In this chapter, we see yet another miracle performed by Elisha, but once again we read that there is a purpose behind the miracle. The purpose was to reinforce the message that God was still with Elisha and He was working through him. This in turn would strengthen the other prophets who were working under Elisha.
As we begin to look at the text, the first thing we notice is a problem that we would love to have. The place where the trainee prophets met was too small and so they suggest to Elisha that they go to the Jordan where there was an abundance of trees, 2 Kings 6:1-2 / Deuteronomy 34:3 / Judges 1:16. It appears they love Elisha so much that they wanted to accompany him wherever he went, 2 Kings 6:3. These students wanted to be taught by Elisha, they wanted to spend more time with like-minded people.
Remember, during the days of the kings, Israel were immersed in idolatry, and everyone was drifting further and further away from God and His ways. This tells me that there were a dedicated few who wanted to get back to God and His ways. More and more people were starting to believe in the One True God, and so, the company of prophets just continued to grow numerically.
Isn’t this a problem we would all like to face? Wouldn’t we like to have our meeting place so full of people who want to get back to God and His ways, that we need to go elsewhere to meet? Yes, there are times when it appears as though our numbers are dwindling, but we must not give up, Galatians 6:9. God will add the increase when the time is right.
Notice that the prophets wanted Elisha to go with them, 2 Kings 6:3, why? First of all, because they knew they can’t grow in their learning without a teacher. We need to recognise the need to be taught God’s Word. On the Day of Pentecost when God added three-thousand souls to His church and the first thing they did was devote themselves to the apostle’s teaching, Acts 2:42. They got regularly at the feet of men that were the leaders of the church and said, ‘teach us God’s word’ and you need to do the same thing.
You need to make it a regular habit of coming to this congregation and sitting at the feet of the teachers who have been appointed by this church to feed the flock and soak it up. You need to be very careful about who’s going to be leading you in your new walk with Christ and what the church does, it says, ‘here are men and woman who can teach.’ You need to come and sit at their feet, and you need to make it a priority to listen and learn Bible-based lessons.
Elisha is happy to go with them, 2 Kings 6:3, but as they were cutting down some trees, an iron axhead fell into the water, 2 Kings 6:4. Notice that it was a ‘borrowed’ axhead, 2 Kings 6:5. He immediately cried out to Elisha for help because the axhead was borrowed, 2 Kings 6:5.
To you and I, losing an axhead wouldn’t be a big deal, we would simply go to the hardware shop and buy another one. But to this prophet, this was a big deal, not only was it now lost but it wasn’t his to begin with, it was borrowed. He obviously didn’t have enough money to buy his own axe, so he had to borrow one.
Back in Bible times, an axe was valuable because it took hours of forging to get it into shape and it hours getting it sharp. You had to pay the Blacksmith a lot of money to get one made. The whole idea of borrowing anything from anyone is that you give it back when you are finished with it. He borrowed the axhead and as long as it was in his possession, it was his responsibility to look after it and return it.
In the law, it stated that if someone borrowed, lost or even destroyed an item which belonged to someone else, that person was held accountable for the cost or had to replace the item, Exodus 22:14. Have you ever given something to someone because they wanted to borrow it? How did you feel when you never got it back?
No wonder the prophet cries out to Elisha for help in desperation, 2 Kings 6:5. The young prophet obviously had no means of replacing the lost axhead and he becomes desperate and calls for Elisha to help.
Elisha could have told the prophet off and told him how irresponsible he was. Elisha could have just told the man, it’s your own fault, it’s gone now, it’s lost forever. Elisha could have just jumped into the river and tried to feel his way around under the water to locate the axhead. But he didn’t, after asking the prophet the exact location where it fell into the river, Elisha throws in a stick and made the iron float, 2 Kings 6:6.
Think about this for a moment, this was totally impossible because as we know, iron is heavy. Iron doesn’t float, it sinks but as we have seen time and time again, nothing is impossible for God. This was totally impossible, but not for God, only He could make iron float on water. Elisha tells the prophet to lift it out of the water and the man’s borrowed axhead was safely back in his hands, 2 Kings 6:7.Can you imagine the relief on this young man’s face?
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Several important deductions from what is written here are justified.
1. Elisha’s work had been successful. More and more people were believing in the One God, and the sons of the prophets were increasing in number.
2. Their love for Elisha is evident in their desire that he should accompany them.
3. The sons of the prophets were entitled to be praised for their creative energy and industry.
So, what can we learn from this event?
1. God is aware of what’s happening in your life.
There are times in our lives when we face some big challenges, and we think God is totally oblivious to what is happening in our lives. He knew the consequences of the man who lost the axhead, He knew he didn’t have the means of replacing it or paying for a new one. Some of you may be facing some serious health problems right now and starting to question if God is even aware of what you are going through.
Some of you may be facing a huge relationship problem right now, but despite praying, you are not sure if God is even listening to your prayers. Some of you may be facing a massive debt problem but think that God isn’t interested in your debt problem. Some of you may be facing big problems at your work where you could lose your job and you’ve prayed about it and are worried about how you’re going to pay your future bills.
Many people look at sparrows and think they are worthless, but God notices them, and He cares for them, Luke 12:6-7. Just as He knows the sparrows, He certainly knows us all on a personal level, even to the point of knowing how much hair we have on our heads. I can imagine over the years, God smiling when He looks at me and says, ‘ha, there’s another hair gone.’
Don’t ever think that God doesn’t know what’s happening in your life, He is absolutely aware of what’s happening in all of our lives. Mankind is worth far more than the sparrows, and Jesus tells us that God will certainly take care of us because He takes care of the sparrows.
2. God Wants To Save The Lost.
This poor man’s axhead was lost in the depths of the river, but God found it and restored it to the man. Because Christ’s mission was to ‘save’, Luke 19:10, this tells us that we couldn’t save ourselves, Christ had to come and do something for us that we couldn’t do ourselves. God wants to save the lost and there are times when He places people in our lives just at the right time.
It was no accident that the prophets asked Elisha to go with them. If Elisha wasn’t there, the axhead would still be at the bottom of the river. God is always one step ahead of us, He knows what’s coming up in our lives when we don’t. He has a habit of putting the right people in the right place at the right time.
We see this with the Samaritan woman at the well who went back and told everyone about Jesus, John 4:1-42. We see this with Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch, Acts 8:26-40. We see this with Paul who met a woman named Lydia, Acts 16:11-15. We see God putting people in the right place, at the right time.
Before you became a Christian, can you remember the people God placed in your life to help bring you to salvation? Now that you are a Christian, can you look back and identify those very people who introduced you to Jesus? From a personal point, if God hadn’t put certain people in my life when He did, I probably wouldn’t be alive today. God is always one step ahead of us and it is no accident that God places people in our life.
Everyone that comes into your life, and everyone who has been called to be in your life is there for a reason. God puts people into your life at strategic times because He knows what we need. There are circumstances that God has arranged in the past and is arranging right now long before we know that we’ll ever need them.
He knew before you did, that you would need His people to support you through that serious health problem. He knew before you did, that you would need His people to support you through that relationship problem. He knew before you did, that you would need His people to support you through that debt problem. He knew before you did, that you would need His people to support you through that work problem.
If you are not a Christian, ask yourself, why has God surrounded you with His people? Do you think it’s just pure luck or chance that Christians are a part of your life? Or has God put His people in your life because ultimately, He wants to save you too? 2 Peter 3:9.
The king of Aram at this time was at war against Israel, probably during the reign of Jehoram, and he decided to set up camp, 2 Kings 6:8.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following, concerning the king of Aram.
‘This was probably the same Ben-Hadad who is mentioned 2 Kings 6:24.’
Elisha sent word to the king of Israel and warns him over and over again to be on his guard against the king of Aram and his movements, 2 Kings 6:9-10. The king of Aram gets angry and says to his officers, ‘which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?’ 2 Kings 6:11. It appears that time after time the king’s army’s violence toward Israel had led to the defeat of the king’s army. He obviously thought that there was a traitor in his ranks who was informing Israel as to where his whereabouts.
The king of Aram had no idea that Elisha was telling the king of Israel about everything that was going on about where he and his army was, 2 Kings 6:12. God again, by doing this work through Elisha, was letting the people of Israel know that God was still working in and through His prophet.
When the king of Aram discovers it was Elisha who was the one telling Israel what he was up to, he wanted to try and capture Elisha, 2 Kings 6:13. He probably thought to himself, if he can remove Elisha, that is, kill him, then he can remove Israel’s source of miraculous knowledge. After being informed as to Elisha’s whereabouts, the king of Aram sends an army in order to trap Elisha in Dothan, 2 Kings 6:13-14 / Genesis 37:17.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following, concerning Dothan.
‘It was at no great distance from Shechem. Its ancient name still attaches to a Tel or hill of a marked character, 2 Kings 6:17, from the foot of which arises a copious fountain.’
The king of Aram went to Dothan with horses and chariots and surrounded the city in order to capture Elisha and kill him, 2 Kings 6:15. When one of Elisha’s servants saw them, he is at a loss as to what to do2 Kings 6:15. Elisha tells him not to be afraid and then he tells him, ‘those who are with us are more than those who are with them,’ 2 Kings 6:16. He saw something which his servant couldn’t see, and so in order for his servant to see what was invisible to the human eye, he prays that God would open his servant’s eyes, 2 Kings 6:17.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Where is heaven? Is it not above, beneath, around us? And were our eyes open as were those of the prophet’s servant, we should see the heavenly host in all directions. The horses and chariots of fire were there, before the eyes of Elisha’s servant were opened.’
When God miraculous opened his eyes for him to see what couldn’t be seen, he saw a vast army of God with horses and chariots of fire ready to protect them, 2 Kings 6:18 / Romans 8:37. There’s no doubt that these were divine beings, angels, sent by God to protect His prophets, Hebrews 1:14.
Elisha could have easily asked God to wipe the army from the face of the earth, but instead, he asked God to strike them with blindness, 2 Kings 6:18. Interestingly, Elisha was able to see God’s army but the king of Aram’s army ended up being blind, not being able to see anything which under normal circumstances could be seen.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The Syrians, who had been encamped on rising ground opposite the hill of Dothan, now descended and drew near to the city. The blindness with which they were smitten was not real, blindness actual loss of sight but a state of illusion in which a man sees things otherwise than as they are, 2 Kings 6:20.’
Because the king of Aram’s army was now blind, Elisha leads them to Samaria, 2 Kings 6:19. The trap into which the king of Aram wanted to lead the Israelites became the same type of trap into which Elisha led the soldiers of the king’s army.
After the soldiers received their sight back, 2 Kings 6:20, they find themselves in the middle of the capital city which they sought to defeat. The reason they weren’t killed here was simply because they weren’t prisoners of war and mercy was shown to them, 2 Kings 6:21-22, so that they show mercy towards Israel, James 2:13.
A great feast for them was prepared and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master, 2 Kings 6:23. Because the soldiers witnessed God’s protection over His people and because of the kindness the king of Israel showed the king of Aram’s soldiers, Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory, 2 Kings 6:23.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Jehoram did not merely follow the letter of the prophet’s direction, but understood its spirit and acted accordingly. The plundering bands which had been in the habit of ravaging the territory, 2 Kings 5:2, ceased their incursions in consequence either of the miracle, or of the kind treatment which Elisha had recommended.’
When it comes to the kings of Aram, especially Ben-Hadad, 2 Kings 6:24, it’s never easy to identify which king the text is referring to. One suggestion to help us is this, Ben-Hadad I, the son of Tabrimmon, reigned in the 10th to the early 9th century B.C. 1 Kings 15:18. Ben-Hadad II possibly reigned in the middle of the 9th century B.C.
Hazael reigned in the late 9th century B.C. Then Ben-Hadad III, the son of Hazael, reigned in the early 8th century B.C. Up until this point in time, there was a period of peace between Israel and Aram but after this period, Ben-Hadad II assumed Aram’s hostility against Israel. He laid siege to Samaria in the middle of the 9th century.
Notice that ‘the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver’, 2 Kings 6:25. They were trapped inside the city, and the price of food rocketed, which tells us how severe the famine was because a donkey’s head would be the very last thing which people would eat. They also ate a ‘cab of seed pods’, 2 Kings 6:25, which is basically dove’s dung, which tells us they will eat anything in order to survive.
As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out for help, and the king asks her, if God doesn’t help her, where can I get help for her? From the threshing floor? From the winepress? 2 Kings 6:26-27. In other words, there is nothing, everything is empty, Hosea 9:2.
Things are so horrendous and people are so desperate to eat, one mother suggests to another mother that they eat each other’s sons, 2 Kings 6:28. This is nothing short of cannibalism. The cooked her son and ate him but the next day she asked her to ‘give up her son so they may eat him,’ but she had hidden him, 2 Kings 6:29. The event recorded here in this siege is exactly what God, through Moses, said would happen many years before, Deuteronomy 28:53-58.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The prophecy alluded to in the marginal references was now fulfilled, probably for the first time. It had a second accomplishment when Jerusalem was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, Lamentations 4:10, and a third in the final siege of the same city by Titus.’
When the king of Israel, probably Jehoram, heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes, and when he did, the onlookers noticed that he was wearing a sackcloth, 2 Kings 6:30, which was a sign of repentance. In ignorance, and for reasons we aren’t told, he quickly blames Elisha for what is happening, 2 Kings 6:31, possibly because Elisha had prophesied that Samaria would be victorious over Aram. One thing is clear, everyone is in a desperate situation here, and if they return to God in faith, if they turn to God in repentance, then God would deliver them from this horrendous situation.
It’s very easy to overlook the fact that Elisha and the elders were also suffering because of the famine, hence why Elisha is sitting in his house, 2 Kings 6:32. Elisha knew exactly what was happening and what was about to happen, he knew that Jehoram was a murderer, and he called him a murderer because he intends to murder Elisha, 2 Kings 6:32.
Jehoram is clearly frustrated and recognises that what’s happening is from God and he doesn’t want to wait any longer for God to deliver them from this famine, 2 Kings 6:33. This story will continue in the next chapter.