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When the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.2 Kings 6:18You might be thinking, “I know that God is with me, but…” And you go back to all that is against you, and you end up as fearful as the servant before God opened his eyes. If that’s where you are, you may have been infected by an old faith-sapping heresy called deism. Deism thinks of God being with u...

Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man… and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.2 Kings 6:17The servant did not see the full picture. He saw what was against him, but he did not see Who was for him. Elisha wants him to have peace, so he prays, “O LORD, please open his eyes” (6:17).Paul says that we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). To walk by sight means...

The king of Syria… called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said… “Elisha, the prophet… tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”2 Kings 6:11–12God’s perfect knowledge is a wonderful comfort to His friends. But it infuriates His enemies. When the king of Syria heard that Elisha was revealing his plans, he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him” (6:13).There is a strange leap in t...

Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.”2 Kings 6:8Here is another remarkable story from the life of Elisha, and this story is especially for all who are fearful. If you feel that darkness is closing in. If you are saying, “What am I going to do?” If you find it difficult to sleep at night, this story is for you. The king of Syria wanted to ambush the king of Israel. You can almo...

Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”2 Kings 5:20After being healed, Naaman wanted to show his gratitude. He brought a boatload of money, and so he said to Elisha, “Accept now a present from your servant” (5:15). But Elisha refused. And as Naaman headed home, Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, went after him.He said, “My master has sent me to say, ‘...

But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”2 Kings 5:13Naaman took offence at the command to go and wash. But did he hear the promise? Elisha said, “Wash, and be clean.”Perhaps this is your position. There is something that God calls you to do and you don’t want to do it. Something God calls you to give up and you don’t want to give i...

“When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”2 Kings 5:6Things didn’t go so well when Naaman met with Israel’s king: “When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God… that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?’” (5:7).Elisha heard what was happening, and he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know...

Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife.2 Kings 5:2Naaman did not know God, but God brought someone who did know Him into Naaman’s life. She was a little girl, whose name we don’t even know.This girl had learned in her early years about the God of the Bible. She knew that when God’s people sinned against Him, He sent prophets to call the people back to Himself...

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favour; because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valour, but he was a leper.2 Kings 5:1The story of Naaman is another story from the life of Elisha. Naaman was known for his strength and courage in battle. With that reputation, he would have risen through the ranks until he became the “commander of the army.” Not many people reach these heights.Naaman was “in hig...

God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak… to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised… even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.1 Corinthians 1:27-29In the miracles of Elisha, we see two truths: God’s work continues despite our foolish mistakes, and God’s work advances despite our obvious inadequacies. These truths should have three effects in our lives.1. They should humble usGo...

A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits.2 Kings 4:42A farmer arrived with food for the sons of the prophets. These students are living through a famine, and this farmer says that he has brought “the firstfruits” of his harvest.The students hope he has a really big farm! But the cart is almost empty. There’s just one sack with only 20 loaves of bread and some grain. It must have been a massive disappointment.Elisha said to his servant Gehazi, “Give to the men, tha...

They cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” ... He said, “Then bring flour.” And he threw it into the pot… And there was no harm in the pot.2 Kings 4:40–41How can God’s work continue when His people make so many mistakes? God protects us from the worst effects of our own folly. How does He do this? Here are two ways.1. Sometimes God protects us by His direct interventionFlour does not neutralise poison. What happened here is like when Moses put a log into the b...

One of them… found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew, not knowing what they were.2 Kings 4:39The Bible is full of foolish mistakes: James and John wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village. Peter drawing his sword in the Garden of Gethsemane. The disciples rebuking little children for coming to Jesus.The amazing thing is that God’s work continued despite these mistakes. And our lives have been filled with foolish mistakes as w...

As the sons of the prophets were sitting before [Elisha], he said to his servant, “Set on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”2 Kings 4:38We are introduced here to a group of men known as “the sons of the prophets.” They lived in community and gave themselves to study and prayer. They brought the Word of God to the people.It’s likely that Elisha was there often, teaching, mentoring, exhorting them to walk with God. In this time of famine, Elisha wanted them to enjoy a good mea...

[Elisha] 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… and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child… opened his eyes.2 Kings 4:33–35There is a marvellous picture here of how Christ gives new life to us. Elisha “lay on the child” and “stretched himself upon him” (4:34).In the Ol...

Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”2 Kings 4:27Elisha was a great man of God. God worked through him in extraordinary ways. But the emphasis here is not on Elisha’s strength and power but on his limitations and weakness.Notice what Elisha doesn’t know: “She is in bitter distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me” (4:27). He is saying, “God often reveals things to me...

When the child had grown… he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” …The child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.2 Kings 4:18-20Here we have every mother’s nightmare. The unimaginable sorrow of the death of a child. She laid the boy in Elisha’s room and told her husband that she was going to see the man of God. She said, “All is well” (4:23).She rode her donkey as fast as she could to Mount Carmel wher...

One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food.2 Kings 4:8The first thing we are told about this woman is that she had been blessed financially. God had blessed her, and she wanted to bring blessing to others.One way she could do this was to give hospitality to the prophet Elijah. Now she took it a step further. She told her husband, “I know that this is a...

My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:19The story of the widow’s oil points us very wonderfully to our Lord Jesus. Think about what God did for her sons. He paid their debt. He saved them from slavery. He gave them a future. This is what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.Jesus paid our debtWe owe it to God to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We owe it to our ne...

Your servant my husband is dead, and... the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.2 Kings 4:1Let’s look at this story from the perspective of the two boys. It’s striking how often they are mentioned, and it is through their eyes that we see these two truths.1. God works for our freedomThese two boys had quite a story to tell. If one of them could tell us his story, he might say,I’ll never forget the day that creditor came. His words...