In this chapter we read about various miracles of mercy, we know they are miraculous because no one really knows how they were done. We must also bear in mind that 2 Kings 4-8:6, isn’t in chronological order, but presented in a way to demonstrate the continued work of Elisha in showing the Israelites that God is way more powerful than the Canaanite gods, especially Baal.
Since Elisha took over from Elijah, he was constantly proving to himself to those around him that he was a true prophet of God. He did this by performing various miracles and here we find God showing he was with Elisha when he performed a miracle of creation. We read of an unknown woman, who was married to one of God’s prophets, 2 Kings 4:1.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This woman, according to the Chaldee, Jarchi, and the rabbis, was the wife of Obadiah.’
She cries out to Elisha and tells him that her husband had died and now his creditor has come to make her two sons slaves, 2 Kings 4:1. During this time in Israel’s history, God’s prophets weren’t really valued by the people and were not supported. This poor woman, when her husband died was left with nothing but debt to pay.
We know that her husband revered the Lord, but we can only imagine what this poor woman is feeling right now. It’s bad enough going through the loss of someone close to you, but to be left with a huge debt to pay must have been humiliating and well as stressful.
The creditor wanted to take her two sons as slaves, this was in accordance with God’s law, if any debt couldn’t be paid, then a person could give themselves to the creditor as a slave until the debt was settled. The person who gave themselves as a slave had to stay and work for the creditor until the debt was totally cleared or until the year of Jubilee, Leviticus 25:39-40 / Deuteronomy 15:12-18.
She’s now a widow and the only two people who could bring in any kind of income were about to be taken as slaves. She’s desperate, she’s about to lose everything and so, it’s no wonder she cries out to Elisha for help.
After enquiring what the woman had in her house, she replied nothing except a small jar of olive oil, 2 Kings 4:2. That word ‘jar’ in Hebrew is the word ‘acuwk’, and it’s the only time the word is found within the Bible.
The jar would have been very small and although the N.I.V. tells us it was ‘olive oil’ within the jar, we simply don’t know, in all likelihood, it would have a been very expensive oil, or perfume, Mark 14:3-9, because, after the miracle, she had enough to sell for herself and enough to pay off her debt, 2 Kings 4:7.
Notice Elisha tells her to go to her neighbours and get as many empty jars as she can get. Don’t just get a few Elisha tells her, get as many as you can, 2 Kings 4:3. She and her sons are to go inside her house and shut the door behind them, 2 Kings 4:4. She is to pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side, 2 Kings 4:4. The more jars she brings, the more oil there is, and the oil simply keeps on pouring, until there were no more jars available, 2 Kings 4:5-6.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘While there was a vessel to fill, there was oil sufficient and it only ceased to flow when there was no vessel to receive it. This is a good emblem of the grace of God. While there is an empty, longing heart, there is a continual overflowing fountain of salvation. If we find in any place or at any time that the oil ceases to flow, it is because there are no empty vessels there, no souls hungering and thirsting for righteousness. We find fault with the dispensations of God’s mercy, and ask, Why were the former days better than these? Were we as much in earnest for our salvation as our forefathers were for theirs, we should have equal supplies, and as much reason to sing aloud of Divine mercy.’
Imagine what is going through her and her two son’s minds at his point. Imagine what’s going through their minds as this oil just keeps on pouring out. This is not something you witness every day, from one little jar of oil, comes many jars filled with oil. I can imagine them just praising God for what is happening in front of their eyes. She goes to Elisha who tells them to sell the oil and pay your debts and she and her sons can have what is left over, 2 Kings 4:7.
Those of us who have ever been in debt will know exactly how she’s feeling at this point. Remember what it was like when you made that final payment? I can imagine her crying as the pressure of paying the debt and losing her two sons has just been taken away. We can only imagine the joy and relief this family is feeling at this point.
The first miracle and the last miracle recorded in this chapter are similar to the feeding of the four thousand, Matthew 15:32-39 / Mark 8:1-9, and the feeding of the five thousand, Matthew 14:13-21 / Mark 6:31-44 / Luke 9:12-17 / John 6:1-14, as done by Jesus. They are also similar in nature to what Elijah did when he fed the widow of Zarephath and her son, 1 Kings 17:10-16.
Henry, in his commentary, says the following.
‘God did not provide her with some small gratuity but gave her real help. He set her up in the world to sell oil and put a liberal stock into her possession, to begin with. The greatest kindness one can do for poor people is, if possible, to help them in a way of providing for themselves through their own industry and ingenuity. The great need of our own nation, currently, is to enable all able-bodied persons to support themselves, instead of merely doling out a monthly check’.
There are a number of practical lessons we can learn from this event.
1. God blesses obedience.
Elisha could have brought her husband back to life, but he didn’t, why? Only God knows the answer to that question, but maybe she and her sons needed to understand that God’s grace would be sufficient to help them through, 2 Corinthians 12:9. It’s all very well crying out to God for help in difficult times, but we must do what He says. The very fact that she went to Elisha for help, tells us of her great faith in God to help her.
And more importantly, the very fact that she did exactly what Elisha told her to do, tells us that her faith needed to be an obedient faith. God told the Israelites He would bless them richly in the Promised Land, if they fully obeyed Him, but as we know they failed, Deuteronomy 28:1-2. In other words, don’t expect God to bless your faith, if you are not willing to do what He says.
2. God won’t hold back.
The little oil that she had was probably her nest egg, her savings for emergencies. It wasn’t enough to clear the debt, but it was all that she had. The widow could have easily argued with Elisha and said, ‘I’ve only got one small jar of oil, it’s all I have.’ But she didn’t hold anything back from God, she used the little oil she had and trusted God to take care of her needs for tomorrow.
Just like the widow Jesus saw placing her offering into the treasury, she too put in everything she had and trusted God to take care of her needs for tomorrow, Mark 12:41-44. What about you, do you ever hold things back from God?
Maybe you are like Ananias and Sapphira, you give a certain amount into the offering every week, when God has blessed you with the ability to give more. The amount you give hasn’t changed in years, despite you being richer than you were! One of the reasons we hold things back from God is simply because of a lack of trust.
What does God promise in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8? God promises if your heart is to be a cheerful giver, God will make sure you can always fulfil what your heart desires. If you want to be a person that supports the kingdom of God, he’ll give you what you need to make sure you can do it.
3. We can’t do it alone.
One thing which really stood out for me in this story was the amount of help this widow needed. Not only did she need God’s help which she sought through Elisha, but she also needed help from her neighbours and her sons. Although there’s no record of them asking her why she needed the jars, she obviously had good relationships with her neighbours because they willingly helped her in her time of need. Her sons obviously loved her because they didn’t ask any questions but simply did what she asked them to do.
When we find ourselves in desperate times, where do we turn to? Yes, we turn to God, and yes, we turn to our immediate family, but we must also learn to turn to our spiritual family. All too often, we try to go through things alone, but God blesses us with a church family to help, Romans 12:15.
We can’t really rejoice with anyone unless we’re in their company. We can’t really mourn with anyone unless we are with them, mourning with them. We can’t carry each other’s burdens, Galatians 6:2, if we don’t know what our brothers or sisters’ burdens are.
4. God blesses us so that we can bless others.
God blessed the widow and her sons with enough oil to keep them going for a while, 2 Kings 4:7. This wasn’t God’s way of giving her and her sons a retirement fund where they didn’t have to work ever again. They were given enough to live on, not to retire. They still had to work, that is, they still had to sell the oil to generate an income. She’s gone from being a widow in a hopeless situation to a woman who can now provide for her own needs.
She and her sons can now be a blessing to others, as they sell their expensive oil to others. Yes, she will still be mourning the loss of her husband. Yes, her sons will still be missing their father. But in the midst of all this was God, who was working in and through them despite their loss. And because she and her sons were obedient to God and trusted Him, God blessed them richly. So richly, that they went on to be a blessing to others.
When you’ve gone through desperate times and God blessed you by delivering you from them. When you’ve gone through hopeless times and God blessed you with help from your church family. What are you going to do? Are you just going to praise God or are you going to praise God and go on to be a blessing to others?
Elisha went to Shunem and what I love about the woman he meets is her faith. She could have easily reaped some benefits from Elijah who was travelling around, but instead, she used it as an opportunity to glorify God and serve him. She begged Elisha to eat a meal with her and so, whenever Elisha was in the area, he would sit down and have a meal with her, 2 Kings 4:8.
She knows that Elijah is a holy man of God, 2 Kings 4:9, and she offers him hospitality, food and a room fitted out with everything he needs but she never asks for anything in return, 2 Kings 4:10. One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there and he asks his servant Gehazi to call the woman and he did and she came to him, 2 Kings 4:11-12. With all this kindness, Elisha wanted to do something nice for her. He wants to know if he wants him to speak to the king or the commander of the army, 2 Kings 4:13.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Elisha must have had considerable influence with the king, from the part he took in the late war with the Moabites. Jehoram had reason to believe that the prophet, under God, was the sole cause of his success, and therefore he could have no doubt that the king would grant him any reasonable request.’
When he finds out she didn’t have any children because her husband was old, 2 Kings 4:14, and she was probably past the age of giving birth. Remember being without children in Bible times was seen as being out of favour with God. People would often look down on you and treat you as an outcast if you had no children. Elisha tells her she will have a son but she thinks that she is being misled, 2 Kings 4:15-16. But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her, 2 Kings 4:17.
Don’t miss the miracle, she was a woman, probably of older age who couldn’t have children. The miracle which happened here was seen in the fact that God gave her bodily strength to conceive and give birth to a son. This type of miracle has happened many times throughout the Scriptures.
1. The birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, Genesis 18:1-15.
2. The birth of Samson to Manoah and his wife, Judges 13:2-25.
3. The birth of Samuel to Elkanah and his wife Hannah, 1 Samuel 1:1-28.
4. The birth of John the Baptist to Zacharias and Elizabeth, Luke l:39-57.
5. The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Virgin Mary, Luke 1:26-45.
We must take note that when the child grew, 2 Kings 4:18, it doesn’t mean he was an adult, but he was a small boy, we know because the servant easily carried him to Elisha’s private room, 2 Kings 4:23. He was out in the fields and complained about his head, 2 Kings 4:18-19. We don’t know exactly what the ailment was, it could possibly have been sunstroke, Psalms 121:6 / Isaiah 49:10, but whatever his ailment was it resulted in him dying, 2 Kings 4:20.
We can only imagine the devastation they are both feeling right now. Their son, their one and only son, was now gone, the grief must have been too much. She went up and laid the child on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out, 2 Kings 4:21.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘She had no doubt heard that Elijah had raised the widow’s son of Zarephath to life; and she believed that he who had obtained this gift from God for her, could obtain his restoration to life.’
She asks her husband to send her one of the servants and a donkey so she can go to the man of God quickly and return, 2 Kings 4:22. Her husband asks why they should go today because it’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath, but she said that’s alright, 2 Kings 4:23.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘By the Law, the first day of each month was to be kept holy. Offerings were appointed for such occasions Numbers 28:11-15, and they were among the days on which the silver trumpets were to be blown, Numbers 10:10 / Psalms 81:3. Hence, ‘new moons’ are frequently joined with ‘sabbaths’, Isaiah 1:13 / Ezekiel 45:17 / Hosea 2:11 / 1 Chronicles 23:31.’
She saddled the donkey and tells her servant not to slow down unless she says so, 2 Kings 4:24. Both parents knew that their child was dead, but we’re not told what kind of help the Shunammite woman expected from Elisha. The dead child’s mother was absolutely unwilling to admit the child’s death to anyone until she had accomplished her appeal to Elisha.
When she reached Mount Carmel, Elisha sees her from a distance and his servant Gehazi, says, ‘look! There’s the Shunammite, 2 Kings 4:25. Gehazi runs to meet her and ask her if she alright, is her husband alright, is your child aright and she tells him and everything is all right, 2 Kings 4:26.
She took hold of Elisha’s feet, Matthew 18:29 / John 11:32, but Gehazi pushes her away, but Elisha tells him to leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me why, 2 Kings 4:27. She tells Elisha that she didn’t ask for a son and she told him that he shouldn’t have raised her hopes, 2 Kings 4:28.
Elisha tells Gehazi to tuck his cloak into his belt, take Elisha’s staff in his hand and run, he isn’t to greet anyone he meets, and if anyone greets him, don’t answer. He is to lay Elisha’s staff on the boy’s face, 2 Kings 4:29. The child’s mother says she will not leave Elisha and so he got up and followed her, 2 Kings 4:30. Sadly, Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, did as Elisha told him to do, but the boy remained dead and so he goes back to inform Elisha, 2 Kings 4:31.
When Elisha reaches the house and finds the boy dead, he enters the room, shuts the door, and prays, 2 Kings 4:32-33 / James 5:16. He then lays upon the child in a strange manner, 2 Kings 4:34. It’s difficult to know if he was trying to raise the boy back to life at this point or if he simply showing remorse over the death of the mother’s son. One thing for sure is that God has in mind to bring him back from the dead. He stretched himself out on him and the boy’s body grew warm, 2 Kings 4:34.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Warmth may have been actually communicated from the living body to the dead one and Elisha’s persistence, Hebrews 11:35, may have been a condition of the child’s return to life.’
Elisha turns away and walks back and forth in the room, got on the bed, and stretched out on him once more and it’s then the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes, 2 Kings 4:35.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘That is, it sneezed abundantly. When the nervous influence began to act on the muscular system, before the circulation could be in every part restored, particular muscles, if not the whole body, would be thrown into strong contractions and shivering’s, and sternutation or sneezing would be a natural consequence; particularly as obstructions must have taken place in the head and its vessels, because of the disorder of which the child died.’
We can only imagine the joy in the boy’s mother’s heart as Elisha tells her to take her son, 2 Kings 4:36 / Luke 7:15. Notice that she ‘took her son and went out’, 2 Kings 4:37. I’m sure this was a time of celebration, where she wanted to share the wonderful news about her son with her friends and neighbours.
I’m also sure that she would have given credit and glory to God as she tells them about what Elisha had done. This in turn would let everyone know that Elisha was a true prophet of God and that God was working through him. There are only three resurrection stories recorded in the Old Testament.
1. This one.
2. The raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath by Elijah, 1 Kings 17:17-23.
3. The resurrection of the man who was being buried, and who, when the burial party was threatened by looters, was hastily cast into the tomb of Elisha and was restored to life by his contact with the bones of that prophet, 2 Kings 13:20-21.
In the New Testament, we have a few more resurrection stories recorded.
1. The raising of the daughter of Jairus, Matthew 9:18-26.
2. The raising of the son of the widow of Nain, Luke 7:12-18.
3. The raising of Lazarus, John 11:1-44.
4. The raising of Dorcas, Acts 9:36-41.
5. The raising of Eutychus, Acts 20:10-12.
6. The resurrection of the saints who came out of their graves after the resurrection of Christ, Matthew 27:53.
7. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:5-8.
So, what lessons can we learn from this event?
1. Use what you have.
The Shunammite woman used what she had to be a blessing. What started out as a simple meal invitation, turned into her opening up her home as a hotel, 2 Kings 4:8-10. Yes, she was a ‘well-to-do’ woman, which basically means she was financially secure. But just like the widow who was poor and had only one small jar of oil, she did everything she could and used what she had to bless Elisha.
As God’s children, we too should practice hospitality, Romans 12:13, and use what we have to bless others. You might not be able to offer someone accommodation, but you can certainly invite them to your home for a meal.
You might not be able to offer a homeless person a meal at your home, but you can certainly go out of your way to buy them a sandwich and a drink. Jesus says even if you offer someone a cup of water in His Name, you will be blessed at a later time, Matthew 10:42. Every day you live, is a gift of grace from God to be used to invest in people.
2. Be content with what you have.
The Shunammite woman was content with what she had. Notice Elisha asked her what he could do for her, 2 Kings 4:13. Elisha thought she wanted him to speak to the king or the commander of the king’s army on her behalf. It’s not every day a prophet comes to your home and asks if they can something for you.
But she didn’t ask for anything, why? She was content with what she had, she recognised how blessed she already was. She was blessed to be financially secure enough to offer Elisha a meal. She was blessed to have a house big enough to make a room for Elisha. She and her husband had no children, but she never asks for a child.
Even though she could have asked for a child, she didn’t but it’s clear from her reaction to Elisha’s words, that this was something her heart desired, 2 Kings 4:15-16. And like many women today, it appears that they may have been trying to have a child for years, but just accepted that this wasn’t going to happen.
How content are you with what God has blessed you with? One of the great disgraces of our day is the huge number of ungrateful Christians. We can spend our entire lives striving for more and as a result, we miss the joy of being satisfied with what we have today.
3. Evaluate what is important.
The story of the Shunammite woman doesn’t finish here. In 2 Kings 8:1-2, we find Elisha warning the Shunammite woman to leave her home and homeland because there was going to be a seven year long famine. And notice that once again, she didn’t hesitate to do what Elisha told her to do, she and her family left everything behind. We can only imagine what it is like to leave everything behind.
We see it happening before our very eyes, where people are fleeing from their homes and country because of war. We see it happening when people have to leave everything behind because of an earthquake or flooding. She had to evaluate what was more important in her life. What good is a home if you have no food to eat in it? What good is a family, if you can’t feed them?
If you invest all your time in building a nice house, saving up for a new car, or protesting about the state the world is in, you’ll be in for a shock when Christ returns. Because all of that stuff is going to be incinerated when Jesus comes back. I think it would be better to invest your life in something eternal.
The Shunammite woman didn’t treasure her house and land, and we shouldn’t treasure worldly things either, Matthew 6:21. If we hold on tight to our worldly things, it could cost you your life, Luke 17:33. Use what you have to bless others with. Be content with the blessings God has already given you. Evaluate what is important in your life and invest in things which are eternal.
When Elisha returns to Gilgal he finds there is a famine in the region, 2 Kings 4:38. This is possibly the same famine which is mentioned in 2 Kings 8:1. Elisha knew there was a famine, he knew there was no food available, but he still told the company of prophets, 1 Kings 20:35, to put the cooker on and cook some stew, 2 Kings 4:38. It appears that famine was so bad that the company of prophets were cooking anything that could be found in order to eat.
They found some herbs and a wild vine, 2 Kings 4:38-39, which wasn’t meant for human consumption. After preparing the stew, they soon realise there is something not right with it and cry out, ‘there is death in the pot!’ 2 Kings 4:40. It’s clear that this wild vine was extremely toxic and if they had fully consumed it, they would have died. Notice that Elisha didn’t throw it away, he simply added some flour to the mix, 2 Kings 4:41.
The miracle here is seen in the fact that the contents of the pot could be eaten, but now they are edible, 2 Kings 4:41. Because Elisha performed this miracle, this tells us that the other prophets didn’t have the same miraculous abilities as him. This miracle would have let the other prophets know that Elisha was God’s ‘special’ prophet, in terms of him taking the lead role after Elijah. This miracle would also let other people know that Elisha was God’s true prophet and God was working through him.
Remember Elisha was in Gilgal and the land was going through a famine, 2 Kings 4:38, and it appears that sometime later they are still going through the same famine. Because we read of one-hundred men who were hungry and needed feeding. We read of an unnamed man who came from Baal Shalishah, 2 Kings 4:42.
The name Baal is usually associated with the Canaanite god, but it can also be associated with the Lord. The name Shalishah means third and is usually associated with the idea of multiplicity because in Hebrew, the number three was the smallest number which set forth the idea of multiplicity.
In other words, Baal Shalishah could mean the Lord who multiplies, which is very significant in terms of what is about to happen. This unmanned man was obviously a follower of God because of what he gave. Notice that he gave twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain, 2 Kings 4:42.
We’re not talking about the kind of bread we buy in our shops today, these would be very small flatbreads. In other words, he brought twenty small flat barley breads and some corn. Normally the firstfruits were to be given to the Lord and the priests, Leviticus 23:20, but there is a famine happening right now and this man brought some food for Elisha and the other prophets.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It appears by this that the Levitical priests having withdrawn from the land of Israel, 2 Chronicles 11:13-14, pious Israelites transferred to the prophets, whom God raised up, the offerings required by the Law to be given to the priests, Numbers 18:13 / Deuteronomy 18:4.’
In terms of scale, this isn’t a huge amount, but in terms of heart, this man gave all he had. He understood that if he honours God with the firstfruits, God in turn, would continue to bless him, Proverbs 3:9-10. He was helping God’s people, Hebrews 6:10, but this man had no idea that God was going to bless the little gift he offered to feed the multitude.
When Elisha tells the man to give it to the people, it’s not surprising that he thought this was a crazy suggestion because twenty small loaves of bread wouldn’t be enough to feed one-hundred men, 2 Kings 4:42.
Didn’t the disciples think the same thing when Jesus was about to feed the five-thousand? Matthew 14:15-17. Didn’t the disciples think the same thing when Jesus was about to feed the four-thousand? Matthew 15:33-34. Didn’t they stop and think, ‘I’m sure we’ve read somewhere in the Torah about Elisha doing something similar.’
Notice that Elisha tells him to do it anyway despite the man’s doubts and then adds that it was the Lord who says, ‘they will eat and have some left over’, 2 Kings 4:42-43. When Jesus fed the five thousand men not including women and children with five loaves of bread and two fish, by the time they were finished they had twelve small baskets of leftovers, Matthew 14:20.
When He fed the four-thousand men not including women and children with seven loaves of bread and a few fish, by the time they were finished they had seven large baskets of leftovers, Matthew 15:37.
The Lord through Elisha said it would happen and it did, they all ate until they were full and they had some left over, 2 Kings 4:44. The miracle recorded here was shown in the fact that one hundred men could be fed with such a small amount of food. The purpose of the miracle was to once again prove to all the people that Elisha was God’s true prophet, and that God was working through him.
What can we learn from this event?
1. God can meet your needs.
God met the hunger needs of the one-hundred prophets but let me ask you, do you believe that God cares enough about you to meet your needs? God doesn’t meet all your greeds but all your needs and it does that on a daily basis, Philippians 4:19. If He meets all our needs, is there anything we lack? No, He meets all our needs not just some.
Isn’t that what Jesus was trying to teach us concerning our daily bread? Matthew 6:11. The petition for ‘daily bread’ isn’t for milk and honey, the symbols of luxury, but for bread that will be sufficient for this day. And, as long as it is today, we don’t need tomorrow’s bread. He doesn’t give us as much as we want, but He gives us as much as we need.
When you stop and see how He blesses us every day with our daily essentials, like food and water and clothes, Matthew 6:31, maybe then we can see that He does give us the right amount. Our God fed millions in the wilderness with manna every day for forty years, Exodus 16 / Psalm 78:24-25 / Nehemiah 9:21.
He caused ravens to feed Elijah by the brook, 1 Kings 17:4-6. He filled Peter’s net with fish, Luke 5:4-11 / John 21:3-11. God is well aware of our basic needs and if he can feed the one-hundred, the five-thousand and four-thousand, He can certainly take care of our daily bread.
2. God will bless your gift.
The unknown man brought what most people would consider a small gift of bread and corn and God blessed it abundantly. You have no idea how much God can bless a person whose feeling sick when you go and visit them.
You have no idea how much God can bless a person whose feeling low when you send them a text message. You have no idea how much God can bless a person who has lost someone close to them and you send them a bunch of flowers and a card telling them you are praying for them.
God doesn’t ask us to give what we don’t have, but He does ask us to give what we do have, no matter how small it may seem, Matthew 10:42. Never underestimate what God can do with what you think is small.
3. Believe that God will do the impossible.
Even though this unnamed man had no idea what God was capable of doing, Elisha had no doubts about what God could do. Before I became a Christian, my life was in pieces, and I had no reason to carry on living. I was in a hopeless, helpless situation because of the circumstances I found myself in. But one lady encouraged me to study the Bible and speak to God about it, and a few weeks later I became a Christian. Jesus put my life back together again and my life has never been the same since.
If you are not a Christian and your life is in pieces, then let me encourage you to go to the King and ask Him to help you. Because only King Jesus can put your life back together again and give you a reason to live. Only King Jesus can do what you can’t do for yourself, only King Jesus can do the impossible, Matthew 19:24-26.
The miracle recorded here was shown in the fact that one hundred men could be fed with such a small amount of food. This miracle and the first miracle recorded in this chapter, 2 Kings 4:1-7, are similar to the feeding of the four thousand, Matthew 15:32-39 / Mark 8:1-9, and the feeding of the five thousand, Matthew 14:13-21 / Mark 6:31-44 / Luke 9:12-17 / John 6:1-14, as done by Jesus.
They are also similar in nature to what Elijah did when he fed the widow of Zarephath and her son, 1 Kings 17:10-16. This again would prove to all the people that Elisha was God’s true prophet and that God was working through him.