of the king but he delivered God’s word to them. 

“Thus says the Lord: Make this valley full of ditches. For thus says the Lord: you shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink. And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand” (2 Kings 3:16-18).

Then they went to sleep and the miracle happens in the morning.

2 Kings 3:20 tells us: “Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.” 

God miraculously filled every ditch they dug. Not only did He give them life-sustaining water, but, if you read the rest of the chapter, you will see that God also gave them a stunning victory!

You may not have a prophet to consult, but you do have the Bible. It is God’s Word, and Hebrews 4:12 tells us it is active and alive; powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is full of victory, grace and truth, but it won’t do you any good if it just sits on the shelf. It needs to be down deep on the inside of you.

God wants you to prepare your life with ditches that He can fill. He can make it rain in such a way that every area of your life is touched. But you have to dig the ditches.

You might not see clouds or hear any thunder, but when you dig ditches, even in your desert place, God is faithful to rain down blessing, healing, deliverance, guidance, provision, peace…whatever it is that you need.

God calls them to do unexpected things. He calls them to this little act of obedience in a time of struggle…to the obedience that doesn’t make sense.

God calls us also to do the same kind of things as we obey Him. What ditches is he calling you to dig?

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After its destruction as part of the Conquest, Joshua ordered that Jericho should never be rebuilt (Joshua 6:26). The city lay as a testimony to God’s power for a long time. However, in the time of Ahab, a man named Hiel rebuilt Jericho (1 Kings 16:34).

Jericho was a city rebuilt against the command of God, and a city that was part of a kingdom that worshipped Baal and the golden calves.

2 Kings 2:19-22 The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”20 “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” 22 And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.

God as a last resort

The men of the city came to Elisha the prophet for help. This was not because they trusted the true God, or because they served a faithful city; it is likely because they had tried other gods and solutions and nothing had worked. Elisha is the last resort.

Elisha throws salt into the spring and it heals the water, not just then, but forever.

The Gospel in this story

The men of Jericho did not deserve God to help them, yet he did. Likewise, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We can only come to God and ask for help. The salvation shown to the people of Jericho and those who trust in Jesus is only due to God’s grace.

God saved those who came to him in faith through his representative. In 2 Kings 2, it was Elisha, and for us today, it is Jesus.

God saves people using unexpected means. Salt is an odd thing to use to purify water; it usually makes it unusable rather than usable! Similarly, a death is an odd way to secure a victory; it usually means defeat. God loves to save people through ways we cannot expect and would not have thought of ourselves.

The salvation given is permanent. Jericho’s water wasn’t healed for a day but forever. Likewise, Jesus’ payment for our sins is once for all, not just the sins we have committed to the point we believed.

We are the salt of the earth and God uses us to heal the world and produce living waters in all that believe.

None of us deserve what Jesus has won for us, any more than the men of Jericho deserved their water to be healed by a God they only came to in desperation.

Water represents purification, life in Christ

John 7: 37 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him

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Before Elijah departs into heaven in a whirlwind, riding on a chariot of fire, Elisha asks him for a "double-share of his spirit."

Elijah transferred the prophetic mantel to Elisha just before Elijah ascended to heaven. And as it had done in the shift from Moses to Joshua, the Jordan River parted for Elijah and Elisha, who crossed on dry ground

2 Kings 2:8 And Elijah took his mantle (coat) and rolled it up and struck the waters, and they were divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Elijah then departs into heaven on a "chariot of fire" carried up into heaven on a whirlwind sent by God.

2 Kings 2:14 He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he too had struck the waters, they divided this way and that, and Elisha crossed over.

Parting of the Sea/Water Occurs 5 Times in the Bible.

We often find ourselves in state of crossing and transition after times of being stuck in a “wilderness.” The Jordan river is at the border of wilderness.

The Jordan River – Your Place Of Transition

How do we break the “wilderness cycle” and get to the place of crossing?

John the Baptist chose this same area to baptize.

Because the Jordan River represented a place of transition — in fact, of new beginnings — it became the place where John baptized Jesus. But instead of the waters parting, the heavens did.

Mark 1:10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

The transitions that occurred there were very importantl — as with Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and John and Jesus.

Matthew 3:6 and Mark 1:15 describe John the Baptist baptizing the people from Jerusalem, Judea and the surrounding area. He di this at the Jordan river.

The Jordan river represents an opportunity we all have before us. With confessing our sins to God and one another, and in physical baptism, we can be renewed and refreshed. We can have that breakthrough and moment of clarity that we may have been seeking in our lives.

Entering the Promised Land by crossing the Jordan remains a timeless metaphor for crossing over from death to spiritual life.

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Close to the end of his life, Elijah was called upon to meet another crisis, this one involving the son of Ahab, King Ahaziah, who had succeeded his father on the throne of Israel. Ahaziah was sick and had sought to inquire of Baalzebub regarding his recovery. Elijah’s message to him was:

2 Kings 1:3-4 Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die

The king then sent a squadron of 50 soldiers to bring Elijah to him.

There is no indication that Elijah’s life was in danger. When Elijah finally appeared before the king he simply delivered his message. We are not even told the king’s reaction. There was no indication of an arrest attempt.

Then the captain of the 50 men who said, it seems almost respectfully:

2 Kings 1:9 Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.

As an answer we see something strange happened.

Fire From Heaven

2 Kings 1:10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then 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.

There is a debate about this miracle. Elijah may have been saying essentially: “You dare to doubt me! Let me show you. I can prove that I am a man of God.

Jesus and this incident

At one point, when Jesus was not welcomed at a Samaritan village, his disciples reacted by saying:

Luke 9:54 Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

The disciples were referring to the event under discussion. In their understanding, the fire was sent by God. Jesus’ response was revealing:

Luke 9:54-56 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

They expected that Jesus would approve of their wanting to act like Elijah. However, Jesus reprimanded the spirit behind their response. It was one of revenge not of forgiveness.

Apparently Jesus did not agree with doing a same type of miracle, Nevertheless Elijah did things that are hard to understand.

A love message

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

The Character of Christ is forgiveness. In the days of Elijah we see a belligerent type of actions and this is a miracle that is hard to understand. This story is similar  to that of Ananias and Sapphira who ended up dying because they lied to the Lord.

The life and character of Jesus should instruct us in such situations that we are confronted by threats. Many times our flesh wants to bring fire from heaven but God wants to give a chance to people for repentance.

2 Peter 3:9  The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

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1 Kings 18:45-46 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

God’s word through Elijah was proved true. The long drought was over, and it was demonstrated that the prayers of Elijah both withheld the rain and then subsequently brought the rain.

Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab: This was an obviously supernaturally empowered 14-mile cross-country run. We don’t know exactly why it was important to God for Elijah to reach Jezreel first; perhaps it was so that he would be the first to tell Queen Jezebel.

God prepared Elijah for this miracle 

1 Kings 18:1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land."

The chapter started out with God speaking to Elijah and telling him to go and meet with King Ahab and that God would send rain on the land. Essentially, God was telling him, “Prepare yourself, it is about to rain.”

42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

Elijah had to pray down the rain in spite he was already informed by God that the rain was about to come.

When at the prayer of Elijah rain was given after so long a course of years, a little cloud not bigger than a person’s hand appeared, then grew as clouds do, and poured out such generous showers that all things were restored.

The prayer of a righteous

James 5:16 (NLT) Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

God does miracles out of the ordinary course of things. Rain always happens in a natural cycle. There are seasons of drought. This was a miraculous rain. There are forces in operation in nature but may be we may compelled to recognize a greater force.

The rain that came on Elijah was a miraculous extension of God’s absolute power or an example of God’s ordinary power manifest in the outworking of nature.

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