King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Wednesday, July 02, 2025
Chapters: II Kings 4-7
Message: II Kings: Elisha and The Shunammite
Hello My Friend,
As soon as I saw that we are reading chapter 4 from 2 Kings I got emotional because it is one of my favorite chapters in the Old Testament and a reminder of how God always makes a way when there is no way for us. As we continue in the reading of 2 Kings we learn the importance of living by faith and trusting God with all of our needs and desires, [Hebrews 11:1,3,6 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.]
When Elisha told Elijah that he wanted a double portion of God’s spirit on him, God, wasted no time in making that happen. We are given the account of Elisha’s ministry as he traveled throughout the Northern Kingdom of Israel. First, we find a widow who seeks his help in a desperate situation.
[2 Kings 4:1-4,7 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 the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons 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, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. 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 children of the rest.]
There are many testimonies that I enjoy reading from the Bible, those glimpses of hope and reassurance that God is with me even when I fail Him and even when my prayers are weak and I have no idea if He is even listening to me. It was not uncommon for prophets to be offered rooms to stay in while they were in town, one woman only known as the Shunammite woman, set up a room for Elisha in her home.
[2 Kings 4:8-12 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 an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. 10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, 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.]
Elisha, realizing how incredibly hospitable this woman was wanted to do something to thank her for her kindness, he calls for his servant and asks if there was anything she needed or wanted, [2 Kings 4:14-16 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, 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, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.]
Now, she was a humble woman so she did not seek compensation or recognition, but what she desired was a child. Elisha, goes on to tell her that she will have a son to which she replies as most people would, as if to say, “Are you serious?” I know and have seen God do some miraculous things, but often believe that He will not do them for me because I do not deserve them. Then again, none of us deserve His goodness, but He somehow loves us just the same and yet never fails. Now, the woman did have a son just as Elisha said she would, but the true test of her faith would come when the son she had bore and raised had what appears to be an aneurysm and died in her arms.
[2 Kings 4:17-22 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life. 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 a lad, 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 young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.]
This woman wanted some answers, she did not have time to grieve, in fact, the only thing she thought about was that she was promised a son and now he is gone. She did not know where Elisha was, but she was going to find him, [2 Kings 4:24-26 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, 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 that Shunammite: 26 Run now, I pray thee, 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.]
Elisha, knew that something was wrong, but this was something that God did not reveal to him so he was a little concerned, especially after she jumped off the donkey, grabbed him by the feet, [2 Kings 4:27-30 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD 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 thine 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 the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.]
Notice that even though she was grieving she had some hope, this is a reminder that we need to follow Jesus no matter how long the road or how hard the journey may seem. God, has a reason for allowing everything and sometimes death is the best solution that He can make, [Philippians 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.]
So, why do you think that Elisha had Gehazi go ahead of him and lay his staff on the face of the boy? First of all, the woman obviously placed too much faith in the man of God rather than God, and second, it proved that there was no power in the rod. There are so many Christians who put their faith in the man of God only to lose faith in God when he turns out be just like the rest of us. Elisha, was showing them that miracles do not happen by magic, chance, or a person, but solely upon the power of God. So, when Elisha arrived at his little bungalow he saw the young man laying on the bed dead.
[2 Kings 4:33-36 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. 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 the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. 35 Then he returned, and walked in the house 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.]
This is what brings me to tears every time I read it and reminds me of my baby niece, I was playing with her the other day and made a fish face, she mimicked me then pressed her lips on mine. Children, truly are not only a miracle from God, but bring joy to ones life like no other. It is so sad when we learn of people who discard life as though it is nothing. This is a picture of Christ as He takes hold of our dead soul and breathes life into it the second we ask Him to save us, [John 3:7-8 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.]
Now, that surely was a miracle that was unseen and only God could perform, but if your dive deeper into any of the miracles that were performed by God in the Old Testament you will see that Jesus Himself performed these same miracles in the flesh. One instance is when over one hundred men were fed with only a few loaves of bread.
[2 Kings 4:42-44 And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, 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 the LORD.]
Now, granted, it was not four or five thousand men and their families, but God did bless twenty loaves of bread to feed the men and their families. Remember, loaves are about the size of biscuits and there was enough bread and corn to feed them all. I can tell you of countless times when I was short on cash or food and had family come over only to make a meal that not only fed them all, but had leftovers too. It is not the miracles that actually lead someone to Christ because He performs miracles every day, it is their faith in Him, which in turn shows them the miracles, [Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.]
By now the miracles taking place were heard all over the Northern Kingdom, even Syria got word of what was going on. When Naaman, the captain of the Syrian army, became leprous, word got out that he was desperately seeking a cure when a young woman told Naaman’s wife about Elisha.
[2 Kings 5:1-3 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.]
Do you see how people are misguided into believing that men and women too of God are the ones who perform the miracles? Now, granted, God does use the talents of doctors and surgeons to assist in making things possible, but none of it is possible without God’s hand, [1 Corinthians 12:8-11 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.]
The king of Syria had to get permission from the king of Israel in order for Naaman to be able to go into Samaria. Of course, when the king of Israel got the letter he was quite shocked and had no idea how to respond, but when Elisha heard this, he asked the king to allow Naaman to come through, which he did. Now, once Naaman finally met with Elisha he expected to see some miracle, imagine his shock to find out that Elisha told him to take a bath in the Jordan River of all things.
[2 Kings 5:7-10 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? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. 8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had 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. 9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.]
Think about it, Elisha, was asking Naaman to wash himself in a river that looked like mud flowing through it, and not just one time, but seven. Naaman, responded like most of us do when asked to do something that makes no sense to us, [2 Kings 5:11-12 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 the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, 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.]
Sometimes God’s reasoning may seem like it makes no sense at all, but they will once we make that first move. Well Naaman did have a change of heart and got his miracle, and I can only imagine how he must have felt when he jumped in the water the first time, yet each time he came up out of the water, his faith increased a little more the cleaner he got. Naaman, was so pleased that he wanted to pay Elisha.
[2 Kings 5:14-17 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in 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. 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 blessing of thy servant. 16 But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, 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 the LORD.]
Naaman, did not need another miracle to be converted that day, in fact, he was so afraid to go into the kings house where he worshiped his false gods that he asks to be pardoned by God when he had to follow the kings lead, [2 Kings 5:18-19 In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that 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 down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing. 19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.]
There are times when we will be subject to working with people of different faiths and beliefs, this is where the power of the Holy Spirit comes in, He sets boundaries for us so that when we are around them we can be cordial without becoming yoked with them, [Luke 16:10-11 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?]
Faith works both ways, we must have faith that God can do and God in turn will have faith in us in that we trust Him to do it. Unbelievable things actually do happen when we have faith, even though Naaman got saved, the king of Syria was still at war with Israel, he devised a plan to siege Israel.
[2 Kings 6:8-12 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and 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 come down. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11 Therefore 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 shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.]
Can you see how the wicked world and most religions live? They have nothing better to do than come up with ways to attack us because God is always one step ahead of them. And I tell you what, while we may seem to be few in number, we have a great army behind us. When Elisha’s new servant came to him in fear as Syria’s army was ready to attack, he told him not to fear.
[2 Kings 6:15-18 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD 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. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.]
Can you see that army of angels ready to defend God’s people? We really have no comprehension of just how much power God has and the hedge of protection that He has around us. If you ever just missed a car smashing into you or wondered how you avoided something catastrophic, it is those angels watching over you. We do not even need to pray for God to protect us, for He does that without asking, we just need to pray for Him to open our eyes, [Psalms 119:17-18 GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. 18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.]
Centuries ago, God warned Israel of the horrible state that their country would be in if they turned from Him and began to worship and serve other gods, [Deuteronomy 28:50,52-53 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: 52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. 53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:]
Now, this time Samaria, did get invaded by Syria, and that gruesome prophecy is becoming a reality as a severe famine his Samaria. People were paying money to eat donkey heads and dung, they even resorted to eating their own children. When a woman came to the king and found out what was going on, it grieved him, but instead of seeking God, he seeks Elisha to kill him, blaming him for it.
[2 Kings 6:26-31 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 the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, 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; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. 31 Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.]
Is this not also like all of our foolish leaders today? Here is the king, mourning and fasting, and it sounds like he was praying to God. Instead of taking responsibility for their idiot policies, they blame the faithful few who are the only ones trying to help. And how sad is it really that these people are so desperate and foolish to pay money to eat dung, let alone how heartless they are to eat their own children? Well, Elisha told them not panic and what to expect.
[2 Kings 6:32 But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat 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 mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him? 2 Kings 7:1-2 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, 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 a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.]
This sad story is a reminder that things are going to get worse in our nations, and we Christians better step up and do something before we are in the same position. If it was not for four men who decided that if they died, at least, they would die trying.
[2 Kings 7:5,8-9,16 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. 8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost 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 came again, 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, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household. 16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.]
Remember, faith without works is dead, [James 2:17-20 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for taking my place on the cross, for dying to pay a debt that I owed, and not only that, giving me eternal life through Your resurrection. While I may never fully understand why You gave Your life to give me life, I do understand that whoever calls on You, shall be saved. And while Your ways seem strange sometimes, I know they do have a purpose and will not only benefit me, they will bring others to You as well. I do not want riches or fame, all I want is to live my life in honor of what You have done for me. Lord, Lead me and guide me, keep my heart open and my faith in You strong. When I pray, open my eyes and let me always see the reason of the hope that is inside of me. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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